Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

[dorispulaski]

I'm sorry that I haven't posted very frequently over this holiday. However, here's a wrapup of the news I found during the period (I was still reading, but not posting).

NHK NEWS

This system sounds very promising, especially as the disposal of rubble has been difficult to solve.

New system to dispose radioactive debris developed

A municipality in Fukushima Prefecture plans to use on a trial basis new disposal equipment for debris contaminated with radioactive substances.

The environmental equipment company based in Tokyo that developed the new system says it will reduce the volume of rubble from the earthquake and tsunami in March to about one-300th of the current size on average.

The company says the wreckage will be heat-treated in an oxygen-free environment and be broken down into gas, oil, and ceramic powder.

As the ceramic powder absorbs the radioactive material, the firm says the process is expected to create no contaminated ash.

Tests carried out in Hirono Town, Fukushima Prefecture, show that debris was reduced to one-268th of the current volume, and that almost all radioactive substances were absorbed by the ceramic powder.

The town plans to begin test-use of the equipment in December and consider full-scale introduction if it proves effective.

Other disaster-hit municipalities around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are also interested in the new equipment.
Sunday, November 27, 2011 10:46 +0900 (JST)

Symposium on radiation exposure held in Hiroshima

International nuclear experts are discussing ways to promote medical research and treatment for radiation exposure.
They opened a two-day symposium on Wednesday in Hiroshima. It is the first meeting of its kind jointly sponsored by Hiroshima Prefecture, medical organizations, and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

One of the speakers was Fukushima Medical University Professor Seiji Yasumura. He is in charge of conducting a survey on the health of residents in Fukushima Prefecture following the nuclear disaster there.

Professor Yasumura said the current budget for his study is not sufficient because of the time needed to do the work and the fact that few people fill out the surveys that help him estimate levels of radiation exposure. IAEA Deputy Director General Daud Mohamad said the agency will provide all possible support to Fukushima Prefecture if requested.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 22:18 +0900 (JST)

If you are a Fukushima resident, please fill out your survey. This work is important.

Over 80 percent of nuke reactors to be shut down

Another nuclear reactor in Japan will be shut down for regular inspection on Friday. With this addition to the list, more than 80 percent of the nuclear reactors in the country will not be operating. The shutdown procedure for the reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, will begin in the evening. The reactor will come to a
complete halt before dawn on Saturday.

The latest shutdown means 44 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors, or more than 80 percent, will not be generating power.

Some of the idle reactors are now undergoing stress tests, a prerequisite for deciding whether to resume operation. Authorities from Fukui Prefecture, which has 11 nuclear reactors, sa y they will not approve resumption unless the central government provides them with new safety standards which take into account the findings from the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear accident. Other reactors also face a similar situation in considering whether to restart
operations.

All nuclear reactors in Japan which are currently operating are scheduled to undergo regular inspection by next spring, at the latest. If the present stalemate in safety persists, the country will see all 54 nuclear reactors shut down.

Friday, November 25, 2011 07:50 +0900 (JST)

More Fukushima rice tainted with cesium

Fukushima Prefecture says it has found rice tainted with radioactive cesium above the tentative government limit from five more farms.

The prefecture said on Friday that the five farms are in the Oonami district of Fukushima City, about 56 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The highest level of cesium detected was 1,270 becquerels per kilogram. The government's maximum allowable level is 500 becquerels per kilogram.

Earlier this month, the prefectural government found rice samples from a field in the district also containing radioactive cesium above the limit.

Shipments of rice harvested from the area have been suspended by central government since last Thursday.

Fukushima Prefecture subsequently ordered tests on rice samples from all 154 farms in the Oonami district.
Friday, November 25, 2011 21:04 +0900 (JST)

Cesium from nuclear plant spread along mountains

An aerial survey has shown that radioactive cesium from the Fukushima nuclear disaster has accumulated along the mountains of eastern Japan.

Japan's science ministry released on Friday the results of the helicopter survey, covering 22 prefectures in eastern and central Japan.

The results are indicated in a colored map showing varying levels of cesium in soil. The radioactive substance has a long half-life, and is likely to affect the environment for decades.

Areas immediately northwest and south of the nuclear plant are indicated in red and yellow. This shows they have the highest concentrations of cesium, at above one-million becquerels per square meter.
Areas in blue, with concentrations of 30,000 becquerels or more, are seen spreading out toward Miyagi Prefecture -- about 60 kilometers to the north, and to Gunma Prefecture -- about 200 kilometers southwest.

The pattern appears to correspond to the location of mountain ranges in the region.

In one of the routes of contamination, clouds carrying the radioactive substance apparently hit a mountain range northeast of the plant, before being carried by the wind to peaks far north of Tokyo.

The science ministry says the mountains could have blocked the radioactive fallout from spreading further.

The ministry plans to expand its aerial survey early next year, focusing on western Japan and the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
Friday, November 25, 2011 18:58 +0900 (JST)

Here's the map
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/update/images/20111125_25_v_s2.jpg


MEXT environmental maps
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/
Sea soil outside a 30 km radius about the plant.
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/...aNPP_sea_marine_soil/2011/20282/1350_1125.pdf
(none over 500 becquerels/kg--380 the highest

Readings for towns outside the 20 km zone:
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/...nitoring_out_of_20km/2011/11/23454/index.html

Iitate Village at 11 milliSieverts per hour
Namie village 14.7 milliSieverts per hour
Namie village 17.8 milliSieverts per hour
Namie village 32 milliSieverts per hour

German anti-nuclear protesters clash with police

Several thousand anti-nuclear protesters have clashed with police in Germany, trying to disrupt a shipment of reprocessed nuclear waste. At least 20 police officers as well as some protesters were injured.

It was the first shipment of nuclear waste into the country since the accident at the Fukushima power plant in Japan in March.

A cargo train carrying about 150 tons of reprocessed nuclear waste arrived in western Germany from France on Friday. Germany has a contract with a French firm for the reprocessing of nuclear waste from domestic nuclear power plants.

On Saturday, thousands of citizens staged a sit-in on rail tracks to be used by the train to carry the waste to a storage facility in the northern town of Gorleben. Some protestors set fires on the tracks.

In Dannenberg, near the facility, several thousand people held a rally to call for an immediate shutdown of all nuclear plants in the country. Organizers put the figure at 23,000.

The German government decided to shut down all of the country's nuclear plants by 2022, following the accident at the Fukushima power plant. But problems remain, as a plan to build facilities for the permanent disposal of the country's nuclear waste has been suspended.
Sunday, November 27, 2011 08:54 +0900 (JST)

If they are so afraid of the nuclear waste, you'd think they wouldn't be using explosives near them, like Molotov cocktails. And it is interesting that NHK did not include this detail.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501714_162-57331038/nuclear-waste-shipment-to-germany-draws-protests/
CBS reported it this way:

November 24, 2011 2:51 PM

Nuclear waste shipment enters Germany
(AP) DANNENBERG, Germany — Demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at police, setting a vehicle on fire, as skirmishes intensified Friday after a shipment of nuclear waste reprocessed in France crossed into Germany on its way to a controversial storage site.

The clash broke out in the afternoon between about 400 riot police and 300 demonstrators in the woods outside the northern German town of Dannenberg, near the storage facility at Gorleben where the nuclear waste is being transported by train.

Protesters threw Molotov cocktails and other pyrotechnics at officers, setting a police transport van ablaze, said federal police spokesman Martin Ackert. As a fire truck tried to rush to the scene, demonstrators blocked it, then punctured its tires before fleeing into the forest, he said.

It's good to see people having fun, and good to see they are in temporary homes, and not shelters, in Iwate Prefecture & Miyagi prefecture in the following two stories.

US/UK craftsmen make furniture for temporary homes

Craftsmen working for a US furniture company visited a town in northeastern Japan to make furniture with local people living in temporary homes following the disaster in March.

Nine US and British craftsmen from the Herman Miller company made chairs and boxes with people living in temporary homes at a school gym in Onagawa City, Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday.

A 10-year-old boy who took part said it was hard at first, but that it became fun after he got used to it. He said the craftsmen gave him a sense of confidence.

The president of the company's Japanese subsidiary, Ben Matsuzaki, said the craftsmen were lost for words when they first saw the scene of the disaster, but that they tried to enjoy making furniture with the local people.

He said he would like the people to continue to use the furniture until life returns to normal.
Saturday, November 26, 2011 14:51 +0900 (JST)

People in temporary homes enjoy mochi pounding
People living in temporary homes in a town in disaster-hit northeastern Japan got to enjoy a traditional year-end event on Saturday.... making rice cakes.

