Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

[mondeo]

you would think that in this days technology, we would have robots of some sort to assist in such dangerous environments

The mechanics are simple, the controls aren't. It takes a supercomputer with advanced logic just to play Jeopardy; robots at this point in time are still only good for specific programmed tasks. AI just isn't adaptable enough yet, and it's probably still a long way off.

 

[deadheadskier]

The mechanics are simple, the controls aren't. It takes a supercomputer with advanced logic just to play Jeopardy; robots at this point in time are still only good for specific programmed tasks. AI just isn't adaptable enough yet, and it's probably still a long way off.

guess I just have this image in my head of Mars Rovers with water cannons :lol:

 

[billski]

Information about the incident at the Fukushima Nuclear Plants in Japan hosted by http://web.mit.edu/nse/ :: Maintained by the students of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT

http://mitnse.com/

 

[dmc]

Go play with your drums and stay out.

No. I'll always be here. Watching and waiting.

 

[dmc]

Need to know who and where the reading taken and with what type of detection device? How high? What type of radiation was measured? There is more to it then just saying the level is high.

Not me. I let the REAL experts tell me. It's their job.

 

[dmc]

Information about the incident at the Fukushima Nuclear Plants in Japan hosted by http://web.mit.edu/nse/ :: Maintained by the students of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT

http://mitnse.com/

I bet THEY learn from reading

 

[billski]

1. 1837: Gregory Jaczko, head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has said there is no water left in the spent fuel pool in reactor four, adding: "We believe that radiation levels are extremely high." Mr Jaczko was speaking to Congress in Washington and it was not immediately clear where his information had come from.
2. 1832: The AP news agency is quoting Tepco as saying a new power line is almost ready which could end the crisis. The disruption of power to the pumps which send coolant through the reactors is what led to their overheating.
   
   

Source: BBC 3/16/11

 

[mondeo]

guess I just have this image in my head of Mars Rovers with water cannons :lol:

I think the issue with that is not all that many people are in the market for robotic fire fighting equipment for nuclear disaster sites. And during spikes in interest, lead times are too long to satisfy the market.

It's an improvised solution, the planned earthquake safety systems did their job until the tsunami took them out. Double failures typically aren't designed for unless the probability of occurrence of either within a given time frame is higher than some threshold (in airplanes, I think I've usually seen 1 in a billion flights.) The odds of an earthquake in a given time and a tsunami within the 3 weeks it takes to cool down the cores are extremely low if you consider them as seperate events. The failure in risk analysis is that they often aren't seperate events.

 

[Puck it]

Picture says it all. The concrete secondary containment looks to be destroyed on unit 3

 

[hiroto]

I think the issue with that is not all that many people are in the market for robotic fire fighting equipment for nuclear disaster sites. And during spikes in interest, lead times are too long to satisfy the market.

Well, not fire fighting, but this monitoring robot is being deployed.

I don't know why it took them this long, but this research vehicle (I don't believe it was ever used in the real accident) is capable of getting critical measurements within nuclear power plant, and capable of dropping wireless relay station along the way to maintain radio contact within a building. Hope it works.

 

[deadheadskier]

Picture says it all. The concrete secondary containment looks to be destroyed on unit 3

wonder how long it will be until we see aerial footage like Chernobyl showing exposure to the outside environment.

 

[Puck it]

wonder how long it will be until we see aerial footage like Chernobyl showing exposure to the outside environment.

Remember watching the reports during college. Deja Vu.

 

[deadheadskier]

In that video, is that the actual rods glowing?

 

[Puck it]

In that video, is that the actual rods glowing?

That is left of the molten core materials. It still is pretty freaky to look at. We had discussions in quantum mechanics and thermodynamic classes about the accident.

 

[Morwax]

Just a couple small hydrogen gas explosions, nothing to worry about.
They have played this down big-time. Meltdown imminent.
Puck did you get to Inconel?

 

[Puck it]

Puck did you get to Inconel?

Lost me, dude? You mean the alloy? Get into it in what?

We have used it at but it is used in the turbo pumps on the blades, if I remember correctly. Ever use mu metal?

 

[wa-loaf]

Sounds like the US and Japan are now arguing over how bad it is.

 

[deadheadskier]

According to CNN they have restarted helicopter operations dropping water on the facility.

They showed a picture of that on TV at the gym this morning. The guy next to me goes, I'm no nuclear engineer, I'm just a mailman, but it would appear to me that what they're doing is the equivalent of spitting on a roaring campfire, ain't gonna do much. :lol:

 

[wa-loaf]

 

[Puck it]

Those do not look like water can be restored to them. The steam coming out is not good.