Letter: Fukushima nuke plant assertion is wrong
Damage to the Fukushima nuclear plants in 2011 was from earthquake(s) and resulting tsunami(s). It was not the result of “melted fuel or its heat.” TEPCO spokesman Kimoto’s assertion that damage to the reactor “structure” was caused by burning fuel is wrong. There will be no melted fuel to find by the “Little Sunfish” robot because Fukushima oxide fuel did not and could not burn. It was burned to the oxide by design.
A grate platform, missing control rod drive, fuel pellets and other reactor components might be found in the primary reactor vessel, but their absence has nothing to do with burning fuel rods.
Three Mile Island’s oxide reactor fuel was also burned by design and cannot be burned again. The Emergency Core Cooling System repeatedly dumped cold water on screaming hot fuel rods, causing them to leak.
Rob Dupuy, Pasco
This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Letter: Fukushima nuke plant assertion is wrong."