Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

[Tonichelle]

don't realize that people are talking about a couple or three square miles of ANWR that the caribou will happily walk around, given that ANWR is a region the size of South Carolina. Here's a good site for showing the size of things, something that is sadly missing from the discussion most times. You can disagree with the conclusion, but its worth understanding why some people find this less disturbing than others.

That's exactly my point. ANWR is huge, and we want to drill in LESS THAN 1% of the reserve. Yes there are huge herds of Caribou in ANWR, but where we're drilling they can - as Doris said - walk around. And most herds like the oil stops, it's warmer there! They love the pipeline for just that reason.

But Carter didn't just thwart oil. Lumber and other resources are also hit because of what he started and Clinton finished. And natives saw their subsistence lives threatened due to the fact that the feds thought they should buy their food from stores instead of killing it themselves. Excuse me? When rural stores charge 10 bucks for a half gallon of milk that's two days away from expiring? No thanks.

EXXON's blip in Valdez was horrible, but we've had land spills (some moron shot a hole in the pipeline) and it's a bit easier to clean up, no water to spread it.

[dorispulaski]

EXXON's blip in Valdez was horrible, but we've had land spills (some moron shot a hole in the pipeline) and it's a bit easier to clean up, no water to spread it.

Exactly--but that's why I am in favor of drilling in ANWR, but not off shore in the Bering Sea or Arctic Ocean. It's just harder to stop things spreading when they're in the ocean. Granted they get diluted, but its still much more difficult.

As to TEPCO, the most interesting thing, other than that they need to find the other sources of leaks, is that they have a lot of mildly radioactive water (I'm thinking from the Unit 1, 3, and 4 turbine buildins and associated trenches to get rid of. If they can pump it into the barge, tow the barge out 30 km, well away from any fishing grounds, and dump it, I think it would help with the effort to get the truly dangerous water in Unit 2 and environs under control. I hope the government goes for it.

UPDATE AS OF 11:30 A.M. EDT, MONDAY, APRIL 4:
Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant continued searching Monday for sources of contaminated water leaking from the site into the ocean.

Attempts to seal a crack in a concrete enclosure for cabling in reactor 2 are ongoing after initial efforts failed. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) injected a color tracer into the enclosure in an effort to track the flow of water. That test confirmed the radioactive water is from multiple sources. TEPCO is planning to install underwater silt barriers near the intake for reactor 2 to help contain the contaminated water.

Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and Nuclear Safety Commission both said it will take several months to restore permanent core cooling for the damaged reactors. NISA said it will take that amount of time to remove contaminated water from the turbine buildings and restore damaged plant equipment.

To free up storage space for highly radioactive water in a waste disposal tank, TEPCO is seeking approval to discharge 11,500 tons of low-level radioactive water into the ocean. The utility said the radiation level in the water to be discharged is very low. TEPCO estimated that someone eating fish and seaweed from the adjacent water every day for a year would receive a total exposure of 60 millirem, less than a quarter of the average annual exposure from natural radiation.

Workers continue to inject cooling water into reactors 1, 2 and 3. In addition, spent fuel pools for reactors 1-4 are sprayed with fresh water as needed to keep them cool.

Radiation dose rates at the Daiichi site continue to fall. Recent readings showed 12.4 millirem per hour at the main gate, 7.4 millirem per hour at the west gate and 78 millirem per hour on the side of the administration building facing the reactors.

Majority of Americans Think Nuclear Power Is Safe, Poll ShowsA Gallup survey shows that most Americans believe nuclear power is safe. In a poll conducted March 25-27, 58 percent of Americans said they think nuclear power plants in the United States are safe; 36 percent said they are not.

A Harris poll conducted March 23-25 found that 29 percent of Americans consider nuclear power plants “very safe,” with another 34 percent saying they are “somewhat safe.”


UPDATE AS OF 8:15 A.M. EDT, MONDAY, APRIL 4:
New Fact Sheet Describes Vital Modifications and Upgrades to U.S. Reactors
NEI has created a new fact sheet, “U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Reconfirming Safety, Response Programs in Light of Japan Situation,” which gives a detailed analysis of steps the U.S. nuclear energy industry is taking to ensure safety, including federal regulation, plant modification and upgrades, enhanced emergency readiness and response, and severe accident management.

Here's the meat of the article:

•
Have a greater safety “margin,” both for worst‐case earthquake resistance and flooding
•
Be prepared to maintain onsite emergency electricity capability
•
Be able to restore reactor core and fuel storage pool cooling in time to prevent significant fuel damage
•
Have greater probability of avoiding a major release of radiation
•
Use demonstrated emergency response procedures to protect citizens near the facility and plant workers

[dorispulaski]

here tis

Press Release (Apr 04,2011)
Discharge of low level radioactive accumulated water in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to the sea


There is currently great amount of radioactive waste water in the turbine buildings of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and especially the turbine building of Unit 2 has extremely high level radioactive waste water.

We think it is necessary to transfer the radioactive waste water to the Central Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility in order to store it in a stable condition. However, ten thousand of low level radioactive waste water has been already stored and we have to discharge the existing low level radioactive waste water to receive new liquids.

In addition, as low radioactive subsurface water is piling up in sub-drain pits of Unit 5 and 6 and a part of subsurface water is running into buildings, we are concerned that important equipment to secure the safety of reactors will be submerged.

Based on the Section 1 of the Article 64 of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law, we have decided to discharge to the sea approximately ten thousand tons of the accumulated low level radioactive water and a total of 1,500 tons of the low level radioactive subsurface water stored in the sub drain pits of Unit 5 and 6 as soon as we get ready.

We evaluate approximately 0.6 mSv of effective radioactive doses per year for adults as the impact on the discharge of the low radioactive waste water to the sea if they eat adjacent fish and seaweeds every day. The amount (0.6 mSv of effective radioactive doses per year) is one-forth of annual radioactive dose to which the general public is exposed in nature.

[Olympia]

Thanks for the information on Alaska, Toni and Doris. It does seem as if land drilling could be done with lower risk than undersea drilling. My worry is always that the rapacity of human beings (and their resulting tendency to cut corners) cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately, I have rarely been proven wrong for long.

