Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

[dorispulaski]

And Forbes has a reasonable article about Radiation (this is at a basic level, but if you hadn't seen it, you wouldn't have believed how fast and loose some media were misrepresenting the basics:

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/04/06/science-us-sci-radiation-q-amp-a_8393564.html

Worried about a radioactive ocean? A reality check.

Q. So how much radiation is too much radiation?

A. Natural background radiation in the environment varies greatly at different places on Earth, depending on altitude, geology and other factors. In theory, any increase in radiation can lead to a higher risk of cancer. In practice, though, population studies find no apparent elevated risk of cancer even at the highest levels of background radiation. And the most respected radiation experts say people can tolerate at least 10,000 millirems (100 millisieverts) in a short period with no discernible harm. On the other hand, much larger doses - like 400,000 millirems or 4,000 millisieverts - will cause radiation sickness and cancer in many people. That would be the rough equivalent of 40,000 chest X-rays.

and

Q. Can the radioactive water leaking from the Japanese nuclear plant eventually reach the U.S. and be hazardous?

A. It's hard to say how that water will move, because it will spread not only on the surface but downward in deep layers of the Pacific Ocean. If it does reach the West Coast, it would probably take at least 18 months to three years, by one estimate. In any case, nobody expects it would pose a radiation hazard upon arrival because of tremendous dilution along the way.

Airborne radioactive particles have already reached the United States, but federal authorities say the measured levels aren't dangerous.

Q. Weren't the workers at the nuclear plant treated for burns after coming into contact with radioactive water? What if someone swam in the ocean off the coast of Japan?

A. The kind of radiation levels the workers experienced cause sunburn-like burns in about a half-hour to an hour. But swimming near the plant is banned, and radiation levels of water dumped in the ocean decline quickly with distance from the complex

and

A. Measurements so far have focused mostly on iodine and cesium, which were responsible for most of the radiation dose to the public at the Chernobyl disaster.

Radiation from iodine-131 dissipates quickly, falling by half every eight days, so that it's virtually gone in 80 days. Its danger is that if inhaled or swallowed, it can concentrate in the thyroid and cause cancer.

Cesium radiation sticks around much longer, taking 30 years to decline by half and 300 years to virtually disappear. Cesium can build up in the body and high levels are thought to be a risk for various other cancers. Still, researchers who studied Chernobyl could not find an increase in cancers that might be linked to cesium

Here's a useful dose chart that shows the comparative doses you receive in various activities, including visting Chernobyl and Fukushima, and what doses have significant health risks. I found it a good visualization aid.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/radiation-dosage-chart/

 

[dorispulaski]

NEI's 11:30 Eastern Daylight Time April 7th Update

There are countries where a 7.1 magnitude quake is more than just an aftershock, just saying.

Onagawa nuclear plant belongs to TEPCO as well.

UPDATE AS OF 1:00 P.M. EDT, THURSDAY, APRIL 7:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. continued to inject cooling water into reactors 1, 2 and 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, despite a 7.1 magnitude aftershock that hit 70 miles north of the plant.

The temblor, the largest aftershock since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, hit at 11:32 pm JST today off the northeast coast. The Japanese government issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake, but lifted it about 90 minutes later.

Three nuclear power plants—Fukushima Daini, Fukushima Daiichi and Onagawa—were shaken, but officials reported no new damage and no injuries to employees. Two of the three electric power lines that supply the Onagawa plant were offline, but normal operations continued with the remaining power line to maintain reactor cooling systems. The plant had been safely shut down since March 11.

Fukushima Daiichi
Seawater radiation levels, while still significantly higher than government safety limits, have decreased near the power plant since TEPCO blocked a leak of highly radioactive water into the ocean. TEPCO said it is too early to credit stopping the leak with the decline.

Workers continued to inject nitrogen gas into the containment vessel of reactor 1, a process that began Wednesday. Inert nitrogen gas is used in reactor containment vessels to stabilize the atmosphere. The nitrogen injection is to prevent possible ignition of the hydrogen that is believed to be accumulating inside the reactor 1 containment. It is expected to take six days to complete the process. Spraying water onto the used fuel storage pools at reactors 1-4 was interrupted briefly because of the earthquake.

TEPCO continued its controlled discharge of low-level radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean to make room in storage tanks for more highly contaminated water on the site. The highly radioactive water in turbine building basements is hampering efforts to restore cooling systems, particularly for reactor 2, where the radiation is highest. Before the highly radioactive water is pumped into the wastewater storage tank, the facility must be inspected for damage, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum reported. Inspection could take up to a week.

The Japanese government is evaluating possible evacuation of some residents from areas within 12.5 to 18.5 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi site. Residents in the 12.5-mile zone were evacuated early in the emergency. Those within the outer area have been advised to stay indoors. The additional evacuation would be from areas where radiation has accumulated since March 11.


UPDATE AS OF 11:30 A.M. EDT, THURSDAY, APRIL 7:
A 7.1 magnitude aftershock in northeastern Japan today caused no damage to nuclear power plants in the area, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported. Plant employees at the Fukushima Daiichi, Fukushima Daini and Onagawa plants were evacuated for safety after the temblor, which struck at 11:32 pm JST.

Two of the three electric power lines that supply the Onagawa site were down, officials said, but operations at the plant’s three reactors were continuing as normal with power from the remaining line. There was no change in radiation levels near the plant. The reactors at the three sites had been shut down since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11.

There were no damages reported at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini plants. At Daiichi, where engineers have been working to cool reactors since the March 11 earthquake, fresh water injection continued.

 

[dorispulaski]

IAEA has an update, dealing with this huge aftershock.
So far, things look OK.

Even though this would be a huge quake in most places, it is only about 1/100 the quake that the March 11th quake was.

..IAEA Update: New earthquake in Japan (7 April, 17:30 UTC)
The IAEA confirms that an earthquake occurred in Japan at 14:32 UTC 7 April. The IAEA International Seismic Safety Centre has rated it as a 7.1 magnitude, revised from an initial 7.4 magnitude. The epicenter of the earthquake was 20 km from the Onagawa nuclear power plant and approximately 120 km from the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants.

The IAEA has been in contact with NISA and can confirm the status of the following nuclear facilities:

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
NISA confirms that no changes have been observed at the on-site radiation monitoring posts. The injection of water into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3 was not interrupted.

Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant
NISA confirms that no changes have been observed of the readings at the on-site radiation monitoring posts.

Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant
All reactors have been in cold shutdown since the 11 March earthquake.

NISA has confirmed that two out of the three lines supplying off-site power to the site were lost following the 7 April earthquake. Off-site power continues to be supplied through the third line.

Cooling of the spent fuel pool was temporarily lost, but has subsequently been restored.

