Jiji- Fuel Fods Exposed to Air at Fukushima N-Reactor

The least of the worries should be the spent fuel pool. Get the core under control. If the pool has lost inventory, fill it with borated water. But keep that core cool.

@Andrew Even if fuel rods are exposed, it does not mean they would start melting right away," said Tomoko Murakami, leader of the nuclear energy group at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.

"Even if fuel rods melt and the pressure inside the reactor builds up, radiation would not leak as long as the reactor container functions well."

TEPCO confirmed that water levels were falling but it was working to avert any exposure of the nuclear fuel rods.

"There is a falling trend (in water levels) but we have not confirmed an exposure of nuclear fuel rods," a TEPCO spokesman said

Reactor vessel pressure must be carefully controlled to prevent the remaining primary coolant from flashing to steam. Slow, periodic steam venting allows primary coolant levels to drop slowly while still removing significant thermal energy from the system.

@regular guy No, a reactor does not blow up like a nuclear bomb, but if the containment vessel is breached then you have contamination. If the vessel holds, then there is a big mess to deal with later but no release.

However, if they cannot continue to restore cooling of the plant, it could become a very dangerous situation to those living in close range of the plant, and the fallout would only spread.
If the reactor does indeed melt down, the results could be similar – if not worse – than that of Chernobyl.

Even after struck with such a massive disaster, The Japanese Administration's timely effort prevented the death toll to rise dramatically. We know what happened in Gujarat when 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck. At least this time let our leaders and Administration study and practice a good system to rescue people when such kind of calamity happens.

Japan nuclear authorities say pressure was successfully released at Fukushima plant by opening valves.

Another 6.0 magnitude aftershock just registered in Japan

@Dennis Meyers If the reactor totally breaks down and explodes - yes. It seems fairly unlikely with the info we have now.

Naoto Sekimura, a professor at Tokyo University, told NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, that “only a small portion of the fuel has been melted. But the plant is shut down already, and being cooled down. Most of the fuel is contained in the plant case, so I would like to ask people to be calm.”

Comment: Most of the fuel is contained in the plant case...

@pjasnos A nuclear reactor doesn't have the ability to 'explode'. What you may mean is a steam explosion, but the actual thing cannot explode at all.

how is the plant being cooled when the cooling mechanisms have failed ?

eloramalama.wordpress.com first load of photos from otsuchi, iwate. there is nothing left and numerous dead bodies amongs the rubbles

Is wind staying constant at a south-to-north direction?

Are some countries delaying their aid responses due to the possibility of more problems at the nuclear plants?