03-18-2011, 08:36 PM
Well, the EE from the power plants wasn't there, but the ME who does thermal analysis was.
Simplest answers on the plants is Yes, we do use the same 4 decade old reactor designs, but our back-up systems never have to content with 9.0 earthquakes and tsunami waves. New Orleans was fine, until the leeves colapsed. That flooded the underground electric pumps, they failed, and the area was screwed.
As for Japan, unless their back-up stuff was on massive towers, or some truly impressive underground and sealed bunkers, there was nothing they could have done about the tsunami.
I don't think there is a reactor complex on the planet set up to fully survive a 9.0 earthquake undamaged. Those in the US are built to about a 7.5 standard, and we put them in geologically stable areas if at all possible. Japan doesn't really have a choice.
Simplest answers on the plants is Yes, we do use the same 4 decade old reactor designs, but our back-up systems never have to content with 9.0 earthquakes and tsunami waves. New Orleans was fine, until the leeves colapsed. That flooded the underground electric pumps, they failed, and the area was screwed.
As for Japan, unless their back-up stuff was on massive towers, or some truly impressive underground and sealed bunkers, there was nothing they could have done about the tsunami.
I don't think there is a reactor complex on the planet set up to fully survive a 9.0 earthquake undamaged. Those in the US are built to about a 7.5 standard, and we put them in geologically stable areas if at all possible. Japan doesn't really have a choice.