Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

[dorispulaski]

Oh, I do hope they hold all the fireworks displays!!!

There's nothing like a good fireworks display to lift the spirit, in my opinion.

We just had our big summer fireworks display for Sailfest here in Southeastern Connecticut:

http://iammestudios.com/5.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stacylynn/2670371746/
http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/fireworks,sailfest




TEPCO is being very close-mouthed today, prior to the government and it making an announcment of the revised accident plan. There's essentially nothing new on the website (5 am EDT July 19th) at this time. Also, they are diverting efforts to preparing for the major typhoon that is coming.

Govt to define "cold shutdown"
The second-stage target to bring the nuclear disaster under control will involve achieving a cold shutdown, under which the disabled reactors are to be cooled down to about 100 degrees Celsius or lower.

The Japanese government is due to make this clear on Tuesday when it releases a revised plan to contain the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The government has so far failed to specify what a cold shutdown entails. It now plans to define the term as bringing reactor-bottom temperatures to about 100 degrees or lower, and substantially reducing the public's radiation exposure by controlling the release of radioactivity.

Achieving a cold shutdown has been cited as one of the conditions for lifting the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

It remains unclear, however, when the lifting would come, as the government still hasn't decided on benchmark levels of radiation that it deems safe enough for people to return to the restricted zone.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 09:42 +0900 (JST)

"Substantially reducing etc" is no definition at all. This is the sort of thing that drives me crazy.
Right now there is no measureable amount of radioactive dust in the air and no measurable amount of radioactive material in the water outside of Fukushima Daiichi itself. There is however, widely varied amounts of cesium 137 on the ground and everything else. In half the evacuated zone, that amount is less than in significantly large unevacuated areas.
There's a point where people should be allowed to choose to go home or to choose that it is too dangerous to return for themselves.

Radioactive water in Fukushima poses challenge
The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company will announce on Tuesday a revised plan to bring the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant under control.

They are expected to say that the first stage of the plan has been almost completed on schedule.

But a system to decontaminate radioactive water, which began operating at the end of last month, is working below the target capacity due to leaks and other problems.

The system's decontamination rate dropped to 37 tons of water per hour at one point, more than 20 percent below the target capacity.

It increased to 39 tons per hour after TEPCO workers released air from the pipes on Friday. They also replaced a hose connecting the tanks to ease water circulation.

However, the rate dropped again to 37 tons per hour on Monday morning. TEPCO says the reason for the decrease is unknown.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 06:53 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO covers turbine building as storm approaches
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, has built a makeshift roof over a turbine building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as typhoon Ma-on approaches.

TEPCO started work to cover a hole in the roof of the No. 3 turbine building on Monday morning. The hole was caused by a hydrogen explosion in a neighboring reactor building in March.

The work ended 6 hours later when the makeshift metallic roof's three parts, each 5 meters long and 16 meters wide, were installed by a crane.

The roof is designed to prevent an increase of radioactive wastewater in the building.

TEPCO plans to cover another hole in the building's roof on Tuesday.

It is also stacking sandbags to prevent rainwater from entering the facility.
Monday, July 18, 2011 23:24 +0900 (JST)

All prefectures to check cattle feed
Japan's agriculture ministry will ask all 47 prefectures in the country to check rice straw used to feed cattle for possible radioactive contamination.

Agriculture minister Michihiko Kano announced the measure on Tuesday.

The ministry had earlier asked only 11 prefectures in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, including Fukushima, to check rice straw used at livestock farms.

The ministry decided to have all prefectures undertake checks as cattle in 2 other prefectures -- Niigata and Yamagata -- were also found to have been fed rice straw containing radioactive cesium above the government-set limit.

The agriculture ministry says it will also look into whether dealers in eastern Japan sold rice straw kept outdoors after the Fukushima nuclear disaster began on March 11th.

Kano told reporters that the ministry will work with all the prefectures to make sure no more cattle are fed cesium-containing straw.

So far, 578 heads of cattle given contaminated feed are known to have been shipped to parts of Japan. Some of the meat has apparently been consumed.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 12:39 +0900 (JST)

And it doesn't hurt to check:

More beef cattle fed irradiated straw
Fukushima and Niigata prefectures have identified more farms that shipped beef cattle that had been fed straw containing radioactive cesium in amounts above the government standard.

Fukushima Prefecture says 7 farms in 6 municipalities fed their cattle straw left outdoors after the March nuclear accident in the prefecture. The straw was found to contain radioactive cesium in amounts up to 520 times the standard.

The farms shipped 411 head of cattle to meat-processing facilities in 5 prefectures including Tokyo from late March to early July.

Fukushima asked local authorities to trace the meat and carry out radiation checks if any was found.

The prefecture also asked all cattle farms in the prefecture to voluntarily refrain from shipping and transferring their stock for the time being.

In Niigata Prefecture, radioactive cesium levels as high as 15 times the government standard were detected in straw given to beef cattle at 2 farms. The straw was from Miyagi Prefecture, which neighbors Fukushima.

One of the farms has shipped 24 head of cattle.

Investigators have found that a total of 578 head of cattle have been shipped after being fed contaminated straw. The amount of contaminated meat found to have been distributed to markets across the country is expected to rise.
Monday, July 18, 2011 23:24 +0900 (JST)

[dorispulaski]

Govt renews Fukushima plant stabilization plan

The Japanese government has announced new stages of a plan to bring the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant under control.

The announcement came at a meeting of the government's nuclear disaster taskforce attended by all Cabinet ministers on Tuesday evening.

The taskforce said the first stage of the plan outlined in mid-April for the stable cooling of the reactors has been completed on schedule by mid-July. It added radiation levels in the plant's surrounding areas have been steadily reduced.

The meeting approved a renewed plan, including the second stage to be completed by next January, and mid-term targets to be achieved within about three years after that.

Under the renewed plan, the government will carry out regular health checks for about 30 years on residents in Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located. The checks will include thyroid cancer screening tests for children, the estimate survey of external exposure, and the measurement of internal exposure.

The government will also start a safety assessment of radiation levels in the evacuation advisory zone around the plant, in an aim to lift the advisories currently in place there.

As for the evacuation zone and the 20-kilometer no-entry zone, the government will start monitoring radiation levels earlier than planned. The government will start lifting its evacuation orders for areas where safety has been confirmed, after the plan's second stage is achieved by next January.

Also on Tuesday, the government and Tokyo Electric Company formally announced that the target of the first stage to steadily reduce radiation levels from the plant has been achieved, according to a joint assessment.

The assessment said the radiation level from the turbine buildings of the plant's reactors has been reduced to 1 two-millionth of what it was just after the nuclear accident in March.

In the second stage of the plan for the cold shutdown of the reactors, TEPCO plans to improve its systems to decontaminate wastewater and to cool reactors and fuel rod pools at the plant.

The government and the utility will have to face tough challenges, as the decontamination system has been developing one problem after another and the plant's reactor buildings have been seriously damaged.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 20:44 +0900 (JST)

When the article speaks about the turbine buildings, what it has to be talking about is the contaminated water that was in the turbine buildings.

Putting off letting people back till January is just wrong.

However, at least they are going to start looking at the evacuation zones.

Here's TEPCO's handouts on the subject:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...1071905-e.html

And since shipments of beef cattle from Fukushima have been banned, as one might expect:

Cattle farmers seek compensation

Cattle farmers in Fukushima Prefecture affected by the suspension of local beef shipments are calling for compensation from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company.

Morio Yokoyama raises about 70 head of cattle at his farm in the town of Aizubange, some 120 kilometers west of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Yokoyama said the situation is very frustrating because it's unclear when he will be able to resume shipment of his cattle.

He called for an inspection of all cattle stock, and said that if any are found to be inedible, the government and the utility should be responsible for removing them from distribution and compensating farmers.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 18:38 +0900 (JST)

[Olympia]

And the Japanese team has won the Women's World Cup in soccer! That must feel good back home. Congratulations to them, even though they beat the U.S. to do it.

[dorispulaski]

And a gift from the skaters::

“The Ice” has scheduled a free show on July 27 in Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture. They will not sell any tickets, but will invite 1,400 people who are victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

All of skaters are skating without any performance fees.

Thanks to all of skaters in the cast: Mao & Mai Asada, Kanako Murakami, Takahiko Kozuka, Yuzuru Hanyu, Jeffrey Buttle, Florent Amodio, Adam Rippon, Joannie Rochette, Alissa Czisny, Mirai Nagasu, Meryl Davis & Charlie White, Sinead Kerr & John Kerr, Qing Pang & Jian Tong, Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran.

[dorispulaski]

Status report July 20, 3:00 PM JST from TEPCO

At 11:15 am on July 20, we started injecting fresh water to the reactor well of Unit 4 and Drier Separator Pit.
At 11:00 am on July 19, we stopped the operation of the cesium adsorption system at accumulated water treatment facility in order to replace the cesium adsorption towers. At 3:03 pm on the same day, we started-up the facility and at 3:17 pm, we restarted the treatment for accumulated water.

But lots of TEPCO reports
On water level
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp.../110720e14.pdf
Almost no increase since last report at unit 1. Otherwise, modest increases in water, due to the starting of the water treatment facility in the middle of the reporting cycle.
They are continuing to test ocean soil. No radioactive iodine was found. Cesium 134 and 137 were found:
Odaka
15 km off Minami Soma Cesium 137 48 becquerels per kilogram
8 km off Odaka Cesium 137 290 becquerels per kilogram
3 km off Odaka Cesium 137 170 becquerels per kilogram

I would not have expected this big a drop off in cesium concentration off Odaka:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp.../110720e10.pdf
I wonder whether there is a high sedimentation rate there?

NHK

Expert: Risks remain at Fukushima Daiichi plant
An expert says that radiation could be released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in about 2 and half days if the injection of cooling water into reactors is halted for any reason.

Masanori Naito, director in charge of nuclear safety analysis at the Institute of Applied Energy, was speaking to NHK about the revised plan to bring the troubled plant under control. The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant's operator, announced the plan on Tuesday.

The government and TEPCO said in a joint assessment that the target of the first stage of the original plan ---- to steadily reduce the level of radiation being released from the plant ---- has been met over the past 3 months. They said the amount of radioactive substances spewing from the No.1 to No.3 reactors has been cut to one 2-millionth of the peak recorded just after the nuclear accident in March.

The effort to stabilize the nuclear facility now shifts to the second stage, when workers will focus on further cutting the release of radioactive substances over the next 6 months. Emphasis will be on reactor cooling systems that recycle contaminated water. The goal is to achieve cold shutdown by reducing reactor water temperatures to below 100 degrees Celsius.

Naito says nuclear fuel levels at the plant have dropped below one-tenth of what they were immediately after the accident, but warns of remaining risks.

He says the government and TEPCO should explain these risks to nearby residents and whether the existing measures will be sufficient.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:26 +0900 (JST)

There is no indication as to why injection of water would be stopped for 2 and a half days. Presumably the fire trucks and sea water pumping that they were doing back in March could easily be set up in that amount of time if there were another earthquake and tsunami to interrupt everything again.

Even with a level 9 earthquake and tsunami, they were able to get seawater injection going in that time frame. (As to why two and a half days rather than the shorter time it took for problems to develop in March: the temperature of the reactors is much lower than in March,so it would presumably take them a lot longer to heat up to the point where there would be a problem.)

The strangest thing in this article is the fact that Naito thinks there are any nearby residents to the plant at this time. The second strangest thing is that he thinks that inadequate explanations have been made. In fact, TEPCO has had to file multiple reports on preparedness for future power outages, structural failures, earthquakes and tsunamis since March 11.

Fukushima farmers ask minister to check all cattle
Cattle breeders from Fukushima Prefecture have asked Japan's agriculture minister to check all cattle in the prefecture for radiation.

The government on Tuesday suspended all beef cattle shipment from Fukushima Prefecture after radioactive cesium exceeding government safety levels was detected in straw used to feed the animals.

On Wednesday, about 30 representatives of farmers' and cattle breeders' groups from the prefecture visited government agencies in Tokyo to demand the state buy up beef cattle that had been banned from being shipped.

They asked agriculture minister Michihiko Kano to inspect all cattle in the prefecture, as well as all beef that had already been shipped, to regain consumer trust.

The government has said it would check all cattle only in areas designated for evacuation.

Kano expressed regret over the government's failure to inform cattle breeders about the risks of rice straw, and said only that he wants to be able to say for sure that beef on the market is safe. He reportedly did not say clearly whether he would instruct all cattle to be inspected.

The head of the prefectural federation of farmers' cooperatives, Tokuichi Shojo, later told reporters that thorough inspections are essential to regain the credibility of Fukushima farm products and livestock.

He said he wants the government to consider how it will check all cattle, based on its experience with outbreaks of BSE, or mad cow disease, and foot-and-mouth disease.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 18:44 +0900 (JST)

I have been fuming about this for some time: the government should have instructed the farmers well in advance of what to do-something our local government and power company have combined to do here in Connecticut. This debacle with the cows could have been completely avoided.

And the government should have set this up several months back to boost consumer confidence both inside and outside Japan:
the farmers are right.

Farmers demand govt action to dispel consumer fear
Japanese cattle growers have demanded that the government take steps to dispel consumer fears, after it suspended all beef cattle shipments from Fukushima Prefecture.

The government ordered the ban on Tuesday, after radioactive cesium exceeding government safety levels was detected in cattle shipped from the prefecture.

On Wednesday, about 100 cattle farmers and meat distributors attended a briefing at the agriculture ministry.

Distributors noted that prices of beef other than that from Fukushima Prefecture are falling, and expressed concern that more and more consumers might start avoiding beef altogether.

They called for tougher inspections and other steps to eliminate consumer concerns.

An agriculture ministry official said they would consider such measures to convince consumers that domestic beef on the market is safe.

A distributor from Fukuoka Prefecture expressed hope that the government would step up inspections and ensure that only safe beef is made available to consumers.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 18:53 +0900 (JST)

And the government still has its head up its butt, but this is the first sign that there is a plan to allow evacuees to go home some time:

Govt to step up radiation monitoring preparatory to allowing evacuees return home
The Japanese government will step up radiation monitoring and decontamination work to consider whether to lift evacuation orders after completing the second stage of the plan to bring the Fukushima nuclear crisis under control in January.

The government announced on Tuesday that the first stage, a stable cooling of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, had been achieved on schedule.

The government also released a new plan, including the second stage to be completed by January, and mid-term targets to be achieved within about 3 years after that.

Industry minister Banri Kaieda said the process of putting the crisis under control has been making steady progress and is producing results.

The minister for the nuclear crisis, Goshi Hosono, said the government hopes to lift the evacuation advisories for areas around the plant. He said the state will make a decision after confirming the safety of the reactors by early August and consulting local authorities.

The government also aims to lift the evacuation orders for the 20-kilometer no-entry zone and the planned evacuation areas after completing the second stage of the plan in January. In the second phase, the government aims to significantly reduce the volumes of radiation emitted from the plant.

To speed up the process, the government will increase radiation monitoring and decontamination work in the 2 zones before completing the second stage.

It will also step up the decontamination of infrastructure by cleaning up water and sewage systems and disposing of radioactive waste.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 08:00 +0900 (JST)

and on the international front:

EU adopts new nuclear waste disposal requirements
The European Union has decided to require member nations to draw up final disposal plans for spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste by 2015.

EU ministers agreed on Tuesday that the union's 27 member states must outline specific plans for building underground and other facilities for final disposal of nuclear waste.

The plans are to be submitted to the European Commission, the EU's executive arm. The commission will be able to demand reviews if necessary.

Member nations will be required to make related information public and to allow citizens take part in the decision-making process.

The safe disposal of nuclear waste is a pressing challenge for the world. Finland and other countries are building bunkers to bury the waste deep underground, but no such facilities are yet in operation.

Observers say the EU's latest move will likely influence Japan and other countries with nuclear power that are studying safe disposal strategies.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 09:54 +0900 (JST)

Waste storage is not the intractable problem that is made out to be. France has a workable system, and the US's WIPP works well. It's good to see some organization and a plan.

But its worth remembering that the dry cask storage in use at Fukushima Daiichi had no problems during the entire debacle. The casks were not damaged by either the tsunami or the earthquake and were not responsible for any release of radioactive material to the environment.

US safety rule maybe prevented Fukushima crisis

The chief of the US regulatory group for nuclear power, the NRC, says that if Japan had adopted safety rules similar to those of the United States, damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant could have been smaller. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko made the remark to NHK on Tuesday.

The United States introduced nuclear plant safety rules after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 to deal with emergencies such as external power outages caused by terrorism or other factors.

Jaczko indicated that such safety measures will be taken more thoroughly in the United States, and that nuclear safety will be strengthened globally through sharing of information among Japan and other countries.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 17:35 +0900 (JST)

and more from Ed Markey's and Harry Reid's minion, Gregory Jaczko:

US nuclear chief promises more support for Japan
The Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission says Japan has achieved substantial progress in its efforts to bring the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant under control.

Gregory Jaczko made the remark in an interview with NHK on Tuesday.

The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company said earlier in the day that the first-stage of the plan outlined in April to stably cool the reactors has been completed on schedule.

Jaczko said Japan still has important challenges to tackle such as the disposal of highly contaminated water, removal of radioactive substances, and creating measures to deal with future natural disasters.

He said the US team in Japan will continue to support the country in dealing with these and other issues.

Jaczko suggested that less damage may have been done if Japan had imposed rules for external power outages at nuclear plants similar to those introduced in the US after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 12:43 +0900 (JST)

Jaczko is a tool, put in his position to make sure that Yucca Mountain is never used, since both Reid's and Obama's relections depend on that, but he is quite right about US station blackout rules that were imposed after 9/11.

[dorispulaski]

-At 8:02 am on July 21, we stopped operation of the alternative cooling facility for spent fuel pool at Unit 3 due to the change of power sources associated with double circuit installation for offsite power at Unit 5 and 6.

-At 11:15 am on July 20, we started injecting fresh water to the reactor well of Unit 4 and Drier Separator Pit. At 3:39 pm on the same day, we finished the injection.

On July 21, in order to conduct a restoration work for double circuit of Yorunomori line which is power source for Unit 5 and Unit 6, we started a power switching work to stop the operation of Okuma Line No.3 which was connected to Yorunomori Line No.1. According to this work, we stopped the alternative cooling system for the fuel pool cooling and filtering system of Unit 3 at 8:02 am, the water treatment system at 8:38 am, and the cooling system for the common pool at 8:40 am.
NHK

Contaminated rice straw found in 10 prefectures
The Japanese government says rice straw used for cattle feed contaminated with radioactive cesium has been found in 10 prefectures across the country. Beef produced from cattle fed the contaminated straw and shipped out from farms has already been distributed to almost all prefectures.

Inspectors on Wednesday detected 7 times the government-set maximum standard level of radioactive cesium in rice straw used by a farm in Shizuoka Prefecture. This pushes the number of prefectures where cattle were fed with contaminated straw to 10.

Most of the rice straw in question was shipped from companies in Miyagi Prefecture, north of Fukushima, where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, responsible for the contamination, is located.

On Tuesday, the government suspended shipments of beef cattle from Fukushima Prefecture after high levels of radioactive cesium were detected in beef shipped from the prefecture. One beef sample contained radioactive cesium in amounts 9 times the government standard.
Thursday, July 21, 2011 07:31 +0900 (JST)

The government needs to get off its duff and write the safety standards.

Two of 18 active reactors to be shut down
Two of the 18 nuclear reactors now operating in Japan are due to be shut down shortly for regular inspections with no prospect of restarting.

Kansai Electric Power Company says it plans to begin turning off the power of the No.4 reactor at its power plant in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture on Thursday.

The utility also plans to shut down another reactor at Ohi nuclear plant in the same prefecture for regular checkups on Friday.

But the Fukui prefectural government has decided not to approve the resumption of nuclear reactors there until the central government draws up new safety standards for reactors after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

In Japan,18 of the country's 54 nuclear reactors are currently in operation.
Thursday, July 21, 2011 07:31 +0900 (JST)

Just so's you'd know, 0.5 microSieverts an hour is not particularly high, although it is higher than what Kurihara City would normally be, and people should be washing down buildings and being careful of the resultant waste and water and whatever waste treatment plants they have, because cesium materials will build up in ditches and waste, because it is water soluble.

Furthermore, this article is deceptive, because they are comparing to an area that the prevailing wind kept fairly free of radioactive fallout. How close it is to Fukushima Daiichi is fairly irrelevant-it's where the wind blew the stuff.

Even though NHK has published the radiation map many times, apparently there are still people surprised that there are variations in radioactive fallout. Plus NISA has published prefecture by prefecture data for a long time.

Elevated Levels of Radioactivity found extensively

Japan's science ministry says air above the ground about 150 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is as radioactive as areas 50 kilometers from the source of radioactivity.

The ministry on Wednesday released a map showing radiation levels at locations one meter above the ground in Miyagi Prefecture, north of Fukushima, based on the results of an aerial survey from June 22nd through 30th.

Radioactivity levels are highlighted in different colors.

Some parts of Kurihara City, about 150 kilometers north of the plant are light blue, indicating that the air there was 0.2 to 0.5 microsieverts per hour.

That's similar to areas close to the crippled plant, such as Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture, about 50 kilometers from the radioactive source.

Radioactive cesium far above the government standard was detected in rice straw for cattle feed collected by a supplier in Kurihara City.
Thursday, July 21, 2011 07:31 +0900 (JST)

Tokyo Electric's lax worker management found
The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has failed to confirm the whereabouts of 198 workers who are believed to have worked at the plant since the nuclear disaster started.

Criticizing the operator's lax personnel management, the health ministry has instructed Tokyo Electric Power Company to identify the workers and have those workers
checked for radiation exposure tests by next Friday.

In a report submitted to the ministry on Wednesday, the company admits that it has failed so far to confirm the whereabouts of the 198 workers, who are on the name-list of workers at the plant between March and April.

The company also reports that it has conducted radiation exposure tests on 8,338 workers, but still has to test more than 1,500 workers, including the 198.

The utility had reported last Wednesday that the number of missing was 132.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is also investigating the case because if it is proven that some of these workers were hired by the company without their identities being confirmed, it could constitute a violation of anti-terrorism legislation.
Thursday, July 21, 2011 07:31 +0900 (JST)

A typhoon will do this to you

Rain increases contaminated water at plant
Heavy rain brought by a tropical storm has increased the level of radioactive contaminated water at the basements of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Typhoon Ma-on moved east off the southern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu. 115 millimeters of precipitation was recorded in Namie Town, north of the plant, between Tuesday and Thursday.

Rain has been gathering in the buildings housing the reactors because the roofs were severely damaged by hydrogen explosions that occurred after the initial March 11th disaster.

Tokyo Electric Power Company or TEPCO, the plant's operator, says that at 7 AM local time on Thursday, the level of contaminated water pooled at the basement of the building of the No. 1 reactor was 44 centimeters up from the previous day.

Officials at the utility say that there is no immediate danger of the contaminated water spilling out.

But it is likely that the level of water will continue to rise for the time being. TEPCO says they are monitoring the situation.
Thursday, July 21, 2011 16:17 +0900 (JST)

Japan Times is again reporting that the US and Japan are trying to get a spent nuclear fuel storage and reprocessing site set up in Mongolia
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0110720a4.html

[let`s talk]

A typhoon will do this to you

The typoon brought some cold air. The temperature dropped to +22C in Tokyo. Like in autumn. Now things are back to normal.

TEPCO is getting nuts with all this energy saving stuff. Convenience stores shut down hand-driers in toilets. What they think is if it is hot outside, the hands will dry up quickly by themseves? Lovely.

The best part is that nationals museums, luxury departments stores like Isetan, Takashimaya, even some spuermarkets like Odakyu Ox that are maily targeting the upper-market customers, are all using air-conditioning like in Thailand- super cold inside. So, basically it all comes to money- those who can pay for electricity, they just use it. I am one of them. I use all air-cons in my house the same way as I used them last year or two years ago. Why should I make more efforts than private businesses or national museums.

[dorispulaski]

let's talk, I'm glad to hear the weather is back to bearable. We finally got a heat wave here. It's has not been too bad until today when the temperature hit about 33 C here, but up till today, we have been lucky. My A/C will be on tonight.

If you can afford to pay for the A/C, I see no reason you shouldn't use it. A number of people going for the shared-sacrifice, stiff upper lip approach have paid for it with heat exhaustion, hospital admissions and death. I am glad you're cool under the a/c!

TEPCO status reports, as of 4:00 PM JST July 22nd.

At 10:56 am on July 16, we started transfer of accumulated water from the vertical shaft, T/B, Unit 2 to Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building). At 4:04 pm on July 21, we stopped the transfer. - At 10:50 am on July 16, we started transfer of accumulated water from the vertical shaft, T/B, Unit 3 to Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building). At 3:59 pm on July 21, we stopped the transfer.

Unit 2
-At 8:43 am on July 22, because we confirmed that the amount of water injection had been lowered, we adjusted the amount to approximately 3.8m3/h.

- At 8:38 am on July 21, we stopped operation of the water treatment facility, because the water level gauge, which is set at suppression pool water surge-tank (B), was powered off due to the change of power sources associated with double circuit installation for offsite power at Unit 5 and 6. At 12:28 am on July 22, we started the operation of the water treatment facility, resuming water processing at 12:40 am on the same day.

-At 7:10 am on July 22, the circuit breaker for the bus from Okuma line 2L which supplies electricity to a part of power network in the power station opened the circuit due to overload, resulting in the power off of the following facilities: the alternative cooling facility for spent fuel pool at Unit 3, water treatment facilities, the cooling facility of common pool, monitoring gauges in the reactor of Unit 3 & 4, and Main Anti-Earthquake Building. The following facilities which receive power from other system had no affect: water injection and nitrogen gas injection to reactor of each unit, each monitoring post, the alternative cooling facility for spent fuel pool at Unit 2, monitoring gauges in the reactor of Unit 1 & 2, all facilities of unit 5 & 6. Currently investigations of the cause of the event as well as power restoration work are underway. After that, we found no abnormalities at the secondary side that have been tripped, we began receiving electricity from a power network line called TEPCO Genshiryoku Sen to complete the restoration works described below: -At 09:33 am Power source of Main Anti-Earthquake Building -At 10:35 am Monitoring instruments in Reactor of Unit 3 and 4 -At 10:40 am Cooling System of Common Pool -At 11:50 am Substitute Cooling Facilities at Spent Fuel Pool Cooling and Filtering System of Unit 3 -Water Treatment Facility is being prepared to restart operations.

For Main Anti-Earthquake Building, we restore its power supply immediately using backup power generator. For reference, this event did not affect the following operations: water injection and nitrogen gas injection to reactor of each unit, and data of each monitoring post.

Currently investigation of the cause of the event as well as power restoration work are underway.

- From 5:06 am to 6:02 am on July 22, dust sampling survey was implemented for the upper part of Unit 2's reactor building, using unmanned helicopter.


- Around 10:06am on July 18, a worker of the partner company fell from the height of about 3m during the connection work of the optical cable on the distribution pole near the power station's gazebo and he was injured. At 10:50 am, he was transported to J village by service car. We requested the helicopter emergency medical service (called "Doctor Heli") at 11:06 am. He was transported from multi purpose sports ground in Hirono town to the Iwaki Kyouritsu Hospital by the Doctor Heli at 12:22 pm. According to the result of physical examination, he was diagnosed as "fracture of distal end of right radius, of left radius head, and left ligamentum collaterale ulnare."

Recent NHK news stories

External power supply cut at 2 Fukushima reactors
Tokyo Electric Power Company says part of the external power supply has been cut at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant due to a problem in the transmission lines.

TEPCO said on Friday that a current breaker was tripped by a sudden surge in the external power lines, cutting off electricity to the No. 3 and 4 reactors.

The operator was forced to suspend a system treating radioactive water. Another system cooling the No.3 reactor's spent fuel storage pool was also shut down.
TEPCO says the pool's temperature remains stable at around 30 degrees Celsius.

After the power outage, a building serving as the headquarters for the plant's stabilization switched to an emergency generator.

TEPCO said work to inject water and nitrogen into the reactors has not been affected, as electricity is being supplied from other power sources.

It said radiation levels around the plant show no major change, and claimed there was little risk of a leak occurring.

TEPCO is working to restore external power, as it tries to find out what caused the problem.
Friday, July 22, 2011 11:42 +0900 (JST)

and

TEPCO probes Fukushima blackout
Tokyo Electric Power Company is investigating the cause of a sudden power failure at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The blackout halted the cooling of a spent fuel pool for 5 hours.

The trouble occurred at around 7:10 AM on Friday, when a circuit breaker malfunctioned on the power feed to the No. 3 and 4 reactors.

The blackout halted equipment to cool the spent fuel pool for the No. 3 reactor.

Cooling was restored around 5 hours later by means of an alternative power source.

The utility says there has been no major change in the pool's temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius.

TEPCO says the incident did not cause any radiation leakage, as work to inject water and nitrogen into the reactors continued with the other power source.

The blackout also halted systems to treat decontaminated water flooding the underground levels of plant buildings, but the company says these were restored at around 3:30 PM.

The company says all facilities disabled by the incident have now been rebooted.

The utility says that although it has installed several external power sources, their automatic switchover functions were not available. The company says it will improve the systems.

A sudden surge in the external power supply is thought to be behind the failure. TEPCO says it is looking into the problem.
Friday, July 22, 2011 20:23 +0900 (JST)

At this point, everything's back on line, and TEPCO is looking for the root cause of the power surge.

This is a good article:

Prof. Nonaka speaks on cesium in rice straw
A Japanese expert on radiation in soil says radioactive materials on rice straw and soil must be monitored even if they are located far from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Niigata University Professor Masanori Nonaka spoke about rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium above the government limit. Contaminated rice straw has been shipped nationwide as cattle feed.

Nonaka said many farmers on the Pacific side of the Tohoku region leave rice straw on paddies to let it dry during winter. He said that was probably how the rice straw, like a sponge, absorbed cesium that had dissolved into rainwater, snow, and soil.

Nonaka said radiation levels in the air were checked after the nuclear accident, but not those in the farmland, produce, and rice straw. He said this is how the rice straw contamination occurred.

Nonaka said to ensure safety radiation in soil and rice straw must be checked, even if they are far away from the nuclear plant.
Friday, July 22, 2011 04:24 +0900 (JST)

Kaieda: Decision needed on nuclear exports
Japan's trade and industry minister Banri Kaieda says cabinet ministers must reach an agreement on whether to continue promoting exports of nuclear power plants.

Kaieda spoke to reporters on Friday, one day after Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for discussions on the issue in the wake of the Fukushima accident. The government has been promoting exports of Japanese-developed nuclear plants as part of the nation's growth strategy.

Kaieda said some countries have high expectations for Japan's nuclear technology. He said Japan needs to fully explain how it can meet them, while ensuring safety.

The minister said Japan must act responsibly if it decides to stop these exports.

Asked about the timing of his resignation, which he suggested earlier, Kaieda replied that he will make a decision by himself.

He noted that the Diet will deliberate a bill to promote renewable energy after enacting a bill on compensation for people affected by the nuclear accident.
Friday, July 22, 2011 12:17 +0900 (JST)

Education minister: check school food for safety
Japan's education minister Yoshiaki Takaki says he wants a thorough check of school meals to make sure they do not contain radiation-tainted ingredients.

Takaki spoke to reporters on Friday, one day after it was found that meat from cattle fed with radioactive rice straw was served in lunches at 3 elementary schools in Chiba, east of Tokyo. The rice straw contained radioactive cesium exceeding government-set limits.

Checks so far have found no excessive levels of cesium in the meat served at 2 of the schools. There is no information about checks at the third school.

Takaki described the use of such beef as extremely regrettable.

He added that he will instruct local education boards and schools to check the distribution routes of food used in their meals, as well as information on food shipment bans.
Friday, July 22, 2011 12:57 +0900 (JST)

Boneheadedness, sheer boneheadedness. Keep the cows 100 days and the cesium will be gone. For crying out lound, don't burn them up and redeposit the cesium somewhere else in Japan.

Govt plans to buy up tainted beef
Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano says the government will swiftly consider ways to buy up all beef contaminated with radioactive cesium at levels exceeding the national safety limits.

Kano told reporters on Friday his ministry is now working on a basic outline of the buy-up system, which it hopes to release soon.

He said the ministry will refer to measures taken in 2001 during the outbreak of BSE, or mad cow disease.

Kano said the buy-up system will only cover beef, and not vegetables or other farm produce. He said this is because beef with excessive radiation levels has already reached the market, while this has not happened for other products thanks to inspections.

Reports surfaced last week that beef cattle fed with rice straw contaminated by radioactive fallout from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant had been shipped to restaurants and retailers. Local municipalities and farmers' groups are asking the government to check all cattle for radiation before shipment.

Kano said he wants to study these measures, working with prefectures and other ministries concerned to develop a workable system.
Friday, July 22, 2011 12:44 +0900 (JST)

The government is proposing to incinerate the beef. That, of course, will only cause whatever cesium is contained in the beef to drop down elsewhere in Japan. Cesium is an element, and incineration does nothing whatever to it.

It appears that the IAEA finds the Japanese cattle feed and beef inspection debacle as frustrating as I do:

IAEA chief to visit Fukushima plant next week
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency says he will visit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant next week to view progress made in efforts to stabilize the troubled reactors there.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano was speaking on Thursday at the agency's headquarters in Vienna.

Amano will visit the nuclear complex on Monday to confirm the extent of damage to the facility and inspect ongoing operations to cool the reactors.

Amano said he will wear protective gear and go as far into the plant as he is allowed so he can get a full understanding of what is going on.

The agency chief will hold talks with Prime Minister Naoto Kan during his visit.

Referring to radioactive rice straw that was fed to beef cattle, he said he will tell Kan that the IAEA is ready to help Japan's decontamination efforts.

Amano said the agency is confident its experience in dealing with the Chernobyl accident will be useful to Japan.
Friday, July 22, 2011 09:36 +0900 (JST)

Leaving homes and business vacant brings out the criminal element, even in Japan. It also brings out scam artists.

Police white paper focuses on proposed activities in the disaster-hit areas
Japanese police say they are taking measures to ensure safety and security in areas affected by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

This year's police white paper, released on Friday, focuses on responses in the disaster-hit regions.

The report says new activities in the affected areas include visits to evacuation centers, consultations with evacuees, and the installation of temporary police boxes.

The white paper calls for efforts to prevent looting of homes and shops left deserted after the disaster. These include joint patrols with residents.

The report also stresses the importance of combating other disaster-related crimes, including phony fundraising schemes and the unlicensed sale of drugs to combat radiation poisoning.
Friday, July 22, 2011 12:14 +0900 (JST)

70% of Japan's nuclear reactors remains shut
37 nuclear reactors in Japan, or nearly 70 percent of them, remain shut. This includes 2 reactors operated by Kansai Electric Power Company in Fukui Prefecture that were recently closed for regular inspections.

According to the plant operators, inspections for 11 of the 37 reactors will finish by August. But it is still unknown when any of these will be resumed due to the government's new stress-test requirements announced earlier this month.

The remaining 17 reactors that are currently in operation will also be brought to a halt for regular inspections every 13 months. Among these is the Kansai Electric Ohi power plant No. 4 reactor in Fukui Prefecture that will shut down by Saturday. An additional 3 reactors will be brought to a halt by August.

Among the 13 other reactors in operation, 5 will be stopped by autumn, 6 by winter, and 2 by spring.
This would leave Japan with no nuclear reactors in operation by spring next year.
Friday, July 22, 2011 07:27 +0900 (JST)

Consequently, the government needs to finalize what there plan is to certify reactors as safe, or alternatively leave them closed as unsafe. They are still issuing rather maddening press reports like this that keep saying we have a process, but we can't spell it out yet.

Japanese Nuclear watchdog orders stress tests
Japan's nuclear watchdog has instructed power utilities to carry out additional safety tests on their nuclear plants.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency issued the order on Friday, after its plan for 2-stage stress tests was approved by its supervisory body, the Nuclear Safety Commission.

The tests involve computer simulations to assess how well nuclear plants can withstand such emergencies as earthquakes, tsunami and the loss of external power.

The first stage of tests will cover reactors that have been halted for regular safety checks. At present, about 20 reactors are offline.

The second stage tests will apply to all 48 reactors nationwide, excluding those in Fukushima Prefecture. The tests will determine whether the reactors should resume, continue or halt operations.

But how the test results will be used remains unclear, as the agency has yet to announce criteria for halting or allowing reactor operation.
Friday, July 22, 2011 18:22 +0900 (JST)

For those who are a little misty about which reactor is which, the Hamaoka reactors were shut down because Hamaoka is situated near the predicted epicenter of the next big Japanese earthquake. The operators of the reactors, Chubu electric, are being proactive about getting back on line: they're doing this. At 1.3 billion dollars, they are doubling down with a huge bet that this will get them back in business at Hamaoka:

Hamaoka operator to build 18 meter-high anti-tsunami wall
The operator of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan plans to build an 18-meter-high embankment by December next year to prevent tsunami damage to the facility.

Chubu Electric Power Company said on Friday that the breakwater will be higher than the 15-meter waves that hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 11th. The barrier would also be 10 meters taller than the highest waves expected in the area in the event of 3 major earthquakes occurring at the same time.

The utility had been studying plans to build a new embankment 1.5 kilometers along the coast by the plant, in the wake of the Fukushima accident.

Chubu Electric said it will also extend the height of an embankment now surrounding the plant. The firm also plans to build a waterproof building to house a backup pump for injecting seawater into reactors in case other cooling functions are lost due to tsunami flooding.

The firm said the measures will cost around 1.3 billion dollars, and plans to complete all construction by December 2012.

The plant has 3 reactors, excluding 2 that have been stopped for decommissioning. Of the 3, one is undergoing a regular checkup, and the others were stopped in line with a request from Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who cited risks of major earthquakes and tsunamis.

Chubu Electric is to brief local residents on its new safety measures to gain support for resuming operations at the 3 reactors.
Friday, July 22, 2011 16:33 +0900 (JST)

One alternative to the Japanese and European computer simulation safety tests is this interesting direct inspection by robot test, proposed by MIT.

MIT egg robot to probe old reactors
Steve Bush
Thursday 21 July 2011 16:20
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Art...d-reactors.htm
MIT egg robot to probe old reactors
Photo: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/[color=red]*[/color][color=red]*[/color][color=red]*[/color]...x?itemid=54577
By Steve Bush
July 21, 2011
With obsolescent nuclear power stations all over the US, MIT is proposing small spherical robots to inspect their crucial parts.
"Egg-sized robots designed to dive into nuclear reactors and swim through underground pipes, checking for signs of corrosion," said MIT. "The underwater patrollers, equipped with cameras, are able to withstand a reactor's extreme, radioactive environment, transmitting images in real-time from within."

External propellers could catch inside the reactor, so the concept is a smooth sphere containing a network of channels that allow the robot to steer by squirting water jets.
Control comes from Y-shaped Coanda-effect valves in the network, designed to be made along with the channels by 3D printing.
As the robot navigates a pipe system, the onboard camera looks for cracks and corrosion.
The camera is fixed, with a two-axis gimbal moving the robot's centre of mass to pan and tilt the viewpoint.

Originally. the plan was to store images for viewing after recovery, but research head Professor Harry Asada is now working on underwater laser optics to transmit images up to 100m, said MIT.
"We have 104 reactors in the US," said Asada. "Fifty-two of them are 30 years or older, and we need immediate solutions to assure the safe operations of these reactors."
Robot details were presented at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Meanwhile, the NEI is soliciting your questions about all things nuclear. You can go to this link to ask your question of real experts.
Ask the Experts your Nuclear Questions:
http://safetyfirst.nei.org/ask-an-expert/

[Olympia]

I'm paying attention, Doris. I'm just too zonked from the heat to think of anything rational to say. Thanks for keeping us updated! My friend came back from Japan, by the way, and said that his relatives were living normally in Tokyo and elsewhere, outside of the quake-flood-radioactive zone. Did I read somewhere that 80,000 people have been displaced? Awful.

[dorispulaski]

Olympia, thanks for the reply.

I'm having problems thinking myself.

80,000 sounds reasonable. However, that includes tsunami and earthquake and radiation evacuees. I think at some point it was significantly higher; some people have found other places to go rather than shelters by this time.


Daiichi, 9:00 PM JST July 23

Eight peripheral measurement points ( 5, 22, 14, 13, 16, 36, 110, 89 ) microSieverts per hour
Main Office Building 323 microSieverts per hour
West Gate 13 microSieverts per hour
Main Gate 33 microSieverts per hour

Daini, 9:00 PM JST July 23

Seven peripheral measurement points ( 1.5,1.2, 1.6, 1.4, 1.4, 0.9, 1.1 ) microSieverts per hour



Tepco Status as of 5:00 PM JST July 23

- At 9:35 am on July 23, since the volume of injected water into the reactor was found to be decreased, we adjusted the volume up to 3.8m3/h.

- On July 23, due to switching power sources for installation of double circuits for offsite power sources for Unit 5 and 6, we stopped operation, respectively, of the alternative cooling facility for spent fuel pool at Unit 3 at 3:24 am, of the cooling facility of common pool at 3:46 am, and of water treatment facility at 8:45 am. At 9:41 we restarted operation, respectively, of the cooling facility of common pool at 9:41 am and of the alternative cooling facility for spent fuel pool at Unit 3 at 11:45 am. At 3:26 pm we restarted operation of water treatment facility and resumed water treatment at 4:27 pm.


- At 11 am on July 23, we restarted transferring accumulated water from the turbine building of Unit 6 to the temporary tank.


- At 2:15 pm on July 23, we started transferring accumulated water at the Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Miscellaneous Solid Waste Volume Reduction Treatment Building) to the Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building).

NHK stories

Cause of Fukushima blackout identified

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the interruption on Friday of a system that cools one of the spent fuel pools was caused by the incorrect set-up of a circuit breaker.

A device that handles the transmission of power to reactors 3 and 4 malfunctioned shortly after 7 AM on Friday, shutting down the cooling system for the fuel pool of unit 3 as well as the water decontamination system.

Although the pool water temperature did not rise, it took about 8 and a half hours to put all the equipment back online.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said on Saturday that a circuit breaker had been mistakenly set up at one-third of the correct level, causing it to shut down prematurely.
Saturday, July 23, 2011 22:05 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO to eliminate gangsters from nuclear projects

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is stepping up efforts to prevent gangsters from earning money in projects for bringing the crisis under control.

Tokyo Electric Power Company and 23 affiliates set up a council to eliminate criminal organizations from such projects.

More than 50 people from member companies and the National Police Agency, the council's advisor, attended its first meeting in Tokyo on Friday.

The head of the council, Satoshi Muto of TEPCO, said gangsters may become involved in rebuilding efforts and could work at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

He said the council will step up cooperation with police to develop measures to stop their participation.

Police say criminal syndicates are gaining work in rebuilding projects, claiming to be companies and volunteer groups.

A gangster has been arrested in Iwate Prefecture for illegally sending workers to construction sites for temporary housing.

The council plans to cooperate with police in drawing up contracts and exchanging information on criminal groups to prevent their participation in projects.
Saturday, July 23, 2011 13:41 +0900 (JST)

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO status 3 pm JST July 24th

-At 11:10 am on July 24, flow rate of injecting water to Unit 1 reactor was adjusted to approx. 3.8㎥/h after reduction of flow rate was observed.

-At 10:37 am on July 24, in order to decrease the radiation dose in the 5th floor in the reactor building of Unit 4, we started to inject fresh water into the reactor well and the drier separator pit of the Unit.

-At 11:00 am on July 24, we started to transfer accumulated water from the turbine building of Unit 6 to the temporary tank.

NHK News

If the reactor were in a normal configuration, being under 100 C for 6 days would constitute being in cold shutdown.

No.1 reactor temperature falls below 100 degrees

The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the temperature at the bottom of the No. 1 reactor is being kept at the lowest level since a new cooling system went into operation late last month.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says the temperature fell below 100 degrees Celsius for 6 consecutive days through Sunday.

It says a thermometer attached to the bottom of the reactor registered between 96 and 97 degrees, the lowest since a new circulatory water injection system was started. The system is the key to stably cool the reactor.

TEPCO says the lower temperature was achieved by raising the amount of water injected into the reactor, and that it wants to maintain the current condition.

Nuclear fuel inside the reactor remains hot and needs to be cooled continuously.

On Monday, TEPCO started implementing a revised work plan for bringing the plant under control. The second step of the plan aims at keeping the temperature of the bottom of the plant's reactors below 100 degrees by January.

TEPCO says the cooling system is still unstable and the amount of water to be injected into the No. 1 reactor continues to decrease. The company says it wants to accelerate work to fix the problems.
Sunday, July 24, 2011 13:05 +0900 (JST)

This works, but the cesium will be in the resultant washup water--it will arrive either at a sewer plant or a storm drain system--where it will have to be dealt with again, or alternatively, ignored. I'm really glad to see people doing some cleanup work.

Decontamination experiment starts in Fukushima
More than 3,500 city employees and citizens took part in an experiment to remove radioactive materials from roads in a highly contaminated area of Fukushima City on Sunday.

The experiment follows the city's decision to clean up all the roads used by elementary and junior high school students.

Participants dug up weeds and removed sludge from roadside ditches, where radioactive materials tend to accumulate.

They used high-pressure washing equipment and scrubbing brushes to clean roads near schools.

A father of 2 elementary school children said he took part to bring down radiation levels for the many children who are still living in the community.

A house in the area was also cleaned for experimental purposes. The roof and plants were washed with high-pressure equipment after city employees measured radiation levels.

A similar experiment will be conducted in another area in the city, where relatively high radiation levels have been measured.

The city plans to review the methods and their effectiveness, and release a decontamination plan and a manual for residents next month.
Sunday, July 24, 2011 16:47 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO checks piping of decontamination system

Tokyo Electric Power Company is to examine the pipes of a system to decontaminate radioactive water at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant. The system continues to work below its target capacity.

TEPCO says the system, which was designed to treat 50 tons of water per hour, has actually been treating 39 tons on average since it began operating late last month.

It says the operating rate was 53 percent in the past week, far below the target rate of 80 percent.

The utility says it will examine the interior of the system's pipes as sludge and other materials may be clogging the flow of water.

The power company says it will install alternative pipes to reroute the flow and check whether the amount of treated water will increase.

TEOCO says if it's proved effective, it will consider replacing the pipes.

The system, which recycles decontaminated water to cool reactors, has had many troubles, leading to low cleanup rates since the start of its operation.
Sunday, July 24, 2011 11:04 +0900 (JST)

Nuclear agency: reactor restart months away

Japan's nuclear watchdog says it will take months to complete safety tests on the country's idled nuclear reactors. It says it is unlikely that any of the reactors will resume operating this summer.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency made the comment on Saturday, one day after it ordered power utilities to conduct stress tests in an attempt to ease public concern about the safety of nuclear power.

The tests use computer simulations to assess how well nuclear power plants can withstand emergencies such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

The agency said that it will take months for the utilities to report the results of the first phase of the 2-stage tests.

The first phase targets reactors that have been halted for regular safety checks. At least 22 nuclear reactors, about 40 percent of Japan's total, are subject to it.
Sunday, July 24, 2011 01:52 +0900 (JST)

Govt. to implement measures outside Fukushima
Japan's minister in charge of the nuclear crisis says the government will consider implementing decontamination measures and health checks outside Fukushima Prefecture.

On Saturday, nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono visited the town of Marumori in Miyagi Prefecture, which borders Fukushima Prefecture.

He inspected an elementary school and livestock farms that were affected by radioactive contamination.

Hosono told reporters that he realized the nuclear accident is causing problems outside Fukushima Prefecture. He also said he will make sure that the government's policy is consistently applied across prefectural borders.
Saturday, July 23, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO status 10 am JST July 25th

From 10:37 am to 3:20 pm on July 24, in order to decrease the radiation dose in the 5th floor in the reactor building of Unit 4, we conducted to inject fresh water into the reactor well and the drier separator pit of the Unit.

- At around 11:57 am on July 24, water desalinations were automatically shut-downed after annunciator alarmed. From 7:19 pm on the same day, the water desalinations were restarted after switching to the spare equipment. The water injection into Reactors of Unit 1 to 3 was continued without interruption.- At around 11:57 am on July 24, the water desalinations stopped with a warning sign. We replaced the faulty equipment with a spare and started it at 7:19 pm. We supplied water to the buffer tank from the filtrate tank and continuing water injection into the reactors of Units 1 to 3.

- At 10:37 am on July 24, freshwater injection started into the reactor well and facility storage pool of Unit 4. We finished freshwater injection at 3:20 pm on July 24.

- At 11:00 am on July 24, we restarted transferring accumulated water from the turbine building of Unit 6 to the temporary tank. We stopped transferring at 4:00 pm on July 24.


- There was an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 (on the Richter scale) whose epicenter was Fukushima offshore at around 3:51 am on July 25, however, no abnormality was observed on water injection into the reactors of Unit 1 to 3, the nitrogen injection gas into PCVs of Unit 1 to 3, the operation of water treatment facility, operation of cyclic cooling of the spent fuel pool in Unit 2 and 3 using alternative cooling and filtering system and so on. There were also neither abnormality on major plant parameter of each unit nor injuries. The indicated values at monitoring posts on the boundary of power station's premise are within a normal movement range.

There were 2 nice companies who sold water systems-one that sold desalination systems, and one that sold radioactive decontamination systems. And TEPCO now has a hybrid of those 2 systems. Murphy's law of combinations says that any system designed to do 2 things will do neither well, and the more things any system is designed to handle, the less well it will do any of them

On the bright side, the longer this system runs, the lower the salt content of the input water will be, as no new salt water is being injected into the system.


The process that is first in line is clearly handling material outside its design parameters. In the case of the radiation system, the corrosiveness of salt water was probably never designed in. In the case of desalination, no one was looking at radiation resistence. I don't know which way the system was set up, but you can definitely see the difficulties.

Contaminated water on increase at Fukushima plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company is injecting fresh water from a nearby dam to make up for the shortage of water in its system for cooling the reactors at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The system decontaminates radioactive water that has accumulated in the plant and circulates it.

TEPCO halted the process of removing salt from contaminated water after an alarm went off around noon on Sunday due to a problem with the installation of the desalination equipment. It resumed the operation in the evening after installing another device.

The new device is only able to treat half the amount of water. The amount of contaminated water has been increasing since the problem occurred.

TEPCO began using the new circulatory water injection system late last month. Last week, the government and the utility announced the completion of the first stage of the plan to stabilize the cooling of the reactors.

NHK's reporter points out that as a result of Sunday's trouble, the amount of contaminated water is increasing. He adds that the recycling of cooling water, a key element of bringing the accident under control, cannot be maintained.

TEPCO is investigating the cause of the problem. The utility says the decontamination system as a whole is not operating stably and it needs to improve its reliability.
Monday, July 25, 2011 14:12 +0900 (JST)

IAEA chief visits Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is visiting the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to see how the reactors are being cooled down.

This is his first visit to the plant since the March 11th nuclear disaster.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano arrived in Japan on Sunday and traveled to Fukushima by train on Monday morning.

Amano told reporters that he wants to identify how the IAEA can cooperate with Japan to contain the situation.

He also said he wants to listen to the personnel who are working in severe conditions, to find out what they think and feel about the difficult tasks they are carrying out every day.
Amano wore protective gear to inspect the damage at the plant and to check the progress of the "road map" drawn up by the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Monday, July 25, 2011 12:23 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO tackles trouble with decontamination units
The Tokyo Electric Power Company is trying to figure out why a system to decontaminate radioactive water at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant remains unstable.

The system funnels in radioactive water accumulated in the underground facility and reuses it as a reactor coolant after decontaminating radioactive substances.

TEPCO started the operation late last month.

The system sends 3.8 cubic meters of water per hour to each of the No.1 and No.2 reactors.

However, the operation has been unstable for the last 3 days. On Friday, the amount of water injected suddenly decreased to 3.4 cubic meters per hour at No.2 reactor, and then fell to 3.2 cubic meters on Saturday.

At No.1 reactor, water levels decreased to 3.3 cubic meters on Sunday morning.

The utility is examining the pumps each time the amount of water goes down in order to return the system to its previous volume.

On Sunday, the system was halted for 7 hours due to trouble with a device to remove salt from radioactive water. TEPCO restored operation with a back-up mechanism.

The utility says it will closely watch each system and try to track down the causes of the instability.
Monday, July 25, 2011 06:32 +0900 (JST)

Decontamination experiment starts in Fukushima
More than 3,500 city employees and citizens took part in an experiment to remove radioactive materials from roads in a highly contaminated area of Fukushima City on Sunday.

The experiment follows the city's decision to clean up all the roads used by elementary and junior high school students.

Participants dug up weeds and removed sludge from roadside ditches, where radioactive materials tend to accumulate.

They used high-pressure washing equipment and scrubbing brushes to clean roads near schools.

A father of 2 elementary school children said he took part to bring down radiation levels for the many children who are still living in the community.

A house in the area was also cleaned for experimental purposes. The roof and plants were washed with high-pressure equipment after city employees measured radiation levels.

A similar experiment will be conducted in another area in the city, where relatively high radiation levels have been measured.

The city plans to review the methods and their effectiveness, and release a decontamination plan and a manual for residents next month.
Sunday, July 24, 2011 16:47 +0900 (JST)

I hope their before and after treatment data will become available.

Gov. releases radiation forecast system data
NISA has released results of their analysis on how radioactive substances spread after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency released data analyzed by a computer forecasting system designed to track the movement of radioactive substances based on wind and weather.

The System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information, or SPEEDI, calculated 6 days' worth of data, from March 12th through 17th.

The results show the amount of radioactive substances in the atmosphere, external exposures and accumulation on the ground.

A map from March 12th, a day after the disaster, shows radioactive substances first flowed towards the southeast and then gradually moved north.

The Agency says it calculated the data based on updated figures obtained from the nuclear reactors through June.

The 600 pages of information are available on the internet.

The Agency will provide all the data to Fukushima Prefecture. It wants to use the information when conducting health research for its residents to estimate their amount of radiation exposure.
Monday, July 25, 2011 06:32 +0900 (JST)

Things are definitely better at Daiichi- the workers are complaining.

Workers at Fukushima plant report harsh conditions
Workers involved in the restoration of the areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant say their working conditions have been harsh.

About 1,500 temporary workers of subcontractors hired by leading construction companies gathered in Tokyo on Sunday to discuss the situation.

A man who took part in the construction of emergency housing in Iwate Prefecture said he had been promised 20,000 yen, or 250 dollars, per day, but received only about one-third of the amount.

He said there were inadequate meals and workers had to sleep together 40 per room.

There were also reports about the conditions for those engaged in treatment of radioactive water and piping construction at the Fukushima plant.

The workers were forced to work without any explanation about the risk of radiation or any measures against heat strokes.

Another worker said he has received only half of the wages he had been promised for building temporary housing in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. He said he wants the government to do something about the unfair working conditions.

The organizers say these issues have not surfaced before because many workers find it inappropriate to complain when they think about the hardships of people in the disaster-hit areas.
Monday, July 25, 2011 09:51 +0900 (JST)

Another earthquake, but it appears to have caused no problems at any nuclear plants, or for that matter, anywhere else.

M.6.2 Quake hits Miyagi and Fukushima
An aftershock from the March 11th earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.2 hit Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures in northeastern Japan at 3:51 AM local time on Monday.

The depth of focus of the earthquake, which occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, was 40 kilometers.

The Meteorological Agency says there is no danger of a tsunami.

In Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Soma City and Nara Town, both in Fukushima Prefecture, an intensity of 5 minus was registered on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7.

Shocks registering lower intensities were recorded throughout wide areas of Japan from Hokkaido to the Tokai region.
Monday, July 25, 2011 06:32 +0900 (JST)

[dorispulaski]

Even if the new system (built I believe by Toshiba) also limps along, two limping systems are better than one.

New decontamination unit to arrive at Fukushima
A new system to decontaminate radioactive water will arrive at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Tuesday. The current system, the key to cooling the reactors, has been plagued with problems.

The new equipment, SARRY, consists of 14 cylindrical tanks containing minerals. It is designed to reduce radioactive substances in water, such as cesium, to less than one millionth.

The first shipment of tanks and parts left a port in Iwaki, Fukushima on Monday.

The existing device at the plant was hit with problems from Sunday to Monday. Its operating rate has been reduced to 53 percent, far below the goal of 90 percent.

The plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to use the new system, along with the existing one.

The utility will bring the remaining components to the Fukushima plant in 2 more shipments. It then aims to begin operating the new system around early August.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 07:16 +0900 (JST)

The part about leaves is well-taken; some trees particularly concentrate a lot of cesium in the leaves. However, typically cesium is excreted in urine rather than manure, though. The government should have thought about this months ago, I'm sorry to say.

Govt seeking voluntary ban on compost and humus
Japan's government is calling on farmers not to use or sell compost and humus made in the east of the country since the start of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Radioactive cesium exceeding the government's permissible levels has been found in rice straw sold by dealers in Miyagi and other prefectures.

The agriculture ministry wants a voluntary ban on the use and sale of compost made of manure from cows that may have been fed the contaminated straw. The measure also applies to humus from fallen leaves.

The ministry says the ban should continue until it draws up guidelines for levels of radioactive cesium in compost.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 15:57 +0900 (JST)

I would assume that being prepared for a big tsunami would include placing the plant higher about sea level?

Nuclear plants urged to brace for biggest tsunami
A senior member of a Japanese government council on disaster preparedness says nuclear plants must prepare for the biggest possible tsunami, no matter how small the likelihood of such an event.

Kansai University Professor Yoshiaki Kawata, who heads the council's survey team, briefed the Nuclear Safety Commission on the council's new tsunami measures on Tuesday.

Kawata said a nuclear plant that Chugoku Electric Power Company plans to build by the Seto Inland Sea could be at risk. He cited new findings that a past massive earthquake in the Pacific off central to southwestern Japan sent tsunami waves into the sea.

Kawata also cited old documents that say a tsunami hit Wakasa Bay in Fukui Prefecture after an earthquake about 400 years ago. Thirteen nuclear reactors are located by the bay in the Sea of Japan.

Kawata said even an inland quake could send earth and sand crashing into the sea, triggering a tsunami.

He said the impact of an accident caused by failure to prepare for the biggest possible tsunami would be enormous.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 17:03 +0900 (JST)

Kan: Japan needs national nuclear energy debate
Prime Minister Naoto Kan has told the visiting head of the International Atomic Energy Agency that Japan needs to have a broad national debate about reducing its reliance on nuclear power.

Kan met IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano in Tokyo on Tuesday, one day after Amano visited the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Amano said the IAEA can help Japan with its expertise and experience in radiation decontamination, handling of melted reactor cores and extraction of spent nuclear fuel rods.

Kan said Japan has completed the first stage of bringing the Fukushima nuclear disaster under control, and is moving on to the second phase. He said that Japan wants to cooperate fully with the IAEA.
Referring to his recent call for Japan to reduce its reliance on nuclear energy, Kan said the country needs to hold a wide public debate on the issue.

On July 13th, the prime minister told a news conference that Japan should cut its dependence on nuclear power.
Following a tide of criticism, he said that this was his own view and not government policy.

After his meeting with Kan, Amano told reporters there is no doubt more nuclear plants would be built around the world in the future, as many countries think they need nuclear energy to deal with global warming. He said building safe nuclear plants will contribute to safe use of atomic energy.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 16:08 +0900 (JST)

Govt to buy back cesium-contaminated beef
The Japanese government says it will buy back beef containing unsafe levels of radioactive cesium that has already reached the distribution chain.

Agriculture minister Michihiko Kano announced the step on Tuesday, adding that the contaminated beef will be purchased through a private-sector body.

Kano said the measure is designed to allay consumer concerns over the feeding of cattle with rice straw containing cesium in excess of the government-set limit.

NHK has learned that nearly 2,900 head of cattle allegedly given such feed have been shipped to 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures, excluding Okinawa.

Excessive levels of cesium have been detected in beef in 6 of the prefectures, including Fukushima, where work continues to contain a nuclear plant accident.

Beef with radioactive cesium at levels within the safety limit will not be bought back. But, the government will subsidize the cost of storing it for the time being.

Agriculture minister Kano assured consumers that these measures will ensure that only safe beef reaches market.

The costs of purchasing and storing the beef will be eventually passed on to Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the disabled nuclear plant.

The government will also help livestock farmers affected by restrictions and price declines by offering them 50,000 yen, or about 640 dollars, for each head of cattle that was supposed to be shipped.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 11:48 +0900 (JST)

And I thought this was an interesting thing:


http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_i...311576258P.pdf


25 July 2011

Two TEPCO Employees on Winning Women’s World Cup Soccer Team:
Both Had Worked at Fukushima Daiichi NPS


Two members of that team belonged to the TEPCO Mareeze team, sponsored by TEPCO. Both women used to work at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS). TEPCO Mareeze has been inactive this season ever since the March 11 accident at Fukushima Daiichi, and its dissolution is expected, as TEPCO is ceasing to fund all non-essential activities.

Forward Karina Maruyama (photo, R), who scored the winning goal in the quarterfinal against Germany, played for TEPCO Mareeze from 2005 through 2009, and formerly worked at the nuclear power station. Since the giant March 11 earthquake, she has frequently posted messages on her own blog to encourage other TEPCO employees. Defender Aya Sameshima (photo, L) worked as an employee at Fukushima Daiichi until the earthquake, practicing with TEPCO Mareeze after work.

[dorispulaski]

July 27, 3:00 PM JST TEPCO status

On July 26, a staff of TEPCO wore the full-face mask at the Fukushima Daini Power Station and then moved to the Fukushima Daiichi Power Station. When he drove a car to return to the main anti-earthquake building of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Station at 2:45pm on the same day, he found that he had forgotten attaching the filter to the mask. It was confirmed that the internal exposure level was not harmful to the human body.

- At 9:59 am on July 26, we started transferring accumulated water from Central Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility (Miscellaneous Solid Waste Volume Reduction Treatment Building) to Central Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building). At 4:01 PM on same day, we stopped transferring.


- At 10:00 am on July 27, regarding low level accumulated water which was transferred from Turbine Building of Unit 6 to the temporary tank, we recommenced to transferring the water from temporary tank to mega float. At 10:45 am on the same day, we found the leak of accumulated water at pump for transferring from temporary tank to mega float, and we stopped transferring. From 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm on the same day, we conducted replacement work of the transferring pump. It will be restarted tomorrow.

- From 12:00 pm to 12:40 pm on July 27, 3 TEPCO's employees entered in the Reactor Building for the investigation at the point of injecting water.

This has already happened, and there are photos of the interior, and radiation measurements on the 1st and 2nd floors and the staircase connecting them, from the press handouts.

Workers to inspect No.3 reactor building

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will send workers into the No.3 reactor building on Wednesday to check the condition of its piping. They will have to work quickly, with high levels of radioactivity making it difficult to operate inside the building for long periods of time.

Tokyo Electric Power Company made the decision after a remote-control robot on Tuesday found limited damage to pipes and valves in the building.

TEPCO injects a total of around 390 tons of water daily into reactors 1 to 3 to cool them down, but most of it becomes highly contaminated. The No. 3 reactor is the largest source of contamination as it needs double the amount of water because of leaks and other problems.

On Wednesday, 6 workers will enter the second and third floors of the building. They are expected to try to learn whether it is OK to send coolant water into the pipes there.

The robot probe found radiation levels in part of the building of up to 75 millisieverts per hour, making extended work difficult.

TEPCO says it will ensure employees have sufficient protection against radioactivity and work only for a short period of time.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 14:25 +0900 (JST)

Apparently this is in aid of reducing the amount of water injected to Unit 3

TEPCO seeks new ways to reduce contaminated water

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun looking for new ways to reduce the amount of contaminated water that is hampering efforts to stabilize the damaged reactors.

Tokyo Electric Power Company sent a remote-controlled robot into the No.3 reactor building on Tuesday to take photos of the piping and measure radiation levels.

TEPCO decided to use the robot to find methods of cooling the nuclear fuel in the first 3 reactors with less water.

The utility injects about 390 tons of water into the reactors every day, but most of it becomes contaminated with radioactive materials.

TEPCO says the temperature of the No.3 reactor is relatively stable, but it needs more water than the others because of leaks and other problems.

Reducing the volume of contaminated water is the key to putting the reactors under control, but a system for treating radioactive water has been hit by a series of troubles.

TEPCO hopes to eventually send workers into the buildings to find a way to pour water directly onto the fuel rods.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 08:27 +0900 (JST)

I thought the Japanese government was considering not allowing the export of Japanese nuclear technology, but that probably would not apply to projects that are already under contract?

TEPCO won't help Turkey build nuclear power plants but will help Vietnam

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will withdraw from Japan's bid to export nuclear power technology to Turkey.

Turkey plans 4 nuclear reactors on the Black Sea coast. Electronic maker Toshiba, backed by the Japanese government, is seeking construction rights.

Tokyo Electric Power Company had earlier planned to provide technical help on the project. But it now says it will focus on compensating victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident, including those forced to evacuate.

However, a consortium including the Japanese government and TEPCO appears likely to receive an order to build nuclear reactors in Vietnam.

Senior TEPCO official Junichi Matsumoto told reporters that the utility will continue playing a part in the national project of exporting a nuclear power plant to Vietnam.
Thursday, July 28, 2011 05:25 +0900 (JST)

Japan thanks Thailand for quake aid

Japan's Embassy in Thailand has launched a campaign to thank Thailand for supporting Japan in the aftermath of the March 11th quake and tsunami.

Thailand sent nearly 18 million dollars as well as medical experts to Japan following the disaster.

Japan's Ambassador Seiji Kojima told reporters at the Embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday that the campaign is designed to convey gratitude for Thailand's donations and messages of encouragement. He said it is also designed to show Thais that Japan is recovering and safe to visit.

The campaign involves events to promote tourism and study programs in Japan and to spotlight Japanese food.
Thursday, July 28, 2011 05:25 +0900 (JST)

[dorispulaski]

More rain for Fukushima, and its pretty disastrous rain. More people have to be evacuated.

Torrential rain hits Niigata & Fukushima NHK

Torrential rain in Niigata and Fukushima prefectures in northern Japan has caused rivers to overflow, raising the danger of landslides.

Six people are missing in the region. One man in Fukushima was caught in a mudslide as he was constructing a sandbag barrier to hold off the floods.

Since Wednesday, rainfall in Fukushima has exceeded 600 millimeters, while Niigata has gotten more than 450 millimeters.

Authorities have issued an evacuation advisory to 193,000 residents.

The Meteorological Agency is calling on people to be on the alert for floods, landslides, lightning and strong winds.
Saturday, July 30, 2011 03:02 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO has not reported any problems with this extra rain, as yet. The second water treatment system should be at Fukushima Daiichi soon, though.

TEPCO's 3:00 PM JST report for July 29th.

At 4:56 pm on July 22, we started transfer of accumulated water from the vertical shaft, T/B, Unit 2 to Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building). At 9:43 m on July 29, we stopped the transfer.

- At 4:53 am on July 22, we started transfer of accumulated water from the basement of Unit 3 T/B to Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building). At 9:48 1m on July 21, we stopped the transfer.

- At 10 am on July 29, we commenced the accumulated water transferred from the basement of Unit 6 Turbine Building to the temporary tank. - At 10:03 am on July 29, we commenced the accumulated water transferred from Miscellaneous Solid Waste Volume Reduction Treatment Building (High Temperature Incinerator Building) to Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building).

- From 10:37 am to 12:50 pm on July 29, we implemented the gas sampling of Unit 1 Primary Containment Vessel.

- At 11:55 am on July 29, we injected hydrazine into Unit 3 Spent Fuel Pool by using circulation cooling system. At 1:29 pm on the same day, we stopped the injection.

- At 5:30 pm on July 28, flow rate of injecting water to Unit 2 reactor was adjusted to approx. 3.6m3/h after reduction of flow rate was observed.

- At 10:00 am on July 28, regarding the low level accumulated water transferred from Unit 6 Turbine Building to the temporary tank, we recommenced the transfer from the temporary tank to the "Mega-Float". At 5 pm on the same day, we stopped the transfer.

- At 11:00 am on July 28, we recommenced to transferring the accumulated water in the basement of the Unit 6 Turbine Building to the temporary tank. At 4 pm on the same day, we stopped the transfer.

- At 2:33 pm on July 28, we started fresh water injection into the Reactor well and the Drier separator pit of Unit 4. At 6:50 pm on the same day, we stopped the water injection.

TEPCO to extract air from troubled reactors
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will extract air from troubled reactors at the plant to measure the amount of radioactive substances. The work is part of efforts to curb the amount of radioactivity released into the atmosphere.

Up to around one billion becquerels of radioactive substances are believed to be released every hour from reactors No.1, 2 and 3. It is not known how accurate this figure is because it was worked out by taking readings of the air on the plant's premises.

Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to extract air inside the containment vessels of the reactors through pipes. The extracted air will be analyzed by a device set up on the first floor of the reactor buildings.

The operation is intended to obtain accurate data on what kind of radioactive substances are being released and in what quantity.

The air extraction is expected to begin later on Friday for the No.1 reactor and in early August for the No.2 unit. No plans have been decided for the No.3 reactor due to high radiation levels in part of its building.

TEPCO hopes the findings may also help the company grasp the extent of leakage of nuclear fuels into the containment vessels.

Under the second phase of its plan to stabilize the plant, TEPCO aims to minimize the release of nuclear materials and bring the reactors to a stable state called a cold shutdown over the next 6 months.
Friday, July 29, 2011 09:43 +0900 (JST)

Wastewater recycling partially halted at Fukushima
A problematic water decontamination system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has forced its operator to stop pumping out radioactive water pooled in the basements of reactor buildings.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, said on Friday that a waste disposal facility where radioactive water is kept before being decontaminated is almost full because of a delay in the decontamination process.

As a result, TEPCO suspended the transfer of contaminated water to the facility from the plant's No. 2 and 3 reactor buildings.

The utility uses a wastewater system that decontaminates radioactive water and recycles it as coolant for reactors.

But since a June 17th test run of the system, it has been plagued with glitches and its operating rate has remained below the target of 70 percent.

TEPCO says, however, that the radioactive water in the basements is very unlikely to overflow since the system is working, and that the transfer can resume in 2 days.

TEPCO also reported that one of the system's pumps in a device for removing radioactive cesium has stopped working, but that the failure has not affected the system's operating rate.
Friday, July 29, 2011 16:03 +0900 (JST)

1,500 tons of radioactive sludge cannot be buried
Nearly 50,000 tons of sludge at water treatment facilities has been found to contain radioactive cesium as the result of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Over 1,500 tons is so contaminated that it cannot be buried for disposal.

Water treatment facilities in eastern and northeastern Japan have been discovering sludge containing cesium.

The health ministry says there is 49,250 tons of such sludge in 14 prefectures in eastern and northeastern Japan.

A total of 1,557 tons in 5 prefectures, including Fukushima and Miyagi, was found to contain 8,000 or more becquerels per kilogram. This sludge is too radioactive to be buried for disposal.

The most contaminated sludge, with 89,697 becquerels per kilogram, was discovered at a water treatment facility in Koriyama City, Fukushima.

The ministry says 76 percent of the roughly 50,000 tons of radioactive sludge is being stored at water treatment plants and they have no ways to dispose of most of it.

It says more than 54,000 tons of additional sludge has not been checked for radioactive materials.

The ministry plans to study how to dispose of the radioactive sludge.
Friday, July 29, 2011 04:35 +0900 (JST)

Apparently the Kyushu Electric may only have been replicating what NISA asked before. Chubu Electric says that's how it worked in 2007.

Chubu Electric: NISA tried to deceive public forum
Chubu Electric Power Company says the government's nuclear agency asked it to make sure that questions in favor of nuclear power be asked at a government-sponsored symposium in 2007.

In a report submitted to the government on Friday, the utility said the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency requested that it gather participants and have local residents pose prearranged questions at the forum held in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

The utility said it refused NISA's request to arrange the questions, citing difficulties with ensuring compliance. But senior officials of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant sent e-mails to employees and visited affiliate companies in an effort to comply with the request.

An official of Chubu Electric Power Company said on Friday that his firm issued calls to the public to participate in the forum.

He said he doesn't think the act was an outright breach of the law. But he added that it could have led to the misunderstanding that his firm was trying to manipulate public opinion, and he offered apologies.

The revelation comes after Kyushu Electric Power Company came under fire for submitting fake e-mails in support of a restart of idled nuclear reactors in a government-sponsored meeting for local residents in June.

Following the scandal, the industry ministry ordered the 6 Electric Power Companies to conduct an internal investigation of its activities aimed at winning local support for nuclear power.
Friday, July 29, 2011 14:15 +0900 (JST)