RE: finallyWallmart level Technology could have prevented over half of Japans nuclear misshap.
Sounds crazy but a couple of 2" pumps running into the coolant pools would have prevented them overheating and running dry. Just calculate how many gallons per hour they pump and multiply that by one week. Not only could they have prevented a huge part of this crisis but one week ago a man could have safely looked into those pools to verify water level and temperature. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME TODAY!
As for the portable generators mentioned earlier they would most certainly have got us through until the power line was run. Hospitals run on them when the power is out. As the Russians stated it is necessary to think outside the "BOX" in such situations. They learned the hard way, sometimes a lesson not soon forgotten.
As for letting off steam from the other reactors this was done to lower pressure and permit low pressure pumps to put water in the containment vessels. Now for the crazy Wallmart / Canadian Tire technology solution to this. Listen carefully this could have been accomplished with 500 or 1000 gas powered pressure washers like you use at home or at work. They will pump 2 gal a minute at between 1000 and 2000 lbs pressure. Sound crazy but all that was missing was to have a plumber or hydraulic man build a manifold to attach the 500 hoses to and there you have 1000 + pounds pressure and 1000 to 2000 gallons a minute.
All of this could have been flown in by helicopter and been up and running by day 2 when radiation was not yet an issue. So can we say the Japanese did a good job with this emergency. My vote is "NO".
JMHO
A