The event took place in a schoolyard in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, where temporary homes have been built.

The residents took turns pounding the rice cake, and called out each time the mallet was brought down.

The fresh rice cake was then coated with toasted soybean flour or sweet bean paste, and served to the participants.

The event was organized by a group supporting disaster-hit people. Mountain climbers and university students joined the event as volunteers.
The head of the group, Hidehiko Otsuka, says he wanted people living in temporary housing to come out and have fun.

He said he was glad to see them smiling.
Saturday, November 26, 2011 22:32 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

WHAT'S GOING ON THIS WEEK AT TEPCO

Tepco is still slowing decreasing water injection, to control the amount of hydrogen in the reactor vessels. This also decreases the amount of water they have to treat.
Atomic Power Review reported on this here.

http://atomicpowerreview.blogspot.com/2011/11/erroneous-readings-at-fukushima-daiichi.html

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Erroneous readings at Fukushima Daiichi No. 2
TEPCO has reported some spikes in gas temperature readings and air conditioner (primary containment) temperature readings at Fukushima Daiichi No. 2 plant. These readings show some sharp increases, or in the case of the A/C plant a "stair step" increase. Some alarm may be generated in the public (and the press) if these are not properly interpreted.

-TEPCO has begun lowering the feed rates at all three plants in order to INCREASE the temperature of the reactor cores and thus the volume of cooling water in contact with them. This is being done to increase the amount of steam extant inside the pressure vessels to ensure that hydrogen trapped there cannot burn.

As of November 30:
All of the other probes are reporting very small changes in Unit 2. The highest current reading at Unit 2, other than at the unreported probe, is 82.2 C. (safety exhaust air). They are not reporting the probe value for the presumed failing probe on the website.

The highest reading at Unit 1 is 50.5 C.
The highest reading at Unit 3 is 82.5 C at Reactor Pressure Vessel Bellows Air.

TEPCO is also changing the locations for nitrogen injection, again to be sure that no hydrogen explosions occur, and that hydrogen gas is purged from all piping and not trapped in some locations. Here's a graphic describing what they are doing:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111130_02-e.pdf

They are working on reducing the salt concentration in the Unit 4 spent fuel pool to a goal of 10 parts per million. The concentration is currently about 150 ppm and desalination has resumed. The reason for reducing salt concentration is to avoid corrosion.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111129_01-e.pdf

TEPCO is required to accurately estimate how much radioactive material is being emitted by the three reactors at all times. Here's a 14 page .pdf file describing the process:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111126_02-e.pdf

There is an update to the survey map which shows measured dosage rates near to the reactors (November 10th):
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/f1-sv-20111119-e.pdf
For comparison, here's the April map
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/f1-sv-20110427-e.pdf
A number of hot spots no longer exist, the and rest of the dosages are considerably lower, showing both expected radioactive decay, and the effects of cleaning up radioactive rubble.

And the most recent report of dosage at Fukushima Daiichi is somewhat lower than last week (7:00 PM JST November 30, 2011):
Eight peripheral measurement points (4, 19, 12, 11, 14, 32, 92, 67 ) microSieverts per hour
Near the Main Office Building 280 microSieverts per hour
Near the Main Gate 26 microSieverts per hour
Near the West Gate 11 microSieverts per hour

And the most recent report of dosage at Fukishima Daini is also somewhat lower than last week (7:00 PM JST November 30, 2011):
Seven peripheral measurement points (1.6, 1.0, 1.6, 1.4, 1.3, 0.8, 0.9) microSieverts per hour
Note 3 of these points are now at 1.0 microSieverts per hour or lower


TEPCO Live camera
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/f1-np/camera/index-e.html
Checking out the live camera, work appears to be in progress on making and repairing enclosures around Unit 2 and 3.

TEPCO STATUS NOVEMBER 30

They discuss their efforts with their gas management systems, and their different route for nitrogen injection:

*On October 28, after regular operation of the gas control system for PCV, Unit 2, since a relatively high density hydrogen was detected on October 29, we are intending to control the hydrogen density below the inflammable limit (4%) even if there is no steam, by directly including nitrogen into the RPV for Unit 1 to 3. In order to construct the nitrogen injection line direct to the reactor branched by the nitrogen injection line into the primary containment vessel of Unit 3, at 11:33 am on November 30, we temporarily stopped Nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel. Then, we restarted Nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel. At 1:20 pm on the same day, we confirmed the nitrogen injection amount (28m3/h) into the primary containment vessel was stable. In addition, In order to conduct the work on Unit 1 like Unit 3, at 11:40 am on November 30, we temporarily stopped nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel of Unit 1. Then, we restarted Nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel of Unit 1. At 12:23 pm on the same day, we confirmed the nitrogen injection amount (28m3/h) into the primary containment vessel was stable.

*At 1:45 pm on November 30, we started nitrogen injection to the Reactor Pressure Vessel. At 2:47 pm on the same day, as we confirmed nitrogen injection had not increased, we temporally stopped the operation. The cause is under investigation. We are continuing nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel of Unit 2.

And this is the item that relates to their discussion of emissions sampling above:

*At 9:00 am on November 30, we started dust sampling above the reactor building of Unit 3 with a large crane. At 12:30 pm on the same day, we finished the sampling. *At 10:00 am on November 30, we started dust sampling by a robot near the equipment hatch of ground floor, reactor building unit 3. At 10:30 am on the same day, we finished sampling. *At 1:26 pm on November 30, we started injection of hydrazine into spent fuel pool of unit 2 by using circulating cooling system.

At 10:00 am on November 30, we started dust sampling by a robot near the equipment hatch of ground floor, reactor building unit 3. At 10:30 am on the same day, we finished sampling.

and sampling from the gas management system is reported on November 29th (in case this is confusing, they found what they expected to see, cesium 134, cesium 137, and Krypton 85 (half life 11 years)

On November 29, sampling survey of gas at the gas management system of Unit 2 primary containment vessel was implemented. As a result of the analysis, we regarded the situation was not erratically because the radioactive density at the gas management system of Unit 2 primary containment vessel was under ND (1.1x10-1Bq/cm3), the criteria of erratically is 1 Bq/cc. Regarding Xe-135, its radioactive density was detected by charcoal filter* (we regarded spontaneous fission). According to the Report with regard to "Policy on the mid term security" for the Units 1 to 4 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (1) (revision) (for public on November 9), the situation of erratically therefore should be regarded by the sampling survey of gas at the gas management system of Unit 2 primary containment vessel by vial. * Detection Limit Charcoal filter: 10-6 level, Vial: 10-1 level

Here's the data:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111130_01-e.pdf

And normal maintenance stuff; sometimes pipes get clogged and need to be flushed:

- At 9:12 am on November 28, the alarm indicating that the difference of flow rates between at the entering and the exit of the primary pump at the alternative cooling system for the spent fuel pool is big went off, and the system automatically stopped. At 9:16 am on the same date, we checked the site and no abnormality such as leakage was confirmed. Then, considered the cause is stuck of dust in the pipe of flow sensor from the investigation result, at 11:50 am on November 29, we started the system and flushed. Then, we confirmed the flow sensor was operating normally. We will monitor the status of the system operation. - In order to construct the nitrogen injection line direct to the reactor branched by the nitrogen injection line into the primary containment vessel, at 1:47 pm on November 29, we temporarily stopped nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel of Unit 2. Then, we restarted Nitrogen injection into the primary containment vessel of Unit 2. At 2:37 pm on the same date, we confirmed the nitrogen injection amount (26Nm3/h) into the primary containment vessel was stable.

And the more monitors you put around the place, the more likely one or more will need maintenance on any given day:

At approx. 2:28 pm on November 28, the alarm went off from an indicator (continuous dust monitor) installed in front of Main Anti-Earthquake Building to measure airborne radiation dose continuously. In response to the alarm, we instructed to put full face masks on at 2:38 pm according to the operation procedure. We are measuring the airborne radiation dose in front of Main Anti-Earthquake Building, and investigating the cause of the alarm. We confirmed that there are no significant changes in the readings of the monitoring posts. At 2:50 pm on the same date, we replaced the filter of the monitor, and restarted by reset operation. From the result of the airborne radiation dose measurement in front of Main Anti-Earthquake Building, the airborne radiation dose in front of Main Anti-Earthquake building was less than detection threshold (7.34 x 10-6 [Bq/cm3]), which was less than the reference measure for wearing a full face mask, 1 x 10-4[Bq/cm3]. At 4:04 pm on the same date, it was announced that the workers did not have to wear a full face mask as per normal.

