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Kyoto U. Prof: I always argued that containment is broken — Said melted fuel may already be 40 feet underground

Published: December 1st, 2011 at 7:05 am ET
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Fukushima Meltdown in Japan May Have Been Worse Than Thought, New York Times by Hiroko Tabuchi, Nov. 30, 2011:

Hiroaki Koide, an assistant professor of physics at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute

Hiroaki Koide

I have always argued that the containment is broken, and that there is the danger of a wider radiation leak.

In reality, it’s impossible to look inside the reactor, and most measurement instruments have been knocked out. So nobody really knows how bad it is.

Japan nuke expert: Melted fuel rods estimated to be 12 meters underground Reactors No. 1-3 — To be 100 feet deep in a year (AUDIO), Sept. 21, 2011 (Emphasis Added):

[Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University's Research Reactor Institute] estimates nuclear fuel rods may be now 12m [39+ feet] deep under ground at reactor 1-3. [...]

Melted rods can not be taken out for 1~2 years. One piece of the fuel rods is estimated to sink into the ground at a rate of 17m per year. Therefore, 2 years from now, they may be 34m underground.

Listen to audio in Japanese-only here

Published: December 1st, 2011 at 7:05 am ET
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  1. Japan nuke expert: Melted fuel rods estimated to be 12 meters underground Reactors No. 1-3 — To be 100 feet deep in a year (AUDIO) September 21, 2011
  2. Molten fuel bore a hole at bottom of Containment Vessel at Reactor No. 1– Pressure Vessel is “completely broken” says Kyoto U. nuclear professor May 17, 2011
  3. Japanese professor: Melted fuel has gone through containers and is on concrete foundations sinking into ground below, as far as I can tell — Underground dam was being prepared, but TEPCO resisting June 20, 2011
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December 1st, 2011 | Category: Did China Syndrome (Fuel Outside Containment) Occur?, Reactor No. 1, Reactor No. 2, Reactor No. 3
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