No change has been observed in the readings from the on-site radiation monitoring post. The status of the plant is currently being checked.

Tokai Daini Nuclear Power Plant
Tokai Daini nuclear power plant remains in cold shutdown since the 11 March earthquake. No abnormality has been observed.

Higashidori Nuclear Power Plant
NISA has confirmed that the Higashidori NPP was shutdown and in a maintenance outage at the time of the 7 April earthquake. Off-site power has been lost. Emergency power supply to the site is operating. All the fuel had been removed from the reactor core and stored in the spent fuel pool. Cooling of the spent fuel pool is operational.

Tomari Nuclear Power Plant (in Hokkaido)
At the time of the 7 April earthquake Tomari Unit 1 and Unit 2 were in operation. Following the 7 April earthquake, the Hokkaido Electric Power Company reduced the generating power to 90% of capacity.

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant
NISA confirms that Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant and uranium enrichment facility lost off-site power. Emergency power supply to the site is operating.

The IAEA will issue further information as soon as it becomes available.

 

[dorispulaski]

Seawater off Daiichi is looking a lot better since the leak fix. While 80x & 600x the statutory limit iare not great, they are sure not 1,000,000x:
These reports are dated 8:55am April 6th.
North Canal
Iodine 131 - 24 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 134 - 14 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 137 - 14 Becquerels per cubic centimeter

South Canal
Iodine 131 - 3.2 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 134 - 2.1 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 137 - 2.0 Becquerels per cubic centimeter

Daini
Iodine 131 - 2.2 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 134 - 1.1 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 137 - 1.0 Becquerels per cubic centimeter

Iwasawa Shore
Iodine 131 - 2.6 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 134 - 1.1 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 137 - 1.0 Becquerels per cubic centimeter

Minami-Soma City
Iodine 131 - 0.66 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 134 - 0.045 Becquerels per cubic centimeter
Cesium 137 - 0.046 Becquerels per cubic centimeter




TEPCO is not taking credit for the drop-a wise move, as long as they still have to pump water into Unit 2. There could be other leaks and other spills that might develop.

The new aftershock might have opened something up, for one thing.

But a good day is a good day.

 

[dorispulaski]

April 7th, 9:00 PM

Radiation measures still dropping.

North wind

Gamma Radiation

West Gate gamma radiation 56.5 microSieverts per hour
Daini Measure point 4 3.0 microSieverts per hour

Radiation Dose

Main Building 0.68 milliSieverts per hour
Main Gate 100 microSieverts per hour
West Gate 43 microSieverts per hour

No surprises here.

*On March 21st, 23rd to April 6th we detected technetium, cobalt, iodine, cesium, tellurium, barium, lanthanum and molybdenum from the seawater around the discharge canal of the station. (We are reevaluating) *On March 20th, 21st, 23rd to April 6th, we detected iodine, cesium, tellurium and ruthenium in the air collected at the site of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. (We are reevaluating)

Spent Fuel Pools

-From 1:29 pm to 2:34 pm, April 7th, freshwater injection to Unit 2 by a temporary motor-driven pump was conducted. -From 6:23am, April 7th, spraying water to Unit 4 by the concrete pump vehicle was conducted.

They are still shoring up the waterfront to help prevent leaks. One worker fell ill, but it wasn't due to radiation effects, according to the hospital.

-From 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, April 5th, in order to prevent diffusion of radioactive contaminated water out from the site port facility to breakwater area which is south to the power station, we began repair of breakwater by founding the large sandbag around it to replace damaged steel water bar. We will continue the operation to prevent diffusion. -At 2:33 pm, April 7th, one of the workers in charge of stuffing sandbags at the soil disposal situated at the northern part of the site became ill and was brought to J-Village. After we confirmed that he was not contaminated, he was brought to Iwaki City Kyoritsu Hospital by an
ambulance.

TEPCO has already done some things to guard against tsunamis at another of its power station. This reminds us that it looks like water got into at least one reactor building during the tsunami at Daiichi.

Considering the situation of the damages at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Station caused by the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake on March 11th, 2011, we have taken measures to improve waterproof performance of each building in Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Station after the earthquake.

Also on the assumption that tidal waves that are hard to expect cause the blackout in the station (lose all alternating-current power), we have installed facilities on the upland in the site for back-up power supply, injection of water in reactors and spent fuel pools and securement of cooling system. As stated above, we have taken measures to ensure cooling function in case of water exposure due to tidal waves inside the buildings. (Previously announced on March 30th, 2011)

Then we have been considering further safety measures against tidal waves that are hard to expect, consulting with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and we have determined that we will build new tide barriers in the nuclear reactor buildings of Unit 1 to 4 in order to prevent the buildings from being flooded. We plan to prevent the waves from flooding inside the nuclear reactor buildings where important facilities in terms of safety such as power-supply facilities and emergency diesel electric power generator are installed and to ensure the fundamental safety in the station. We will design the details such as the height of the tide barriers and begin the installation construction in a rapid manner. We will organize and consider countermeasures regarding safety including the ones implemented so far based on the instructions of METI and Nigta Prefecture, and will report them. Also we will further improve the safety in the station by analyzing and evaluating the circumstances of the accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station hereafter.

Conceptual Drawing of Building Improvements
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110407e19.pdf

 

[dorispulaski]

JAIF has its daily translation rollup of the NHK news (8 PM April 7th, Japanese Time)

I'm glad somebody started to criticize the foreign media for inaccuracy besides me!!!

No. 45: 20:00, April 7
NHK news regarding status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station yesterday and today.
●Japan's FM official criticizes foreign media

A high official of Japan's Foreign Ministry has criticized foreign news media coverage of the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, saying that some of the reports have been exaggerated and excessive. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Chiaki Takahashi, was talking to reporters at a news conference on Thursday. He also said that he has urged foreign news organizations, via Japanese embassies, to provide objective and cool-headed coverage and to make corrections to reports if necessary. But Takahashi added that he can understand the concerns of foreign countries over recent developments at the nuclear plant, including the radioactive contamination of seawater. He said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has instructed his ministry to do more to give foreign diplomats detailed explanations of what is taking place.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 17:29 +0900 (JST)

●Moving radioactive water likely to take long time
Japan's nuclear agency says moving highly radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant's turbine building to a storage facility may not start for another week. The water in the basement of the turbine building of the plant's Number 2 reactor and a concrete tunnel has been hampering work to restore the reactor's cooling systems. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has been discharging lower-level radioactive water into the sea from the facility to make room for the highly radioactive water. The work is to end on Thursday. But the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the facility must first be checked for cracks that might have been caused by the earthquake, and that this could take several days to a week. The agency says the facility was designed to store low-level radioactive water, and that every effort must be made to make sure that highly radioactive water does not leak.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 17:11 +0900 (JST)