A great deal of what is being done is done to meet the target for "cool shutdown" and for beginning to allow more evacuees to return to their homes, if they want to.

JAIF reports on the status of this effort: In each case, there is more detail at the links given:

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1322455037P.pdf

Three Targets Achieved in Roadmap for Fukushima Daiichi NPS, with Temperatures in Reactor Vessels Also Reduced Further

On November 17, Japan’s government-TEPCO integrated response office released its monthly review of progress in the so-called roadmap, originally presented in April 2011, toward the restoration of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS), owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TEPCO), from the accident that had occurred in March.

In addition to the problems of spent fuel pools, accumulated water, tsunami measures, reinforcement, etc.—the targets of which have already been achieved, as described in the previous report on October 17—three more issues (groundwater, atmosphere and soil and measurement, and reduction and disclosure) have met their Step 2 targets, attesting to steady progress toward the completion of the step by the end of the year.

 

[dorispulaski]

RECENT SPECULATIONS & ANALYSIS ON WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED TO THE REACTORS IN MARCH 2011

There have been a number of recent articles, and responses to those articles published. And there are reports of further studies planned:

NHK NEWS, up till November 30, 2011

Recent articles on what happened, exactly, in March at Fukushima Daiichi:


This report is not yet on the English TEPCO website. However, it must be stressed that this information is based on a computer model at this time, since no one has been able to examine the containment vessels in question. Meanwhile, I thought that they last time they modelled the amount of fuel melted in reactors 2 & 3, they were at 100% or nearly 100%? If it is as low as 57% then they are no worse than Three Mile Island. You will note the "if the worst" language. Be aware, that the concentration of radioactive materials in the dry wells under the reactors is pretty stable at this point,.

TEPCO: Melted fuel ate into containment vessel
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has announced the results of an analysis on the state of melted fuel in the plant's Number 1 unit.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, and several research institutes made public their analyses on the melting of fuel rods at 3 of the plant's units at a government-sponsored study meeting on Wednesday. The analyses were based on temperatures, amounts of cooling water and other data.

TEPCO said that in the worse case, all fuel rods in the plant's Number 1 reactor may have melted and dropped through its bottom into a containment vessel. The bottom of the vessel is concrete covered with a steel plate.

The utility said the fuel may have eroded the bottom to a depth of 65 centimeters. The thinnest part of the section is only 37 centimeters thick.

TEPCO also said as much as 57 percent of the fuel in the plant's Number 2 reactor and 63 percent in the Number 3 reactor may have melted, and that some of the melted fuel may have fallen through reactor vessels.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 20:02 +0900 (JST)

http://atomicpowerreview.blogspot.com/2011/11/tepco-reporting-on-vessel-failure.html

I usually turn to Atomic Power Review on this subject, because he is a very knowledgeable on the subject. And he seems to get to see the English translation before I do. Or reads Japanese. Anyway, Will Davis says:

To summarize the report (and we should note this is all preliminary) TEPCO feels that the melted core material that exited the pressure vessel may in the worst case, or in other words if the worst postulated case exists, have eaten about 2/3 of the way into the bottom structure of the dry well.

No exit of the material from the dry well structure is supposed.

TEPCO does not feel the material could have gotten below the structure, or into the actual basement, or come in contact with the floor or the ground. The material is not in the earth below the plant. Such reports as this are circulating, leading to a widely hysterical supposition on one site of a "hydrovolcanic explosion." That is about the worst - and certainly the least intelligent - hyperbole this author has ever read. I only mention it here because TEPCO's initial analysis released to NHK today (and about which I'm sure we'll see more) is timely in relation to that story.

What exactly happened at Reactor 2 is very unclear, even yet. It's the reactor that still has most of its exterior structure intact. Reactors 1 through 4 at Fukushima Daiichi have some common piping and are close together, and that makes delayering what happened particularly challenging.

TEPCO says no explosion occurred at No.2 reactor

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says there was no explosion at the No. 2 reactor, denying an earlier report that there was. But the company says it is still unable to determine how and why radioactive substances were released from the reactor.

NHK has obtained Tokyo Electric Power Company's interim report on the nuclear accident that was triggered by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th.

The report includes findings from a study that the utility launched in June to analyze how the accident occurred and how workers responded to it.

The report says that almost all electricity sources for the reactors were lost at once following the tsunami.

As a result, multiple safety functions were also lost, causing meltdowns from the No. 1 to the No. 3 reactors.

TEPCO analyzed seismographic data recorded within the plant in the early morning of March 15th, 4 days after the disaster, when a large blast was reportedly heard near the containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor.

The company concluded in the report that there was no explosion at the No. 2 reactor, and that a blast at the No. 4 reactor was mistakenly believed to have occurred at the No. 2.

Later that day, pressure inside the No. 2 reactor vessel dropped sharply, and radiation levels near the plant's main gate rose above 10 millisieverts per hour, then the highest level so far.
The interim report fails to specify how the leakage occurred at the containment vessel, just saying that gas in the vessel was somehow released into the air.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 09:58 +0900 (JST)

What all this means is that we don't know exactly what happened yet, and the data we do have is interpreted differently by different experts. There is no doubt that more investigation is needed, but conditions at the plant place limitations on what can actually be determined yet.

Expert urges probe of No.2 reactor leak
The spike in radiation levels following unspecified trouble at the No.2 reactor on March 15th was much more prominent than on March 12th or 14th, when explosions hit the No.1 and No.3 reactors.

Shinichiro Kado, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo, calls the reactor containment vessel "a final fortress" for keeping radioactive substances trapped, and a "cornerstone" for the integrity of a nuclear plant.

Kado says a breach of the vessel is extremely grave.

He says TEPCO needs to clarify how radioactive substances were released, by cross-referencing data on reactor conditions and patterns of radioactive dispersion in the atmosphere.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 09:58 +0900 (JST)

Somehow I don't think the tsunami was caused by the aging of the reactor, although the effects of aging of reactors is interesting in itself. However, the main question, as with all technological items, is whether maintenance has been done, whether the maintenance is the correct maintenance, and whether the correct maintenance can counter any effects of aging.

Panel studies aging effect on Fukushima accident

Japanese nuclear experts are investigating how the aging of facilities factored into the accident that struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, together with a panel of experts, has begun studying regulations on aging nuclear plants. Nineteen --- or more than one-third of all reactors in Japan, including those in Fukushima --- began their operations more than 30 years ago.

In their first meeting on Tuesday, the panel's secretariat reported that the Fukushima Daiichi plant shut down automatically after the March 11th quake, and emergency power generators were working until the tsunami struck.

The staff said that facility aging did not appear to have been an issue in the accident.

The Fukushima plant lost all electricity sources on the day of the disaster, which caused meltdowns at 3 of the reactors.

But some experts said it is too early to determine causal relations of the accident at this point.

The government panel decided to study whether the age of facilities played a role in the accident before making revisions to its safety regulations for aging reactors.

In the meeting, the experts also reported that steel used for a 36-year-old reactor at the Genkai nuclear plant in southwestern Japan has become weaker than estimated.

Some members said that to win local approval to continue operating the reactor, the reason why this happened must be determined as soon as possible.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 18:35 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

NHK NEWS November 30th


And outside Fukushima Daiichi, in Fukushima prefecture:

Cesium detected from more Fukushima rice

Fukushima Prefecture is set to expand its testing of rice crops, after higher-than-permissible levels of radioactive cesium were detected from more post-harvest samples.

Prefectural officials said on Monday that rice from 3 farms in Date City contained cesium above the government's safety limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram. The highest measurement reached 1,050 becquerels.

The officials say 9 kilograms of the crop were sold locally earlier this month, and that it is trying to find out who purchased the rice.

Date City is located over 50 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The city is close to the Onami district, where excess levels of cesium first turned up in rice in mid-November.

The discovery in Onami prompted the prefecture to test crop samples in Date and other radioactive hot spots.

Prefectural officials say they will now expand the testing to cover more than 2,300 farms in other nearby municipalities, where radiation levels are relatively high.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 12:43 +0900 (JST)

If you learn how to decontaminated in an orderly way, and are able to deploy stuff as quickly as possible, and avoid just moving contamination around, it will be better for everyone.

Academic society set up to study decontamination

A group of researchers has set up an academic society in the hope of helping on-going efforts to remove radioactive materials caused by the trouble at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Researchers in a wide range of fields, including atomic energy and nuclear waste, jointly launched the society at a meeting in Tokyo on Monday.