As for the attempts to constrict the subsistence economies of local people (making them shop for food, for example), I entirely see your point, Tonichelle. Actually, for a city slicker with pointy-headed liberal tree-hugger leanings, I am more sympathetic to hunting than one might expect. One reason is the one you mentioned: people should be able to control their own food supply. Another reason is that hunting only seems less humane than buying food made from farmed animals. In reality, most farms these days are agribusinesses. Domestic cows, chickens, and suchlike live dreadful lives, caged up from birth until death. Animals that are hunted have at least lived a proper lifespan in their own habitats.

[Tonichelle]

wild game is also healthier for us to live on. (even though most game is too strong for my taste. moose is killer awesome, though, yum! and some of the leanest meat out there)

and Alaskans wouldn't cut corners if ANWR were ever opened we've fought long and hard to get it open, if ever we had the opportunity we'd do it right.

[dorispulaski]

Here's their update on the water disposal

Afterwards, we were preparing to discharge the low radioactive waste water to the sea. We intend to start to discharge the low radioactive waste water stored in the Central Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility to the sea at 7:00 pm today on April 4th. In addition, at 9:00 pm today on April 4th, we intend to start to discharge the low level radioactive subsurface water stored in the sub drain pits to the sea.

[dorispulaski]

Gamma Radiation

Daiichi West Gate, 9:00 PM April 4th - 71.4 microSieverts per hour
Daini, 9:00 PM, April 4th - 3.5 microSieverts per hour

Radiation Dose

Daiichi 9:00 PM April 4th Main Office Building South Side0.76 microSieverts per hour
Daiichi 9:00 PM April 4th 115 microSieverts per hour
Daiichi 9:00 PM April 4th 53 microSieverts per hour

TEPCO Daiichi 6:00 PM April 4th Status

For Units 1, 2 and 3, they are now injecting fresh water to the reactor by a motor driven pump powered by off-site transmission
line.

They are still spraying the spent fuel pools:

Operation for cooling the spent fuel pools

-Water spray by the concrete pump truck to Unit 4 was conducted from 5:14 pm to 10:16 pm on April 3rd.
-From 11:05 am to 1:37 pm on April 4th, fresh water injection by the temporarily electric pump to Unit 2 was conducted.
-At 5:03 pm on April 4th, spray water by the concrete pumping vehicle to Unit 3 was initiated.

They are working very hard at discovering what water is leaking from where and to where, and are using tracers (I assume dye, since radioactive tracers would be useless here). Between leaking reactors, water-dumping helicopters, trenches and pits possibly cracked in the earthquake or tsunami, not to mention a rainstorm or two, I imagine the site is quite sodden. Also due to the contamination on the ground, I imagine even rainwater puddles are contaminated at a low level.

We also began to transfer the radioactive water we collected from the building of Radioactive Waste Treatment Facilities to the Unit 4 turbine building. On April 4th, water level of the pit in the trench of Unit 3 increased in 15cm. Pathway of water flow is unknown. We can not deny the possibility that water in the turbine building of Unit 4 flows into the trench of Unit 3. So, we stopped transferring water to the Unit 4 turbine building to make assurance. Present water level of the pit in the trench of Unit 3 is not changed from the time we stopped transferring, and is being stable.

-We also began to transfer the radioactive water we collected from the building of Radioactive Waste Treatment Facilities to the Unit 4 turbine building.

-
Therefore, we considered that a new method of stopping the water and determined to use the polymer. Necessary equipment and experts of water shutoff will be dispatched to the site and after checking the condition, we're doing continuous work to stop water by injecting polymer (April 3rd). From 7:08 am to 7:11 am on April 4th, we put the tracer from the pit and began an investigation for flows of water.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...s/110404e4.pdf

They have generated a block diagram to track what they did to get all the reactors at Daini into cold shutdown mode.

They also are scrambling to reanalyze all their data, after being severely chastised by NISA, and will announce the results tomorrow.

[dorispulaski]

Only one sample of food of 134 samples showed over the limit values for either iodine 131, cesium 134, or cesium 137. That single sample was shiitake mushrooms that were grown in Fukushima.

Mushrooms are huge concentrators of radioactive materials, because the mycellium can stretch for miles. The food highest in contamination ever found in Chernobyl was mushrooms, and they were found 28 miles away from the reactor. (Hint: if there were one food to avoid in Japan, following this nuclear accident, it would be locally produced mushrooms.)

IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (4 April 2011, 12:15 UTC)
Presentation:
→ Summary of Reactor Status

On Monday, 4 April 2011, the IAEA provided the following information on the current status of nuclear safety in Japan:

1. Current Situation

Power supply to the temporary electric pumps for water supply to the Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPV) of Units 1, 2 and 3 was switched from the temporary mobile power supply to the off-site power supply on 3 April.

Lighting in a part of Units 1 - 4 Turbine Building was restored on 2 April.

On 2 April, transferring of water from the Unit 1 condenser storage tank to the surge tank of the suppression pool was completed in preparation for transferring water in the basement of the Unit 1 turbine building to the condenser. Also on 2 April, transferring of water from the Unit 2 condenser to the condenser storage tank was started in preparation for transferring water in the basement of the Unit 1 turbine building to the condenser.

A second US Navy barge arrived on 2 April carrying fresh water that is being transferred to the first barge which is pumping water to the "filtered water tank".

TEPCO has identified a possible leakage path from the Turbine Building of Unit 2 to the sea via a series of trenches/tunnels used to provide power to the sea water intake pumps and supply of service water to the reactor and turbine buildings. Initial attempts on 2 April to stop the leak, by pouring concrete into the pit, were not successful. On 3 April, the top of the trench was broken open and polymer was poured into the trench in an attempt to stop the leakage of water to the sea through the pit, but leakage has not stopped as of 00:00 UTC on 4 April.

NISA have advised the IAEA that TEPCO have been given permission by the Government of Japan to discharge 10 000 ton of low level contaminated water from their radioactive waste treatment facility to the sea. This is in order to have sufficient capacity to store highly contaminated water found in the basement of the Unit 2 Turbine Building.

