Japan Earthquake | Page 1852
@bo be sure to read the ASK.COM up on top of pin board.. it has some interesting infoby dean 7/7/2011 2:14:31 PM
@lillymunster Hi Lilly and Bo! @Lilly It really makes me think they believe there might be some fuel left in the RPV. Gundersen had mentioned concern that if there was any fuel remaining in the RPV of 3 there was the potential for a bottom collapse due to corrosion and potentially another hydrogen explosion. Their concern about nitrogen certainly gives more credence to Arnie's scenario. I wonder if we'll ever know...by LM 7/7/2011 2:14:42 PM
@dean : a fuel rod assembly is 10.5 x 10.5 cm.by Edano 7/7/2011 2:15:43 PM- ty bo,,,by dean 7/7/2011 2:16:06 PM
@Dean, trying to find some numbers on diameter ranges. I think one of the BWR manuals has details if anyone wants to go digging.by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:16:10 PM- @LM, I had not heard Gundersen's new theory on 3. The MOX assemblies are more prone to cladding issues. Not sure if the amount and type of radiation they give off is adding to the high numbers there but 3 again is acting like the outlier.
by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:17:43 PM 
@Edano That's the assembly, the rod is more like a finger thick, maybe .5 inch or 1.5 cm in diameter.by RBeaner 7/7/2011 2:18:53 PM
@dean, wow, what a comprehensive overview the Ask article is! TYby bo 7/7/2011 2:19:38 PM- @bo Is anyone organizing public meetings anywhere, without tepco or goj "assistance"? Are the public making an effort to understand, or just wringing their hands with worry?by RBeaner 7/7/2011 2:20:41 PM
- @lillymunster What exactly about unit 3 makes you call it an "outlier"? Is it because of the amount of damage from the explosion?by RBeaner 7/7/2011 2:22:27 PM
- fuel rods specs: www.nucleartourist.comby Edano 7/7/2011 2:23:51 PM
- @Edano.. that dimension doesn't sound like one of an individual rod containing the fuel pellets?... I thought they would be slightly over 1 inch. .like about 1.3 or soby dean 7/7/2011 2:24:07 PM
- @RBeaner I haven't heard of any. But @elainekirk might be a better person to ask since she is tuned into the twitter universe. There are surely public meetings at universities. Our institute is going to devote our fall international symposium to the issue.by bo 7/7/2011 2:24:09 PM
- yw boby dean 7/7/2011 2:24:19 PM
- @Lilly MOX definitely makes the situation at 3 different. Gundersen only mentioned a bottom drop as a potential scenario but given rad levels and corrosion from salt water, heat and the MOX..it's something to consider. We just don't know if there's still fuel left in the RPV.by LM 7/7/2011 2:26:08 PM
- 1.25200 centimeters = 0.492913386 inchesby dean 7/7/2011 2:26:20 PM
- pwr fuel rods it says are bigger... so ,,, can we estimate the size of the suspected fuel rods in the photo to about that size @ RBeaner or lillyby dean 7/7/2011 2:27:20 PM
- "Each assembly holds sixty-three fuel rods. This means the Fukushima Daiichi plant may contain over 600000 spent fuel rods ..." www.abovetopsecret.comby Edano 7/7/2011 2:29:29 PM
- makes 8x8 rods , makes about 1.3 cm each rod.by Edano 7/7/2011 2:30:15 PM
- @ all.. elaine pointed out that the tube on the left looks like there is a fuel pellet just out of the end on the surface..by dean 7/7/2011 2:30:16 PM
- Typically a 1000 MWe reactor will discharge about 2 metric tons of high level waste each refueling. A 1000 MWe reactor has about 100 metric tons of uranium dioxide fuel, of which 3 to 5 tons consist of the fissile U-235. A PWR will discharge 40 to 70 fuel assemblies; a BWR will discharge 120 to 200 fuel assembliesby dean 7/7/2011 2:31:40 PM
end of the rod in question
by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:32:14 PM- @ lilly try to get a close up like that of each end.. especially the one on the left.. looks like a pellet out the endby dean 7/7/2011 2:33:30 PM
The Zircaloy tubes are about 1 cm in diameter, in PWR and similar in BWR: en.wikipedia.org . A note further down puts the pellets at 10 mm diameter.