Ehime University visiting professor Masatoshi Morita, an expert on environmental pollution, said progress has been slow in decontamination efforts centering on Fukushima Prefecture.

He emphasized the need for the cooperation of various types of specialists to study technologies that would be effective in cleaning up radioactive contamination.
A Japan Atomic Energy Agency official in charge of decontamination in Fukushima noted that radioactive contamination levels on houses near forests are difficult to reduce because of the radioactivity that adheres to trees.

The society hopes to come up with recommendations for municipal authorities making decontamination efforts.
Monday, November 28, 2011 21:44 +0900 (JST

Mr. Ski should get back into the contamination control business, He was a successful consultant in the general area before he retired. His clients at the time were most frequently medical or semiconductor companies (and some odd ones like making window films and O rings), but I think he should think about coming out of retirement.


And in general:

In case you didn't recall (and I didn't) next year is the Year of the Dragon. I hope the priest is right about the effect of the dragon on peace!

Huge dragon tablet appears in Kobe shrine

The dragon is next year's zodiac symbol but it's already making an impression. A shrine in western Japan is now displaying a powerful dragon painted on a giant wooden tablet in preparation for the New Year.

The tablet was dedicated to Ikuta Shrine in Kobe city, Hyogo prefecture during a traditional ceremony on Monday. It was unveiled before a crowd of excited spectators in front of the worship hall.

The dragon is drawn with powerful brushstrokes with its mouth gaping open. The tablet itself measures about 2 meters tall and 3 meters wide.
Spectators were busy taking photos.

The chief priest of the shrine says the dragon will help dispel any potential disasters. He hopes this will make next year a peaceful one.

Ikuta Shrine attracts the largest number of worshippers in Hyogo prefecture during the New Year holidays each year.
Monday, November 28, 2011 16:27 +0900 (JST)

 

[let`s talk]

Some stuff about the consumer's market and Fukushima products: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/recovery/AJ201111300072a

 

[dorispulaski]

Thank you for that link, let's talk.

As the end of the year approaches, and the projected date for allowing some evacuees to return to their homes, it's worth thinking about what Cold Shutdown, the guideline that the Japanese government has agreed with TEPCO involves. NEI has an article on this:

http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-is-cold-shutdown.html

In a normal situation, cold shutdown in the US involves a reactor's temperature being below 200 F (93.33 C).

However that is when there is no damage to the reactor pressure vessel. Japan and TEPCO are using this altered definition:

Temperature of RPV bottom is, in general, below 100 degrees Celsius.
Release of radioactive materials from PCV is under control and public radiation exposure by additional release is being significantly held down. (Not exceed 1 mSv/y at the site boundary as a target.)

Some Japanese papers have projected that this milestone to be reached by December 15th.

TEPCO released their first "final report" on the disaster. The Wall Street Journal reported it this way:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204012004577073492586384110.html

NEI has an article about the modelling data on the containment vessel damage at Fukushima Daiichi. I have reported on this from the general news, but NEI has more detail on the actual structures of the reactors, and of the model.
http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-containment-vessel-damage-at.html
Here's the meat of the article

A quick read of the article could give one the impression that the melted core was a little more than half a meter -- about 2 feet -- from reaching the external environment. I think it’s important to note that according to the TEPCO analysis only .7 meters (a little more than two feet) of concrete was actually eroded. In addition, as we've written before, plants have multiple redundant safety systems in place to protect the public, and that's exactly the case with Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1.
In addition to the 2.6 meters (about 8.5 feet) of steel reinforced concrete inside the containment vessel, underneath the steel shell of the containment vessel lies another 7.6 meters (about 25 feet) of basemat reinforced concrete and steel. Altogether, that means there was 10.2 meters (about 33.5 feet) of reinforced concrete and steel standing between the reactor core and the outside of the plant before the accident.
Even if 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) of that structure has been eroded, another 8.2 meters (almost 27 feet) of reinforced steel and concrete lies between the melted fuel and the external environment.
It’s also important to note that according to tests of air samples from inside containment, it appears that the process of erosion – called corium interaction – has essentially ceased and no further damage is occurring at this time. If that process is still continuing, it is doing so at such a slow rate that TEPCO has more than enough time to develop a mitigation strategy.

December 3, 2011
'No Errors' in Nuclear Crisis
TOKYO—More than eight months after disaster struck at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said an internal investigation, its first public assessment of its handling of the crisis, found no evidence of significant errors in its response.
But the plant operator also conceded it still didn't have answers to some key questions about the disaster, in the latest reminder of how little is still known about how the March 11 accident unfolded and what the current status of the plant is.
The findings were part of an interim report on the accident that Tepco released Friday

The Davis Besse plant in the US has been declared safe to restart by the NRC: There were issues found in the repair of the bottom head
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2011/11-036.iii.pdf

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that the operators of the Davis-
Besse nuclear power plant, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Corp. (FENOC) have provided
reasonable assurance that the shield building is capable of performing its safety functions and
that the utility can proceed with restarting the plant. The NRC’s independent assessment
evaluated a wide range of information such as technical details ranging from the size of the
cracks, the utility’s sampling and testing of the concrete in the building to determine the extent of
the cracks, and its structural analysis. The plant is located in Oak Harbor, Ohio about 40 miles
southeast of Toledo.

The NRC will hold a public meeting in which FENOC will discuss their technical
analysis and explain why the plant is safe to continue to operate with the cracks in the shield
building. The meeting will take place in the near future with details to be issued once finalized.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/02/utilities-bruce-nuclear-idUSN1E7B10EC20111202
And the Bruce Unit 1 reactor in Ontario, Canada, has been reloaded with fuel and should be attached to the grid this coming spring. Bruce 1 was mothballed and is being put back into service.

The fuel load is part of a previously reported agreement between Ontario and Bruce to invest about C$5.25 billion ($5.17 billion) to restore the Bruce A units 1 and 2 and upgrade units 3 and 4.

Meanwhile,
NHK NEWS UP TILL DEC 4th

A great holiday present: It looks like the repatriation of evacuees from at least some parts of Naraha, Tomioka, Namie & Iitate can't be far behind the cleanup of their town offices!!!!

SDF units to begin decontamination in Fukushima

Japan's Self-Defense Force units will begin work this week to decontaminate municipal offices around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Teams from the Ground SDF in Fukushima Prefecture will use water jets to clean walls and floors of government buildings, and remove radioactive sludge from ditches.

The teams are also expected to scrape surface soil and prune trees at any spots around the buildings where they find high radiation levels.

The operation will cover the offices of Naraha, Tomioka, Namie and Iitate all of which are designated evacuation areas with high radiation levels.

The GSDF plans to complete the decontamination work by around December 20th.

The 4 offices are expected to then serve as headquarters for full-fledged decontamination that the central government plans to launch next year.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 05:57 +0900 (JST)

And the plan has been shown to the media:

Decontamination project shown to media

Reporters have been shown a model project to remove radioactive materials discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in the evacuation zone around the facility.

Workers commissioned by the central government have spent the past week cleaning 4.5 hectares of land around the Okuma town hall. Before they started the task, they had been monitoring the radiation levels of the area since November 18th.

The workers used high-pressure water sprays to wash radioactive substances off the roof of the town hall. They also collected dead leaves and moss, which are believed to contain high concentrations of these materials.

They tested different water temperatures and lengths of shifts to find the most efficient process for removing the substances.

The used water was stored in tanks to conduct tests for recycling, as the local sewage system has not been restored yet.

The project succeeded in reducing radiation levels from about 20 microsieverts per hour to 6 microsieverts per hour.

Masakazu Shima of the Cabinet Office nuclear crisis taskforce said he wants to sincerely apologize for the delay in starting the decontamination work. He said he wants to continue various experiments to find solutions for cases where radiation levels remain high.

He added that he hopes the decontamination can help all the evacuees to return home as soon as possible.

The government will conduct similar projects in 11 cities and municipalities and begin a full-fledged operation early next year.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 23:11 +0900 (JST)

Scientists study cesium-tainted soil in Fukushima

A team of scientists has conducted a study in Fukushima Prefecture after higher-than-permissible levels of radioactive cesium were detected in locally grown rice.

The team from the agriculture department of the University of Tokyo arrived in Date City on Saturday.

So far, rice from farms in 4 surrounding districts has been found to contain levels of cesium above the government's safety limit.

The team interviewed farmers to find out about the irrigation systems and the lay of the land around rice paddies. It also collected straw samples from the paddies and surface and sub-surface soil samples.

The samples will be tested to find out where the concentration of cesium is highest.

The team will also conduct an experiment, using the soil samples to grow rice.

The head of the team, Professor Sho Shiozawa says he will try and clarify how rice absorbs cesium. He said he hopes his research will help contribute to cleaning the land ahead of next year's rice-planting.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 02:10 +0900 (JST)

It's good to know that people are remembering those who were affected by the earthquake and tsunami, but not by Fukushima Daiichi. But it sounds like not enough may be being done for those who have moved outside the shelters.

Relief supplies given in Kesennuma
The authorities in Kesennuma City, northeastern Japan, have given out winter clothes and other household goods to people affected by the March disaster who are living outside public shelters.

The goods were given to people in 1,487 households on Sunday.

This was the first time that relief supplies were given to people who live in private apartments and houses.

At a public health center, one of the 3 distribution points set up for the day, people received bedding supplies, disposable heating pads, and other goods.

They also packed coats and sweaters donated by people around Japan into their bags.

A woman in her 60s said she found the goods useful as she lacked winter clothing. She added that there is a huge difference in the treatment given to people living in shelters and those who aren't.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 15:01 +0900 (JST)

I am a sucker for night festivals. From the news on the decontamination projects, it looks like there might even be something to celebrate!

Chichibu night festival

One of Japan's three greatest float festivals was held on Saturday.

The annual Chichibu night festival took place in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo.

6 decorated floats, each weighing more than 10 tons, paraded through the city.

The event, which is dedicated to the local gods, has a history of about 300 years and is listed as an important national intangible cultural property.

The parade climaxed with the floats being pulled up a steep slope.

More than 260,000 people also enjoyed watching fireworks light up the winter sky.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 15:01 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO reported this leak December 4th/December 5th:

At 11:33 am on December 4, workers of cooperative company found that there was puddle water inside the barrier around the evaporative condensation apparatus (the estimated volume of water was approx. 45 m3). At 11:52 am, we stopped the evaporative condensation apparatus 3A, and at 12:14 pm, workers made visual inspection of the apparatus and the leakage seemed stopped. After that, we conducted investigation and at 2:30 pm, we found crack in the barrier made of concrete and water was leaking to the gutter (surface dose rate of leaked water: beta ray 110 mSv/h, gamma ray 1.8 mSv/h). We are considering emergency response to stop leakage of water to the outside of the barrier. In the meantime, the water desalination apparatus (reverse osmosis membrane type) is continuing operation. As we have sufficient volume of desalinated water, there is no impact on the Reactor water injection

At 3:30 pm we confirmed that the leakage had stopped by piling up sandbags between the barrier and base concrete, and in the gutter. From 6:20 pm to 10:20 pm we sent the leaked water remaining in the barrier to the waste water RO supply tank with a water pump. Since the gutter led to the generally used channel of the power plant, we have taken sea water from the channel around the water desalinations (evaporative concentration apparatus) and the south drain (drain for the generally used channel) and have conducted a nuclide analysis. We concluded that the figures of the results of the analysis were as the same or slightly higher than the usual results we are announcing daily. On 5 December we again sampled the water of the channel near the water desalination (evaporative concentration apparatus) and the south drain (exit of the channel) and conducted a nuclide analysis, and the results of the south drain showed the same level as the results we are announcing daily.
.

Photos from TEPCO here:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111204_02-e.pdf

and initial sampling report. Sampling results:
As one would expect, very little Cs 137 or Cs134; no Iodine, since the water that leaked came from a point in the cycle after most cesium was removed. Strontium sampling takes longer. Typically, close to a month. When I see the results, I'll report them here.

NHK report from the press conference

Strontium-tainted water leak suspected
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says about 45 tons of strontium-tainted water may have leaked out of a water treatment device, with a portion of it spilling out of the facility.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says the water may contain high levels of radioactive strontium. Strontium causes internal radiation exposure.

The company is trying to determine whether the water reached the sea.

The utility said at about 11:30 am on Sunday a water leak was spotted in a device to remove salt from contaminated water from which radioactive material had already been removed.

It said the leak was stopped after the device was turned off, but at least 45 tons of water containing radioactive materials may have leaked out, with some portion possibly reaching a ditch outside the facility.

The level of radioactive cesium had been reduced to 45 becquerels per cubic centimeter after the treatment. But the water is believed to have contained 130,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter of radioactive strontium.

The ditch connects to the sea about 600 meters away. The power company is piling up sand bags in the ditch to prevent the water from flowing to the sea.

The water is used to cool down the reactors in the power plant and the utility says the leak does not pose any problems for the process.
Monday, December 05, 2011 06:09 +0900 (JST)

The company also pumped the water remaining out of the ditch and back into the system.

Other NHK news

Australia to export uranium to India

Australia's ruling Labor Party has decided to lift the ban on uranium sales to India.

Australia has the largest known uranium reserves in the world, but the former Rudd administration did not allow exports to India, which is not a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and possesses nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard told a conference of her ruling Labor Party on Sunday that exporting uranium to India, where energy demand is rising, is in Australia's interest.

Some cabinet members expressed concern that the uranium may be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Gillard said she will secure safety measures, indicating her intention to have India sign a bilateral agreement that would only allow it to use the uranium for peaceful purposes.

The plan to lift the export ban was approved with majority support from party members.

Australia apparently intends to strengthen its ties with India, which has a growing demand for nuclear power generation and is playing an increasingly important role in Asian security.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 23:11 +0900 (JST)

The UN Climate Change conference (followup to the Kyoto accords) has been going on this week. Japan, due to expected changes in its energy policy that will increase its CO2 emissions has been backing off recommitment to the program, citing, as does the US, concern for emissions of developing countries, China & India. However, if China signs on to an emission quota, perhaps the US and Japan may have to reconsider their positions. China has extreme pollution due to coal burning; however, it has made & is continuing to make large investments in nuclear reactors and huge hydroelectric dams. Neither source of electric power pollutes the air or produces CO2.

China not ruling out accepting CO2 emission quota
At the UN climate conference in Durban, South Africa, the top Chinese delegate did not rule out the option of accepting a greenhouse gas emission target beyond 2020.

National Development and Reform Commission Vice Chairman Xie Zhenhua said on Sunday that China is ready to discuss what it can do beyond 2020.

His comment signaled a change in China's policy as the world's largest emitter had so far refused to accept any mandatory emission target. Xie is in South Africa to attend ministerial meetings.

But Xie added that scientific verification is necessary to determine whether industrial nations have actually fulfilled their emission reductions obligations set under the Kyoto Protocol.

The key issue in the UN climate talks is how to come up with a new framework on carbon emissions to replace the Kyoto Protocol after its expiration in 2012.

Observers say China is trying to evade international criticism by voicing their intention to strengthen measures to curb emissions, but at the same time avoiding emission quotas for now.

Japan, among other nations, is calling for a new framework that would include China and other major emitters.

Xie's comment is likely to have an impact on future discussions.
Monday, December 05, 2011 07:42 +0900 (JST)

Some articles that I missed reporting on:

TEPCO injects nitrogen into pressure vessels

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has started injecting nitrogen, an inert gas, into the pressure vessels of the crippled reactors to prevent another hydrogen explosion.

In late October, Tokyo Electric Power Company began extracting gases from the containment vessel of the No.2 reactor to remove radioactive substances. During the work, TEPCO found hydrogen accumulating in parts of the reactor at a density of up to 2.9 percent.

TEPCO started pumping nitrogen into the pressure vessels of the No.1, 2, 3 reactors on Thursday to lessen the concentration of hydrogen.
The density of hydrogen accumulating in the containment and pressure vessels is thought to be below 4 percent, the level where an explosion could occur.

TEPCO says the nitrogen injection will push out hydrogen and reduce its concentration.

Keeping hydrogen density low is an indispensible condition in the second step of the process decided upon by the government and TEPCO to resolve the nuclear accident. They are aiming to achieve a state of cold shutdown for the reactors by the end of the year. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency plans to assess how well TEPCO can manage hydrogen levels.
Friday, December 02, 2011 05:02 +0900 (JST)

Over the last couple of days, TEPCO has been increasing the nitrogen injection to Units 1 & 3.

Fukushima to call for scrapping all reactors

The governor of Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan says he will ask the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company to decommission all nuclear reactors in the prefecture.

Fukushima hosts a total of 10 nuclear reactors, including 6 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Four of those were crippled in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

Governor Yuhei Sato told reporters on Wednesday that the prefecture's reconstruction plan will call for the scrapping of all the reactors. The plan prioritizes the safety of children.

Sato said prefectural authorities reached the decision after discussing the impact that the decommissioning would have on employment, the economy and the finances of local municipalities.

He added that the prefecture will do its best to create jobs for people who currently work at nuclear plants. Sato is the first governor of a prefecture hosting nuclear plants to demand the decommissioning of nuclear facilities following a serious accident.

Officials in Fukushima will finalize the draft of the reconstruction plan on Thursday, and they aim to make a final decision on it by the end of the year. Tokyo Electric Power Company has already decided to decommission the 4 severely damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The utility also says it will consult with local authorities about what to do with the remaining 6 reactors. Under normal operating conditions, the 10 reactors have a total generating capacity of 9 million kilowatts per hour, accounting for 19 percent of all nuclear
power generated in Japan.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 19:25 +0900 (JST)

Hosono apologizes for govt's slow response

Japan's minister in charge of the nuclear crisis has apologized for the government's slow response in the aftermath of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He also says he will do all he can to decontaminate the area around the plant.

Goshi Hosono attended a meeting in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, on Saturday. The event was organized by 8 municipal governments in Fukushima Prefecture. Among the participating municipalities, the town of Okuma is located in the evacuation zone around the plant. More than 1,000 people took part in the event. Hosono said he sincerely apologizes for the government's inability to resolve the accident at the nuclear power plant.

He also said the government is making every effort to achieve a cold shutdown by the end of the year.

He said the government is determined to decontaminate farmland that has been tainted by radiation from the accident regardless of the costs.

The participants at the meeting adopted a resolution calling on the government and the plant operator to pay full compensation for damages caused by the accident. Reconstruction Minister Tatsuo Hirano, who attended the meeting, said he thinks the resolution is significant and that he promises the government will work harder to deal with the Fukushima problem.
Sunday, December 04, 2011 02:10 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO pays $1.14 bil in compensation to farmers

Tokyo Electric Power Company said it has completed paying about 80 percent of the 1.4 billion dollars in compensation requested by farmers. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says on Friday that the latest installment of compensation totaled about 502 million dollars, which was paid to agricultural groups. The company so far has paid 1.1 billion dollars in compensation.

The company plans to make another payment by the end of this year to the farming and livestock industries which requested by November 15th. Agricultural groups from 17 prefectures demanded 1.4 billion dollars in damages from TEPCO over losses incurred from the decline in the price of their products.

TEPCO said that of the remaining 287 million dollars, 96 million is likely to be paid by the year-end. The company said requests concerning farm products excluded from government compensation guidelines could take more time for processing but that it wants to accelerate the procedure.

Saturday, December 03, 2011 13:03 +0900 (JST)

This was the usual scheduled stoppage; however, the government and the prefectures have still not agreed on how to restart.

Genkai nuclear reactor 1 halted

Kyushu Electric Power Company has halted the No.1 reactor at the Genkai nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan. This means more than 80 percent of the nation's reactors are now offline. It remains unclear when or if any of them will be restarted.

Shortly before noon on Thursday, workers at the Genkai plant began suppressing nuclear fission to reduce output at the reactor. The unit stopped operations at around 8:30 PM.

As a result, the No.4 reactor at the Genkai plant is the only one active in the Kyushu region. Kyushu Electric plans to ask households and firms in its service area to use around 5 percent less electricity from December 26th, when the No.4 reactor is scheduled to be halted.

In mid-month Kansai Electric Power Company also plans to suspend the No.2 reactor at the Ohi plant and the No.2 reactor at the Mihama plant, both in Fukui Prefecture. These moves will leave the Kansai region with only one reactor online.

Kansai Electric plans to urge people to use around 10 percent less electricity from December 19th.

Of the country's 54 reactors, the Genkai No.1 reactor is the 45th to go offline. There are no prospects for restarting the idle reactors as none of them has yet to meet the requirements for resuming operations.

These preconditions include passing the state's safety stress tests and getting approval from local governments hosting the nuclear plants.
Friday, December 02, 2011 07:47 +0900 (JST)

Fukushima seeks govt aid for rice inspections

Fukushima Prefecture has asked for government assistance to carry out emergency checks of rice for radioactive materials. The prefecture's Vice Governor Yusaku Matsumoto visited Senior Agriculture Vice-Minister Nobutaka Tsutsui on Thursday to ask for the help. Fukushima decided to check crops of 24,000, or more than one third, of its rice farmers a few days after rice recently harvested in the prefecture was found to be contaminated by radioactive cesium above the state limit. The prefecture asked the government to lease devices to measure radiation, dispatch personnel to expedite inspections, and shoulder the cost of the checks. Tsutsui said the government will do all it can to offer necessary support.

Thursday, December 01, 2011 18:16 +0900 (JST)

 

[Olympia]

Thanks, Doris. Lots of news to process!

 

[dorispulaski]

From time to time, I have seen links from this guy, Chris Busby. According to the UK's Guardian paper, he has been generating fear to make money from people, selling them overpriced and useless stuff to 'protect' them from radiation. He was formerly an advisor to Greenpeace, who is now distancing itself from him. He has claimed the profits go to children who were affected by the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster, but it looks like the profits are going to his own pockets.

Sad to say, we had scam artists like this, running phony charities, in the US following hurricane Katrina.

However, you need to understand why he is claiming that the Japanese government is spreading radioactive contamination to other prefectures deliberately: it's because he does not even believe his own schtick. He is trying to set groundwork to explain why the data in 5 years will not find any difference between the control groups and the Fukushima groups for heart disease (a particularly baseless claim) and cancer.

Stirring up this kind of fear generates membership and money for him, and for the group he consults for, Greenpeace.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/21/christopher-busby-radiation-pills-fukushima

Post-Fukushima 'anti-radiation' pills condemned by scientists
Green party distances itself from Dr Christopher Busby, a former spokesman promoting products following Japanese nuclear disaster

George Monbiot and Justin McCurry in Tokyo
guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 November 2011 11.59 EST


The Green party's former science and technology spokesman is promoting anti-radiation pills to people in Japan affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, that leading scientists have condemned as "useless".

Dr Christopher Busby, a visiting professor at the University of Ulster, is championing a series of expensive products and services which, he claims, will protect people in Japan from the effects of radiation. Among them are mineral supplements on sale for ￥5,800 (£48) a bottle, urine tests for radioactive contaminants for ￥98,000 (£808) and food tests for ￥108,000 (£891).

The tests are provided by Busby Laboratories and promoted through a body called the Christopher Busby Foundation for the Children of Fukushima (CBFCF). Both the pills and the tests are sold through a website in California called 4u-detox.com, run by a man called James Ryan.

Though a controversial figure, Busby has been championed by the anti-nuclear movement and some environmentalists. He is still consulted by the Green party on issues such as low-level radiation and depleted uranium, but when contacted by the Guardian the party distanced itself from Busy's activities. Penny Kemp, the Green party communications director, said that the party did not condone Busby's promotion of the products.

In a video on YouTube, Busby says that the calcium and magnesium pills will be supplied "at the cost of production". But the prices being charged by 4u-detox.com are far greater than those of other mineral supplements on sale in Japan. Chemists in Tokyo sell bottles of 200 pills containing similar combinations of ingredients for ￥1,029 (£8.49). James Ryan's website also charges a minimum shipping cost of ￥2,300 (£19).

The Japanese government already monitors human exposure to radiation and tests food and water, banning contaminated products from sale. It works to stricter radiation limits than the EU.

Fukushima prefecture has launched a comprehensive radiation testing programme, as well as distributing radiation monitors to 280,000 children at elementary and junior high schools. Hospitals at the edge of the exclusion zone are offering full body radiation scans and the government plans to check the thyroid glands of 360,000 children by March 2014 — with follow up tests continuing for the rest of their lives.

The CBFCF also solicits donations from the public, to be paid into an account called Green Audit at a bank in Busby's home town of Aberystwyth. Green Audit is an environmental consultancy and research organisation founded by Busby.
Launching the products and tests, Busby warns in his video of a public health catastrophe in Japan caused by the Fukushima explosions, and claims that radioactive caesium will destroy the heart muscles of Japanese children.

He also alleges that the Japanese government is trucking radioactive material from the Fukushima site all over Japan, in order to "increase the cancer rate in the whole of Japan so that there will be no control group" of children unaffected by the disaster, in order to help the Japanese government prevent potential lawsuits from people whose health may have been affected by the radiation. The pills, he claims, will stop radioactive contaminants attaching themselves to the DNA of Japanese children.

But Gerry Thomas, professor of molecular pathology at the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College, London, describes his statements about heart disease caused by caesium as "ludicrous". She says that radioactive elements do not bind to DNA. "This shows how little he understands about basic radiobiology." Of the products and services being offered, she says, "none of these are useful at all. Dr Busby should be ashamed of himself."

Professor Ohtsura Niwa, a member of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, said that Busby had offered no evidence for his claims of deliberate contamination. "It is not possible for the government and Tepco [the company that runs the Fukushima nuclear plant] to cheat people, now that so many citizens equipped with dosimeters are measuring radiation levels all over Japan," he said.

Niwa described Busby's faith in magnesium and calcium supplements for guarding against radionuclides such as strontium, uranium and plutonium as "baseless".

A Japanese government spokesman also rebutted the accusation of deliberately contaminating other parts of Japan. Noriyuki Shikata, deputy cabinet secretary for public affairs in the prime minister's office, said that so far only tsunami debris from Miyako in Iwate prefecture has been transported to Tokyo for incineration, adding that the disposal of waste generated by the disaster applies only to Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, not Fukushima.

"At this point, there are no plans to transport radioactive waste outside Fukushima prefecture," Shikata said. "Efforts are now being co-ordinated to construct intermediate storage facilities for radioactive waste inside Fukushima prefecture."

Yasuhito Sasaki, executive director of the Japan Radioisotope Association, described the idea that large swaths of the country were being deliberately contaminated as "ridiculous". "No decision has been made on the final disposal of radioactive waste," he said. "Local governments in Fukushima haven't even approved a government proposal to store it locally on a temporary basis."

Busby told the Guardian that the money from the sales of pills and tests goes to the CBFCF, which was established by James Ryan. When asked what his involvement with the foundation is, Busby said: "It's got nothing to do with me. He phoned me up and asked if he could use my name and I said he could." But he added: "I'm conducting the tests. I promised him I would measure the samples he sent to me." Asked if Busby Laboratories was his operation, he said, "I'm Busby Laboratories."
Ryan did not respond to a question from the Guardian on why the products and services provided by 4u-detox.com are so expensive. Nor did he provide any evidence for the efficacy of the products when asked.

He did say: "All money from 4u Detox goes to children of Fukushima and children throughout Japan. We have donated a great amount to children of Japan".

Products and services offered by Busby Laboratories and sold through 4u-detox.com
Testing urine for uranium and strontium: ￥98,000 (£808)
Testing food for caesium and iodine: ￥29,800 (£246)
Testing food for plutonium, uranium and strontium: ￥108,000 (£891)
Testing water for caesium and strontium: ￥59,800 (£493)
Russian-made radiation monitors: ￥28,000 yen + ￥3,200 yen for shipping (£257 in total). The same model is available on eBay for £170, including shipping costs.

 

[dorispulaski]

And recent NHK News:


This is beyond ridiculous. They are going to throw away food because it is at about a seventh of the limit.

Meiji to replace cesium-tainted powdered milk

Major Japanese food company Meiji says it will replace about 400,000 cans of powdered milk for free, after samples of the product were found to contain radioactive cesium.

Meiji says 30.8 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram was found in powdered milk produced from March 14th to the 20th. The level is below the government safety limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram, but Meiji decided to replace all of the powdered milk it produced during the period.

The product was tested after consumers questioned its safety last month.

Meiji says all of its powdered skim milk used as a base for other powdered milk products was made before the March 11th disaster.

Some of it was made in Hokkaido in northern Japan, but a large part was imported from Australia and other areas of Oceania, and processed at a plant in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, after March 11th.

Meiji says it has yet to determine the cause of the contamination, but that it may have resulted from exposure to radioactive cesium from the Fukushima Daiichi plant when the processing facility was ventilated to dry the product.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 16:51 +0900 (JST)

There is already quite a bit of strontium in the inner harbor, behind the silt fence where this stuff leaked. TEPCO is right that the extra amount is not going to make much difference. But what is bad is that the reviews of this area were 21 hours apart. All this sort of piping in a corrosive environment is going to develop leaks. Checks should be every four hours, so that they can be dealt with quickly. Either TEPCO or its contractors screwed up.

TEPCO: Radioactive strontium leaked into the sea

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says about 150 liters of radioactive contaminated water, containing radioactive strontium, has leaked into the sea.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company found on Sunday that massive amounts of radioactive water had leaked from a desalination device. It said that up to 300 liters of radioactive water leaked out from cracks in the foundation of the building which contains the device.

The company detected beta-ray emitting radioactive substances, including strontium, from a gutter near the building. The gutter drains into the Pacific Ocean.

TEPCO announced on Tuesday that it estimates about 150 liters of radioactive water reached the sea.
Radioactive strontium accumulates in the bones once inside a body due to its similar properties to calcium and releases radiation for a long time. One type of strontium -- strontium 90 -- has a half-life of 29 years.

TEPCO apologized for the leak. However the power company said that, judging from the amount released, it is likely to have almost no effect on the environment.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 21:07 +0900 (JST)

This is a worthwhile investigation.

Test to see safety of mountainside nuclear plants

Japanese engineers have carried out an experiment to check the safety of nuclear power plants located near mountain slopes.

The government-backed Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization has been testing the safety of the country's nuclear power plants, which are often built on narrow parts of coastal land carved from surrounding mountains.

In Tuesday's experiment at a research facility in Miki city, Hyogo Prefecture, engineers created a 3.8-meter-high slope using about 200 tons of rock and soil.

They then artificially made the slope shake on the same wave length as the 2007 earthquake off Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.

The organization says 9 nuclear plants, or more than half of all nuclear plants across Japan, are located near such mountain slopes.

It plans to draw up safety assessment guidelines for such slopes based on data from the experiment.

Organization official Katsumi Ebisawa says the experiment was a success in that they were able to obtain data needed to calculate possible damage and to analyze how much shaking triggers a landslide.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 19:49 +0900 (JST)

This video really shows the awesome power of the tsunami. It is worth watching.

Video shows tsunami gushing from manhole

New video footage illustrating the force of Japan's March tsunami shows seawater spewing from a manhole in a coastal area.

The scene was shot in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, one of the worst-hit areas. A local resident took the footage from the rooftop of a building when the first tsunami wave struck the city center on March 11th.

The video shows water spouting from a flooded intersection, reaching as high as the second floor of a house.

City officials say they believe tsunami waves gushed into a sewer system, blowing off a manhole cover. They say a similar phenomenon likely affected at least 10 manholes in coastal areas of the city.

Torrential downpours are also known to blow off manhole covers as water floods sewage pipes and pressure rises. Two people died in the past after falling into flooded manholes that had lost their covers.

A new type of manhole designed to withstand high pressure has already been introduced in some places.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 10:29 +0900 (JST)

The video will play on this page
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20111206_07.html

Skater Akiko Clara Ishikawa of Sendai's story about the earthquake is here. The stories of a number of other Japanese skaters affected by the quake & tsunami are also here.

http://figureskating.about.com/od/memories/qt/Akiko-Clara-Ishikawas-Story.htm

An excerpt:

As for myself I had to adjust to inconvenience – blackout, paralyzed transportation, 6-week complete shut-off of gas – meaning no hot shower during this period. All of the sudden skating became something very unrealistic. The only rink in Sendai city was severely damaged, and the ice was gone for more than four months.
My coaches and fellow skaters in Canada were so supportive and helped me lift up my spirits especially for the most difficult first month. Hearing from skaters who I even lost contact with was such a nice surprise. I came to realize how wonderful friendships I’ve developed through skating and how strong the bond is. While my phone wasn’t working, Laurainda, my best friend and a skater, living in Hong Kong called my coaches and friends in Canada to let them know I’m fine. Another skating friend in Canada sent me dried milk, granola bars, and other foods. I must say I had more just because I had less.

Meanwhile, Japan is still selling nuclear plants overseas.

Lower House approves civil nuclear agreements


The Lower House of Japan's Diet has approved civil nuclear cooperation agreements with Jordan, Russia, Vietnam and South Korea.

The accords won majority support from the ruling Democrats and main opposition Liberal Democrats at a plenary session on Tuesday, and were sent to the Upper House for final Diet endorsement. The opposition New Komei, Communist and other parties opposed the deals.

Japan signed the agreements before the March 11th disaster and Fukushima nuclear plant accident.

The accords would allow Japan to export nuclear power generation facilities and transfer related technology to the countries.

Democrat Kimiko Kyono voted against the accords in defiance of her party, saying she cannot take responsibility for exporting such facilities with the plant still out of control and future safety not ensured.

About 10 members of the party abstained from voting.

The accords are expected to clear the Upper House on Friday.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 17:17 +0900 (JST)

The UN climate meeting is still going on.

Tough negotiations expected at UN climate meeting

At the UN climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, Japan's Environment Minister Goshi Hosono is expected to call for a new framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that involves all major emitters.

Hosono arrived in Durban on Monday to attend a ministerial meeting of the conference.

He held talks with Greg Combet, Australia's climate change minister.

Hosono told reporters that he will explain Japan's stance at the meeting.

Japan is opposed to the Kyoto Protocol continuing after it expires in 2012.

The key issue at the climate talks is coming up with a new framework to replace the protocol.

The European Union has indicated that it will allow it to continue on the condition a new framework that includes China and other major emitters should be launched by 2020.

China, on the other hand, suggested that it may accept legally binding reduction targets beyond 2020.

Japan is pushing for a new framework to be created at an early date.

But tough negotiations are expected as there is growing pressure to let the Kyoto Protocol continue.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 08:01 +0900 (JST)

Well, if we destroy this planet with CO2 and fossil fuel burning , maybe we can start over here:

NASA discovers earth-like planet

US Space Agency NASA says it has discovered an earth-like planet where water may exist in a liquid state, a condition essential for life.

NASA scientists found the planet using the Kepler telescope, which was launched in 2009 on a planet-hunting mission.

The newly discovered planet, named Kepler 22b, is located outside the solar system among about 150,000 stars, in the direction of the Swan and the Lyre constellations.

The planet is 600-light years away, and about 2.4 times the radius of Earth. It circles a fixed star similar to the Earth's sun in 290 days.
NASA scientists say the planet's distance from its star is moderate and surface temperatures are estimated to be around 20 degrees Celsius. They say there is possibility of water existing in a state where it does not freeze or boil.

Two planets similar to Earth have already been found by European scientists, but NASA says the newly discovered planet's environment is more similar to Earth's.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011 17:11 +0900 (JST)

 

[Olympia]

Yeah, though it will take us a few years to travel there--or a few centuries.

There's an article in the new Vanity Fair about the workers in the "hot zone" area. I'll see what it says, but VF is usually very solid and detailed on matters of this kind.

 

[let`s talk]

Minami Sanriku 8 months after the tsunami:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/worl...apan-8-months-after-the-tsunami-27305335.html

 

[dorispulaski]

Thank you for the video. I apologize for not updating this week. Between preparations for the upcoming holiday and the GPF, I took a break. However, this is good news, and I couldn't wait to get everything organized to report it:

NHK

Noda to declare cold shutdown at Fukushima plant

The Japanese government will soon declare that a state of cold shutdown has been achieved for all the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The announcement scheduled for Friday will mean the achievement of the second phase of the timetable to bring the plant under control. The timetable, revised in October, aims to achieve this phase by the year-end.
The government has now confirmed that all the conditions have been met.

It says temperatures at the bottom of the reactor pressure vessels and inside the containment vessels have basically fallen below 100 degrees Celsius.
The amount of radioactive materials emitted has also dropped, with radiation levels on the compound's border falling below one millisievert per year.

The government says stable circulatory cooling of the reactors can be achieved with contaminated water, as alternative methods have been secured against malfunctions or accidents.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will make the official declaration that the reactors are in a stable condition at a news conference on Friday.

The government will launch a new body to oversee the completion of the process. It will be led by a Cabinet minister and the president of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant operator.

It will also release a medium-to-long term timetable for the Daiichi plant, which includes its decommissioning, while helping residents to return home.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 08:43 +0900 (JST)

This was the milestone that kicks off the beginning of plans for repatriating evacuees and getting the cleanup in the evacuated zones started. Just when things are going to happen is not yet clear:
Japan Times reports on the schedule::

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111212a1.html

Full radiation cleanup won't begin until at least late March
Kyodo
The Environment Ministry said Sunday that full-fledged efforts to decontaminate areas highly polluted by radioactive matter from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster cannot begin until late March or later. The government needs time to obtain the consent of individual landowners and to secure temporary storage sites for contaminated soil removed from irradiated areas, ministry officials told a panel of experts commissioned to discuss the issue.
....
Radiation is to be reduced to less than 1 millisieverts per year and no more work is basically required once that goal is attained.
Contaminated soil, after being removed, is to be stored in locations a certain distance away from residential areas.

More details at Japan Times. Considering that Japan's average prior to Fukushima Daiichi was 1.5 or so milliSieverts per year, it's just stupid to try for below that, a waste of time and money. What are they going to do-remove all granite ledges in Japan?

Back at the plant it's still all about the water. I would imagine that below freezing temperatures don't help the stresses on hoses and pipes. I did report on the first leak. Clearly TEPCO needs to increase the frequency of checking piping.

TEPCO warned against radioactive water leak

Radioactive water leaking from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has earned the operator a reprimand. It was the second seepage from the plant's desalination equipment in less than 10 days.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says the amount was about 30 liters but remained inside the facility housing the machine. The outflow was stopped after valves were tightened.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency warned TEPCO against using the equipment. The agency also asked the company to investigate the cause and take measures to prevent another occurrence.

Earlier this month, about 150 liters of water containing radioactive strontium leaked from the same equipment into the ocean.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 04:36 +0900 (JST)

And any disaster is always followed by an outflow of scientific reports. Forbes reports on one on the large amount of cesium released to the ocean by the Fukushima disaster.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcm...-times-above-normal-but-no-threat-scientists/

Forbes reports that the results of a study on concentrations of radioactive cesium in the ocean off Japan has been published by Woods Hole scientiests. They will continue to use radioactive cesium released by Fukushima Daiichi to better study ocean currents. They are interested and most concerned about the long term effects on bottom dwelling species.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/tepco-idUSL3E7N852N20111208

A Swiss company has agreed to insure Fukushima Daiichi, TEPCO announced. Their previous insurer cancelled the policy. The new policy is considerably more expensive.

Tepco will pay premium of about 20 billion yen ($258.03 million) for the five-year policy, a 10-fold increase from the several hundred million yen a year it pays at present, Nikkei said.

 

[Chemistry66]

Less than a day into 2012 and they're hit again. 7.0 magnitude earthquake, on the Izu Islands, about 495 km / 307 miles South-Southwest of Tokyo.

USGS data page on the quake (with maps and other info on linked pages)

 

[Olympia]

Good to see you back at the controls, Doris.

But upsetting to hear about the new earthquake. Obviously, living in Japan isn't for sissies.

 

[let`s talk]

Yeah, wine glasses moved again in the sideboard. Nothing got broken though, unlike back in March. Small/average quakes are trivial here. Didn't hear any news on casulaties.

 

[skatinginbc]

Since mid-December 2011, Japan tsunami flotsam has begun washing ashore in British Columbia, Canada. Bottles and cans with Japanese writings on them came in droves. People are saying that dead bodies from Japan might wash up on BC shores sometimes this year (2012).

 

[let`s talk]

Since mid-December 2011, Japan tsunami flotsam has begun washing ashore in British Columbia, Canada. Bottles and cans with Japanese writings on them came in droves. People are saying that dead bodies from Japan might wash up on BC shores sometimes this year (2012).

:disapp: Is it some kind of joke? If it is, the attempt is surely not a successful ones. The bodies have been eaten by fishes and sharks, which is not funny at all since it means victims' relatives back home will never have a chance to say the proper goodbye to people they loved.

 

[Olympia]

:disapp: Is it some kind of joke? If it is, the attempt is surely not a successful ones. The bodies have been eaten by fishes and sharks, which is not funny at all since it means victims' relatives back home will never have a chance to say the proper goodbye to people they loved.

That must be unimaginably difficult for the families.

I'm relieved to read in your previous post that the recent quake didn't do much damage.

 

[skatinginbc]

:disapp: Is it some kind of joke?

Nay, that wasn't a joke, at least not on my part. I simply retold what the locals think might happen. Vancouverites are sensitive to body parts washing ashore because in the past decade there have been numerous unsolved mysteries involving severed feet found on the shores. It is hard for fish and crabs to eat the feet thanks to the shoes that the victim wears. To prove I was not joking, I will give you the link to one of many articles that predict body parts might come with the flotsam: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4568672...nese-tsunami-reaches-west-coast/#.TwR_WfmuG8Y

And to prove that some tsunami debris has arrived in BC, here is a link: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20111216/japan-earthquake-debris-tofino-111216/

The fact that you thought I would make a joke about others' tragedy is simply insulting.