Meltdown in Japan, WSJ, December 1, 2011

The meltdown in Japan was covered reasonably well in the Wall Street Jouarnal on December 1, 2011. Our NRC was also cited, so on December 3, 2011, I sent the following e-mail to Chairman NRC

Meltdown in Japan

The reactor core meltdown in Japan, WORLD NEWS, WSJ, December 1, is covered very well. However, the U. S. Nuclear Reactor Commission (NRC) gets into the act with its deceptive remarks. NRC is quoted, “This was not all unexpected. It really does nothing to change our assumptions – because we based our decisions on very pessimistic scenarios.” The NRC does not license our nuclear power plants on the basis of very pessimistic scenarios. The NRC believes that hydrogen production begins when reactor core temperatures exceed 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, hydrogen production begins well below 2200, and the rate of hydrogen production speeds up rapidly as the core temperatures soar to meltdown.

Maybe the NRC could open up and tell us what they have really produced prior to the WSJ disclosures. Tell us Mr. Chairman of the NRC, at what temperature of the Fukushima reactor core did hydrogen production begin? And how fast was hydrogen produced? And what was the time-pressure history in the Fukushima reactor pressure vessel? And what was the pressure in the Fukushima reactor pressure vessel when the pressure vessel was breached? And when the molten reactor core breached the reactor pressure vessel, how fast was the molten core squirted out?

Today I receved the following response fron the NRC.

RE: Your e-mail of Dec. 3
Date: 1/9/2012 8:40:09 A.M. Mountain Standard Time
From: OPA.Resource@nrc.gov
To: bobleyse@aol.com

Mr. Leyse;

Thank you for your e-mail to Chairman Jaczko. The Japanese government is currently conducting research that directly relates to your questions regarding accident conditions at Fukushima Dai-ichi. As the Japanese government releases information from that research, the NRC will incorporate the findings into its Japan Near-Term Task Force lessons-learned effort. The NRC will also use information from Japan in similar regulatory activities, such as the recent petition for rulemaking on hydrogen generation that you are already familiar with. Thank you.

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission