/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.2695975]

Fukushima nuclear reactor gets shut down so it can no longer produce the energy for its own cooling (i.e. the water circulation that also produces the energy)
then the external diesel generators failed to cool the core and it heats up...
then why can this heat not be used to generate energy anymore??

[Anonymous No.2695984]

because the turbines thingies broke.

But I was also thinking about it.
If the problem was that they were out of energy cause they turned it off, why not turn it on again? (not now that they dumped sea water in there, it's ruined)
I mean, the reason for turning it off was the earhquake, and it could all break up if it's online while the earthquake is going on...
but there's no earthquake anymore.

[Anonymous No.2696011]

>>2695984
because it's so fucking hot in there now that water separates into hydrogen gas and the oxygen binds to the zinc mixed with the uranium.

Then you have an extremely high pressure hydrogen gas buildup. Essentially, it turns the meltdown into a meltdown with a bomb strapped to it.


tl;dr: we are so fucked

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fukushima-core

[Anonymous No.2696041]

>>2695984
>>2696011

op here, the first explanation (broken turbines) makes more sense.
if heat was the only problem then why did they let it heat up so much in the first place? normal operating temparature is 250°C, by the time they first had to vent steam it was 550°

[Anonymous No.2696047]

>>2696041
by letting it heat up I mean by not turning the thing on again.