In addition TEPCO will discharge 1 500 ton of low level contaminated water in the sub-drain pit for Units 5 and 6 to prevent the water in the pit from leaking into the reactor buildings and potentially damaging safety-related equipment.

TEPCO has estimated that the potential additional annual dose to a member of the public would be approximately 0.6 millisieverts (mSv), if they ate seaweed and seafood caught, from near the plant, every day for a year.

As of 07:00 UTC, 4 April the discharge had not yet commenced. The IAEA have asked NISA for additional information.

In Unit 1 fresh water has been continuously injected into the reactor pressure vessel through the feed-water line at an indicated flow rate of 6 m3/h using off-site power. In Unit 2 and Unit 3 fresh water is being injected continuously into the reactor pressure vessels through the fire extinguisher line indicated rates of 8 m3/h and 7 m3/h respectively using off-site power.

In Unit 1 the indicated temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV decreased from 253 °C to 243 °C and at the bottom of RPV it was stable at 113 °C. The RPV pressure indications are fluctuating and Drywell pressure is slightly increasing. The reliability of RPV pressure indications is in question. In Unit 2 the indicated temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV has decreased from 153 °C to 140 °C. The temperature at the bottom of RPV was not reported. Indicated Drywell pressure remains at atmospheric pressure. In Unit 3 the indicated temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV is stable at 114 °C and at the bottom of RPV is about 90 °C. The validity of the RPV temperature measurement at the feed water nozzle is still under investigation.

70 T of water was injected via the Spent Fuel Cooling System line to the spent fuel pool In Unit 2 by a temporary pump on 1 April. There has been no change in status in Units 4, 5 and 6. The temperature in the Common Spent Fuel Storage Facility was 32 °C at 23:10 UTC on 2 April.

2. Radiation Monitoring

Gamma dose rates are monitored in all prefectures continuously. Since 23 March, reported gamma dose rates in the 45 prefectures have decreased.

On 4 April the IAEA monitoring team made measurements at 7 locations at distances of 30 to 41 km South and Southwest of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The dose rates ranged from 0.7 to 12.5 microsievert per hour. At the same locations, results of beta-gamma contamination measurements ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 megabecquerel per square metre.

Since our written briefing of 1 April 2011, significant data related to food contamination was reported on 1 April (33 samples), 2 April (64 samples) and 3 April (37 samples) by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. These reported analytical results covered a total of 134 samples taken on 15 March (2 samples), 29 - 31 March (77 samples) and 1 - 2 April (55 samples). Analytical results for 133 of the 134 samples for various vegetables, spinach and other leafy vegetables, mushrooms, fruit (strawberries), various meats (beef and pork), seafood and unprocessed raw milk in twelve prefectures (Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Kyoto, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tchigi, Tochigi and Tokyo), indicated that iodine-131, caesium-134 and/or caesium-137 were either not detected or were below the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities. One sample of shiitake mushrooms taken on 1 April in Fukushima prefecture was above the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities for both iodine-131 and caesium-134/caesium-137.

Seawater is monitored by TEPCO near the discharge points of Daiichi and Daiini plants. For Daiichi Units 1 - 4, seawater is monitored 330 m south of the common discharge point; for Daiichi Units 5 and 6 seawater is sampled 30 m south of the common discharge point. On 1 April an additional 3 points at 15 km from these sites were added following the discovery of highly contaminated water leaking into the sea from the pit near Unit 2.

IAEA Activities

The two Agency experts in BWR technology have arrived in Japan. The objective of this expert visit is to have a direct exchange of views with the Japanese counterparts. They met with officials of NISA, TEPCO, the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Safety Commission. They will also visit the off-site emergency response center and possibly visit the Fukushima Daiichi site.

The marine expert from the IAEA Environment Laboratories Monaco travelled to Japan to observe and provide advice on the collection and analysis of seawater samples. He was embarked to the Research Vessel MIRAI on 2 April and was on board until the morning of 4 April.

[dorispulaski]

JAIF has uploaded its translations of NHK news, up to the 8:00 PM news on April 4th.

Radiation measurements in the air at non-evacuated towns look quite good, even Fukushima City. Ii-tate Village is not listed though. JAIF has updated its plot of radiation measurements in Fukushima, Tochigi & Ibaraki prefectures in the following file. Ii-tate Village remains elevated at perhaps 6 or 7 microSieverts per hour. The other towns and cities look pretty good.

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_i...301893784P.pdf

Someone is going to make a pot of money who sells equipment to monitor radiation in food & industrial products though.

No. 42: 20:00, April 4
NHK news regarding status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station yesterday and today.

●GE offers help at Fukushima
The chief executive of General Electric says his company will help address the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Jeffrey Immelt met with Japanese economy minister Banri Kaieda on Monday, along with Hitachi President Hiroaki Nakanishi. General Electric and Hitachi are partners in the nuclear power industry. Immelt offered condolences to those affected by what he called an unprecedented disaster, and said the US conglomerate is willing to provide whatever assistance is necessary to deal with the situation. He told Kaieda that GE hopes to help restore the cooling functions at the plant and neutralize the radioactivity once the plant is stabilized. General Electric is the manufacturer of the No. 1 and No.2 reactors at the Fukushima plant. Immelt suggested that his company is ready to supply power generation equipment to Tokyo Electric Power Company to help the utility address electricity shortages. He told reporters after the meeting that General Electric wants to create a support system with the utility and Hitachi.
Monday, April 04, 2011 18:25 +0900 (JST)

●Low radioactive water to be released to sea
Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to release radioactive wastewater into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as part of efforts to stabilize the troubled plant. The utility told a news conference on Monday that it hopes to start releasing 11,500 tons of wastewater from Tuesday at the earliest and that the operation will continue for several days. The company says the level of iodine-131 in the wastewater is about 100 times the legal limit. But the plant operator says if people ate fish and seaweed caught near the plant every day for a year, their radiation exposure would be 0.6 millisievert. It adds the annual permissible level for the general public is one millisievert. Wastewater will be released to make room for highly contaminated water from the No.2 reactor complex. Radioactive water 100,000 times the normal level in an operating reactor has been found in the turbine building. This is also hampering efforts to cool the damaged reactors. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the government approved the operation plan, as removing the water from the No.2 reactor is a more urgent matter. Edano calls the operation an emergency measure to ensure the safety of the plant. He adds that the government told the utility to monitor radioactivity in the seawater and closely track the environmental impact.