●Daily radiation checks on fish begin in Ibaraki
The Japanese government has begun monitoring radiation levels in fish in the Pacific off Ibaraki Prefecture, which is located south of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A trawler left Nakaminato Port at Hitachinaka City in the prefecture on Thursday to catch fish such as plaice and anglerfish as test samples. The daily checks follow the detection of radioactive cesium above the legal limit in small fish called sand lance. The fish were caught Monday in seas off northern Ibaraki Prefecture, which is nearer to the nuclear plant. Radiation exceeding the limit has not been found in other fish so far. But all fishing off the Ibaraki coast has been suspended because brokers and retailers are refusing to buy fish from the area. Nakaminato fisheries cooperative official Kazumi Nemoto says the checks are necessary to confirm the safety of fish off Ibaraki so that consumers can eat them without worry.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 16:19 +0900 (JST)

●Radiation level remains high after leak stopped
At the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, radiation in seawater near the Number 2 reactor remains high, even after the leakage of contaminated water into the sea was stopped. The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said it had confirmed early Wednesday morning that highly contaminated water was no longer leaking from a concrete pit after workers injected a hardening agent beneath it. The company says it detected 5,600 bequerels of radioactive iodine-131 per cubic centimeter in seawater samples collected around the water intake of the reactor at 7:40 AM local time on Wednesday. That's about half the level detected on the previous day, but still 140,000 times higher than the safety limit under the government's standards. On Tuesday, the measurement at the same spot was 11,000 bequerels, 280,000 times higher than the standard. Levels of iodine-131 at this spot have been alarmingly high since April 2nd, when Tokyo Electric detected 7.5 million times higher than permissible levels of the radioactive substance. Tokyo Electric said it's too early to determine whether the decrease is a result of stopping the leak.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 14:52 +0900 (JST)

●Nuclear evacuation zone may be expanded
The Government says it may order residents of some areas within 20 to 30 kilometers of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to evacuate. Residents within 20 kilometers of the plant have been evacuated, while those living between 20 to 30 kilometers have been advised to remain indoors. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters on Thursday that existing evacuation guidelines assume large amounts of radiation being released over a short period of time and are not relevant in considering the impact of long-term exposure. He said that total exposure to radiation is high in some areas in the 20-30
kilometer zone as the accident drags on. Edano said the nuclear safety agency is studying whether to order residents of those areas to evacuate. The Chief Cabinet Secretary also said the government wants to allow evacuees to return temporarily to their homes to gather valuables and necessities as requested, but is still studying safety issues.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 14:07 +0900 (JST

●TEPCO: Nitrogen injection going well
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it continues to inject nitrogen gas into the containment vessel of the No.1 reactor without problems. The nitrogen gas is being used to prevent a hydrogen blast at the reactor. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says that as of 6 AM Thursday pressure inside the containment vessel of the No.1 reactor had risen only slightly and that this indicates the operation is going well. The gas injection began at 1:30 AM Thursday. Fuel rods inside the No.1 reactor are nearly half exposed because coolant water levels remain low. It is thought that the overheated fuel rods have caused a buildup of the volatile mix of hydrogen and oxygen. It is hoped the chemically stable nitrogen will counteract this buildup. TEPCO says it plans to continue the injection for about 6 days and will also consider taking similar measures at the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors. Regarding another problem, TEPCO said the pool of highly contaminated water in the underground tunnel connected to the No. 2 reactor rose 5 centimeters in the 24 hours leading up to 7 AM Thursday. TEPCO says the rise is probably related to stopping the leakage of highly radioactive water from a concrete pit of the No. 2 reactor with the use of a hardening agent on Wednesday. The company says there is still one meter of room to ground level, but will keep a close watch on the situation because an overflow would seriously hamper the already difficult restoration work. TEPCO is also continuing the release of 8,000 tons of low-level radioactive wastewater from the plant to make storage space for more highly contaminated water. Around 6,000 tons have been discharged so far.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 12:09 +0900 (JST)

●IAEA experts discuss nuclear safety
Experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency have discussed safety measures at Japan's nuclear plants and its response to the crisis in Fukushima. Some 200 nuclear experts from around the world held a three-day meeting in Vienna that ended on Wednesday. They discussed the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was heavily damaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. The deputy director general of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Koichiro Nakamura, explained that Japan tightened quake-resistance standards after the earthquake in Niigata Prefecture 4 years ago, which resulted in radioactive substances leaking from a nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast.
Tokyo Electric Power Company operates both plants in Fukushima and Niigata. He added that the government has ordered power companies in Japan to deploy emergency generator trucks at their nuclear plants, after generators at the Fukushima plant were destroyed by tsunami waves. Foreign experts asked about tsunami preparedness at Japan's nuclear plants, and expressed concern over its decision to release radioactive waste into the sea.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 11:20 +0900 (JST)

●Evacuation standards being reviewed
Nuclear experts are suggesting the government revise the radioactive standards for evacuation advisories involving the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The move comes almost 4 weeks after tsunami disabled the nuclear plant. According to existing guidelines, people should remain indoors when radiation levels outdoors reach 10 millisieverts several days after any accident. Evacuation is only considered when levels reach 50 millisieverts. The guidelines were set by the Nuclear Safety Commission using standards adopted by organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency. The government has advised residents living in areas within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to "evacuate" while those in areas between 20 and 30 kilometers have been told to "stay indoors". However, the amount of exposure is likely to rise in these areas as little progress has been made in cooling the nuclear fuels or containing radiation leaks. Taking into consideration the fact that the situation may be prolonged, the Nuclear Safety Commission has reviewed its guidelines using a 2007 advisory issued by the International Committee on Radiological Protection. The commission now says an evacuation advisory should be issued to prevent residents from being exposed to a total of 20 millisieverts a year. A member of the commission says the evacuation advisories should reflect the possibility that the situation at the nuclear power plant will be drawn out. According to the member, the Commission has suggested to a task force that measures should be taken when radiation levels exceed 20 millisieverts. The member says it is the Commission's responsibility to monitor and collect data in each affected area. Scientists say the limit allowed for an average person is 1 millisiervert a year. The Nuclear Safety Commission is suggesting revising the evacuation standard only for the current emergency. It says it does not necessarily mean that the 1-millisievert limit should be raised. The commission says the government has already begun briefing the affected local communities on the matter.Thursday, April 07, 2011 06:48 +0900 (JST)

