2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami - News and Analysis

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:10

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/201 ... 5000c.html

Nishiyama told a press conference in the afternoon that so far no further leakage has been detected from the pit. But there is a possibility that the water, which has lost an outlet, could show up from other areas of the plant.

The highly radioactive water is believed to have come from the No. 2 reactor core, where fuel rods have partially melted, and ended up in the pit. The pit is connected to the No. 2 reactor turbine building and an underground trench connected to the building, both of which were found to be filled with highly contaminated water.

To make room to store the highly radioactive water that is hampering the plant's restoration work, TEPCO continued to dump into the sea massive amounts of low-level contaminated water from inside a nuclear waste disposal facility at the site as well as contaminated groundwater found from around the Nos. 5 and 6 unit buildings.

TEPCO is aiming to dispose of a total of about 10,000 tons of low-level contaminated water into the sea by this weekend, a move which has sparked concern among neighboring countries and strong protests from the domestic fishing industry.

After opening up the disposal facility, which can accommodate 30,000 tons of liquid, some repair work is expected to take place for about a week to ensure that the facility can retain highly radioactive water safely without fear of the stored liquid leaking outside.

The plant's power grid and most of the emergency diesel generators were knocked out by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11, resulting in the loss of many of the reactors' key cooling functions, partial melting of reactor cores and hydrogen explosions.

According to estimates by TEPCO announced Wednesday, 25 percent of the nuclear fuel rods have been damaged at the No. 3 reactor. The company earlier said that 70 percent of the No. 1 reactor's fuel rods and 30 percent of the No. 2 reactor's fuel rods have been damaged.

Nishiyama said past hydrogen explosions have likely occurred due to hydrogen accumulation caused by the reaction of melted fuel rods' zirconium with steam from the coolant water. But now there is concern that hydrogen could accumulate in the No. 1 reactor under a different process involving radiation-induced decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

In announcing TEPCO's decision to inject nitrogen into the reactor's containment vessel, an operation approved by the government, the nuclear agency said that radioactive leaks are "unlikely to significantly rise" even if the pressure inside the vessel increases as a result of the injection.

Nishiyama said that he also expects nitrogen to be injected into the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors in the future.

The utility has been pouring massive amounts of water into the reactors and their spent nuclear fuel pools as a stopgap measure to cool them down. But the measure is causing "side effects," such as the detection of contaminated water in various parts of the nuclear complex and some leakage into the sea.

A seawater sample taken near the No. 2 reactor water intake on Saturday showed a radioactive iodine-131 concentration of 7.5 million times the maximum level permitted under law, or about 300,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter.

In the first case of contamination levels in seafood exceeding the maximum legal limit, radioactive cesium in excess of the set limit was detected in young sand lance caught Monday in the sea off the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:13

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/201 ... 9000c.html

Currently, power from outside the complex has been restored. Electric pumps have been temporarily set up by reactor units No. 1 through 3, and they are pumping fresh water from outside through pipes into the reactors' pressure vessels, where the water is cooling the fuel rods.

Cooling is also necessary for the spent fuel rods in the pools at the top of the reactor buildings. For reactor buildings No. 1, 3, and 4, which have lost large parts of their walls and ceilings, water is being applied to the pools from a hose held by the massive crane of a concrete pump truck. The No. 2 reactor building's pool is being cooled by sending water through pipes.

According to TEPCO, although the temperatures and pressures inside the reactors are high, they are stable, and the spent fuel pools are also under control thanks to the application of water.

However, the situation continues to be dangerous. While the 4-meter long fuel rods in the pressure vessels should all normally be completely submerged in water, they are all still partially exposed: the No. 1 reactor's rods have 1.65 meters exposed, the No. 2 reactor rods 1.5 meters, and the No. 3 reactor rods 2.2 meters.

Meanwhile, the No. 5 and 6 reactors, which along with the No. 4 reactor were shut down for inspection at the time of the earthquake and tsunami, have had their cooling systems restored and pressure vessels and spent fuel pools cooled and stabilized, thanks partly to the relatively early timing of their connection to outside power.

Although the crisis may have lulled, radioactive water is currently a big problem. As long as water continues being applied to the No. 1 through 3 reactor units, water containing radioactive materials will continue to accumulate on plant grounds. Some of this water has leaked from the reactor buildings to adjacent turbine buildings, and at the No. 2 unit, the water further leaked to an underground tunnel called a "trench." The radioactive water accumulated across the complex is estimated at around 60,000 metric tons, the disposal of which is one more headache for TEPCO.

TEPCO is planning to move two metric tons of particularly radioactive water accumulated near the No. 2 reactor into a container capable of holding around 30,000 metric tons. To make room for this, TEPCO released into the ocean about 6,000 metric tons of the around 8,000 metric tons of low-level radioactive water already in the container.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 07 Apr 2011 20:21

chaanakya wrote:http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110406005883.htm

The fishery association of Hirakata Port also in Kita-Ibaraki reported 4,080 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive iodine had been detected in launce caught Friday. But launce caught off Otsu Port, south of Hirakata port, tested at only 1,700 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive iodine.

