Hydrogen buildup detected in No. 1 reactor at Fukushima plant

However, TEPCO said that there was no danger of an imminent explosion.

thanks TEPCO :(

However, TEPCO said that there was no danger of an imminent explosion.

Hello people! We have learned from the past 6 and a half months to stop believing anything that comes out of the mouth of those who are handling this disaster. Somewhere down the road they will admit there was a risk of an imminent explosion but they didn't want to induce panic in the masses.

How many more "surprises" are there at the Fukushima plant ... and elsewhere up in that part of the country ... and elsewhere here in Japan?

The explosion risk is one thing, but what bothers me now is the cause of that build up of hydrogen. Last time we heard about hydrogen at Fukushima, it was involving melting nuclear fuel...

6 months on and I don't feel confident that the plant is under control. Not thT I know anything about nuclear power. Sod all infact. Is this a little bump on the road to recovery or a landslide? What if that area has another big aftershock? Or typhoon NO whatsmacallit hits in the near future? How will that affect the present situation? Sorry but I ain't waving any flags or bringing out the ole cucumber sandwiches yet.

Alright, now we know how to get hydrogen in high concentration and in big amounts. Suck it away and put to barrels.

When TEPCO says an explosion is unlikely, in reality it means it's just a matter of time.

Not again Plzzzzzzzzzzz

Edano: 'There is no release of radioactivity. There will be no release of radioactivity.' Anyone who even DARED think this was even nearly over... Coffee time.

The headline and the first line of the article say quite different things.

The build-up, according to TEPCO in their funnily-worded message, is not in the reactor, and not in the containment vessel that surrounds the reactor, but in the pipes that connect with the containment vessel, so presumable in pipes passing through the outer building.

They have already been pumping large amounts of nitrogen into the reactor/containment vessel daily for months now, so as to push out or neutralize any dangerous build-up of hydrogen.

The question will surely be how to safely purge highly inflammable gases from the external piping, and how to circumvent subsequent similar build-up. (If we can take their explanation at face value.)

TEPCO said that there was no danger of an imminent explosion.

Doesnt this line sound exactly the same as "there is no immediate risk to health" - again, I ask: do they think we are stupid??!

"It's time for tepco to hire foreign aid / workers to help this situation"

Oh what a can of worms that would open! Japan exploiting foreigners in probably under developed countries & killing them by sending them to Fukushima to work! Japan`s name would be ruined forever if it did this. And their foreign countries would be demanding repriation costs for decades to come. And China and Korea would have further proof that Japan is still an evil Imperialist nation, that will never change. This is a horrible idea diplomatically and ethically speaking.

I've picked up a little TEPCO speak. "No danger of an imminent explosion" = "Boom boom, out go the lights." "We've got this under control" = "We don't even know where in the bl--dy h-ll the melted fuel is, but we hope at least the outsides of some of the blobs of it are being cooled while the insides continue to fission."

Why does TEPCO tell us this information if there is no threat? Why doesnt TEPCO tell us of other developments? For example, we heard constantly about the NON_JAPANESE water system that was inundated with problems, so then how is the JAPANESE system faring?

I give credit where credit is due, if its working well, then kudos to the people who developed it. I dont care if monkeys make the system, just hope it works.

I don't think that hydrogen buildup is something to overly worry about. Yes, it's dangerous, yes, it can explode, but it is something fairly common and can be dealt with in a number of ways. And TEPCO is dealing with it.

Now, in the context of Noda's nuclear openness to the world, he kicked their butts for being secretive and now they are simply letting everyone know what problems they face and deal with. They could always do things silently, but because everyone wanted to know everything, so here we go.

As Noda committed at UN Assembly this week, Japan will be more transparent to the world what's going on with Fukushima Daiichi. We all have to be informed.

To Tepco, please do not hide anything. Let us know the truth, so we will be prepared. Keep up with good works.. Thank you.

The Saga Continues - It's time for tepco to hire foreign aid / workers to help this situation.

whiskeysourSep. 25, 2011 - 04:30AM JST The Saga Continues - It's time for tepco to hire foreign aid / workers to help this situation.

What is so special in foreign workers with respect to Japanese ones? (true curiosity)

We were told there was no meltdown, all was fine, it`s ok to eat radiated food, etc. & now we are supposed to believe that an explosion is highly unlikely, but if it does explode that is okay b/c TEPCO will have it all under control.

Just had a look at Zichi's diagram above.

Part of the problem is Tepco's inability to descrbe things in a way that ordinary people can understand.

What they should have said is: "We were planning to cut the pipe, but the warning sensor, which shows when concentrations of hydrogen exceed 10,000 ppm, was flashing. "

"This sensor tells us nothing else, but at the very least it says there is hydrogen where there shouldn't be any."

"No, we don't know how much over 10,000ppm it is, and no, we don't know if there are other gases mixed in with the hydrogen."

The purpose of the nitrogen was to expel the hydrogen. Since the pipe is filled with hydrogen, that means it is not expelling the hydrogen. So what makes them think it is expelling the oxygen?

What is so special in foreign workers with respect to Japanese ones? (true curiosity)

Remember Tokaimura? Japanese nuclear workers were killed while mixing radioactive substances in buckets! Duh! Also, an astonished French plant supplier told me he spotted holes in the overalls of the workers at Fukushima.

Foreign workers (with the possible exception of the Ukrainians) tend to take proper safeguards.

So what!