BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 18 May 11 - 01:49 PM

I am glad I stayed with this thread. Youse and the links have taught me a lot.

I am now against nukes although I realize it won't do any good. My only solace (hope?) is that the CANDU 100 miles from me at Point LePreau is a much safer design... for whatever that is worth.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 May 11 - 01:30 PM

Another verse from an old song from the 1979 march on Midland, Michigan

We'll soon have a Garden of Eden,
We'll live off the fat of the land;
Strontium 90 is dandy,
Plutonium's candy,
And for roaches won't it be grand!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 May 11 - 11:48 AM

New York Times this morning-
In Japan Reactor Failings, Danger Signs to the U. S.
"Emergency vents that American officials have said would prevent devastating hydrogen explosions at nuclear plants in the U. S. were put to the test in Japan- and failed to work....."
Venting was critical to relieving pressure inside reactors after the cooling systems were knocked out. "Without flowing water to cool the reactors' cores, they had begun to dangerously overheat. Tepco said they had upgraded to the new vent systems used in the U. S.

There was a delay of several hours before it was decided to vent- a bad bit of dithering- but when it was decided to vent, the system didn't work. There is evidence of design flaws and mechanical failure of the U. S. designed system (built by G. E.).
The venting system was operated by the same power supply that provided electricity to the rest of the plant. Backup generators are in the basement, thus subject to tsunami waves.

"Japan is going to teach us lessons, said David Lochbaum at the Union of Concerned Scientists."
The hydrogen blasts may have been responsible for breaches in containment vessels, complicating efforts to cool the rods.
High pressure within the reactors also repels efforts to pump in cooling water.
----------------------

Taipei says it is going ahead with construction of their fourth reactor. Taipei, like Japan, relies heavily on nuclear power.
Taipei lies on some of the same fault system that affects Japan, and severe quakes and tsunamis are an ever-present threat.
---------------------------

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 May 11 - 08:53 AM

Again I think it would be of interest to compare the computer logs from Fukushima-1 with her sister nuclear plant complex Fukushima-2 which somehow managed to survive the earthquake and tsunami without a meltdown. One would think that someone would want to know what worked, and what didn't.

mg-

One of the problems of being an engineer/control room operator at a nuclear power plant is that for 99.9% of the time routine things are happening. It's a very boring place to work. Then when there is a crisis, or something beyond the script, people in charge can make very bad mistakes. In a conventional power plant such mistakes may be devastating to the plant site (and its workers) but not the surrounding environment. Mistakes in operating a nuclear plant are essentially forever.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 17 May 11 - 11:21 PM

If you have a facility that can burn holes in the earth, pollute the sea for how many miles an how many years, or should we do this in kilometers, kill people, make food inedible..couldn't you maybe just maybe think senior engineers should be there around the clock? And more than hindsight says that info on a nuclear disaster should be transmitted.to more than one place and without ways to trick and hide unpleasant data....anybody with any common sense would see that ahead of time. This is something that can not be controlled once it gets going and they don't have the most obvious safeguards in place. It would not have surprised me in North Korea in its present state, but in Japan I am dumbfounded. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 May 11 - 04:49 PM

The trail was all there, on paper and in computers, but, as posted, high radiation prevented access to it. Hindsight shows that data, as it is recorded, should be transmitted to a central site where it can be studied, and (hopefully) errors corrected immediately.
(provided transmission lines or microwave towers remain serviceable!!!)

I am sure that the situation was hectic, that no very senior engineers were on hand, and attempts to control the reactors were "off the top of the head."
Remember that two workers were killed on site- possibly the ones who attempted to shut it down.
Still a lot of the details not yet known-

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 May 11 - 04:25 PM

Q-

Sometimes I'd prefer to be wrong than right. This is such an instance.

So, it's likely that human error played a major role in the demise of Units 1-3 and maybe Unit 4. Evidently Units 5 and 6 survived whatever was done to them. Someone should compare notes.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 17 May 11 - 03:32 PM

I'm sure it was all done, mg, but ya can't panic and ya can't panic the public.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 17 May 11 - 03:25 PM

Wouldn't a normal company have interviewed any workers and asked them to recall immediately what they had done in the immediate hours of the disaster? What levers did you push? What valves did you open? Keeping in mind that in a panic situation, people could misremember, do things in error etc..but still there should be a trail of what was done. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 May 11 - 02:35 PM

I don't think anybody's linked to this:

Radiation map, April 29 2011

The pattern is quite uneven. Minamisoma, which was compulsorily evacuated and is inside the 30Km radius, has very little actual contamination.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 17 May 11 - 02:11 PM

NHK...

The operator of the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima has revised its plan to bring it under control.

Tokyo Electric Power Company announced the changes on Tuesday, one month after it released its original plan.

The original plan called for filling up Number 1, 2 and 3 reactors with water, but TEPCO says injected water may leak out under present conditions.

This is due to the recent discovery that fuel rods for the Number 1 reactor had melted, apparently damaging the vessel containing the reactor, and a large amount of water has been found to have leaked out of the vessel. The utility suspects that the Number 2 and 3 reactors are in a similar situation due to apparent meltdowns.

The company now says it will reduce the amount of radioactive materials in the water accumulated in the reactor and turbine buildings. Then it will circulate that water as coolant between the reactors and the turbine buildings. It also plans to install heat exchangers to cool spent-fuel storage pools at Number 1, 3 and 4 reactors by about July.

TEPCO also plans to set up a facility in the plant's compound probably, next month, to deal with contaminated water accumulated in the course of water injection into the reactors. Such water is estimated to total 200,000 tons within the year. TEPCO says the facility is designed to lower the radioactive density of contaminated water so it can be reused to cool the reactors, or be stored as relatively low-level radioactive water.

The utility also plans to build makeshift seawalls in the compound. It plans to consider engineering work to block radioactive materials from contaminating ground water.

The revised plan also calls for better conditions for workers at the plant, including more relaxation and sleeping rooms and improved meals.

Despite the revised plan, TEPCO is sticking to its schedule of achieving stable cooling by July and bringing about a cold shutdown of the reactors sometime between October and January.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 22:05 +0900 (JST)

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 May 11 - 01:41 PM

The above condensed from a report in the Japan Times, May 17, 2011; by staff writers.

Added note. The data was also on computers in the reactor building. Many operations today automatically transmit computer data to another location for perusal and storage.
Hindsight says this should have been the case with the computers at these reactors.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 May 11 - 01:34 PM

Worker error may have led to meltdown

The just released story shows just how confusion over guideline procedures can cause disaster, especially when workers are in a hurry to do 'something' to correct a situation.

"The emergency cooling system for reactor No. 1 a the Fukishima No. 1 nuclear plant may have been shut down manually before the tsunami hit...according to Tepco spokesman and documents recently released by the utility."
These documents were in the building and were not available until now because of high radioactivity.
Part of the cooling system, the isolation condenser, was down for about 3 hours, which could have contributed to the reactor core's meltdown.
The finding upends the government's assumption that the condenser was functioning normally.
The chief cabinet secretary said he had just learned about it today.

The isolation condenser injects water into the reactor for at least 8 hours after the main coolant system loses power.
"It is possible that a worker may have manually closed the condenser valve to prevent a rapid decrease in temperature, as is stipulated by a reactor operating guideline....... "
The worker may have done it to prevent cold water from coming in contact with the hot steel of the reactor to prevent it becoming damaged. However, the reactor is designed to withstand the procedure in case of an emergency.

The above shows how an emergency can cause actions that are damaging when very complicated equipment is involved, and communications are cut preventing flow of advice and instructions.

"Mistakes," or misinterpretion of emergency procedures, or lack of guidelines for unforseen events, can happen anytime- these are problems that can happen anywhere- no nuclear reactor (or any complex system) are proof against them.

All of this lends support to Charley's thesis that nuclear power is dangerous and its use should be stopped and replaced by other means of generating energy.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 17 May 11 - 09:13 AM

Charley,

Didn't the back-up batteries get flooded too?

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 May 11 - 07:45 AM

So this morning in our newspapers, TEPCO acknowledged that it was highly likely that all three reactors, Units 1-3, had begun melting down within hours of the earthquake and tsunami. So far there's no update on what might have been happening in the spent fuel pools during this time but at least the one associated with Unit 4 likely had a meltdown.

I thought the 8-hour back-up batteries were supposed to provide power to the pumps even if the back-up generators were knocked out by the tsunami.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 May 11 - 04:41 AM

Given the trend of recent years, the most likely place they'll dump the water is off Somalia.

And anybody local who tries to stop them will be labelled a "pirate".

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 May 11 - 09:21 PM

Q-

"Saw news photos on BBC of a gigantic barge-container ship which will be loaded with contaminated water. Destination??"

It's a retrofitted "fishing park" for (insert god of your choice)'s sake and it's going across the Seven Seas looking for a home. It's just possible that it may make its way up the Kennebec River and pump its load into my Town of Richmond landfill. This is the kind of thing that our Selectboard salivates over, assuming there's money in it.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 16 May 11 - 03:44 PM

Q... "Destination??"

Precisely!

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 May 11 - 03:40 PM

I read that they did think it was a heart attack. Goodness, they are now bringing in more than one part-time doctor.

He was 60 and carrying equipment. I wonder how much, how long, how heavy. Was he even fed more than the cup a noodles or whatever they give them? I have read they are trying to get older men (have not heard of women) because of fewer concerns about cancer 30 years in the future and reproductive concerns. That means probably there will be less physical strength and endurance. Iw ould hope, and I hope almost nothing with this company run by fools, that they would take this into account and provide scooters or carts or robots that can drag stuff. Eyes of the world be on every aspect of this situation. I personally do not think radiation got him, but would like to know how hard they worked him and if they gave him at least a brief checkup before assigning him.

Also I think they are saying there were possible meltdowns in more than reactor 1.

Again, truth will only come out when it is forced, when there is no way to cover up their lies and non-information.   mg

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 May 11 - 02:07 PM

The Japanese government continues to be upbeat.

"Prime Minister Kan says the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant can still be brought under control in six to nine months despite the meltdown in reactor No. 1."

"Tepco prepares to start pumping tainted water from No. 3 [Tuesday]. It will be transferred to a 'waste disposal facility'."
Both items, Japan Times, Tues, May 17, 2011.

Saw news photos on BBC of a gigantic barge-container ship which will be loaded with contaminated water. Destination??

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Donuel
Date: 16 May 11 - 11:41 AM

The worker at Fukushima that died at the plant this week was an outside contractor. TEPCO said that his dosimeter badge showed that he had not been explosed to deadly radiation.

I noted that they did not say that he died of a heat attack or something else.

It is important to know that the dosimeter badge does not measure any neutron radiation which can be immediately fatal.

Again TEPCO leaves the world in the position of filling in the blanks from theirlies by ommission and truth hedging reports.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 May 11 - 08:36 AM

More critical attention appears to be focusing within Japan on new revelations about the damage and impact of the Fukushima-1 disaster:

"Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant confirmed the meltdown of a 'large part' of the fuel in reactor number one. Their suspicions were aroused after a post-adjustment reading on water level gauges came back lower than expected. Fortunately, water in a reservoir at the bottom of the pressure vessel seems to have halted the meltdown. The situation remains precarious though, as the further meltdown of the fuel—past the pressure vessel and through the concrete base—remains highly possible.

What's perhaps surprising is that this information was even released in the first place. Considering the delay between this official announcement and what people have purportedly known for weeks, the release of this information won't help TEPCO's public image at all."

Here's a direct link to this thoughtful update by Japanese commentator Hiroki Ogawa: click here for update!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Jim Martin
Date: 15 May 11 - 08:26 PM

RTÉ's coverage on the news last night (there's a 26 sec clip in the link here:

a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0515/japan.html">http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0515/japan.html

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 May 11 - 07:58 PM

Jim-

I'm sure they will. I wonder if it involves their top brass immigrating to some third world country in the Caribbean?

By the way, we should all be proud that this thread has survived 1241 posts without a major meltdown.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 15 May 11 - 07:24 PM

Tepco coming up with plan to stabilise reactor no.1 by next Tuesday:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13404548

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 15 May 11 - 03:40 PM

Oh good news from a sterling company...now, just now, they are saying that they are going to study what went on in three mile island..or maybe they did earlier but this is the first I have seen. Does anyone know who is making these decisions at TEPCO? The top guy or two had experience in procuring, which I find ironic that he couldn't even get sandwiches or hot meals for his sacrificial staff..but I do not think was an engineer.

Pull the plug on these idiots, take over all nuclear plants, let them do wind energy and have them fix the problem with the incompatable east/west transformers and do whaqt needs to be done. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 May 11 - 01:51 PM

Two items in Japan Times today (Sunday)-

1. The reactors were already critically damaged by the Quake before the tsunami and loss of cooling. Suggested by the high radiation readings taken March 11 in the No. 1 reactor building.

2. Residents of two more villages, Kawamata and Iitate, told to pack up and leave. The 'hot zone' was expanded last month, but residents were at first told their homes would be all right.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 May 11 - 10:45 AM

The news just keeps coming in and it's looking, as some have predicted, grimmer and grimmer.

Now we have this haunting image of a huge steel derelict pumped full of radioactive waste water set loose to roam the seven seas like some modern day "Flying Dutchman":

"A massive hollow floating platform is being transported to Fukushima to hold radioactive water from a troubled nuclear power plant. The steel platform is 136 meters long and 46 meters wide and can store up to 10,000 tons of water.

It was provided to Tokyo Electric Power Company from Shizuoka city, where it was used as a fishing park. It was made water-tight and rust-resistant during one month of refitting at a Yokohama shipyard. A large crane was mounted and pipes attached.

After final inspection at a nearby port, the platform is scheduled to arrive off the coast at Fukushima Daiichi power plant in one to two weeks."

I'm reminded of a song titled "Limbo Ships" which was put together some years ago when a ship full of toxic waste was circling the globe looking for a harbor to dump its load:

By Jim Hunter and Tom Bryan, © 1992
From Temple Records - A 25 Year Legacy, © 2007.

Limbo Ships

Black ship out on a dark sea silent
As death on the old whale road;
Liberian freighter with no port of call
And a cargo no boat should hold.

Chorus:

Limbo ships out on the water
Round and round trying to lose their load;
Limbo ships out on the ocean
Going four corners all around the globe.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 15 May 11 - 07:33 AM

NHK...

The Tokyo Electric Power has released 5 photographs of the crippled Number 1 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

One of the pictures taken by workers on May 9th shows a large amount of debris on the reactor building floor.

Another picture shows an elevator located at the northwest corner of the building with cables hanging loose. The elevator door was blown off by a large hydrogen explosion on March 12th.

A picture was taken by a remote-controlled robot on May 13th at the southeastern side of the Number One reactor building. Equipment that appears to be an electrical circuit board can also be seen near a double door. No debris can be seen on the floor.

Around this area, extreme high levels of radioactivity have been observed -- up to 2,000 milisieverts per hour, thus workers can only stay in the vicinity for around 8 minutes.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 08:57 +0900 (JST)

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it may take a number of years to remove damaged nuclear fuel rods from the Number 1 reactor.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company announced on Saturday, that most of the fuel rods in the Number 1 reactor have melted and fallen to the bottom of the reactor where they are submerged in water.

TEPCO announced in April that it was aiming to get the reactor stabilized and cooled down in 6 to 9 months.
However, no timeline has yet been proposed for the removal of the nuclear fuel.

The company plans to study measures taken at the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the US, where a meltdown of nuclear fuel rods also occurred.

There it took almost 10 years to remove melted fuel at the bottom of the reactor, which resembled hardened lava.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 08:57 +0900 (JST)

A massive hollow floating platform is being transported to Fukushima to hold radioactive water from a troubled nuclear power plant.

The steel platform is 136 meters long and 46 meters wide and can store up to 10,000 tons of water.

It was provided to Tokyo Electric Power Company from Shizuoka city, where it was used as a fishing park.
It was made water-tight and rust-resistant during one month of refitting at a Yokohama shipyard. A large crane was mounted and pipes attached.

After final inspection at a nearby port, the platform is scheduled to arrive off the coast at Fukushima Daiichi power plant in one to two weeks.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 13:00 +0900 (JST)

Now, what happens if a tsunami hits that? typhoon?

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant announced that radioactive materials continue to leak into the ocean near the plant.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said 140 becquerels of cesium-134 per cubic centimeter, was measured on Saturday morning near the water intake of the plant's Number 3 reactor. That represents 2,300 times the legal limit.

It also detected 150 becquerels of cesium-137, which is 1,700 times the legal limit.

On Wednesday of this week, the utility found that highly radioactive water was continuing to flow into the ocean from a pit located near the water intake of the Number 3 reactor.

On Friday, TEPCO detected 6,200 times the legal limit of cesium-134.

The company says it will continue to monitor radioactivity levels near the plant.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 08:57 +0900 (JST)

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 15 May 11 - 07:24 AM

NHK...

Evacuation of some people who live outside the 20 kilometer radius from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun.

Families with babies and children up to kindergarten age and pregnant women are the first of the 7,700 residents of two towns to evacuate.

Municipal officials say they have secured temporary housing for almost all of the residents who want it.

One evacuee says he and his family have to move out for the sake of his children, but it is very discouraging to leave.

He says they will do what they can until the day they are able to return to their home.

Some farmers cannot evacuate soon as they have not been able to find places to move their cattle or have them put down. Some families cannot move together to designated temporary housing or cannot decide on the place to go as they would be far from work or school.

The Japanese government expanded the evacuation zone around the plant to areas where cumulative radiation levels are 20 millisieverts or higher per year.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 13:00 +0900 (JST)

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 May 11 - 03:21 PM

Press emphasis seems to be on compensation.

"A day after the reported discovery of meltdown holes in reactot No. 1, the government approves a framework for letting Tepco tap taxpayer money to compensate victims of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant."
"Under the framework, a new institution will be established to facilitate Tepco's payments and place the company and other nuclear plant operators under government supervision to monitor the streamlining efforts 'for a certain period of time'."
Power utilities will be obliged to help fund the new institution and the government will issue special zero-interest bonds that can be cashed when necessary.
Livestock within 20 km of Fukushima plant must be destroyed and Tepco will have to compensate the livestock owners.

Japan Times, Saturday, May 14, 2011.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 13 May 11 - 02:58 PM

NHK...

An official of Japan's nuclear safety agency has suggested that a nuclear fuel meltdown at one of the damaged Fukushima reactors means that filling the reactor's container with water may be meaningless.

Hidehiko Nishiyama told reporters on Friday that melted rods at the bottom of the No. 1 reactor are being cooled by a small amount of water.

He said he doubts that it's necessary to flood the containment vessel entirely, as the plant operator has been trying to do.

The operator, TEPCO, said on Thursday that most of the fuel rods in the reactor are believed to have melted and sunk to the bottom of the reactor's pressure vessel.

TEPCO says the melted fuel has apparently cooled, even though much of the injected water is leaking through holes at the bottom of the vessel.

Under a plan decided last month, the utility was to fill up the containment vessel with water and set up a system to circulate the water through a heat exchanger.

Nishiyama said TEPCO need only inject water to a height that would allow the system to work.

He said the utility will likely change its strategy and inject water to the minimum necessary level.

Friday, May 13, 2011 16:08 +0900 (JST)
***************************************************************

There are other articles there and elsewhere re highly radioactive shit leaking into the water table and ocean at 20,000 times the "limit"... etc. Nasty stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 12 May 11 - 05:56 PM

How much of their information was lies? How much effort did they put into not finding out basic levels of radiation etc? and checkmating others who tried? Why does the government let them be in charge of anything? Why is the government not having universities with some credibility do some of the testing? Why do our idiots here not test the fish (oh no reason to) for baseline measurements at least? mg

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 May 11 - 05:50 PM

Here's a long press release from NIRS (Nuclear Information Resource Service) on current conditions in and around Fukushima-1:

UPDATE, 11:30 am, Thursday, May 12, 2011. At a Tokyo press briefing today, Tepco officials said that there is likely a hole inside the Unit 1 containment which is allowing highly radioactive water to leak—where the water is leaking to isn't known at this point. Tepco has flooded Unit 1 with some 11 million liters of water so far, and the unit can only physically hold less than 8 million liters—although much of that loss could have been by evaporation and release of radioactive steam. But now Tepco admits that the fuel rods inside Unit 1 are essentially uncovered—meaning that much of the water poured into the reactor has leaked back out. Much of the fuel—exactly how much isn't known--is now a molten mass on the bottom of the reactor vessel.

Tepco says this molten mass is currently covered by water and is thus being cooled, although temperatures inside the reactor remain above the boiling point (as they do at Units 2 and 3 as well).

This new development likely will set back Tepco's 6-9 month plan to bring the situation at Fukushima to stability. Tepco had hoped to reach a cold shutdown (with temperatures under the boiling point) of Unit 1 within weeks and for Units 2 and 3 in July. But first the hole inside Unit 1 allowing the radioactive water to leak out must be found and somehow fixed—a job that would entail very high worker exposures. Stability is a concept that seems still to be a very long ways from reality at Fukushima.

Meanwhile, Tepco says it has fixed a leak at Unit 3 found yesterday that was allowing highly radioactive water to flow into the ocean.

The Japanese government is expected tomorrow to approve some sort of bailout bill for Tepco, to help it pay the enormous compensation claims and cleanup costs that already have occurred and will continue mounting for many years. Other nuclear utilities may be required to pitch in and help, and some sort of increased government oversight of Tepco is likely. The ability of Tepco to offer dividends to shareholders is likely to be prohibited for at least a decade. Utilities thinking about building nuclear reactors in other parts of the world may want to take heed….

The live webcam at Fukushima yesterday showed larger amounts of radioactive steam being released from all the reactors than has typically been the case in recent days. No explanation so far. (???)

Greenpeace, whose Rainbow Warrior ship has been prohibited by the Japanese government from coming closer than 12 miles to Fukushima, has been testing seaweed further away from the site, and found several samples measuring 20 times legal limits of Cesium-137 in the ocean as far as 40 miles from the Fukushima site. Seaweed is a staple part of the Japanese diet, with the average household consuming seven pounds per year.

In general I'm not in favor of long copy and pastes but it seems we're entering into a new phase in this disaster, at least in regard to what has already happened.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 May 11 - 05:44 PM

Q-

"TEPCO has found that fuel rods in No. 1 reactor at Fukushima have melted together and are at bottom of reactor vessel."

That is very bad news, indeed, and leaves little reason for expecting the other reactor units and spent fuel pools to be in much better condition.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Donuel
Date: 12 May 11 - 04:17 PM

CNN reported today that the damage survey shows far greater hazards that previously reported. All estimates of clean up are now obsolete.


Fission is cycling on and off in the facility due to melted rods.

IF you are in the USA the only risk from FUkushima comes from injesting food or air that is contamiated with radioactive particles from the FUkushima Complex.

The risk assesment over the next twenty years is .1 to 1% chance of developing a cancer or cancers from Fukushima.

That means that 32,000 to 3 million people may injest particles that will create cancer. That is not a death rate but rather the full risk spectrum of who will injest a piece of FUkushima.

You can injest Fukushima by reating lettuce from California. Green leafy plants are most vulnerable to carry particles.

MIlk concentrates particles 700 times.
Meat concentrates paricles at a somewhat lower rate.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 12 May 11 - 02:11 PM

gross mismanagement suspected (oh how could they be so insensitive as to insinuate that when obviously no one could have predicted a tsunami would hit). And there are probably very good reasons too complex for us to understand why they couldn't get food to their sacrificial workers.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24737

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 May 11 - 01:04 PM

TEPCO has found that fuel rods in No. 1 reactor at Fukushima have melted together and are at bottom of reactor vessel.
Low water level in the vessel may indicate cracks in the vessel, and therefore leakage of radioactive water.
Japan Times, May 12, 2011.

This means that the cleanup time will be as much as 30 years, the maximum estimate by Hitachi.
Leakage from the vessel explains the high and contradictory readings obtained around Fukushima Daiichi plant and in seawater.

Bad news for those who formerly lived near the reactor complex.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,Jim Martin
Date: 12 May 11 - 08:10 AM

Tepco agrees conditions for state aid:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13360758

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 May 11 - 12:35 PM

Heard a news item on TV- Russia announces its first nuclear reactor in Iran has started operation. No further details.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 11 - 04:50 PM

Both Hitachi and Toyota conglomerates are vying to get contracts to clean up the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The contracts could bring billions to the winner, both wanting the job to replace losses because of restricted manufacturing capability.
Hitachi estimates 30 years to return the site to "green field" state, meaning within legal limits of radiation for residents.
Toshiba has estimated only ten years will be needed [Of course, if Toshiba gets the contracts, it could keep extending that time period, and the government would be loath to change horses].

Professor of Nuclear engineering at Tokyo City University, T. Matsumoto, said that decommissioning time would depend heavily on the state of the nuclear fuel. "Will it still be shaped like rods? Or will it have melted and collapsed into a big mass? You just don't know until you open up the reactor."

New York Times, International News, Sunday, April 17, 2011; "Nuclear Cleanup Plans Hinge on Unknowns.".

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 11 - 04:25 PM

The mayor of Ishinomaki, Miagi Prefecture, one of two municipalities that host Tohoku Electric Power Co's Onagawa nuclear power plant, indicated his support for the firm being given permission to resume operations at the facility.
No. 1 and No. 3 were in operation at the time of the disaster and automatically shut down. No. 2 was undergoing a periodic inspection at the time, it also was shut down.
Daily Yomiuri; http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/T110509004940.htm

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 May 11 - 03:42 PM

"recovering a fallen 3.3 ton device from its prototype fast-breeder reactor"

Dropping a thing like that could ruin one's whole half-life.

You may quote me!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 10 May 11 - 01:38 PM

One of these little things that could slip by unnoticed:

Dutch newspapers (De Volkskrant ) report customs in the port of Rotterdam have seized a second batch of containers from a Japanese ship that had radiation levels above safe levels. Average radiation measured was 6 Bq/sq. centimetre. Goods inside the containers, food and consumergoods, were not found contaminated.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 11 - 01:19 PM

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency will undertake the work in June of recovering a fallen 3.3 ton device from its prototype fast-breeder reactor Monju in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, agency officials said Tuesday.
A phoyo of the reactor housing is given.
Kyodo News.
I don't have a subscription, so can't give further details.
http://english.kyodonewsjp/news/2011/05/90221.html

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 11 - 01:05 PM

Kyodo News-
Workers adjusted measuring guages Tuesday as part of the process to flood the vessel containing the No. 1 reactor at Fukushima with water and creste a system to keep the fuel inside cool.
The working environment remains tough because of the high radiation levels.
TEPCO has increased the amount of water being injected into the No. 1 reactor core in a bid to fill the reactor's primary containment vessel with water above the level of the fuel. The utility also plans to install a heat exchanger to keep the water circulating around the reactor cool.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/05/90190.html

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 May 11 - 09:33 PM

The reality in and around Fukushima-1 ought to be bad enough without more "spin."

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: gnu
Date: 09 May 11 - 07:11 PM

Yeah... looks like bullshit to me... maybe someone with an advertising $ per hit contract. Or a twit.

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 May 11 - 05:45 PM

TBS is Tokyo Broadcasting System. JNN is website of the TBS. They don't seem to have an English version.

Some individual calling himself leakspinner has a number of videos on youtube. They are inaccurate to say the least. There is no recent fire (Campin link).

Subject: RE: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 May 11 - 05:30 PM

Any idea what "TBS/JNN" is?