Well here comes Fukushima Fish. Now we need yumbeeyai to market them in US.

Do you understand what a Becquerel is and what are the levels compared to fish caught anywhere else in the world? Your body produces a decay of about 4,000 Bq/day from natural potassium decay. Stop eating bananas and potatoes now!

Chinmayanand · Post by **Chinmayanand** » 07 Apr 2011 20:31

Earthquake shakes northeastern Japan, tsunami warning issued

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:40

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104060126.html

Officials at another Tokyo Electric Power Co. nuclear plant in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, Niigata Prefecture, analyzed the differences in safety designs at the two Fukushima plants.

According to their analysis and TEPCO sources, there are clear differences in safety levels between the two plants concerning power source equipment, such as emergency diesel generators and transformers at the reactor cores, and pumps used to bring in seawater to remove residual heat from the cores.

TEPCO documents show that the emergency diesel generators located in the turbine buildings at the Fukushima No. 1 plant were flooded by the tsunami and rendered inoperable, except for the one at the No. 6 reactor. This effectively disabled the cooling mechanisms.

After the No. 1 plant lost its power sources, the reactor cores became much more difficult to control, leading to serious problems, including hydrogen explosions that damaged the housing of the reactors.

Radioactive materials have also been emitted from the damaged reactors.

No such problems have been encountered at the No. 2 plant.

The emergency generators at the No. 2 plant were in buildings housing the reactor cores. Because the reactor buildings are much more airtight, the generators at the No. 2 plant continued to function after the tsunami struck.

Emergency generators are also located within the airtight reactor core buildings at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which has similar design features to the Fukushima No. 2 plant.

When asked about the differences in the safety designs between the No. 1 and No. 2 plants, an official at TEPCO headquarters said: "This does not mean we have admitted that a problem exists. We will conduct further detailed studies to identify the problems."

The No. 1 plant was built in the 1960s and 1970s. Improvement work was conducted in the 1970s and 1980s to strengthen its resistance to earthquakes.

A nuclear engineer who used to work for TEPCO and was involved in those improvements said no consideration was paid to the location of the emergency diesel generators or the seawater pumps.

"First of all, there was the judgment that the reactor core buildings were in a safe location in relation to the expected height of any tsunami that might strike the plant," the engineer said. "However, even if they wanted to move the generators, there was no space within the reactor building, so that would have meant a major revision in design.

"At the time, no one considered making such changes," the engineer said.

Both the No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear plants were hit by waves more than 14 meters high, well above the expected limits of 5.7 to 5.2 meters estimated in safety designs.

The tsunami rendered inoperable all of the No. 1 plant's pumps, which were also not located within a sealed structure.

Although the pumps at the No. 2 plant were inside buildings, the tsunami crippled the ones to the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 reactors. But the pump at the No. 3 reactor continued to cool the reactor core.

Referring to the possibility of installing the seawater pumps inside buildings, the former TEPCO engineer said, "It would have been a major project because various pipes are laid out under the pumps, and so all of that would also have had to be moved."

A midlevel TEPCO official also said money was a big reason why repairs and changes to the No. 1 plant were not made.

"The blueprints for the reactor cores at the No. 1 plant were bought 'as is' by Toshiba Corp. from General Electric Co., so the priority at that time was on constructing the reactors according to those blueprints," the official said.

When the Fukushima No. 1 plant was being built, Japan was importing technology from the United States and learning from a more advanced nuclear power nation.

The No. 1 plant was considered a "learning experience."

A former TEPCO executive said, "The Fukushima No. 1 plant was a practice course for Toshiba and Hitachi Ltd. to learn about GE's design on a trial-and-error basis."

With the exception of the No. 6 reactor, the other five reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 plant are Mark I boiling-water reactors developed by GE.

According to sources, the locations of emergency generators and the seawater pump structure were also based on a GE design.

In contrast, the No. 6 reactor is a Mark II reactor. Moreover, the Fukushima No. 2 plant and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which were constructed from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, used an improved and safer version of the Mark II reactor.

After Toshiba and Hitachi gained experience in constructing nuclear plants, they located emergency generators and seawater pumps within buildings.

Yet those safety improvements were never reflected in changes at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

Other TEPCO officials said that changing the anti-tsunami design or moving the location of the emergency generators would have been an acknowledgment that previous decisions were insufficient.

Kiyoshi Sakurai, a commentator on technology issues, said that relying on a GE design also put the Fukushima No. 1 plant at a disadvantage because U.S. designers were not as cautious about earthquakes and tsunami as those working in Japan.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:44

Mort Walker wrote: Do you understand what a Becquerel is and what are the levels compared to fish caught anywhere else in the world? Your body produces a decay of about 4,000 Bq/day from natural potassium decay. Stop eating bananas and potatoes now!

No, Is it a fancy name for banana or potato from Uranus?