by Peter Melzer 7/7/2011 2:33:38 PM- i have found exact dimensions ! www.oecd-nea.orgby Edano 7/7/2011 2:34:42 PM
- @lillymunster @dean I agree that the picture of ""rods"" laying on the floor is interesting, but I say again they look to be at least bigger than an inch (2.54 cm) in diameter. Look at the crane cable laying beside it. The cable is probably 3/4 inch. Those "pipes" are to big to be fuel rods.by RBeaner 7/7/2011 2:34:42 PM
- Fuel Pellet Diameter (mm) 10.3 www.oecd-nea.orgby Edano 7/7/2011 2:35:02 PM
- by Edano 7/7/2011 2:36:02 PM
- CLAD
Material Zry-2 (Zr-lining)
Outer Diameter 12.3 mm
Thickness 0.86mm (Zr-lining 1.0mm)
Pellet-Clad Clearance 0.24 mm
www.oecd-nea.orgby Edano 7/7/2011 2:36:25 PM 
by Edano via Oecd-nea.org 7/7/2011 2:37:47 PM- video.nytimes.com nice video and other photo possibilitiesby dean 7/7/2011 2:38:21 PM
- @RBeaner what crane cable?by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:40:49 PM
- The only thing I see in the image is rusty rebarby lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:41:18 PM
- if we knew rebar sizes that would help.. or estimates..by dean 7/7/2011 2:41:49 PM
both ends. Left one may not be an end. Looks like maybe goes on?
by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:44:07 PM- there seems to be another rod that comes in perpendicular to the one.. so not sure of thatby dean 7/7/2011 2:44:58 PM
- I have an idea to get measurements but it will take me a few minutes.by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:45:06 PM
@dean Back on point. My opinion is those aren't fuel rods pictured here gyldengrisgaard.dk They may be the supports for part of a bridge crane or some kind of guardrail, but the dimensions don't support fuel rods.
by RBeaner via Gyldengrisgaard.dk 7/7/2011 2:47:35 PM- well the pellet with cladding is about .409 inches so the tube would be alittle largerby dean 7/7/2011 2:47:45 PM
- I see your point RBeaner,,, hmmmmmby dean 7/7/2011 2:50:02 PM
- Some dimensions. The ladder like thing that is a cabling track. Sides of it are less than 2inches, the cross piece is about 3/4 inch. So the rebar is really thin. I think this makes the rods 3/4 to 1 inch max.by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:54:06 PM
- @dean I have seen no evidence to date, of any significantly displaced fuel rods/assemblies from any pool or reactor. The fuel "particle" found 1.5 km away from the plant is definitely odd, prehaps a flea from a prior minor fuel element failure. That is the only evidence of fuel amiss that i have seen.by RBeaner 7/7/2011 2:55:23 PM
- I think the holes in the metal rods are unusual, electrical conduit wouldn't do that and the end doesn't look right for wiring.by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:56:42 PM
- There are already multiple other concerns about displaced fuel in the pool based on photos.by lillymunster 7/7/2011 2:57:22 PM
- @RBeaner : could you explain "a flea from a prior minor fuel element failure" ? 1.5 km away ?by Edano 7/7/2011 2:59:50 PM
Japan Earthquake | Page 1852
- Who's Blogging
-
hudebnik
alblee
UKVal
Jonathan Keebler
Oliver (ScribbleLive)
kaykodh
Markfm
Angie
Mid Valley
Matt (ScribbleLive)
George Gibb
elainekirk
PKelley- lillymunster
- dean
bo
Edano
Deb
Pedro Jesus
IanGoddard