●Workers face challenge of water storage
Workers struggling to control the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant face the challenge of storing huge amounts of radioactive wastewater found throughout the facility. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says at least 50,000 tons of wastewater contaminated with highly radioactive material has pooled in reactor turbine buildings and outdoor trenches. The water has been hampering efforts to restore reactor cooling systems, raising fears that it will leak out and further pollute the sea. TEPCO has been working to determine where the contaminated water can stored safely. One option is the plant's turbine condensers, which convert steam into water. Another is a processing facility for nuclear waste from the plant's No. 1 through 4 reactors. TEPCO also plans to construct makeshift water tanks. It says that using all three options, it should be able to store more than 60,000 tons of wastewater. But about 500 tons of fresh water is injected into reactor buildings each day to cool down the reactors. Some of the water is believed to be leaking outside after becoming contaminated. This means the total amount of radioactive wastewater in the compound could exceed the currently estimated 50,000 tons, requiring more storage space.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 19:50 +0900 (JST)

●Radioactive water leak stops
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says it has stopped radioactive water leaking from a concrete pit outside the No.2 reactor at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. On Tuesday, the plant operator drilled a hole into a layer of gravel around the pit, and poured a hardening agent called liquid glass, or sodium silicate, to stop the leak of highly radioactive water into the sea. TEPCO says the flow was confirmed to have stopped on Wednesday morning, and that there has since been no change in the water level in the pit and the nearby turbine building. Workers are looking for more possible cracks through which the water could leak out. Meanwhile, TEPCO is continuing to release about 8,000 tons of wastewater contaminated with low-level radiation into the sea to make room in storage tanks for highly contaminated water. It says about 6,000 tons of water have already been released. The company is also continuing to spray a synthetic resin solution on the plant's premises to prevent radioactive dust from becoming airborne. Debris and dust contaminated with radioactive material have been scattered across the compound by a series of explosions at the No.1 through No.3 reactors. On Wednesday, the resin solution was sprayed over a 300 square meter area around a pool for spent nuclear fuel.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 18:51 +0900 (JST)
End

 

[dorispulaski]

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1302167890P.pdf

JAIF has another way of depicting the concentration in seawater; values go up to April 5th now.

And the concentration in the air chart in Fukushima, Ibaraki & Tochigi prefectures.

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1302144863P.pdf

 

[chloepoco]

This is a wonderful article about the courageous men who are doing all they can to help stop the leaks:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110405/ts_yblog_thelookout/japanese-nuclear-plant-worker-discusses-choice-to-sacrifice-his-life

 

[dorispulaski]

The good news is, they probably all will be fine, except possibly the two men who stepped in the radioactive puddle, who may have serious long term consequences (or not...we haven't heard enough of their circumstances yet to say, but they received a significantly high dose of radiation.).

Of TEPCO employees, none has as yet exceeded the dose allowed for workers in an emergency, although several are over half way there.

But they didn't know what would or would not happen when they agreed to help; things could have turned out much, much worse; they are all herous in my book.

Perhaps we can lose the stereotype of a nuclear plant worker means a doofus like Homer Simpson in the US. They are skilled, dedicated people, with a great esprit de corps, both within their plants, and internationally, as we have seen more and more.

 

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO has posted the status of Daini, Daiichi & Kashiwazaki Kariwa power stations. There is no status just yet for Onegawa.

Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Station Plant condition after the earthquake (as of 11:50 pm, First release

No radiation at plant boundary
Units 1, 5, 6, & 7 are operating
Units 2, 3, 4 are in shutdown, as they were before the new earthquake.

The maximum acceleration of the earthquake that was monitored within the station was at Unit 6 reactor building base at 4.0 Gal. Influence of radioactivity outside: None (as of 0:15) The figures indicated at exhaust stack monitors and monitoring posts at the station boundary are within the usual range, and there is no influence of radioactivity outside as of now. We are currently conducting an inspection for each unit.

Daini Nuclear Power Station

All four units remain in shutdown mode, as they have been since the original earthquake
The maximum acceleration of the earthquake that was monitored within the station was at Unit 3 reactor building base at 58.1 Gal. Influence of radioactivity outside: None The figures indicated at exhaust stack monitors and monitoring posts at the station boundary are within the usual range, and there is no influence of radioactivity outside as of now.

Daiichi
All six units are in shutdown, as they have been.
Influence of radioactivity outside: None The figures indicated at monitoring posts at the station boundary are within the usual range [compared to recent history], and there is no [additional] influence of radioactivity outside as of now.

 

[dorispulaski]

The IAEA has produced a 6 PM UTC April 7th briefing

IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (7 April 2011, 18:00 UTC)
1. Current Situation

Overall, the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant remains very serious although there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation.
On 6th April it was reported that the leakage of water from the sidewall of the pit closest to the sea has stopped after coagulation agents (liquid glass) were injected into the holes drilled around the pits. Work continues to prevent further releases to the sea.

According to the TEPCO Press Release of 4th April, approximately 10,000 T of water from the radioactive waste treatment plant and 1,500 T of subsurface waters stored in the sub drain pits of Unit 5 and 6 are being discharged to the sea to provide room to store water with higher levels of radioactivity in a safer manner. TEPCO has estimated that these discharges would increase the effective dose to a member of the public by 0.6 mSv, if he/she were to eat seaweed and seafood from 1 km from the discharge point every day for a year. It should be noted however that the movements of all ships, including fishing boats, are restricted within a 30km zone from the NPP.

In Unit 1 fresh water is being continuously injected into the reactor pressure vessel through the feed-water line at an indicated flow rate of 6 m3/h using a temporary electric pump with off-site power. Fresh water is being injected continuously into the RPVs through the fire extinguisher lines in Units 2 and 3 at indicated rates of 8 m3/h and 7 m3/h respectively using a temporary electric pump with off-site power.

As of 6th April, TEPCO started injecting nitrogen gas to Unit 1 containment vessel to provide an inerted atmosphere to reduce the possibility of hydrogen combustion within the containment vessel.

On Unit 1 the indicated temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV is 224° and at the bottom of RPV it is 117°. Instrumentation ‘B’ for Reactor Pressure indicates that the pressure in the RPV is increasing and instrumentation ‘A’ indicates that it has stabilized. NISA has indicated that some instruments in the reactor vessel may not be working properly. Drywell pressure has increased slightly due to the injection of nitrogen. In Unit 2 the indicated temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV is stable at 143°. The temperature at the bottom of RPV was not reported. Indicated Drywell pressure remains at atmospheric pressure. The indicated temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV in Unit 3 is 88° and at the bottom of RPV is about 115°.

Additional water was injected via the Spent Fuel Cooling System line to the spent fuel pool by a temporary pump on 4th April.

