Diesel Pumps for Japanese Reactor Disaster?

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I've been discussing with engineers internationally the possibility of airlifting large diesel pumps in containers to reactor site that are typically used for back-up and field construction projects, around the world sometimes on very large scale providing thousands of horsepower to move very large amounts of water using diesel fuel.

Such pumps can be used for sea water water spraying and/or feed into existing piping systems combined if necessary with portable large scale diesel generators air lifted if needed to site with the assistance of the U.S.which has global heavy equipment airlift if needed. Japanese military hovercraft may be able to deliver containers too heavy for helicopters. Latest reports are of use of large diesel fire department pumpers that may or may not have sufficient capacity.

The use of emergency diesel generators onsite to run large multi-megawatt reactor pump cooling systems may require high inrush starting current requiring multiple emergency generators wired in parallel that may not be practical under radiation conditions and the attempt to bring power lines onto the site is the last and best way to get the existing pumps running if they are still operable. But perhaps not.

My friend, for example, designed a power plant near Buffalo that included a contract with Caterpillar to setup within hours large packaged diesel in case of a power outage. At my University, a failed North Campus boiler in the winter was swiftly supplemented by a packaged back up unit before the campus froze.

In addition, robots with cameras such as the I-Robot units manufactured in MA and used extensively by the US army might be able to be lowered or lifted to observe the condition of nuclear fuel pools and target water flows and access conditions.

Perhaps these ideas have not been fully explored by those on site who may lack immediate access to such pumps.

Please forward this information to those who might make proper use of it.

Roy Morrison is a Director, at the Office for Sustainability SNHU