"What happened in Japan ?is clearly an indication that we haven?t properly thought about events that are well outside our historical experience but nonetheless possible."
Actually not...The problem is *NOT* that the powerplants haven't been thought out well enough...the problem is that the plants were designed with the flaws built in! The flaws that we are seeing in Japan were discussed ad-nauseum back in the 70s when they were designed. There even was a lawsuit in the works because the plants were built despite the flaws!
Everything that is happening was predicted to happen back in 1972!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/asia/16contain.html?_r=1&ref=asiaAnd this is the shame of all this...The world knew that this would happen and yet nobody felt it would happen to them!
@sboverie@..."The design of the Japanese reactors was probably considered to be excellent before the earthquake."
That's the problem...the design was *NOT* considered excellent...they were considered "good enough"...obviously, the design was *NOT* good enough!
@danny.sloop@.."These vintage ?70 and ?80 plants could use some overhaul and replacement."
We *DID* redesign the plants, but that was just to install vents to prevent dangerous buildup of Hydrogen gas inside the containment vessel! Kinda defeats the purpose of a containment vessel, right?
Look, we *CAN* build a nuclear power station that is safe and efficient...we just have to get politics out of it! These breeder reactors designed by GE were done because they won the lowest bid! Do *YOU* want a nuclear reactor in your backyard designed and built with the cheapest labor and materials? Not me! But it seems that every time government pokes it's head in some large construction endeavor, it fails miserably! Look at the "Big Dig" in Boston! What a fiasco that is! And it's killing people as we speak! hundred ton cement slabs are falling from the ceiling and crushing drivers below!