There has been no change in status on Units 4, 5, 6 and the Common Spent Fuel Storage Facility

2. Radiation monitoring

On 6th April, low levels of deposition of both I-131 and Cs-137 were detected in 4 and 6 prefectures respectively. The values reported for I-131 ranged from 3.4 to 10 becquerels per square metre, for Cs-137 from 4.9 to 19 becquerels per square metre. Gamma dose rates continue decreasing . There is no significant change in gamma dose rates reported for 6th April compared to yesterday.

As of 5th April, I-131 and Cs-134/137 was detectable in drinking water in a small number of prefectures. All values were well below levels that would initiate recommendations for restrictions of drinking water. As of 6th April, one restriction for infants related to I-131 (100 Bq/l) is in place as a precautionary measure in only one village of the Fukushima prefecture.

TEPCO is responsible for near-shore sampling, taking samples of surface seawater. Samples near discharge areas are collected daily. Until 3rd April a general decreasing trend was observed. However, after the discharge of contaminated water at 4th April, an increase from about 11 kBq/l as measured at 09:00 to 41 kBq/l at 14:00 for I-131; from 5.1 kBq/l at 09:00 to 19 kBq/l for both, Cs-134 and Cs-137 at 14:00 was recorded. On the 5th April a decrease was observed as compared to the previous day, with seawater concentration of 5 kBq/l for Cs-137 and 11 kBq/l for I-131.

Since 4th April TEPCO added 3 new sampling points 15 km offshore, in addition to the already established 3 sampling points at the same distance, this resulting in a total of 6 sampling points situated along a north-south transect at a distance of 15 km from the coast.

Levels of radionuclides reported at these l°ations for the 5th of April are in the range 57 - 200 Bq/l for I-131, 18 - 310 Bq/l for Cs-134 and 18 - 320 Bq/l for Cs-137.

There were no new data for 30 km off shore monitoring, carried out under the responsibility of MEXT, compared to yesterday’s briefing.

On 6th April the marine expert from the IAEA Environment Laboratories Monaco completed his mission in Japan. From the 2nd to 4th April he embarked on the research vessel MIRAI to observe the sampling conducted 30 km offshore. He visited the JAEA laboratory in Tokai where the gamma spectrometric analyses are performed. He briefed representatives of the Japanese Government

Since our written briefing of yesterday, data related to food contamination were reported on 6th April by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. These reported analytical results covered a total of 78 samples taken on 3rd April (2 samples), 4th April (39 samples), 5th April (35 samples) and 6th April (2 samples). Analytical results for 52 of the 78 samples for various vegetables, spinach and other leafy vegetables, fruit (strawberry) and unpr°essed raw milk in eight prefectures (Fukushima, Gunma, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Niigata, Saitama and Yamagata) indicated that I-131, Cs-134 and/or Cs-137 were either not detected or were below the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities. However, it was reported that analytical results for 26 of the total 41 samples taken in Fukushima prefecture for various vegetables, spinach and other leafy vegetables indicated that I-131 and/or Cs-134/Cs-137 exceeded the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities.

On 5th April, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued a press release indicating that a new provisional regulation value was set for I-131 at a limit of 2000 Bq/kg in fishery products.

As of 4th April, food restrictions (distribution and/or consumption) are in place in four prefectures (Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma) and in certain locations in Chiba prefecture (Katori City, Tako Town and Asahi City).

In Fukushima, there are restrictions on the consumption of leafy vegetables, headed and non-headed leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach, komatsuna, cabbage), and flower-headed brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower). There are also restrictions on the distribution of headed and non-headed leafy vegetables, flower-headed brassicas (including turnips), spinach, kakina and unprocessed raw milk produced in the prefecture.

In Ibaraki, there are restrictions on the distribution of unprocessed raw milk, parsley, spinach and kakina produced in the prefecture.

In Chiba, there are restrictions on the distribution of spinach produced in Katori City and Tako Town. There are also restrictions on the distribution of spinach, chingensai, shungiku, sanchu, celery and parsley produced in Asahi City.

In Gunma and Tochigi, there are restrictions on the distribution of spinach and kakina produced in these prefectures.

3. IAEA Activities

The two agency experts in BWR technology are in Japan to have a direct exchange of views with the Japanese counterparts. They met with officials of NISA, TEPCO, the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Safety Commission. They visited the off-site emergency response center and the Fukushima Daiichi site. A third agency expert will join the team in Tokyo to have follow-up meetings with TEPCO and NISA at the end of the week.

The following countries have submitted monitoring data and/or links to national websites where data is available: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Finland, France, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

 

[dorispulaski]

Meanwhile, the NEI wants you to know how US BWR, Mark I containment reactors, like those at Daiichi, were modified due to things learned at Three Mile Island and Brown's Ferry over the last 30 years:


http://resources.nei.org/documents/japan/FactSheet_US_Nuclear_Plant_Enhancements_4-4-11.pdf

And a nice drawing illustrating those changes:
http://resources.nei.org/documents/japan/major_mod_usbwr_4511.pdf

These in response to Three Mile Island:
The structure of the suppression pool/torus (the thing that blew out in Unit 2) has been strengthened in 1980
Control room redesign in 1980
Back up safety systems separated in 1979

Extra redundancy of power, to deal with long term loss of poss for cooling (as in Daiichi has been added)
More diesel batteries were added in 1998
A third diesel generator and a portable water pump was added in 2002

A containment vent was added in 1992, to allow hydrogen buildup to be avoided

 

[mot]

JAIF has its daily translation rollup of the NHK news (8 PM April 7th, Japanese Time)

I'm glad somebody started to criticize the foreign media for inaccuracy besides me!!!

My friend in Tokyo is organising an international symposium for archivists scheduled in May, and her day starts by answering emails from those invited from abroad, asking about safety in Tokyo (air, water, food, etc) or expressing concerns and hinting they may not show up. Poor soul. I wish I could send her a link to this thread and so she could ask the guests to read all factual info you have been collating - but it may end up confusing them even more if she told them to find it amongst all the chats about Alissa Czisny, Patrick Chan, twizzles, the quad, sequins, etc...

 

[dorispulaski]

She doesn't need to have a GS ID to view this. Just send her a link to the thread, and tell her not to read the rest of the forum, if she is not interested in skating. You should perhaps tell her the links in the first post are mixed figure skating, and all old news anyway.

This goes to page 1 of the thread.
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...anese-Earthquake-Tsunami-and-Nuclear-Reactors

This goes to the top of this page 24:
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...nami-and-Nuclear-Reactors&p=559337#post559337

She would have to register to post, though.

I do not envy her her job. Please extend to her my best wishes.

Someone needs to write a book about all this, I think, and relatively soon after things are completely stabilized at Daiichi.

