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How To Take Apart Fukushima's 3 Melted-Down Reactors
the_newsbeagle writes "In Japan, workers have spent nearly three years on the clean-up and decommissioning of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. They only have 37 years to go. Taking apart the plant's three melted-down reactors is expected to take 40 years and cost $15 billion. The plant's owner, TEPCO, admits that its engineers don't yet know how they'll pull off this monumental task. An in-depth examination of the decommissioning process explains the challenges, such as working amid the radioactive rubble, stopping up the leaks that spill radioactive water throughout the site, and handling the blobs of melted nuclear fuel. Many of the tasks will be accomplished by newly invented robots that can go where humans fear to tread."
I figure a small 50-20 kiloton atomic bomb should do the trick...
Since they have a 40 year timeframe, they should just keep it contained for another decade or two and wait for superior robots to take over the task rather than relying on today's limited robots.
Some tasks are difficult because of the assorted parameters that you have to adhere to while doing them. In this case, relatively low tolerance for irradiation of workers and human morbidity and mortality are probably major inconveniences.
This being so, it seems only logical to employ TEPCO management as decommisioning operators. It's not like they were good for whatever their existing job descriptions are, and we can safely value their radiation exposure as unimportant, or even a benefit.
I wonder where they got that estimate. At worst it should take them less than five years. What they're really saying is that they've got no clue, no plan, and no place to put the radioactive materials once they've got it sealed up.
Estimated time until the last of the responsible parties retires and no longer has even a nominal obligation to give a fuck?
Tunnel 100 ft. below the reactor and build a huge leak-proof chamber. Use controlled detonation to collapse the reactor, building, and all into this chamber. Fill it with water and close/seal it off. Build something cool on top.
If it's easy to build a leak-proof, earthquake-proof chamber than can contain high grade nuclear waste indefinitely, maybe all reactors should have this huge chamber, then all they have to do after an accident is fill it with water and cap it off, and maybe build a playground on top.
Batman: Good evening, Commissioner.
Gordon: Batman, we need you to look at a reactor melt-
Batman: I've already fixed it. I capped it with a WayneTech dome.
Meanwhile in Metropolis:
Lois Lane: Reports of a melted reactor in Japan have -
Clark Kent: This looks like a job for...
Superman: Superman
Superman: Hmm, leaking radiation.. OH GOD IT'S LIKE KRYPTONITE IT HURTS IT HURTS BATMAN, HELP ME!!
Meh, you just need to engineer it so it blows UP.
Vertical, one shot, with enough pressure to propel each reactor at escape velocity.
I'd do the math for you, it's elegant, but there isn't enough space in this comment.
If they don't know how they'll do it, how do they know it'll take 40 years and 15 billion dollars?
Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion.
just keep piling more fuel on it until it gets hot enough to melt rock, it melts down to, errr, China
Actually, reactor melting down from Japan would end up in the south Atlantic, near the coast of Uruguay.
upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
The Fukushima Event is yet another glaring message for Humanity that until real adults show up, we need to stop messing around with nuclear power.
Or we could just keep people who don't have a clue what a "real adult" is out of the decision loop.
I mean, what sort of industry can withstand the inclusion of a randomly occurring 4-decade cleanup program?
Or one could implement sensible land use instead. Nuclear plants and other heavy industry doesn't require pristine environments, for example. So instead of spending tens of billions and decades to make Fukushima look pretty, they could spend a lot less in time and money and turn the area into a useful industrial park. And the plus is that if down the road, someone spills more chemicals or releases more radioactive material, then it's in an area that is already compromised and for which one doesn't need to do white glove-level clean up.