GuruPrabhu · Post by **GuruPrabhu** » 07 Apr 2011 20:48

Mort-ji,

I applaud your efforts to teach science here. But let me warn you that the student body is aggressively into non-learning. Others have tried and failed and walked away after absorbing Mega Sv worth of insults.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:52

Long-term power loss not foreseen in nuclear guidelines

Design guidelines for nuclear plants do not require that utilities take steps against long-term power loss, according to rules published in 1990 and obtained by The Japan Times. The apparent lapse was based on the assumption that in case of an emergency, electricity would be quickly restored or backup power would suffice.

Still in effect, the "Regulatory Guide for Reviewing Safety Design of Light Water Nuclear Power Reactor Facilities," compiled by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan in 1990, covers 59 issues, including the safety of reactor facilities, fuel handling systems and radiation control.

An article under Guideline 27, on the reactor cooling system, stipulates that facilities "shall be so designed that safe shutdown and proper cooling of the reactor after shutting down can be ensured in the case of a short-term total AC (alternating current) power loss."

A note to this clause adds that "no particular considerations are necessary against a long-term total AC power loss because the repair of troubled power transmission lines or emergency AC power systems can be expected in such cases."

The March 11 quake and tsunami cut off the power to Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 plant and knocked out its backup generators, and thus the cooling systems

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 07 Apr 2011 20:55

chaanakya wrote:
Mort Walker wrote: Do you understand what a Becquerel is and what are the levels compared to fish caught anywhere else in the world? Your body produces a decay of about 4,000 Bq/day from natural potassium decay. Stop eating bananas and potatoes now!
No, Is it a fancy name for banana or potato from Uranus?

You may know, but see Becquerel for further reading.

Well, I think this thread has lost its direction and should now be ready for IB4TL. The reasoning around here is certainly from Uranus.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:57

U.S. teacher stays to return favor to helpful residents of Miyagi town

TAGAJO, Miyagi Pref. — Kyle Maclauchlan, an English-language teacher from the United States, experienced a nightmare when the March 11 monster earthquake and tsunami devastated the small Miyagi Prefecture town he lived in and wiped away most of his belongings.

But he, along with many of his non-Japanese friends here, decided to stay.

"I didn't want to leave Japan this way," said the 30-year-old, who has been working at Tagajo Junior High School in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, as an assistant language teacher for three years. "I wanted to be here where I can help. It was important for me to stay and be with people who helped me for so long."

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 20:58

Mort Walker wrote:
You may know, but see Becquerel for further reading.

Thanks for the Link.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 21:08

Search for missing launched in 10-20-km zone from nuclear plant

Latest figures of death and missing from Tsunami and quake.
1.6 lakh people are in shelter. The number of deaths remained relatively less due to advance warning system and regular sensitization of residents about what to do when warnings are issued. Just to compare Indonesia had 2.3 lakhs died , besides more dead in other countries.

FUKUSHIMA —
Japanese police began searching Thursday for people missing within a 10-20 kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, which was crippled by the March 11 killer earthquake and tsunami.

A team of about 300 police officers in protective gear searched for the missing in part of the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, while measuring radiation levels.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and U.S. forces have not conducted search and recovery of bodies in the 10-20 km zone from where residents were instructed to leave as radiation levels were high.

The Fukushima prefectural police, helped by the Tokyo metropolitan police department, launched the search Thursday as the radiation levels have stabilized there, the police said.

The number of missing people in the search area stands at 2,453, or more than 60% of all the missing people in Fukushima Prefecture.

The National Police Agency put the number of people killed in the disaster at 12,596 in 12 of the country’s 47 prefectures and that of missing people at 14,747 in six prefectures as of 10 a.m. Thursday.

The disaster hit Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures particularly hard.

The number of people killed stood at 7,680 in Miyagi Prefecture, 3,687 in Iwate Prefecture, and 1,168 in Fukushima Prefecture.

The number of missing people came to 6,320 in Miyagi Prefecture, 4,472 in Iwate Prefecture, and 3,951 in Fukushima Prefecture.

The police have so far finished autopsies on 12,520 bodies in the three prefectures. Of them, 10,427 bodies have been identified, the police said.

As of Thursday, some 160,000 people stayed at about 2,300 shelters in 18 prefectures, the police agency said. The figure includes evacuees from possible exposure to radiation emanating from the troubled nuclear power plant.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 07 Apr 2011 21:19

Russia bans seafood imports from Japan

It appears that Russia and US and India, in addition to hosts of other countries to follow, do not employ experts to advise them that radiation level is not dangerous.

Russia has banned seafood imports from Japan out of fear of radiation contamination. The move comes after the operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant began releasing low-level radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean on Monday.

In a statement on Wednesday, Russia's federal service agency for food surveillance said Russia will prohibit imports of seafood from 242 Japanese companies.

An agency official said the release of contaminated water into the ocean has changed the situation.