 

[dorispulaski]

Wind is south/southwest

Gamma Radiation
Daini 9 AM April 8th Measure Point Four 3.0 microSieverts per hour
Daiichi 11:50 PM April 7th West Gatre 56.1microSieverts per hour

Radiation Dose 11:30 PM April 7th
Daiichi Main Building 0.68 milliSieverts per hour
Daiichi Main Gate 98 microSieverts per hour
Daiichi West Gate 43 microSieverts per hour

Measure Points 5 through 8 at 9 AM April 8th
46, 45, 90, 137, 273, 218 microSieverts per hour

JAIF has updated the air monitoring charts for towns around Daiichi. All counts are very slowly decreasing.

Again, the one town with a really significantly elevated radiation count is Iitate Village.

JAIF has an April 8th, status

1. Latest Major event and response
April 7th:
01:31 Injection of Nitrogen gas started after opening all valves through the line.
As of 23:52 At Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS, instruments readings of Units 1 through 6 and monitoring posts have shown no abnormality after the earthquake occurred off the shore of Miyagi prefecture at 23:32.

April 8th:
As of 00:00 At Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS, instruments readings of Units 1 through 6 and monitoring posts have shown no abnormality after the earthquake occurred off the shore of Miyagi prefecture at 23:32.

 

[dorispulaski]

From NHK. The Onagawa plant suffered some damage in this quake (7.4).

This plant is owned by Tohoku Electric, not TEPCO.

The plant has 3 BWR style reactors, manufactured by Toshiba & Hitachi. The oldest went into service in 1984, so is presumably, not Mark 1 containment (as at the older Daiichi reactors)

Somehow it is hard to get upset about 3 or 4 liters of water on a floor after Daiichi.

Thursday's quake damages Onagawa nuclear plant

Tohoku Electric Power Company says Thursday night's strong earthquake caused water to overflow from spent fuel storage pools at one of its nuclear power plants.

The power company reported on Friday that water had spilled onto the floor at all 3 reactors at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. The amount of water spilled was 3.8 liters at the most.

The utility firm also found water leaks at 5 locations in the plant, including inside buildings housing the reactors.

The company added that blowout panels--devices designed to control pressure inside the buildings--were damaged at the turbine building of the Number 3 reactor.

The newly reported problems add to the downing of 3 of 4 external power lines at the Onagawa plant. The plant is maintaining its cooling capabilities with the remaining power line.

Tohoku Electric Power Company is continuing its efforts to determine the extent of the damage caused by the latest quake. But it says no change has yet been seen in radiation levels around the plant.

Friday, April 08, 2011 11:59 +0900 (JST)
.

NHK in a related story. It is fortunate that Tohoku has a mobile diesel generator. It may need it
Higashadori has one nuclear reactor, and it was built in 2005. It is a BWR style, manufactured by Toshiba.:

Nuclear power plants and related facilities in the coastal areas of northeastern Japan were forced to rely on emergency power after their electricity was cut off in Thursday night's quake.

Operations have been suspended at all nuclear power plants from Aomori to Ibaraki prefectures since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. But electricity is still crucial to keep their cooling systems operating.

Japan's nuclear agency says all external power lines at Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture were knocked out in Thursday's quake. The plant switched to emergency diesel power generators for some hours, but power was later restored.

The quake shut down 3 of the 4 external power lines at Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. It is still operating on the one remaining power line.

The Onagawa plant also suffered water leaks at 8 locations, including water that spilled from spent fuel storage pools at each of its 3 reactors. A device to control pressure inside a turbine building was also damaged.

In addition, the quake disabled all external power lines at a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture. The cooling systems here are still running on emergency diesel power.
Friday, April 08, 2011 14:01 +0900 (JST)

.

And they report on Daiichi:

Work to get Fukushima plant under control goes on

Work to restore reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will continue on Friday following a strong earthquake overnight.

The magnitude 7.4 tremor was one of the largest since the devastating quake on March 11th. The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says no new irregularities have been detected in radiation readings or the facilities.

It says it will continue discharging lower-level radioactive water into the sea from a storage facility on Friday.

The work is designed to make room for highly radioactive water that leaked into the basement of the turbine building next to the plant's No. 2 reactor and a concrete tunnel.

On Thursday, about 7,700 tons of relatively lower-level radioactive water was released, and the remaining 300 tons will be discharged on Friday.

TEPCO says the latest quake has not caused further leakage of contaminated water into the sea from a concrete pit outside the No. 2 reactor.

The company says it will also continue work to inject nitrogen into the containment vessel of the No. 1 reactor to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion.

Nearly half of the nuclear fuel rods in the reactor are feared to be exposed -- generating hydrogen that could explode if it reacts with oxygen.

Friday, April 08, 2011 11:09 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

Looking for more info, I found this from World Nuclear News. It makes it clear that all these reactors were in cold shutdown already, following the initial quake. Higadashi had all its fuel in the spent fuel pool for maintenance. However, its diesel power is working.

Even at Daiichi, units 5 & 6, which were in cold shutdown, caused no problem. And I doubt whether anyone will let the Higadashi spent fuel pool heat up, if they have to carry the water there by bucket brigades. Also, as I reported before, a number of Japan's nuclear energy companies have acquired diesel generators on large trucks, so those can be deployed, too:

New earthquake disrupts grid power
07 April 2011
FIRST PUBLISHED: 6.32pm GMT

UPDATE 1: 6.47pm GMT, Status of Onagawa nuclear power plant


Another powerful off shore earthquake has hit Japan's northeast. Diesel generators have replaced grid power at Higashidori nuclear power plant and the Rokkasho reprocessing facility but there has been no effect on safety at Fukushima Daiichi.



The Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (Meti) said that seawater pupmping to cool the reactor cores of Fukushima Daiichi 1, 2 and 3 continued after a brief evacuation on a tsunami warning. It had been predicted that the magnitude 7.9 earthquake would cause a wave of only 50 centimetres at the plant, but elsewhere on the coast had been braced for waves of up to two metes.



Power from the grid through two of three connections was lost at the Onagawa nuclear power plant, where its three reactors have been in cold shutdown since 11 March. Cooling systems are still in operation.


The single reactor at Higashidori is offline for maintenance and its full core load of fuel is within the used fuel pond. When power from the grid was disrupted, cooling was maintained by emergency diesel generators. The Rokkasho reprocessing plant also lost grid power and is currently maintained by its diesels.


There have been no signs of any radioactive release from Higashidori, noted Meti. The reactor is a 1067 MWe boiling water reactor that started operation in 2005 owned by Tohoku Electric Power Company.


Another part of the Higashidori site is owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company, which had been preparing to start construction of a 1385 MWe Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) unit there in coming weeks. This was to be followed by another unit of the same design and capacity. Tohoku also plans to build another ABWR there.



Other reactors in the region shut down since the 11 March earthquake - at Fukushima Daiini and at Tokai - reported no effect from the earthquake. They continue in cold shutdown, using grid power for cooling systems.

 

[dorispulaski]

JAIF has released a number of translations of NHK reports. I've listed some before, but will relist them all here.

Re the Peach Bottom NJ, nuclear plant in NJ: I expect NEI will weigh in on this later today. The US's Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting an audit of US nuclear plants, based on the Japanese quake experience. A number of plants, including Oyster Creek, and I think Indian Point, have already been reviewed without any Congressional attention called to the fact. A review that finds nothing is probably not a great review, so it looks like they're serious.

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/362824

However, it looks here like the review committee was upset at Peach Bottom because it does not have the ability to measure earthquakes, and the person at the plant who should have been able to furnish the design level of the plant for earthquakes was not able to supply it.

No. 46: 20:00, April 8
NHK news regarding status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station yesterday and today.

●Congress: US reactors may not be safe enough
A US Congressional subcommittee has warned that a nuclear power plant in the country could face the same problems as Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in a worst-case scenario. The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee released a study by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the Peach Bottom nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. The report says that if a power loss occurs for a long time, fuel rods in the reactor could be damaged, leading to the release of radioactive substances within 2 days. The reactor has the same design as the Number 1 and Number 2 reactors at the Fukushima plant. The report adds that safety equipment installed after the September 11th attacks in 2001 will prevent fuel rods from being damaged in emergencies. But the House subcommittee was not satisfied with the explanation and urged the Commission to further examine the issue.
Friday, April 08, 2011 14:14 +0900 (JST)

●Aftershock batters nuclear plants
Nuclear power plants and related facilities in the coastal areas of northeastern Japan were forced to rely on emergency power after their electricity was cut off in Thursday night's quake. Operations have been suspended at all nuclear power plants from Aomori to Ibaraki prefectures since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. But electricity is still crucial to keep their cooling systems operating. Japan's nuclear agency says all external power lines at Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture were knocked out in Thursday's quake. The plant switched to emergency diesel power generators for some hours, but power was later restored. The quake shut down 3 of the 4 external power lines at Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. It is still operating on the one remaining power line. The Onagawa plant also suffered water leaks at 8 locations, including water that spilled from spent fuel storage pools at each of its 3 reactors. A device to control pressure inside a turbine building was also damaged. In addition, the quake disabled all external power lines at a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture. The cooling systems here are still running on emergency diesel power.
Friday, April 08, 2011 14:01 +0900 (JST)

●Thursday's quake damages Onagawa nuclear plant
Tohoku Electric Power Company says Thursday night's strong earthquake caused water to overflow from spent fuel storage pools at one of its nuclear power plants. The power company reported on Friday that water had spilled onto the floor at all 3 reactors at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. The amount of water spilled was 3.8 liters at the most. The utility firm also found water leaks at 5 locations in the plant, including inside buildings housing the reactors. The company added that blowout panels--devices designed to control pressure inside the buildings--were damaged at the turbine building of the Number 3 reactor. The newly reported problems add to the downing of 3 of 4 external power lines at the Onagawa plant. The plant is maintaining its cooling capabilities with the remaining power line. Tohoku Electric Power Company is continuing its efforts to determine the extent of the damage caused by the latest quake. But it says no change has yet been seen in radiation levels around the plant.
Friday, April 08, 2011 11:59 +0900 (JST)

●No. 1 reactor lost cooling function on March 11
Unreleased data obtained by NHK suggest that the failure to maintain the cooling functions of the No. 1 reactor at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant possibly triggered a hydrogen explosion at an early stage. The data show that the water level inside the No. 1 reactor dropped to 45 centimeters above the fuel rods, or about one-tenth the normal level, nearly 7 hours after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. The fuel rods become exposed 11 hours later. Water levels in the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors were kept at around 4 meters through the use of emergency generators despite the power outages. It was a day and a half to 3 days before their fuel rods were exposed. University of Tokyo Professor Naoto Sekimura says the loss of cooling functions at the No.1 reactor and the subsequent exposure of the fuel rods may have caused the hydrogen explosion as early as the next day. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has so far only disclosed data from the day after the quake.
Friday, April 08, 2011 11:24 +0900 (JST)

●Work to get Fukushima plant under control goes on
Work to restore reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will continue on Friday following a strong earthquake overnight. The magnitude 7.4 tremor was one of the largest since the devastating quake on March 11th. The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says no new irregularities have been detected in radiation readings or the facilities. It says it will continue discharging lower-level radioactive water into the sea from a storage facility on Friday. The work is designed to make room for highly radioactive water that leaked into the basement of the turbine building next to the plant's No. 2 reactor and a concrete tunnel.
On Thursday, about 7,700 tons of lower-level radioactive water was released, and the remaining 300 tons will be discharged on Friday. TEPCO says the latest quake has not caused further leakage of contaminated water into the sea from a concrete pit outside the No. 2 reactor. The company says it will also continue work to inject nitrogen into the containment vessel of the No. 1 reactor to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion. Nearly half of the nuclear fuel rods in the reactor are feared to be exposed -- generating hydrogen that could explode if it reacts with oxygen.
Friday, April 08, 2011 11:09 +0900 (JST)

●IAEA: "Early signs of recovery" at Fukushima plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has detected early signs of recovery at the crisis-stricken nuclear power plant in Japan. Speaking to reporters in Vienna on Thursday, IAEA deputy director general Denis Flory said there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation at the Fukushima Daiichi power station. But he added the overall situation remains very serious. Flory said 2 reactor experts from the IAEA visited the Fukushima plant on Wednesday. The experts inspected all reactors at the nuclear complex from outside and were briefed by officials in charge during their 5-hour stay. Flory said the IAEA will continue to carefully analyze the situation based on the information obtained through the visit as well as data provided by Japanese authorities.
Friday, April 08, 2011 09:14 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO to inspect nuclear plant after quake
The Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to resume operations to tackle safety issues at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following a powerful quake on Thursday night. The utility company says an examination immediately after the latest quake showed no ill effects on the facilities and the operation to inject water into the Number 1, 2 and 3 reactors. Radiation monitors at the plant showed no change in readings. On Friday morning, TEPCO will inspect the facility in detail and determine whether highly contaminated water has started to leak into the ocean again from a pit near the Number 2 reactor. The company plans to finish discharging the last 300 tons of relatively lightly contaminated water from a waste storage facility into the ocean on Friday. About 7,700 tons of the water containing low-level radioactive substances had been discharged by Thursday. Once the storage facility is empty, the company will pump into it highly contaminated water which flooded the turbine building of the Number 2 reactor. TEPCO also plans to finish by Saturday an operation to dump 1,500 tons of relatively-low contaminated water from drainage pits at the Number 5 and 6 reactors. The company is continuing to inject nitrogen gas into the Number 1 reactor to prevent a hydrogen explosion. It says Thursday's quake did not affect the work.
Fuel rods inside the reactor are nearly half exposed after a loss of cooling water.
Friday, April 08, 2011 08:00 +0900 (JST)

●UN expert: Fukushima worse than Three Mile Island
A senior UN scientific official says the ongoing problems at the Fukushima nuclear plant are much more serious than the Three Mile Island case in the US in 1979. The chairman of the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, Wolfgang Weiss, spoke at a news conference in Vienna on Wednesday. He said the Fukushima case is less serious than the accident at the Chernobyl plant in the former Soviet Union in 1986. Weiss said his organization has seen traces of iodine in the air all over the world but they are much lower than traces seen at similar distances after Chernobyl. The Japanese government is rating the Fukushima accident a "level 5" on the international scale of 7 that measures nuclear accidents. The Three Mile Island is ranked a level 5 and Chernobyl a level 7. But Weiss said although detected radiation levels around the Fukushima plant are higher than normal, they are not expected to have major impact on people's health. The UN committee is to send its experts to Japan to see the effects of radiation from the Fukushima plant, after consulting with the Japanese government.
Friday, April 08, 2011 06:15 +0900 (JST)

●TEPCO:No trouble reported
Tokyo Electric Power Company says there are no additional problems with the facilities at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants due to the recent aftershock. The company says all the workers at the two plants have been evacuated to safe ground, and that there are no reports of injuries. It says electric power supply has not been cut off at the plants. TEPCO added that no injuries have been reported.
Friday, April 08, 2011 01:31 +0900 (JST)

●Aftershock puts nuclear plants on emergency power
Japan's nuclear agency says the quake that struck northeastern Japan on Thursday, disabled all but one outside power supply line at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says 2 of the 3 power lines became unavailable and the plant is using the only remaining line to cool its nuclear reactors. It says the cooling systems of 3 spent fuel pools were disabled at one point, but had all been restored. The agency reports no abnormal radiation readings at the plant. At the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, instrument readings and radiation monitors showed no changes following the quake. At the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture, the quake shut down all outside power lines, prompting the plant to switch on emergency diesel power generators.
The plant had shut down its reactors and was undergoing an inspection at the time of the quake. No serious effects were reported with the cooling systems of storage pools for spent fuel rods. A nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, also lost all outside power and is operating on emergency diesel generators at the moment. No irregularities have also been reported at the Tokai Daini nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture. All these nuclear power plants had suspended power generating operations at their reactors after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Friday, April 08, 2011 06:10 +0900 (JST)

●Powerful quake strikes northeastern Japan
A magnitude 7.4 quake occurred off the Miyagi coast, northeastern Japan late Thursday night. The Meteorological Agency says the quake registered 6-plus on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 in Sendai and another place in Miyagi prefecture. It says an intensity of 6-minus was registered in wide areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, and that the quake was felt in many regions across Japan. The agency estimates the focus of the quake was 40 kilometers below ground. The agency issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas in Miyagi Prefecture, and tsunami evacuation advisories for Japan's northeastern seaboard from Aomori to Ibaraki prefectures. The warning and advisories were lifted about 80 minutes after the quake. It was the largest aftershock since the March 11th quake, which registered 7-minus on the Japanese seismic scale. The Meteorological Agency warned of possible strong aftershocks after last month's massive tremor. About 100 people were injured in Thursday's temblor, and fire and a gas leaks have been reported. Electricity delivery has been interrupted in Sendai.
Friday, April 08, 2011 06:10 +0900 (JST)

●Nitrogen injection ups pressure in reactor
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says pressure inside the containment vessel of the Number 1 reactor is rising following an injection of nitrogen gas. Tokyo Electric Power Company started the injection early on Thursday to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion at the reactor. Fuel rods inside the reactor are nearly half exposed after a loss of cooling water, creating a dangerous buildup of oxygen and hydrogen and fears of another explosion. The company says that after injecting 413 cubic meters of nitrogen gas until 5 PM on Thursday, the pressure reading inside the vessel was 1.76, up 0.2 from before the injection started. The company says it will continue the work for 6 more days and study a similar operation in the Number 2 and 3 reactors. Tokyo Electric also admitted that the level of highly radioactive water in a
concrete tunnel of the Number 2 reactor rose 5 centimeters in the 24 hours until 7 AM local time on Thursday. It says the rise may be a result of work on Wednesday to stop highly radioactive water leaking into the sea from a cracked concrete pit. The company says the water is about a meter below the ground level, and that it will keep monitoring it to prevent an overflow. Tokyo Electric has so far dumped about 7,300 tons of low-level radioactive wastewater into the sea from a storage facility to make room for more highly contaminated water. The company says the last 700 tons of water will be discharged by Friday.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 20:24 +0900 (JST)
End

 

[dorispulaski]

Gamma Radiation
Daini 3.0 microSieverts per hour at 3:00 PM April 8th
Daiichi West Gate 54.1 microSieverts per hour at 3:00 PM April 8th

Radiation Dose
Daiichi April 8th 3:00 PM Japanese Time
Main Office Building 0.65 milliSieverts per hour
Main Gate 94 microSieverts per hour
West Gate 40 microSieverts per hour
Measure Points three through 8: 45,45, 89, 135, 271, 218 microSieverts per hour

 

[dorispulaski]

Status TEPCO

TEPCO has filed an application with the Japanese government re improved safety:

Based on the requirement of ministry ordinance to improve system for maintaining reactor facilities under circumstances where tidal waves cause loss of function to all the facilities receiving alternating-current power, all the reactor cooling facilities utilizing seawater and all the facilities for spent fuel pool cooling ("Station Blackout"), we have set forth the follows. - Allocate staff in order to maintain reactor facilities under Station Blackout. - Train staff who operate to maintain reactor facilities under Station Blackout. - Install power source cars, fire-fighting vehicles, fire fighting hoses and other equipments necessary for operation to maintain reactor facilities under Station Blackout

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110408e3.pdf


DAINI Status

We conducted inspection of each plant after the earthquake occurred on 11:32 pm, April 7th and no trouble was detected.

Filled out status form:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110408e4.pdf


DAIICHI Status

Cooling the spent fuel pools -
From 6:23 pm to 7:40 pm on April 7th, spraying water to Unit 4 by concrete pump vehicle was conducted.

-We patrolled the site due to the earthquake occurred at approximately 11:32 pm on April 7 and have not found any abnormalities.