Monday, April 04, 2011 18:17 +0900 (JST)
●Edano: Radiation leak into sea must be stopped
Japan's top government spokesperson says the leak of radioactive water into the ocean from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant must be stopped as soon as possible. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano expressed concern on Monday about the cumulative effects on the sea of possible long-term radiation leakage from the plant. He said he is urging Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant's owner, to act quickly to prevent the spread of contamination in the sea. Edano said he has instructed the utility to undertake multiple operations to stem the leak, including blocking the leakage route on the ground and containing the radioactive water from the ocean side.
Monday, April 04, 2011 13:16 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO still trying to identify leak
Tokyo Electric Power Company is still not sure how highly radioactive water is flowing into the ocean from its damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex. TEPCO had thought it was coming from a crack in a concrete pit at the facility. On Monday workers poured a white liquid into a tunnel leading to the pit. The operation was undertaken to determine the exact route the water is taking from the pit near the plant's Number 2 reactor to the ocean. But the utility firm says the white liquid did not flow into the pit and that the contaminated water must be following other routes. As a temporary measure, the utility firm is considering setting up silt barriers near a water intake pipe for the Number 2 reactor to prevent radioactive elements from spreading in the ocean. The utility company has also been removing radioactive water from the basements of the turbine buildings for two of the plant's reactors. The radioactive water in the condensers for the two reactors is being transferred to storage tanks. As soon as the condensers are emptied, the water from the reactor will be drained into them to allow work to begin to restore the reactors' cooling systems. Work to remove the water began on Sunday at reactors Number 1 and 2. A similar operation will start at the Number 3 reactor on Monday.
Monday, April 04, 2011 12:26 +0900 (JST)

●Radiation levels drop or remain flat
Radiation levels continue to drop or remain flat on Monday morning in many locations around the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In Fukushima City, about 65 kilometers northwest of the power plant, 2.51 microsieverts per hour of radiation was detected. The reading in Koriyama City, also in Fukushima Prefecture, stood at 2.21. Both figures are higher than the normal levels of 0.04 to 0.06 microsieverts per hour, but lower than that on Sunday. The reading stood at 0.49 microsieverts per hour in Kita-Ibaraki City and 0.07 microsieverts per hour in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. Higher-than-usual levels of radiation were also observed in other locations, including Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward and main cities of Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures. Authorities say these levels of radiation do not pose health risks.
Monday, April 04, 2011 13:16 +0900 (JST)

●Govt did not reveal high level radiation estimate
It has been learned that the Japanese government withheld the release of computer projections indicating high levels of radioactivity in areas more than 30 kilometers from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The estimates were made on March 16th following explosions at the plant by an institute commissioned by the government using a computer system called SPEEDI. The system made its projections on the assumption that radioactive substances had been released for 24 hours from midnight on March 14th, based on the available data. But the government was reluctant to reveal the SPEEDI projections, and did not release them until March 23rd. The released data showed that higher levels of radioactive substances would flow over areas to the northwest and southwest of the plant. The estimates showed that the radiation would exceed 100 millisieverts in some areas more than 30 kilometers from the nuclear plant if people remained outdoors for 24 hours between March 12th and 24th. That is 100 times higher than the 1 millisievert-per-year long-term reference level for humans as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The Nuclear Safety Commission says it did not release the projections because the location or the amount of radioactive leakage was not specified at the time. Professor emeritus Shigenobu Nagataki of Nagasaki University, says the government should release more data about the dangers of possible radiation exposure and draw up evacuation plans and other measures together with residents.
Monday, April 04, 2011 12:38 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO to examine route of radioactive water leak
Tokyo Electric Power Company has tried to stop the leakage of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the sea by obstructing the route of contaminated water. But no improvement was reported on Sunday. The company is going to make another attempt to block the stream on Monday. Highly radioactive water was found leaking directly into the sea from a crack in a concrete pit on Saturday. On Sunday, TEPCO poured a polymer absorbent into a duct leading to the pit in the hope of blocking the leak. The polymer material expands when it absorbs water. But TEPCO didn't see much change in the amount of water flowing into the sea. On Monday morning, TEPCO said workers have started pouring a colored liquid into a tunnel linked to the pit, so they might be able to retrace the exact route of the contaminated water. The company says it will make another attempt to block the flow of the water. The company is also considering hardening the area around the cracked pit using chemicals if its next efforts fail.Monday, April 04, 2011 06:49 +0900 (JST)

●NISA: Stemming leak will take months
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said a full-scale recovery of cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is needed to stem the leakage of radioactive substances, but that work will take several months. A senior official of the agency, Hidehiko Nishiyama, made the comments at a news conference on Sunday. Highly radioactive water was found inside turbine buildings and also in tunnels under the plant. The radioactive water is flowing directly into the sea. The agency said it will take several months to remove the contaminated water in the turbine buildings and to take measures to protect workers from radiation. At a news conference on Sunday, the independent Nuclear Safety Commission also pointed out that it will take months to stem the leakage and restore cooling systems. The commission said rubble and high radiation levels in some parts of the plant will hamper work.
Monday, April 04, 2011 05:27 +0900 (JST)

●GE chief promises support for TEPCO
The chief executive of General Electric has agreed to offer maximum support to Tokyo Electric Power Company, the owner of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Jeffrey Immelt met TEPCO chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata in Tokyo on Sunday. TEPCO told reporters that this is Immelt's first visit to Tokyo since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO said Immelt offered assistance as a representative of the company that provided the basic design for the plant's Number One reactor so the Japanese company can handle the situation better. Katsumata told Immelt that the Tokyo area faces electricity shortages this summer. He sought help from the US side to restore damaged thermal power plants and to build more facilities to supply enough electricity. TEPCO said Immelt agreed to help the company. Immelt will meet Economy minister Banri Kaieda on Monday to discuss the Fukushima plant problem.
Sunday, April 03, 2011 22:14 +0900 (JST)

●Radiation levels gradually decreasing
Radiation levels on the ground have gradually decreased or have stabilized in many locations around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Experts say these readings do not pose a threat to human health. The highest reading in Fukushima City, 65 kilometers northwest of the plant, was 2.56 microsieverts per hour on Sunday morning, and 2.28 microsieverts per hour in Koriyama City, to the west of the plant. These are higher figures than the normal levels of 0.04 to 0.06 microsieverts per hour. At Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture, a reading of 0.08 microsieverts was detected on Sunday afternoon. In Ibaraki Prefecture, the highest readings were 0.52 microsieverts per hour in Kita-ibaragi City and 0.17 microsieverts per hour in Mito City. Experts say these levels are not harmful.
Sunday, April 03, 2011 20:15 +0900 (JST)

●Edano wants inquiry into Fukushima accident
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has indicated that an independent body should be set up to investigate the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The top government spokesperson was asked about the accident at a news conference on Sunday. Edano replied that an objective investigation should be carried out as soon as possible to prevent a recurrence. He said experts from the Nuclear Safety Commission and other Japanese organizations have been working on the problem. He added that the government wants to quickly launch an inquiry that will not interfere with the efforts to bring the situation under control. Edano said he believes that the inquiry should be conducted by a third-party institution with a high level of objectivity and independence. He said it should involve the government, the plant's operator and the Nuclear Safety Commission.
Sunday, April 03, 2011 18:39 +0900 (JST)

Fukushima to check industrial goods for radiation
The government of Fukushima Prefecture will begin free monitoring of local industrial products for radiation following the leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The prefecture said on Sunday that there is growing public concern about the impact of radiation on industrial products as well as farm and marine produce. It said more countries are moving to restrict imports from Japan even though they are free from radioactive contamination.

The radiation monitoring will start on Monday in an industrial park in Koriyama City and will cover all industrial products made in the prefecture. Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato urged the central government to quickly lift shipping restrictions on farm and marine products when radiation levels fall below the government-set limits. He said the government was slow in responding even after radiation levels declined. A central government official said it will increase the number of organizations monitoring radiation, and will instruct the related ministries to take quick action when lifting shipping restrictions.
Sunday, April 03, 2011 17:46 +0900 (JST)

[dorispulaski]

Here's something a friend of mine sent me in the mail. An Australian website did a before and after comparison of different areas in Japan, before and after the quake & tsunami. Fukushima nuclear is one of them, about 6 panels down. Just move your cursor back and forth over the "before" picture to see what happened.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/ja...eforeafter.htm

The afters were done on March 13th. The first hydrogen explosion at Unit 1 had already occurred, but the other explosions had not.

It's clear from the photos how far the tsunami had reached up to the nuclear reactors and the turbine buildings. It's not clear whether some of the water in the basement is left over from the tsunami.

It's amazing that anything was working in any of those buildings that had endured an earthuake that was beyond their design parameters and a tsunami much bigger than any thought possible.

And then a series of four hydrogen explosions, and a fire in a spent fuel pool, not to mention a problem with a leaky reactor in Unit 2.

And no one is dead, other than 2 guys killed in the tsunami.

It's truly amazing it wasn't worse.

Of course, you could say it was luck, but as Sam Goldwyn said, "I've noticed that the harder I work, the luckier I get," or as Benjamin Franklin said, "Diligence is the mother of good luck."

It is no surprise that at Onagawa, the survivors of the tsunami & earthquake, whose homes have been destroyed, are sheltering at the nuclear plant.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this.

[Olympia]

It's devastating to see before and after pictures at times like these. I think I'll have to work myself up to looking at the ones from your friend, but thank him/her for linking us to them.

It's plain that the plants were solidly constructed, as you say. I had read about the plant where people are sheltering. It's another example of how everyone there who has a little bit shares it with those who have nothing.

[dorispulaski]

It's devastating to see before and after pictures at times like these. I think I'll have to work myself up to looking at the ones from your friend, but thank him/her for linking us to them.

It's plain that the plants were solidly constructed, as you say. I had read about the plant where people are sheltering. It's another example of how everyone there who has a little bit shares it with those who have nothing.

Yes, that's been inspiring.
And the international cooperation has been inspiring too.
I suppose it's being embattled for so many years, but the nuclear engineers and technicians around the world are feeling such solidarity with the workers at Daiichi, every time you see them interviewed here in the States-the men at Calvert that wanted to volunteer to go and be one of the 50
And the engineer who posts from Singapore for NEI, who was so saddened by the discovery of the 2 men who died in the tsunami, and said, "They were two of ours."

Meanwhile, radiation monitoring continues to show a decrease in both dose and gamma radiation, and the seawater concentration has really dropped substantially since March 31, when the iodine dose was nearing 100 Becquerels per cubic centimeter at Daiichi's south canal.

Wind is in the east

Gamma Radiation

Daini April 5th 9:00 AM Measure Point Four 3.4 microSieverts per hour
Daiichi April 5th 9:00 AM West Gate 70 microSieverts per hour

Radiation Dose

Daiichi April 5th 9:00 AM Main Office Building - 0.74 milliSieverts per hour
Daiichi April 5th 9:00 AM Main Gate -115 microSieverts per hour
Daiichi April 5th 9:00 AM West Gate -53 microSieverts per hour

JAIF's Plot of Radiation in cities and towns in Ibaraki, Tochigi & Fukushima prefectures
http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_i...301966088P.pdf

All curves are trending downward. Iitate Village still has the highest levels of radiation, but it is down to about 5 or 6 microSieverts per hour, vs 45 microSieverts per hour, briefly on March 15/16.

Seawater around Daiichi dropped a lot in radiation between March 31 and April 4.
Radiactive material also dropped significantly between morning and afternoon
Data for all 4 days was just released, but I'm just showing April 4th here.


April 4th
Data Daiichi North canal Unit 5 & 6
12 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
5 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137
5 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 134

Data Daiichi South canal, Units 1,2,3,4
29 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
11 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137
11 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 134

Data Daini North canal
0.28 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
0.092 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137
0.099 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 134

Iwasawa Coast
0.079 Becquerel per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
0.028 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137
0.018 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137


Seawater 15 km off Daiichi
0.19 Becquerel per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
0.039 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137
0.034 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 134

Seawater 15 km off Dainii
0.077 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
0.018 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for cesium 137
not detected cesium 134

15 km off Iwasawa Coast
0.046 Becquerels per cubic centimeter for Iodine 131
not detected cesium 137
not detected cesium 134


http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...s/110405e4.pdf
Graph
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...s/110405e8.pdf

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9 Am TEPCO Status

Unit 2 Spent Fuel Pool
- At 11:05 am, April 4th, water injection into spent fuel pool in Unit 2 by a temporary motor driven pump was initiated. At 1:37 pm, April 4th, the water injection was finished.
Unit 3 Spent Fuel Pool
From 5:03 am, April 4th, the water spray by the concrete pumping vehicle was started, and finished at 07:19 pm.

The isotopes other than those of cesium & iodine were being calculated incorrectly by their equipment and Daini, and they are getting the programming fixed.

* On March 21st, 23rd to April 3rd, we detected technetium, cobalt, iodine, cesium, tellurium, barium, lanthanum and molybdenum from the seawater around the discharge canal of the station. (We are reevaluating)

* On March 20th, 21st, 23rd to 30th, we detected iodine, cesium, tellurium and ruthenium in the air collected at the site of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. (We are reevaluating)

Their most important activity now is chasing down how water is leaking to the sea, and decreasing the amount of water leaked per hour.

On April 4th, we injected the tracer from the vertical shaft of the trench to start to examine the water current. We did not observe reduction of flow or change of color or water leaking. We checked the diagram and confirmed the route. At the same time, we checked the situation of the pit in detail and considered the possibility that the water was not from the pit, rather, from the joint between the piping upstream of the pit and the duct, then the water seeped through a layer of gravel below the piping. In order to stop that seepage from the layer of gravel, we decided to conduct the water sealing to the bedrock around the piping. We arranged for the specialist and gathered equipments. On April 5th, will inject liquid glass to the bedrock.

Also, we will implement the water analysis by taking samples in the shaft near the spilling point to the sea.

From April 3rd, the water level in the trench of Unit 3 increased by 15 cm. The route is not yet known, but there is a possibility that water in the turbine building of Unit 4 may be running to the trench of Unit 3. To be safe, at 09:22am, April 4th, we stopped transferring water to the turbine building of Unit 4. At this moment, the water level in the trench of Unit 3 became stable after stopping the water transfer.

They are apparently masters of understatement.

* There is plenty of radioactive wastewater in the turbine buildings. Especially, Unit 2's wastewater is very highly radioactive. To store this stably, it was decided that this needed to be transferred to the Central Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility. However, within that facility, we arev storing ten thousand tons of low level radioactive wastewater. In order tov transfer more wastewater, we need to discharge the low level radioactivev wastewater.

In addition, as low radioactive subsurface water is piling up in sub-drain pits of Units 5 and 6 and a part of subsurface water is running into buildings. We are concerned that important equipment to secure the safety of reactors may be submerged. Based on the Section 1 of the Article 64 of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law, we have decided to discharge to the sea approximately ten thousandv tons of the accumulated low level radioactive water and a total of fifteenv hundred tons of the low level radioactive subsurface water stored in the sub drain pits of Unit 5 and 6 as soon as we get ready.

At 7:03 pm, April 4th. we started discharging the low level radioactive wastewater stored in the Central Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility to the south of the water discharge canal. By 7:10 pm, we started ten pumps. Also, at 09:00 pm, April 4th, we started discharging the low level radioactive wastewater stored in the sub drain pits of Unit 5 and 6 by using one pump via the water discharge canal of Units 5 and 6. We evaluate the impact on the discharge of the low radioactive wastewater to the sea as approximately 0.6 mSv per year per an adult if an adult eats adjacent fish and seaweeds everyday. The amount (0.6 mSv of effective radioactive doses per year) is one-forth of annual radioactive dose to which the general public is exposed from nature.

[dorispulaski]

JAIF has its 8:00 PM rollup of their translation of the NHK News

The new news is that radiation was found in a fish, a sand dart, above the Japanese limit for fish, which is 500 Becquerels per kilogram. In Europe, the limit on meat was 1000 Becquerels per kilogram, according to Wormwood Forest, but Ukraine's was lower.

No. 43: 20:00, April 5
NHK news regarding status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station yesterday and today.

●High level of cesium detected in sand lances

Small fish caught in waters off the coast of Ibaraki have been found to contain radioactive cesium above the legal limit. Ibaraki is south of Fukushima prefecture, where the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located. Ibaraki Prefecture says 526 becquerels of radioactive cesium was detected in one kilogram of sand lances. The acceptable limit is 500 becquerels. It is the first time that higher-than-permitted levels of radioactive cesium have been found in fish. All local fishery cooperatives in the prefecture have agreed to suspend sand lance fishing at the request of the prefectural government.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 18:58 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO starts injecting agent to stop leakage
The operator of the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plant has injected a hardening agent beneath a leaking concrete pit in a bid to stem the flow of highly radioactive water into the sea. Tokyo Electric Power Company started infusing liquid glass into gravel below the pit near the Number 2 reactor at 3 PM on Tuesday. TEPCO spotted a crack in the pit 3 days ago while trying to find the source of the leakage of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. Since then, the utility has tried in vein to seal the pit with concrete, or to plug piping leading into it with a polymer mixture. A test using a dye agent showed the possibility that the radioactive water is leaking from a cracked pipe, and then seeping through gravel into the concrete pit. TEPCO is planning to board up the breached sections of an offshore dike to prevent the tainted water from spreading further into the sea. It is also considering building underwater silt barriers at 3 locations, including one near a water intake for the Number 2 reactor.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 18:57 +0900 (JST)

●Review of Japan's nuclear policy suspended
The government has decided to suspend discussions on revising Japan's nuclear policy until the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is over. The Cabinet Office's Atomic Energy Commission met on Tuesday for the first time since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant. The commission said it is taking the accident at the nuclear plant under the gravest consideration and that it has shaken the country's basic confidence in atomic power generation. Last year in December the commission launched discussions for revising the national outline on the use of nuclear energy. The current outline was formed in 2005. It covers basic policies on the use, research, development and promotion of nuclear power. The commission says it will decide its next step depending on developments at Fukushima and how the national debate on Japan's energy policy evolves. The commission chief, Shunsuke Kondo, said there is no denying that there are defects in Japan's nuclear safety standards. He added that the commission's existence itself could be questioned in the future and ruled out any new moves by the regulatory body until the Fukushima crisis is resolved. Kondo suggested that the accident at the plant will have a major impact on the government's policy on the use of nuclear power in Japan.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 16:52 +0900 (JST)

●S Korea criticizes release of radioactive water
South Korea has expressed concern over Japan's release of contaminated water into the sea from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The Japanese government approved the action by the plant operator. Tokyo Electric Power Company began dumping wastewater containing radioactive materials, including iodine-131 with a level of about 100 times the legal limit, into the sea to stabilize the crippled plant on Monday. South Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry conveyed its concern to Japan's Foreign Ministry on Monday evening through its embassy in Tokyo. The South Korean ministry pointed out that release of contaminated wastewater could be a violation of international law. South Koreas have been increasingly worried about radioactive contamination of tap water and farm products. Minute amounts of radioactive material have been detected in the country after the trouble of the nuclear plant. There's growing criticism in the country that Japan failed to notify neighboring countries in advance about the release of contaminated water.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 16:02 +0900 (JST)

●7.5 mil. times legal limit of iodine in sea
The operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says 7.5 million times the legal limit of radioactive iodine 131 has been detected from samples of seawater near the plant. Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, found on Saturday that contaminated water was leaking from a cracked concrete pit near the No. 2 reactor.
Experts say this makes it clear that highly radioactive substances from the reactor are flowing into the sea, and that the leak must be stopped as soon as possible. The utility firm said samples of water taken near the water intake of the No. 2 reactor at 11:50 AM Saturday contained 300,000 becquerels of iodine 131 per cubic centimeter, or 7.5 million times the legal limit. TEPCO said the figure had dropped to 200,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter, or 5 million times the legal limit, in samples taken at 9:00 AM Monday. Monday's sample also contained 1.1 million times the legal limit of cesium 137, which has a half life of 30 years. On March 27th, 13-million becquerels of iodine 131 per cubic centimeter of water were detected in the turbine building of the No. 2 reactor. On Wednesday, water was found accumulated in a tunnel near the turbine building and the radiation level on the surface was measured at more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says it believes the radioactive substances are from nuclear fuel which leaked from the reactor into the water and flowed out.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 15:10 +0900 (JST)

●Discharge of radioactive water into sea continues
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is continuing its operation to discharge wastewater containing low-level radioactive substances into the sea from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The work began Monday evening in a bid to make room for more highly radioactive water from the No.2 reactor. In order to prevent more contaminated water from leaking into the sea, the government has approved the operation as an emergency measure under a law regulating nuclear reactors. The power company says it plans to use 10 pumps to release a total of 10,000 tons of wastewater, and that by 9:00 AM Tuesday 2,800 tons had been discharged. TEPCO also started disposing 1,500 tons of low-level contaminated water near the No.5 and No.6 reactors at 9:00 PM on Monday. It discharged 30 tons by midnight, and the operation resumed at 6:00 AM on Tuesday. The utility firm says the concentration of radioactive substances in the water being released is up to 500 times the legal limit. But it says even if people were to eat fish caught in nearby waters every day for one year, their radiation exposure would be 0.6 millisieverts, which is below the annual permissible level of one millisievert. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters on Tuesday that even though this was done to prevent highly contaminated water from flowing into the sea, he is very sorry that they must intentionally discharge the wastewater. He added the government will properly monitor developments and take all possible measures to prevent the contaminated water from spreading into the open ocean.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 12:11 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO struggling to halt radioactive leaks
The operator of the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is struggling to halt the flow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, known as TEPCO, found last Saturday that contaminated water was pouring out from a cracked concrete pit near the No.2 reactor. The company has tried in vain over the past 3 days to seal the pit with concrete, or to plug the leak with water-absorbing polymers. TEPCO now suspects that the radioactive water could be leaking from a cracked pipe, and then seeping through gravel into the damaged concrete pit. It is planning to inject a type of chemical into the gravel to harden it so that water won't flow through. TEPCO is also planning to board up the breached sections of an offshore dike to prevent the leaking water from spreading further in the sea. It is also considering putting up underwater silt barriers at 3 locations, including one near a water intake for the No.2 reactor. On another front, work continues in an urgent bid to remove highly contaminated water from reactor turbine buildings. The buildup of water is severely delaying efforts to restore the reactors' cooling functions. TEPCO is now working to empty turbine condensers at the No.1, 2 and 3 units, to make room to store and isolate the highly-concentrated radioactive water.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 12:11 +0900 (JST)

●Edano: Gov't will closely monitor seawater
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the government will closely monitor the sea where wastewater with low-level radioactive substances is being discharged. Edano spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning about the operation by Tokyo Electric Power Company to release contaminated wastewater from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He said steps are in place to strengthen monitoring systems of the sea water. He added authorities are considering the best way to prevent the contamination from spreading, including the idea of putting up some kind of fence. On the impact on marine products, Edano said fishing has not resumed off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, and will not for some time. He said fish off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture will be monitored to see if the fishing of products that have been confirmed safe can resume. Edano also said in order to prevent unfounded rumors the government will confirm the safety of marine products by monitoring many types of produce over a wide area. The government spokesman said proper analyses will be made before shipment regulations are put in place.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 12:11 +0900 (JST)

●Japan briefs IAEA on nuclear plant accident
Japan has reported the latest details of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northern Japan in a special seminar at the UN atomic energy agency. On Monday, the Japanese government held the joint seminar with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the sidelines of the IAEA's 10-day safety review meeting from Monday at its headquarters in Vienna.

Officials of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and Science Ministry provided details about steps taken so far to cool reactors at the plant and radiation data to about 400 nuclear power policy specialists. Some attendees proposed the use of robots in areas under high radiation and asked how long it will take to clean up radioactive substances. Others suggested that lessons learned from Fukushima be used to improve the safety of nuclear reactors in IAEA member countries. Japanese officials say they will handle the crisis with help from experts throughout the world, and promised to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:21 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO continues battle to halt radioactive leakage
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will try a new method to stop radioactive water leaking into the sea from its damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. TEPCO discovered on Saturday that contaminated water was gushing from a crack in a concrete pit near reactor Number 2. After unsuccessful attempts to plug the leak with concrete and absorbent polymers, the company now believes the water may be seeping out through cracks in a cable trench leading to the pit. TEPCO plans to pour a chemical agent through a hole in the ground to solidify the gravel around the trench. It says the work will begin Tuesday. In an effort to contain as much contamination as possible, TEPCO is also considering setting up undersea silt barriers near the reactor's seawater intake ducts and two other locations.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 06:35 +0900 (JST)

●High radiation outside indoor advisory zone
Radiation measurements have exceeded levels at which people are advised to stay indoors in a town outside the 30-kilometer radius of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The science ministry continues to monitor radiation levels in areas where residents have not been advised by the government to evacuate or stay indoors. The monitoring detected 10.3 millisieverts of radiation at one location in Namie Town, some 30 kilometers northwest of the plant. The amount is calculated on the assumption that a person has remained outdoors for 11 consecutive days through Sunday. The finding is higher than the 10 millisieverts the government views as the criteria for remaining indoors. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says that as the radiation level was only detected in a limited area, it has no intention of expanding the indoor advisory zone at present. A nuclear expert has pointed out that the government should explain the details of the finding to the residents.
Monday, April 04, 2011 21:21 +0900 (JST)

●Seawater's radiation levels remain high
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says radiation levels in seawaters near the plant are falling but remain high. Tokyo Electric Power Company says the level of radioactive iodine-131 found 330 meters south of a water outlet of the plant's No. 1 to No 4 reactors was 4,385 times the legal limit on Wednesday last week. The level has since been declining. Iodine-131 measured in the same area on Sunday was 630 times the limit. The radioactive material measured 30 meters north of the outlet of the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors was 240 times the national limit, compared with 3,000 times the limit recorded last Friday. In a related story, the health ministry says 4,080 bequerels of radioactive iodine was detected in one kilogram of sand lances, a kind of fish, caught in waters off Ibaraki Prefecture, south of the troubled plant. The ministry says this level of iodine does not pose health risks, but that it will establish provisional national standards for iodine in fish as soon as possible.
Monday, April 04, 2011 21:03 +0900 (JST)

●Radioactive water continues to leak
Radioactive water continued to flow into the ocean at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Monday, and its source remains unknown. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company discovered on Saturday that the contaminated water appeared to be gushing from a crack in a concrete pit near reactor Number 2. TEPCO first tried to pour concrete into the crack to halt the leak, but the attempt failed. On Sunday, the company injected a mixture of absorbent polymers, sawdust and newspaper to try and clog the flow, but this has yet to absorb the water. On Monday, workers tried to see if they could trace the pathway of the leak by dumping into the system a powder dye designed to turn water a milky white. The colorant was poured into a tunnel leading to the pit, but no white water has appeared so far. TEPCO now thinks the radioactive water may be coming from another source and is considering different strategies to find out where. If efforts to plug the leak continue to fail, the company will next try to set up undersea silt barriers near the reactor's seawater intake ducts to prevent radioactive water from spreading in the ocean. The barriers would have fiber curtains attached with weights that would extend to the sea bottom and contain the contaminated water.
Monday, April 04, 2011 18:57 +0900 (JST)
End

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NEI has their updated for 11:30 Eastern Daylight Time, April 5th

UPDATE AS OF 11:30 A.M. EDT, TUESDAY, APRIL 5:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) continued efforts Tuesday to stop the flow of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

On Saturday, workers found a crack in a concrete enclosure used to carry electric cables near reactor 2. Since then, TEPCO has attempted to seal the crack with concrete and with an absorbent polymer, with no success.

A colored liquid tracer was injected into the system of enclosures Monday to determine the flow path of the water. The test showed that the radioactive water may be leaking from a cracked pipe, and then seeping through gravel into the concrete enclosure. Today, TEPCO is taking a new approach: sealing gravel under the enclosure with liquid glass. TEPCO has not yet announced the outcome.

To free up storage space for highly radioactive water in a waste disposal tank, TEPCO has begun to discharge 11,500 tons of low-level radioactive water into the ocean. The utility will use the tank to hold highly radioactive water that has accumulated in the basements of the reactor 1, 2 and 3 turbine buildings.

Small fish caught in waters south of Fukushima prefecture have been found to contain radioactive cesium. The Ibaraki Prefecture government said 14 picocuries of radioactive cesium was detected in one kilogram of sand lances. The acceptable limit is 13.5 picocuries per kilogram. This is the first time radioactive cesium has been found in fish at a level above the government limit.

Workers continue to inject cooling water into reactors 1, 2 and 3. In addition, spent fuel pools for reactors 1-4 are sprayed with fresh water as needed to keep them cool. (See NEI's video, "Spent Fuel Storage in Pools at Nuclear Energy Plants," for more information about how these pools work.)

NRC Chairman Jaczko: U.S. Nuclear Plants Are Safe
Events in Japan will inform future activities of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, its chairman said. “We already have begun enhancing inspection activities through temporary instructions to our inspection staff, including the resident inspectors and the inspectors in our four regional offices,” Gregory Jaczko told participants in a regular international review of nuclear safety, now convened in Vienna.

He said the NRC has asked licensees to verify that their abilities to mitigate conditions due to severe accidents—including the loss of major operational and safety systems—are in effect and operational, including a total loss of electric power, flooding, and damage from seismic events.

The NRC is “confident about the safety of U.S. nuclear power plants,” Jaczko said.