On Mar 21, 2011, at 2:37 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
If the fuel rods are "rubblized" at the bottom of the ponds, that is the result of the fire and explosion, not the earthquake.
The serious storage pond coolant loss is probably due to a combination of power loss, resulting in loss of cooling and pond temperature increases to boiling, and/or damage to the ponds resulting in coolant leaks. In any case, if the plant is abandoned without storage pond cooling intact, the stored fuel will likely contribute significantly to the negative consequences.
Best regards, Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