Last year, Russia imported about 57,000 tons of marine products from Japan.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has to remove about 50,000 tons of high-level radioactive water accumulated in the basements of reactor turbine buildings to enable work to be done to cool the reactors

.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 07 Apr 2011 21:43

Mort-ji; all this stuff is already known to all the posters. Kindly share what your specific point is. Also if you are not interested in the thread, dont you think it is rather presumptuous to want to IB4TL it? Surely it is not your case that BRF threads exist solely for your levels of satisfaction?

If your point is that this radiation level is not very high, then that point has been made before and numerous studies posted as to how chances of health hazards rises depending on both specific radioactive compound as well as depends on age and various other factors. With different studies linking statistical suverys for radiation and health hazards limited.

So I would request you to go through relevant material and not post objections which are quite basic.

If substantial material is posted, it can be discussed, and may be even accepted as one of the data input points, but that hardly means that we are constrained to consider only that point. Particularly in the light of various varying studies on these topics.

And oh btw, repeated assertions of discomfort about a various news reports do not show anyone in good light.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 07 Apr 2011 22:36

Sanku wrote:Mort-ji; all this stuff is already known to all the posters. Kindly share what your specific point is. Also if you are not interested in the thread, dont you think it is rather presumptuous to want to IB4TL it? Surely it is not your case that BRF threads exist solely for your levels of satisfaction?

If your point is that this radiation level is not very high, then that point has been made before and numerous studies posted as to how chances of health hazards rises depending on both specific radioactive compound as well as depends on age and various other factors. With different studies linking statistical suverys for radiation and health hazards limited.

So I would request you to go through relevant material and not post objections which are quite basic.

If substantial material is posted, it can be discussed, and may be even accepted as one of the data input points, but that hardly means that we are constrained to consider only that point. Particularly in the light of various varying studies on these topics.

And oh btw, repeated assertions of discomfort about a various news reports do not show anyone in good light.

I see. So this thread exists for the satisfaction of a few, and not for news and analysis. So far, you've only posted opinions, which are like assholes - everybody has one.
You bring up "statistical surveys" and "varying studies", but there isn't a relevant link you've pointed to so far.

The relevant material here is that you need to review your high school chemistry, followed by a good book on Modern Physics, and followed by understanding probability in mathematics. If you want to get froggy, then study some undergraduate books on nuclear physics and effects of radiation on biology.

The same DDM which is criticized for its erroneous reporting is now accepted at face value to suit your purpose on this thread. Is that not contradictory?

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 08 Apr 2011 00:24

Meanwhile, the drama continues at Fukushima...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/world ... gewanted=2

Raising new concerns about the plant, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that some of the core of the No. 2 reactor had probably leaked from its steel pressure vessel into the bottom of the containment structure. The assessment implied that the damage at the No. 2 unit was worse than previously believed.

But extremely radioactive material continues to ooze out of the reactor pressure vessel at Reactor 2, and the leak is likely to widen with time, a senior nuclear executive said.

“It’s a little like pulling a thread out of your tie,” he said. “Any breach gets bigger.”

Flashes of extremely intense radioactivity have become a serious problem, he said. Tokyo Electric’s difficulties in providing accurate information on radiation are not a result of software problems, as some Japanese officials have suggested, but stem from radiation damaging measurement instruments because it exceeds the maximum dose that they are designed to measure, he said.

“It’s killing the measuring equipment,” he said. “They’re blaming it on software — it’s their meters getting cooked.”

Broken pieces of fuel rods have been found outside of Reactor 2, and are now being covered with bulldozers, he said. The broken pieces may be from spent fuel rods in the spent-fuel pools, as opposed to the reactors themselves. Hydrogen explosions have flung them out of the reactor building.

“They’re running bulldozers around to bury the stuff so it doesn’t cook people going by,” he said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 08 Apr 2011 00:41

Does NRC have a team in Japan or all this opinions remote?

Read the report. They are speculative. If Markey is serious, he should call them before a Congressional hearing and not rely on e-mails.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 08 Apr 2011 01:12

NRC/US does have/had engineers at the site.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 08 Apr 2011 03:02

ramana wrote: If Markey is serious, he should call them before a Congressional hearing and not rely on e-mails.

Ramana et al - I am sure Rep Markey is serious

He knows! We have dealt with him before, It is sad, but not surprising, that he is becoming a hero for some here.

He is, without doubt, one of the most (if not the most) anti-India, pro-Paki Rep we have to deal with.

In 1999 US Congress passed a resolution congratulating India for successful elections. Of 400 votes cast, 4 were opposed. The tiny opposition included Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Don Burton (R-IN), who have spoken out on behalf of khalistan terrorists .

