Update, Monday evening (Eastern)

We've been hoping for some solid technical data today before making any kind of post, but precious little has yet appeared. Let's look at the plant-specific details (quite apart from the wide media coverage given the minute traces of plutonium found at the plant.)

TEPCO, NISA and the Japanese Government now clearly associate the volume of water in the trench at each plant with the core cooling water that has been injected; further, and probably more importantly now, they all also associate the volumetric flow rate of injection water to the reactor cores as being roughly directly transferable to the trenches.

What? What I'm saying is that X gallons injected to the reactor core will result in the short term in something less than X into the trench.... with buffers being the water getting through the reactor building, and/or turbine building.

Let's make something clear: Two breaches are in progress for this to happen. First, the water should not be getting out of primary system piping, and if it is it shouldn't be getting out of the reactor building -- that's what the ocntainment function of the reactor building is all about (and if you haven't seen my previous post on the subject of containment, please do so.) Next, the water is also, once in the turbine building, then getting out of the turbine building into the trench, somehow.

It's TWO places it shouldn't be.

Because of this direct relationship, TEPCO reduced the flow rate of water to the core of No. 2 plant and -- as we might guess -- has experienced a reported 20C increase in core temperature. Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano has stated publicly that when consideration is made, the priority is core cooling and water injection will be adjusted to ensure core cooling and not to prevent overflow of the trench. TEPCO has buried the trench drains.

It's now totally clear, in the very short term, that continued reactor integrity is going to be based on the ability to inject water AS NEEDED for core cooling with no incentive on anyone's part to prevent further spread of contamination from the trenches. It may be time for another brutally simple but aggressive solution - you could bring in a very large barge into which to put the trench water and further discharge. That sounds difficult, perhaps, but it might not be. It's time for the solutions to get ahead of the problems and not simply keep up with them... keeping in mind Patton's advice that a good solution applied vigorously is better than a perfect solution applied too late.

9:20 PM Eastern Monday 3/28
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW