Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

[dorispulaski]

And the IAEA has two updates:

A status.

And we do know what happened to the workers. It was in the TEPCO & JAIF reports. They went indoors, a prudent thing to do, under the circumstances. Some workers had been working outside to connect up Units 3 and Units 4 to outside power. Given that the radiation readings also returned to values typical before the incident, I would be very surprised to hear that the workers weren't back trying to get the power to 3 & 4. At one point, they said they hoped to have outside power there some time on the 23rd. However, it is not clear how the schedule has been impacted by today's events.

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (21 March 2011, 23:15 UTC)
Status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

Japanese authorities have notified the IAEA that efforts to restore power for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are on-going. As of 19 March at 21:46 UTC, the power centre at unit 2 had received electricity. Work to restore electricity to units 3 and 4 is continuing.

White smoke was reported seen emanating from unit 2 on 21 March at 9:22 UTC. Grayish smoke was reported seen emanating from unit 3 at 6:55 on 21 March, and this was reported to have 'died down' two hours later. All workers at units 1 through 4 evacuated after the smoke at unit 3 was seen. The IAEA is seeking further information at this time on the status of workers at the site.

Japanese authorities have also reported that water has been sprayed over the Common Spent Fuel Pool; this started on 21 March at 1:37 UTC. The IAEA is seeking further information on this development and will report further as updates are received from Japan.

Info on what seawater samples were taken

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (22 March 2011, 4:15 UTC)
Japanese authorities have reported that they will measure radioactivity in the marine environment around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The monitoring will be conducted from 22-23 March by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). Sea water sampling from eight locations will be sampled and analysed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), and results will be provided on 24 March. The analysis will include radionuclide concentrations found in sea water and dose rate. The IAEA will continue to follow this information.

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO Noon update, Japanese time, March 22

The point about the color of the smoke is that steam, as it condenses causes white clouds, not gray, so for the clouds to be white is a better conditions than gray.



Unit 2

As of 7:11 am on March 22nd, smoke decreased to
the level where we can hardly confirm

Unit 3

At approximately 4:00 pm, March 21st, light gray smoke was confirmed
arising from the floor roof of the Unit 3 building. On March 22nd, the
color of smoke changed to somewhat white and it is slowly dissipating.

The total has no additional new news.

TEPCO also provides a release regarding the condition of all facilities. It has the following language about the whole incident.

At approximately 3:55 pm, March 21st, light gray smoke was confirmed
arising from the southeast side of the 5th floor roof of the Unit 3
building, and the situation was reported to the fire department at
approximately 4:21 pm. The parameters of reactor pressure vessel, reactor
containment vessel, and monitored environmental data remained at the same
level. However, employees working around Unit 3 evacuated to a safe
location. It is observed the smoke has been decreasing. On March 22nd,
the color of smoke changed to somewhat white and it is slowly dissipating.

They report this as not new, but as the work of connecting the plant to outside power is ongoing, I'm listing it here:

The restoration work of electricity supply from external source for
Units 3, 4, 5 and 6 are being implemented. At 11:36 am, March 21, the
service power supplied by emergency diesel generators in Units 5 was
partially restored through transmission line (Yonomori-line) using a
power receiving facility of Unit 6.

* At 5 am, Mar 19th, we started the Residual Heat Removal System Pump (C)
of Unit 5 in order to cool the spent fuel pool. At 10:14 pm, we started
the Residual Heat Removal System Pump (B ) of Unit 6 in order to cool the
spent fuel pool

Power is at units 1 & 2 already. However, you have to check everything out before you try to turn any system on, and that's what they're doing.

JAIF confirms, on their cute block chart, that outside power is now at all six Units, and that checkout of equipment, circuits and so forth is now ongoing, prior to turning them on.

Not everything is totally disrupted. A number of services at Units 5 & 6 are on already. On the other hand, those are the two units that had no hydrogen explosions. It seems likely to me, that Units 5 & 6 will be supplying power within the next year.

JAIF has the 22:00 March 22, news from NHK

Status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station as of 21:00, March 22,
2011
Here is information regarding the status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
station from the news reports aired by NHK in this night of March 22.
l The operation to inject water to the spent fuel pool of Unit-4 was started with
special vehicle at 17:17. This vehicle has a long arm that enables to pour
water to a target. The spent fuel pools lost cooling function at Unit-3 and
Unit-4. The Self-Defense Force and Tokyo Fire Department have been
conducting operation of spraying water to fill these pools. (18:20, March 22)
l The operation of spraying water to Unit-3 by Tokyo Fire Department was
conducted for one hour and finished around 16:00. Total amount of water
sprayed by the team of the fire department is more than 3 times of the pool
capacity. (18:20, March 22)
l TEPCO Fukushima office announced that radioactive nuclides such as iodine
and cesium are detected from seawater sampled at the spots that are several
to 10 km away from the power station. The samples were found containing
radioactive nuclides in excess of the legal standards. The standard for each
nuclide is considered safe even for someone consuming the average amount
of water every day for a full year. (16:40, March 22)End

[dorispulaski]

In case I didn't make it quite clear, I suspect that the smoke (and radiation release) of the last days or so (depending on your time zone), were due to the reported overheating (and boiling) of a spent fuel pool again.

I'm waiting for confirmation on that.

NEI has its morning update, as of 9:00 AM EDT March 22

UPDATE AS OF 9:30 A.M. EDT, MARCH 22:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. has reconnected external power supply at Fukushima Daiichi reactors 1, 2, 5 and 6. Offsite electricity is providing power to cooling pumps for the used fuel pools at reactors 5 and 6. Components and circuits at reactors 1 and 2 are being checked before power is restored to them. The company on Tuesday was installing cable at reactor 4 and power is expected to be restored at reactors 3 and 4 on Wednesday (Japan time).

TEPCO said the radiation level at the main gate at Fukushima Daiichi has declined from 33 millirem per hour to 25 millirem per hour.

Fire departments on Tuesday continued to pump water into the used fuel pools at reactors 3 and 4. Seawater is being pumped through a manually laid hose and sent to a water truck for continual spraying. Firefighters have sprayed a total of 3,600 tons of seawater, or about three times the pool's capacity, in recent days.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Ukiyo Edano, reported the detection of low levels of iodine 131 and cesium 137 in seawater near the plant. There is no threat to human health, officials said.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has ordered the governors of four prefectures (Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma and Tochigi) to suspend shipments of spinach and milk from specified areas. However, Kan said the levels of airborne radiation in those areas pose no risk to human health.

The Fukushima Daini reactors remain in safe condition today.

I need to put something together on effects on health of radiation, but I also need to publish something about the care and feeding of spent fuel pools.

If anyone reading this has any questions, or any area you'd like me to talk about, please ask?

[let`s talk]

If anyone reading this has any questions, or any area you'd like me to talk about, please ask?

I stopped reading everything related to the Fukushima plant about a week ago. Actually, never seriously started it. The only questions that bother me are: 1. when the life in terms of electricity will be back to normal in Kanto? 2. will they close the Fukushima plant, and if they do, will the prices on electricity go up? 3. when will they finally start dragging gas/oil from the nearby Russia, insted of dealing with fairy Arabs or "very reliable" nuclear reactors designed by General Electric?

[dorispulaski]

The good folks at NEI.org have put up an explanation of Daiichi spent fuel pool designs, and risks:

Fact Sheet
Used Nuclear Fuel Storage at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
(Last updated 3/16/11, 3:40 p.m.)
Key Facts
��
Used nuclear fuel at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant is stored in seven pools (one at each reactor and a shared pool) and in a dry container storage facility (containing nine casks).
��
Sixty percent of the used fuel on site is stored in the shared pool, in a building separated from the reactor buildings; 34 percent of the used fuel is distributed between the six reactor fuel storage pools, and the remaining 6 percent is stored in the nine dry storage containers.
��
Used fuel pools are robust concrete and steel structures designed to protect the fuel from even the most severe events. Pools are designed with systems to maintain the temperature and level of the water sufficient to provide cooling and radiation shielding.
��
The water level in a used fuel pool typically is 16 feet or more above the top of the fuel assemblies.
��
The used fuel pools at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors are located at the top of the reactor building for ease of handling during refueling operations. [ETA, this still seems extremely ill-advised to me in a facility close to a subduction fault prone to strong earthquakes.]

��
The used fuel pools are designed so that the water in the pool cannot drain down as a result of damage to the piping or cooling systems. The pools do not have drains in the sides or the floor of the pool structure. The only way to rapidly drain down the pool is to have structural damage of the walls or the floor.

What Could Happen During an Accident?
��
The systems that cool and maintain water levels in the pools are designed to withstand severe events. If these systems are unable to function, the heat generated by the used fuel would result in a slow increase in the temperature of the spent fuel pool water. The operating temperature of the pools is typically around 40 degrees C or 100 degrees F (the boiling point for water is 100 C or 212 F). This slow increase in temperature will result in an increased evaporation rate. Rapid evaporation of the water will not occur.
��
Exact evaporation rates would depend on the amount of used fuel in the pool and how long it has cooled. The rate at which the pool water level would decrease (due to evaporation or mild boiling) in the absence of cooling system function would not be expected to lower water levels by more than a few percent per day. Given that there is approximately 16 feet of water above the used fuel assemblies, operators would have a few weeks to find another way to add water to the pools before the fuel would become exposed. For example, water could easily be added using a fire hose.[ETA This did not turn out that way. But I do wonder, given that these pools are just below the roof, if they have the depth over the fuel rods that US reactor pools do (i.e. 16 feet). .)
��
If the water level decreases below the top of the fuel assembly, oxidation of the zirconium cladding could occur. This oxidation could result in some hydrogen generation. The rate of hydrogen generation depends on the temperature of the fuel assembly, with hotter temperatures leading to higher gas generation rates. However, only the fuel assemblies with the least cooling time would be susceptible to this oxidation and the temperature of the fuel assemblies decreases exponentially with cooling time.
��
Even if the water level in the pools was to decrease sufficiently so that the fuel were exposed to air, the same level of overheating that can occur in a reactor accident would not occur in the used fuel pool because the used fuel assemblies in the pool are cooler than the assemblies in the reactor. It is highly unlikely that used fuel temperatures could reach the point where melting could occur, although some damage to the cladding cannot be ruled out. The likelihood of cladding damage, as with hydrogen generation, decreases substantially with temperature and cooling time.
��
At the surface of the used fuel pool, the gamma dose rate from radiation emanating off the used fuel assemblies is typically less than 2 millirem per hour. If the water level decreases, the gamma radiation level would increase substantially. This increase would be noticed at the radiation monitors near the reactor buildings.

Clearly, Daiichi fuel pools are not behaving at all like American engineers expect a fuel pool to act-I suspect the Russian expert is right, and the pools are too small, because if you're going to put such a huge amount of water and assemblies up on the top story of a building (a 30 feet deep pool), you'd really have to have, at least in my opinion, a concrete support that went all the way up from the basement level to the bottom of the pool.

These pools are heating up much faster than expected, and getting much hotter than expected.

I do wonder whether the most significant part of the fallout that has occurred over Japan came off in the boiling of the spent fuel pools, and possible overheating and damage of the cladding on the fuel rods. Why? Cesium is very soluble in water. Inorganic iodine is highly water soluble. Of course, Cesium 137 and Iodine 131 are very radioactive, short half life materials, and therefore easy to detect. The wavelength of the emitted gamma radiation tells you exactly what isotope of what element produced it (this is one of the key experimental results that validates quantum theory). So perhaps we'll see strontium, uranium, plutonium, and other stuff that we would expect to see from a release of material from the reactors' cores after more chemical analysis is done of seawater.

figurejennah brought this to our attention, and while Iouli Andreev's language is not respectful, he may be entirely correct that the Japanese spent fuel pools are too small. Andreev was an expert involved in the post-Chernobyl cleanup.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...l=1#post556700

And let me quote what a Chernobyl clean-up expert said about this situation:

"Andreev said a fire which released radiation on Tuesday involving spent fuel rods stored close to reactors at Fukushima looked like an example of putting profit before safety:

"The Japanese .. used every square inch of the space. But when you have a dense placing of spent fuel in the basin you have a high possibility of fire if the water is removed from the basin," Andreev said."

I await the opinions of experts on this subject.

[dorispulaski]

The IAEA has a lengthy discussion on spent fuel pools at Daiichi. They seem to be analyzing what we are seeing in the same way I am. One frustration with this report is that they give the number of assemblies that can be stored in the pools, but they don't give the size of the pool. Unit 1's pool has not, so to speak, been heard from, and it has the smallest number of assemblies allowed to be in it (Capacity). If all the pools associated with reactors individually are the same size, the issue could be that too many are stored (and too close together) in units 3 and 4 to do without cooling for very long.

Additionally, you can see that Unit 4's spent fuel pool was almost at capacity for number of fuel rods stored, and the latest addition to those rods were put there in January, so they were also very hot:

Drawing of the reactor, showing the position of the spent fuel pool

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/image...l-pool-220.jpg

Graph of temperatures in the Unit 5 & 6 Spent fuel pools, showing that with cooling restored, they are fine.

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/image...ts-5-6-new.jpg

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (22 March 2011, 18:00 UTC)
Spent Fuel Pools at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant - Updated

Spent fuel removed from a nuclear reactor is highly radioactive and generates intense heat. This irradiated fuel needs to be actively cooled for one to three years in pools that cool the fuel, shield the radioactivity, and keep the fuel in the proper position to avoid fission reactions. If the cooling is lost, the water can boil and fuel rods can be exposed to the air, possibly leading to severe damage and a large release of radiation.

Nuclear power plants must replace fuel every one to two years, and the Fukushima Daiichi reactors typically remove about 25 percent of the reactor's fuel - to be replaced with fresh, or unirradiated, fuel - during each refuelling outage. The spent fuel, which is hottest immediately after it is removed from the reactor, is placed in the spent fuel pool until it is cool enough to be moved to longer-term storage.

The concern about the spent fuel pools at Fukushima Daiichi is that the capability to cool the pools has been compromised. See diagram below for location of the pool in each reactor building.

Elevated radiation measurements at the site may be partially of the result of uncovered or overheated spent fuel.

Number of Fuel Assemblies in Cooling Pools at Fukushima Daiichi
(Reported 17 March by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)

Capacity/ Irradiated Fuel Assemblies /Unirradiated Fuel Assemblies /Most Recent Additions of Irradiated Fuel
Unit 1 900 292 100 March 2010
Unit 2 1,240 587 28 Sept 2010
Unit 3 1,220 514 52 June 2010
Unit 4 1,590 1,331 204 Nov 2010
Unit 5 1,590 946 48 Jan 2011
Unit 6 1,770 876 64 Aug 2010

Here is a summary of spent fuel conditions at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, based on documents and confirmed by Japanese officials (new information in bold):

Unit 1

Unit 1 experienced an explosion on 12 March that destroyed the outer shell of the building's upper floors. No precise information has been available on the status of the spent fuel pool.

Unit 2

Precise information on the status of the spent fuel pool was unavailable in the days following the earthquake, but Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency began to release temperature data on 20 March:

20 March, 23:00 UTC: 49 °C
21 March, 05:25 UTC: 50 °C
21 March, 21:20 UTC: 51 °C
22 March, 02:20 UTC: 53 °C
22 March, 06:30 UTC: 50 °C

Workers conducted an operation to spray 40 tonnes of seawater to the spent fuel pool on 20 March.

Unit 3

Unit 3 experienced an explosion on 14 March that destroyed the outer shell of the building's upper floors. The blast may have damaged the primary containment vessel and the spent fuel pool. Concerned by possible loss of water in the pool, authorities began spraying water into the building in an effort to replenish water levels. First, helicopters dropped seawater on 17 March, and every day since then, including 21 March, emergency workers have sprayed water from fire trucks and other vehicles, so far spraying at least 3,742 tonnes.

Unit 4

This reactor was shut down 30 November 2010 for routine maintenance, and all the fuel assemblies were transferred from the reactor to the spent fuel pool, before the 11 March earthquake. The heat load in this pool is therefore larger than the others.

On 14 March, the building's upper floors were severely damaged, possibly causing a reduction of cooling capability in the spent fuel pool. Emergency workers began spraying water into the building on 20 March, and have continued daily since then, so far spraying at least 255 tonnes.

Units 5 and 6

Instrumentation at these reactors began to indicate rising temperatures at their spent fuel pools starting on 14 March. Three days later, Japanese technicians successfully started an emergency diesel generator at Unit 6, which they used to provide power to basic cooling and fresh-water replenishment systems. Workers created holes in the rooftops of both buildings to prevent any hydrogen accumulation, which is suspected of causing earlier explosions at Units 1 and 3.

A second generator came online on 18 March, and the next day, the higher-capability Residual Heat Removal system recovered full function. Temperatures in the spent fuel pools of Units 5 and 6 have gradually returned to significantly lower temperatures (See graph below).


Common Use Spent Fuel Pool

In addition to pools in each of the plant's reactor buildings, there is another facility - the Common Use Spent Fuel Pool - where spent fuel is stored after cooling at least 18 months in the reactor buildings. This fuel is much cooler than the assemblies stored in the reactor buildings. Japanese authorities confirmed as of 18 March that fuel assemblies there were fully covered by water, and the temperature was 57 °C as of 20 March, 00:00 UTC. Workers sprayed water over the pool on 21 March for nearly five hours, and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported that the pool temperature had risen to 61 °C as of 21 March, 07:30 UTC.

TEPCO is spraying sea water into the spent fuel pools

- From 4:07 PM on March 22nd, 40 tons of seawater was injected into
Unit 2 by TEPCO employees.
- From 3:10 PM on March 22nd, water discharge into Unit 3 by Tokyo Fire
Department's Hyper Rescue was conducted and completed at approximately
3:59 PM today. From 5:17 PM on March 22nd, water discharge into Unit 4
from the concrete pumping vehicle was conducted.
- We are considering further water discharge at other units and others
subject to the conditions of spent fuel pools.

and now that they are looking for it, they found radioactive cesium, iodine and cobalt in seawater near the plant.

- On March 21st and 22nd, we detected cobalt, iodine and cesium from
the seawater around discharge canal of Unit 1, 2, 3 and 4.
- We will continue to take all measures to ensure the safety and to
continue monitoring the surrounding environment around
the Power Station.

From monitoring at the main gate at Daichi, as of 11 pm, March 22, radiation measurement is slowly decreasing; currently 235.9 microSieverts/hour, and the wind is blowing due west, away from the coastline. And the radiation measurement at Daina Measuring Point 4 is lower again, down to 12.3 microSieverts/hour, as of 11:30 pm Japanese time, March 22. During the white/gray clouds at Daiichi, this measurement has been as high as 35.8 microSieverts/hour.




Meanwhile, NEI has another update. US background radiation has not changed due to the situation at Daiichi.

And as might be expected, given an earthquake, tsunami, and hydrogen explosion each, Units 1 & 2's power distribution needs repair before the power can truly be turned on.

UPDATE AS OF 2:30 P.M. EDT, MARCH 22:
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which manages three radiation measurement areas for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, radiation levels in the United States have not exceeded natural background levels since before the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. These levels are thousands of times below any level that would result in public health impacts, the agency said.

Fukushima Daiichi Update
Power cables have been attached to all reactors at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, but the power distribution network at reactors 1 and 2 must be repaired before off-site electricity can be restored.

[Olympia]

Thanks, Doris. I had just heard on TV something about why they weren't turning on the power yet because of the possible presence of hydrogen, and your information confirms this. I'm also glad to hear the report of the unchanged background radiation here. I wonder how the effect of this accident compares with the release of materials through the postwar years when various governments, notably the U.S., the then-U.S.S.R., and France, set off test explosions at various sites around the world.

[dorispulaski]

Olympia, As to the comparison with the bad effects of atmospheric testing of nuclear bombs, there is no comparison. I will try to find some exact numbers, but the most important number to me is the sheer number of tests.

Over 500 atmospheric tests were conducted during the 1950's and 1960's, primarily by the US, USSR, France & Great Britain. Each "test" would be as big or bigger than either Hiroshima's bomb or Nagasaki's bomb. Five hundred Hiroshima's or more of radioactive plutonium, strontium & cesium & iodine. It is still the case that fish have plutonium in them far away from Chernobyl due to atmospheric testing.

Hiroshima falls on the nuclear scale somewhere closer to Chernobyl than to Three Mile Island. And that's just one bomb. There were more than 500.

Daiichi is still closer to Three Mile Island, as its NISA rating implies.

Meanwhile, the IAEA has few updates. It verifies the time all the workers went back to work, following whatever went on yesterday, with the white smoke:

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (22 March 23:15 UTC)

After the time of the grey/white smoke emission, an increase in radiation dose rates was reported at 9:30 UTC 21 March. TEPCO then ordered an evacuation of plant personnel, though workers returned as of 00:00 UTC 22 March.

Unit 2

On 20 March, workers began pumping 40 tonnes of seawater into the spent fuel pool. Spent fuel temperature remains relatively stable with readings between 49 and 53°.

Restoration work to return power to all units continues, with progress at Unit 2 the most advanced. A distribution panel (power center) of Unit 2 has been connected to off-site electricity supply, and individual components in the unit are being checked prior to being energized.

Unit 3

Indicated containment pressure has stabilized over the past 24 hours.

Unit 4

Authorities remain concerned about the condition of the spent fuel pool, and Japanese Self Defence Forces began spraying water into the building on 20 March. As of 8:17 UTC on 22 March, a concrete pump was pumping water into the spent fuel pool at a rate of 50 tonnes per hour. The reported plan was to pump water at this rate for 3 hours.

[dorispulaski]

JAIF added a couple of new things to their status update of 10 am March 23:

Radiation at The Main Gate: 229.35μSv/h at 7:00, Mar. 23 　

Lighting has been recovered at Unit 3 Main Control Room

That has got to help!

[Olympia]

Lighting? Good news, it sounds like.

Thanks for the answer to my question, by the way. It's somehow reassuring to realize that we've seen worse, though of course nothing is truly reassuring until this current situation is resolved.

[dorispulaski]

This is true. But at the time, we didn't really know it was worse. It was a time when your corner shoe store had an x ray machine so that you could climb on and look at the fit of your shoes, and watch your toe bones wiggle, real time. Children were especially fond of it. And this was your grandfather's x-ray machine which didn't have the shielding you have todayu.

And as to nuclear tests, because of the nature of the explosion more of the atomic debris went into the upper atmosphere-so it was worse for people no where near the explosion. However, people near the explosion (say Hiroshima and Nagasaki) didn't get whatever went into the upper atmosphere.

TEPCO has a number of new press releases.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...1032302-e.html
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...1032303-e.html

On the good side

-Until March 22nd, Units 1 through 6 were started to be energized from the
external power source.

On the not so good side, the air samples from the monitoring car are detecting radioactive cesium, iodine, and cobalt-not surprising, since they were finding them in the seawater.

-We detected iodine and cesium in the air collected at the site of
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on March 20th and 21st.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...s/110322e4.pdf

I won't quote all of it, but if you're interested you can look.

The species of isotopes they found were Iodine 131 and Iodine 132, Cesium 134 and 137, and Cobalt 58. I expect the NEI folks will save me the trouble of writing a nice paper on this.

They used the monitoring car to collect the dust two different times on March 21st.

They report that their method was " analyzed by the analysis device of Germanium semiconductor type nuclide". Sample time was 500 seconds. Amount is recorded in Becquerel per cubic centimeter. Multiply the result by one million to get Becquerels per cubic meter.

It will take me a while to chew through this data, and I expect someone more knowledgeable will do so, before I get to it, but for none of the species is the amount more than 10x the limit of detection. (Like standing on the bathroom scale and finding you weigh 10 pounds-that scale was not designed for you-you are at the lower limit of its detection capabilities).

TEPCO announced there will be effects on the company's yearly dividend. (I hope you did not own any stock)

And they put up their March 22, 11 PM Japanese time status.

There's new news, and this sounds like they are getting some of the cooling systems working at Unit 1

We have started injection of sea water at 8:20 pm, March 12th, and then
boric acid which absorbs neutron into the reactor afterwards
-At approximately 2:30 am on March 23rd, seawater was started to be
injected to the nuclear reactor through the feed water system.

At Unit 2

On March 18th, power was delivered up to substation for backup power
through offsite transmission line.

We completed laying cable further to unit receiving facility in the building, and at 3:46 pm, March 20th the load-side power panel of the receiving facility started to be energized.

From 3:05 pm to 5:20 pm on March 20th, 40 tons of seawater was injected
into Unit 2 by TEPCO employees.

At 6:20 on March 21st, white smoke was confirmed arising from the top of
the reactor building. As of 7:11 am on March 22nd, smoke decreased to the
level where we can hardly confirm. From around 4 pm to 5 pm, approximately 18 tons of sea water was injected into the spent fuel pool by TEPCO employees.

The way this is presented sounds like the Unit 2 spent fuel pool drastically overheated, and caused the smoke from Unit 2.

At unit 3, they confirm

-At approximately 10:45 pm on March 22nd, the light in the main control
room was turned on.

No new news on the smoke from Unit 3 (which I assumed was also from the spent fuel pool, since the reactor was stable during the event).

at Unit 4

-At approximately 10:00 am on March 23rd, we started spraying water to
Unit 4 using the concrete pumping vehicle.

Two workers who were setting up the power systems were injured. No details.

University Hospital on March 14th.
-At approximately 10 pm on March 22nd, 1 worker who had been working on
setting up a temporary power panel in the common pool was injured and
transported to Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Station where the industrial
doctor is.
-At approximately 1 am on March 23rd, 1 worker who had been working on
setting up a temporary power panel in the common pool was injured and
transported to Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Station where the industrial
doctor is.

[dorispulaski]

JAIF has the noon NHK report for March 23. Now that reactor temperature measurements are available, station crew can actually respond to situations as they develop, rather than waiting for visible symptoms.

Status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station as of 12:00, March 23, 2011
Here is information regarding the status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station from the news reports aired by NHK in this midnight and morning of March 23.

�� Tokyo Fire Department will spray water to Unit-3 in this afternoon through cooperation with Osaka Fire Department. (11:10, March 23)

�� The operation to inject water to the spent fuel pool of Unit-4 was started with special vehicle around 10:00. This vehicle has a long arm that enables to pour water to a target. (11:10, March 23)

�� TEPCO will conduct test operation for pumps, which are to inject water into the reactor at unit-3. External AC power to the main control room of Unit-3 became available at 13:43 of March 22. (10:55, March 23)

�� Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency announced in its news briefing held around 10:00 AM on March 23 that the core temperature exceed design value of 302℃ and reached almost 400℃ at Unit-1. Core cooling function was enhanced through increasing number of injection lines, given this situation. (10:55, March 23)

�� The work to recover external AC power for units-1, 2, 3 and 4 of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station is in progress. External AC power to the main control room of unit-3 became available at 13:43 of March 22. Now the lights are working in the room and working condition has been improved. Unit-3 is the first unit that external AC power became available among four units which are in severe condition. TEPCO will provide eternal AC power to systems for cooling the reactor and the suppression pool after checking availability of these systems at unit-3. Also the work to connect AC power line to distribution panels for Unit-1, 2 and 4 was accomplished. However, pumps of Unit-1 and 2 for cooling were covered by seawater and maintenance work is necessary for these pumps. (04:15, March 23)

�� The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will expand the area for monitoring radioactive nuclides in seawater to 30km, offshore, given the situation that seawater sample collected surrounding area contains radioactive nuclides in excess of the legal standards. (04:15, March 23)

�� Most meters and gages have been unavailable in the power station since station blackout occurred after the earthquake. Meanwhile, temperature instrument to measure surface of the reactor of unit-1, 2, and 3 was restored and becomes available. (04:15, March 23)

[dorispulaski]

NEI has an update as of 7:30 March 22 Eastern US Daylight Time

Some of the stuff they are talking about as "going to happen" has already happened this morning.

(It's good to see schedules being met. It means the unforeseen is not happening as much.)

UPDATE AS OF 7:00 PM EDT, MARCH 22:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported this afternoon (U.S. time) that it has restored electricity to the control room at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor 3. Lights in the control room were switched on for the first time since the earthquake 11 days ago. Electricity to the reactor 4 control room is expected to be restored shortly.

Power restoration to the control rooms will help technicians as they seek to repair the two reactors' cooling systems. Workers are seeking to reactivate control room monitoring systems for reactor parameters, such as reactor coolant temperatures and water levels. The company also reported that thermometers at reactors 1, 2 and 3 are working again.