He has constantly finding truth about Cashemer .. (Just check his website) (

His webpage still contains gems like: India-IAEA Safeguards Agreement “Worse Than Useless, a Sham”

And yes, his knowledge about radiation will make him a hero for 2 or 3 postors here. (he also likes to throw insults at people like me ). He actually wanted to pass a law so that patients after radiation surgery can't stay in a hotel. His rational: the irradiated people can spread radiation.. (I am not making it up ..).. He is as green as they come.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 08 Apr 2011 03:18

BTW - For those who have long term memory - Edward J. Markey was also the one of the most active Rep who was involved in post-TMI hearings.and voice of anti-nuke lobby here in US. (In recent times he was advocating passing KI tablets here in US or something like that...)

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 08 Apr 2011 06:15

Fukushima Update: Nitrogen begins flowing to reactor one. - April 07, 2011

http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbe ... egi_1.html

Early this morning Japan time, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began bleeding nitrogen gas into the heavily damaged reactor 1 at Fukushima Daiichi. As we discussed yesterday, the purpose of the gas is to reduce the chances of another massive explosion at the reactor. The inert nitrogen will, in theory, keep volatile hydrogen and oxygen from mixing inside the containment vessel and reactor and prevent another explosion.

The threat of a hydrogen blast is among the most serious facing the reactors. After a tsunami struck the complex on 11 March, the reactors heated up and their fuel began melting. Zirconium cladding around the fuel reacted with steam inside the reactor, creating hydrogen gas. That gas exploded when it came in contact with oxygen from the atmosphere, blowing apart the buildings around units 1 and 3 and crippling the containment vessel of unit 2.

There's good reason to believe that there's still a fair bit of hydrogen inside the reactors, and it could explode again. TEPCO has offered an explanation that isn't entirely clear, but here's my take: Initially the reactor cores were quite hot, but they've gradually been cooling over the past week or so. As they've done so, the steam in the heavy containment vessels surrounding the reactors has condensed, possibly creating a hydrogen-filled area of negative pressure at the top of the containment vessel. Depending on how airtight the reactors are, oxygen could leak in and trigger another explosion. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was apparently deeply concerned about this threat ten days ago, and recommended injecting nitrogen, to fill the void left by the steam.

It's no surprise that the delicate operation is proceeding slowly. According to Kyodo news, TEPCO injected just 200 cubic meters of nitrogen between 1:30 and 9:50 local time. Over the next six days they hope to inject a total of 6,000 cubic meters into the reactor. Depending on how it goes, they may try something similar for reactors 2 and 3.

For full coverage of the Fukushima disaster, go to Nature's news special.

Japan's Tsunami Topped 37 Meters

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsid ... eters.html

The 11 March tsunami that inundated coastal regions of northeast Japan was 37.9 meters high in at least one location. That's tall enough to engulf a 10-story building. But "we think we will see [evidence of] bigger waves in other areas," says Satoko Oki, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute.

A survey team from the institute found high water marks and other evidence for the monster wave in the port of Koborinai in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture. The results of the area survey were posted yesterday on the institute Web site in Japanese. An English translation is expected in a week to 10 days.

Oki says the local topography—the port is on low land sandwiched between two mountains—probably contributed to the size of the wave. Despite its size, the wave isn't a record for Japan: A 38.2-meter tsunami struck farther south along the northeast coast in 1896. Oki says the team might find telltale signs of higher waves as it extends its survey southward into more hard-hit areas closer to the epicenter of the quake. She expects the team will post its next update in about a week.

amit · Post by **amit** » 08 Apr 2011 08:18

Two Killed In Japan's 7.1 Magnitude Aftershock Quake Thurs -Reports

vina · Post by **vina** » 08 Apr 2011 08:37

Amber G. wrote: He actually wanted to pass a law so that patients after radiation surgery can't stay in a hotel. His rational: the irradiated people can spread radiation.. (I am not making it up ..).. He is as green as they come.

Hah.. That reminds me of our own Uber Farmer and rustic native Haryanvi , who went away into the great beyond, Chaudury Devi Lal.

Just before Weepy Singh became the Prime Minister and he the Depoooty PM, in his election speeches there was a particular gem aimed at his constituency , the farmers (oops more like the village idiots in his neighborhood) on these particular lines.

"The Govt is cheating you with the irrigation water. What they do in all the dams they have build is to take the "electricity" out of the water, and since there is no "shakthi" left in the water, your crops dont grow well and are stunted". When I become the PM, I will make sure that you get water without the electricity being "removed" , so that your crops can grow tall and high.

And of course, village idiots will nod their heads in sage understanding and a big slogan rents the air "Chaudury Devi Lal ji ki, JAAII" .

Now the Fyzzics and Engineering in this thread has come down to the Chaudury Devi Lal levels. So explaining all this to folks who nod sagely is beyond hope. It is futile. So just browse once in a while and snigger at all the wisdom thrown about and then once in a while point to the absurdity of it all!

amit · Post by **amit** » 08 Apr 2011 08:50

Mort Walker wrote:The same DDM which is criticized for its erroneous reporting is now accepted at face value to suit your purpose on this thread. Is that not contradictory?

Mort,

Just to add a general observation to your post.

There are two ways of understanding an event like Fukushima.

1) You first read up about it and related stuff and then form an opinion.