TEPCO said it would try to reactivate a cooling pump for reactor 3 later today or Wednesday (U.S. time). The company said that if the pump functions normally, it could begin cooling the reactor and the spent fuel storage pool.

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant also continued to spray water into the used fuel pools of reactors 3 and 4. A 160-foot long extension arm normally used to pour concrete for high-rise buildings was used to more accurately spray water into the used fuel pool area of reactor 4. Workers also pumped 18 tons of seawater into the reactor 2 used fuel pool.

Japan's health ministry says it detected radioactive iodine levels in tap water above the national safety standard for infants at five locations in Fukushima Prefecture. The agency says the water does not pose an immediate risk to infants, but is advising against consumption of the water or adding water to powdered milk for infants.

Elevated levels of radioactive iodine and cesium were detected in soil about 25 miles from Fukushima Daiichi, but the levels do not pose a health risk, according to Japan's science ministry.

[dorispulaski]

I don't think I posted this IAEA update

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (23 March 2011, 01:10 UTC)
Restoring Power to Fukushima Daiichi

Without electrical power, cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi's six reactors cannot operate. Many of the problems facing the nuclear power plant stem from the loss of electrical power at the site following the massive earthquake and tsunami on 11 March. The earthquake cut off external power to the plant and the tsunami disabled backup diesel generators.

Japanese officials have been working to restore power to the facility, and their efforts are organized in three phases.

Units 1 and 2

Reactor cooling systems at these units are severely hampered. There is suspected damage to the nuclear fuel in both units. Workers successfully connected off-site electrical supplies to a transformer at Unit 2 on 19 March and later to at least one electrical distribution panel inside the plant. Technicians are conducting diagnostic tests to determine the integrity of the reactor's electrical systems.

Japanese authorities plan to connect Unit 1 sometime after Unit 2. Because of the degraded condition of the Unit 1 reactor building, this work may take more time compared to Unit 2, the reactor building sustained significantly less damage since the earthquake struck.

Units 3 and 4

Reactor cooling systems at Unit 3 are severely hampered. There is suspected damage to the reactor's fuel, and the condition of its spent fuel pool is uncertain. Unit 4 had been shut down for routine maintenance - and all its fuel was removed to the reactor building's spent fuel pool - prior to the earthquake. There is therefore no concern about fuel in the reactor core, but considerable concern about the fuel in the spent fuel pool.

Workers are moving toward restoring electricity to both units, but their progress is uncertain.

Units 5 and 6

Both units had been shut down for routine maintenance prior to the earthquake, reducing their cooling needs somewhat, but not entirely. On 17 March operators were able to start one of the Unit 6 diesel generators. On 19 March, workers successfully connected the second diesel generator in Unit 6. The two generators were used to power cooling systems in both reactors, which then achieved a safe, cold shutdown configuration. Off-site power was restored to Unit 5 on 21 March.

Restoring external power to the power plant does not mean the reactors will immediately resume normal safety function. The earthquake and tsunami may have inflicted considerable damage in addition to knocking out electricity supplies. Since the extent of this damage (and therefore the extent of necessary repair) is unknown, it is not possible to accurately estimate a work schedule. Progress of efforts to restore power may be impaired by heavy gloves or respirators required to permit the operators to work in the reactors following the damage inflicted by the earthquake and tsunami.

As power is restored, workers will perform checks to make certain the conditions are safe to restart individual components. They will check for grounds and ensure circuits remain intact. If damage is discovered, a decision will have to be made whether to perform repairs or move on to the next component on a prioritised list. Nuclear reactors, especially safety related equipment, incorporate multiple layers of redundancy. So a problem in one component does not necessarily mean a specific safety function will be unrecoverable. It is more likely that operators will move on to the redundant equipment in an effort to determine the most intact system and focus their restoration efforts there. This process takes time.

[Olympia]

Did you notice, a few posts up, the bit about the Tokyo Fire Department and the Osaka Fire Department helping with the hosing? Those must be the volunteers that were shown on TV. It sounds so routine and businesslike in the update, but my goodness, what they are offering to their country.