2) You first form an opinion (based on anything, including perhaps the fact that you suffered from constipation on that particular day). Then you scramble around the Net trying to dredge out stuff that goes with your opinion. And there's enough DDM out there for that.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 08 Apr 2011 09:01

One should also not talk of Tsunami wave height and confuse with actual run-ups at different locations which will vary widely depending on local features and can be much larger than the Tsunami wave height. The run-up heights for the Alaskan one decades ago is a good example.

vina · Post by **vina** » 08 Apr 2011 09:08

Bade wrote:One should also not talk of Tsunami wave height and confuse with actual run-ups at different locations which will vary widely depending on local features and can be much larger than the Tsunami wave height. The run-up heights for the Alaskan one decades ago is a good example.

Yawn.. But Bade Mian, you will have greater success going back to the LMU gates and campaigning against the GRE requirement for Fyzzics Pacchidis!

And surely , coming on TV with your white lab coat to expound the virtues of 99.999% harmful microbe free water will see some blockbuster success.

You are wasting your breath on this.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 08 Apr 2011 10:30

Mort Walker wrote: I see. So this thread exists for the satisfaction of a few, and not for news and analysis. So far, you've only posted opinions, which are like assholes - everybody has one.

Err Mort-ji, let me try once more, this thread exists for news and analysis, but hey when people come about and order "shut down the thread, it doesnt make sense to me", the question on why the thread exists needs to be asked for them.

You bring up "statistical surveys" and "varying studies", but there isn't a relevant link you've pointed to so far.

On this thread, please refer back.

The relevant material here is that you need to review your high school chemistry, followed by a good book on

As I said, some of us do no more than high school chemistry so thanks but no thanks.

The same DDM which is criticized for its erroneous reporting is now accepted at face value to suit your purpose on this thread. Is that not contradictory?

DDM? DDM == desi dork media. Here the media exists
1) From all over the world, INCLUDING Japan.
2) Includes all manners of sites/blogs et al which are run by scientific body.
3) No one believes any media 100%, and the same for other bodies too. Yet we post reports and look at them.

Thanks

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 08 Apr 2011 10:36

Theo_Fidel wrote:NRC/US does have/had engineers at the site.

In addition, TEPCO and Japanese authorities have shared their data with US folks, who are helping them out.

Already based on the same data there is difference of opinion(s) between US/Japan/IAEA.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 08 Apr 2011 11:14

http://twitter.com/REUTERSFLASH/status/ ... 0778763264

Water leak found after latest quake at Japan's Onagawa nuclear plant but no change in radiation levels - NHK

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 12:15

No ban on food imports from Japan

The government today said that a blanket ban on import of food items from Japan will not be imposed as the situation does not warrant such a strong action.

In an inter-ministerial meeting held by the commerce ministry, it was decided that a blanket ban was not required because the items tested so far have not been tested positive for contamination from radiation leak. However, “all the food items will be tested on arrival and departure and the situation will be reviewed on a weekly basis,” sources said. Complete safety tests against radiation risk will be done on food items coming from the tsunami-quake hit country.

The sources also said that tests were conducted on items at the time of dispatch from Japan as well as on arrival on Indian ports.

The meeting was attended by officials from the ministry of external affairs, DGFT, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and FSSAI.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 08 Apr 2011 14:18

More on effects of the second quake.... If people remember total of three nuclear facilities were effected (2 NPPs one storage unit) -- the second unit which was shut down also suffers from leaks in second quake (once more)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/ ... ernational

It said water sloshed out of spent fuel pools in the plant's No.1, No.2 and No.3 reactors, which had been shut down after the 9.0 magnitude quake on March 11, and had also leaked in three other locations in the No.3 reactor complex.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 17:52

Sanku san , I have serious doubt that this was really a Black Swan Event.

There was no element of surprise. All this was well known to Japanese people. Quake and Tsunami had a record of occurance in Japan. They made severe design compromises , as evident from various posts. Tepco's all effort so far has been to some how mitigate the accident so that it could run the plant. I believe that Fukushima NPP is as good as gone. The future of Town doesn't look bright either.

Japan would be forced to rethink on NPP though they have limited choice. Waste disposal is a problem and they are yet to locate second Disposal site and are forced to store within the Reactor Building ( not even campus). As we have seen these and other compromises have proved dangerous. Cutting corners with Nuclear tech is criminal ,the least I can say. I am sure lawyers would find more.

It is good that general public fear radiation , then they can leave the area quickly and avoid straying into the evacuation zone or contaminated zone and save themselves. I believe that limited directly attributed deaths could be due to this fear and not because it is good like Radium tonic.

We will hear about this for long times to come.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 08 Apr 2011 17:58

they are not intending to run Reactors 1-4, they stated that those would have to be decomissioned following sea water injection in the early days. 5 and 6 remain fully functional and in safe shutdown mode - the only question was if japanese public opinion would require those to be decom. as well - but that runs into the debate on decom. of all old BWR plants

Hiten · Post by **Hiten** » 08 Apr 2011 18:02

lots of hi-res pictures of the damaged nuclear power plant

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp ... photos.htm

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp ... hotos2.htm

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp ... hotos3.htm

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp ... hotos4.htm

need to download and view the even higher res pictures

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 19:07

TEPCO sees more power / Utility expects to secure nearly 50 mil. kilowatts in summer

Quake ans Tsunami also knocked out Thermal Power Plants at Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture. ( no evacuation zone there) They are now hoping to start it. They are also trying to get Gas turbine generators to tide over the summer peak loads. No such luck with NPPs. Does that tell us something?

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is expected to secure a power supply of nearly 50 million kilowatts this summer, up about 3.5 million kilowatts from an earlier projection, it was learned Thursday.

The estimated increase will be made possible through various means, including the reactivation of a suspended thermal power station. Through these measures, TEPCO hopes to avert rolling blackouts initially envisaged for this summer.

According to a TEPCO estimate, this summer's power consumption likely will peak at 55 million kilowatts.

The cataclysmic March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster has forced the company to suspend operations at several nuclear and other power plants in the northeast of the country, including a thermal power plant in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture.

TEPCO hopes to link its anticipated supply-capacity increase to a government plan to restrict power use in corporate circles and voluntary power-saving efforts by corporations and ordinary households, thereby avoiding rolling blackouts to the greatest extent possible.

The power utility intends to restart four generators, one by one, at its Kashima plant as early as the end of the month. The utility had not originally intended to restart this station, but doing so could generate 1.4 million kilowatts of power.

The thermal power complex is operated by Kashima Kyodo Electric Power Co., a body jointly established by TEPCO and Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.

TEPCO also will step up efforts to secure electric generators from domestic and overseas organizations. For instance, it will borrow two gas turbine generators produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. from the Thai government.

Such generators could add another 1 million kilowatts or more to the power utility's supply capacity over the next few months.

Planned measures include the purchase of surplus power from various sources, including manufacturing firms that possess powerful in-house generators, as well as an increase in the capacity utilization rates of TEPCO-operated thermal power stations.

The power corporation hopes these different steps will bring its supply capacity to nearly 50 million kilowatts around late July, when power demand is expected to peak.

Initially, TEPCO wanted to enhance its supply capacity to 46.5 million kilowatts during that time of the year.

Last summer, power consumption rose to a maximum of about 60 million kilowatts due to extremely hot weather. With this in mind, the government hopes to impose power-use restrictions on the corporate sector, particularly large companies. This will require these entities to reduce their power use by about 25 percent from their maximum level a year earlier.

The government is also considering setting nonbinding power-saving for small and middle-sized corporations and ordinary households.

To complement this, TEPCO is hurrying to increase its supply capacity, in hopes of reducing the gap between power supply and demand.

(Apr. 8, 2011)

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 19:23

Water radiation levels rise north of nuke plant

The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says seawater radiation levels continue to rise in areas north of the plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it detected on Thursday 110 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per cubic centimeter in seawater samples collected 30 meters from outlets in the northern part of the complex.

The figure is 2,800 times higher than the maximum allowed under government standards. Measurements at the same spot were 600 times the standard on Tuesday and 1,000 times on Wedneday.

In a series of surveys 15 kilometers from the coastline, a reading 9.3 times the national limit was detected north of the plant, off the coast of Minami-soma City.

The government's nuclear safety agency has instructed the Fukushima plant operator to review its monitoring activities, as the radioactive material is likely to be carried northward by ocean currents.

The agency stressed the need to monitor areas of high radiation concentration more closely to clarify possible contamination of the ocean.
Friday, April 08, 2011 21:57 +0900 (JST)

Nations fret over plant's water dump / Dissatisfaction aired at confab on N-safety

VIENNA--Nations participating in a conference sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed concern Wednesday over the discharge of water containing a relatively low level of radioactive substances into the sea near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Koichiro Nakamura, deputy director general for nuclear safety at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, explained Japan's nuclear safety regulations and efforts to enhance emergency countermeasures at other nuclear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima crisis.

Nakamura told a press conference held for the Japanese media that the Japanese side did not bring up the issue of discharging contaminated water, but other participants expressed concerns.

Wednesday's meeting of 12 countries, including Japan, Portugal and Vietnam, was originally held to confirm Japan's compliance with the treaty. The Fukushima No. 1 plant was not on the official agenda.

However, questions related to the Fukushima No. 1 plant crisis were raised one after another, on such topics as the basic thinking behind Japan's tsunami countermeasures; what Japan's tsunami countermeasures will be in the future; and differences between Japan's quake resistance guidelines and the IAEA's safety standards, Nakamura said.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 19:29

New cooling options being explored
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is considering alternative methods, including the construction of improvised systems, to cool reactors at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Ongoing operations--which involve pouring water directly into the reactor cores to lower temperatures inside the pressure vessels of the Nos. 1 to 3 reactors to below 100 C--have not worked as expected, and restoration of the reactors' existing cooling systems is not likely to happen soon.

The discouraging outlook has prompted TEPCO to begin exploring new options.

The original cooling systems worked by circulating water inside the pressure vessels. After absorbing heat in the pressure vessels, water was extracted and cooled by heat exchangers before being returned to the pressure vessels.

The damaged systems are now unable to circulate water, so new water must be continually added to the pressure vessels to control temperatures.

However, because the water sources used in the continual injections are positioned lower than those incorporated in the original systems, it is unclear whether fuel rods in the reactors are being entirely covered with water.

In addition, water contaminated with radioactive substances has apparently leaked from the pressure vessels, which means TEPCO cannot increase the amount of water being injected.

On March 23, new water was being channeled into the No. 1 reactor at a rate of 300 liters per minute. The current rate is about one-third this amount.

The surface temperature of the No. 1 reactor pressure vessel is still above 200 C. The temperature of nuclear fuel inside the vessel is much higher.

A TEPCO official said: "We're currently removing heat that's being generated by the fuel. We haven't been able to remove the huge amount of heat that accumulated while the reactors were in operation."

TEPCO's immediate goal is to restore the power supply to the reactors and the existing cooling systems.

But key elements of those systems are located in the basement floors of the reactor buildings, areas that are contaminated with radioactive materials, and this is forcing TEPCO to consider other options.

One proposal is to build makeshift cooling systems. TEPCO would have to access pipes connected to the pressure vessels at some point outside the reactor buildings where radiation levels are low. From there, the company could connect the pipes to new heat exchangers and pumps.

Another option under consideration is trying to lower the temperatures of the pressure vessels from the outside, by filling the containment vessels that surround them with water or some other coolant. The success of this plan would depend on whether the containment vessels have been damaged.

"It might be wise to set up new cooling systems," said Michio Ishikawa, the top adviser of the Japan Nuclear Technology Institute. "If the current conditions continue, the amount of radioactive substances being discharged from the reactors might increase. Therefore, all possible options need to be considered."

(Apr. 8, 2011)

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 19:38

NPP Fukushima Unit 1
Reactors 1-4 is to be de commissioned.
Unit 5-6 are under cold hutdown for inspections and safety review even before quake and Tsumai. That is why they could be managed without much problem.

I understand that the whole premises is highly contaminated with plutonium and cesium fragments of the spent fuel rods. Normal operating conditions might not be achieved for reactors 5-6 .

I guess safety review may not pass and they may not get the license renewal to run the reactor 5-6 for next ten years ( it was already past designed plant life). Public opinion would also bind the Govt.

GuruPrabhu · Post by **GuruPrabhu** » 08 Apr 2011 19:47

vina wrote: Now the Fyzzics and Engineering in this thread has come down to the Chaudury Devi Lal levels. So explaining all this to folks who nod sagely is beyond hope. It is futile. So just browse once in a while and snigger at all the wisdom thrown about and then once in a while point to the absurdity of it all!

That is sage advice, indeed. The most impressive along these lines is that the military reactors are safe and saintly.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 08 Apr 2011 19:50

Toshiba proposes decommissioning 4 reactors in 10 years
TOKYO, April 8, Kyodo

Well looks like Commissioning takes 10 years and decommissioning another 14 years and designed working life of 40 years.

An I know that they retrofitted thermal plant in less than two years with higher efficiency and PLF with 100% environmental compliance , all in 35 acres or reclaimed land. But that is OT here. Not that I am pro coal yada yada. Just pointing out.

Toshiba Corp. has proposed decommissioning four troubled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power station in about 10 years, a much shorter time frame than the 14 years needed to dismantle the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in the United States, industry sources said Friday.

Toshiba, one of the two Japanese reactor makers, filed the proposal with Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima plant, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, after compiling it with U.S. nuclear energy firms including its subsidiary Westinghouse Electric Co., according to the sources.

Toshiba believes it can rely on the U.S. firms' expertise from the 1979 Three Mile Island accident to decommission the Fukushima reactors.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano indicated that it was difficult for the government to map out a time schedule for decommissioning, saying it is seeking help from experts, scholars and companies that specialize in such work.

''The government wants to show a specific road map (on how to go about the decommissioning), but the reactors now are not fully stable,'' Edano, the top government spokesman, told a news conference.

According to the proposal, it will take about 10 years to remove the fuel rods in the containers and the spent nuclear fuel rods in the storage pools from the four reactors, to demolish various facilities there and to improve soil conditions.

Another Japanese reactor maker, Hitachi Ltd., in a tie-up with General Electric Co. of the United States, is expected to file its own proposal, the sources said.

Tokyo Electric and METI are expected to look into the proposals from Toshiba and Hitachi before moving to dismantle the reactors.

The four reactors were crippled by the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

In Japan, Chubu Electric Power Co. is currently working on decommissioning two reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, and plans to have the work completed by March 2037.