Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

[Olympia]

Hooray! Housing instead of shelters. That's a great piece of news. And good to hear that the Packbot robot is hard at work. Three cheers for Mr./Ms. January on our Robot Calendar!

I love that they're planting cherry trees on the tsunami line.

Yes, I have my flu shot. I get it every year.

 

[dorispulaski]

let's talk, Thank you for the explanation.

Olympia, The cherry trees remind me of my Dad, who believed in planting trees to mark events.

He planted a Japanese cherry the year I was born.

And he planted 8 rows of double daffodils at the line where the tidal wave from the Connecticut hurricane of 1938 stopped.

They were this kind

http://www.andrusgardensquilts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Double-Daffodils.jpg

 

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO STATUS 3:00 PM JST, November 7th

Unit 2 Spent fuel pool

-At 11:04 am on November 6, we started operation of radioactive material decontamination instrument of spent fuel pool.


At around 11:00 am on November 6, since partner companies' workers who went on patrol found that the boiler of evaporative concentration apparatus stopped, we stopped operation of the apparatus 3B and 3C. Since the operation panel on the site alerted "Very low water level in boiler supply water tank", we assumed that the boiler stopped due to this reason. After that, we conducted investigation of the cause of decrease of supply tank water level. When we started a backup pump for transfer of boiler supply water, the alert stopped. Therefore we judged that one pump was troubled. In addition, although all the evaporative concentration apparatus stopped, water treatment by the water desalinations (RO membrane system) and water injection to the reactors have been continued.
On 3:48 pm on November 4, we started transferring accumulated water from the basement of the turbine building of Unit 1 to the basement of the turbine building of Unit 2. At 9:41 am on November 6, we stopped transferring.

*At 10:00 am on November 6, we started transferring accumulated water from the basement of the turbine building of Unit 6 to the temporary tanks.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111107_01-e.pdf
Handout showing the cesium removal facility, i.e. radioactive decontamination system, at the Unit 2 spent fuel pool. I really think that munical incinerators, or outfalls from cement plants using ashes from incinerators should consider adding cesium removal facilities of one sort or another. As these slide shows, they need not be elaborate.

http://youtu.be/ylgiQ1KWm48
Video explaining the water treatment system
Some storage issues are also discussed- particularly interesting is the long term storage for used adsorption tanks and for high activity sludge.

NHK NEWS

This is incredibly cool! And great for disabled people as well.

Robot suits tested for Fukushima nuclear plant

A high-tech body-brace machine called a "robot suit" may be used to help workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant move around more easily while wearing heavy protective gear.

A venture in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, originally developed the assistive device with University of Tsukuba researchers for people with disabilities and the elderly.

The device has sensors that move the brace based on nerve signals from the human brain.

The venture has now reinforced the robot suit's materials to strengthen its lifting power so that it can be used at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Those entering the plant have to wear protective gear against radiation that weighs some 15 kilograms.

The venture says the device can help to assist the movement of up to 60 kilograms.

Last Tuesday, the venture team conducted tests to see how well the device can assist workers who are removing rubble and conducting repairs.

University of Tsukuba Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai says the robot suits will enable workers to do many more types of work and stay longer inside the reactor buildings. He says it may be possible to put the nuclear plant under control earlier if the device is used.
Monday, November 07, 2011 10:24 +0900 (JST)

TEPCO begins removing cesium from spent fuel pool

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun removing radioactive cesium from water in the spent fuel pool of one of the damaged reactors.

Tokyo Electric Power Company installed a device to remove cesium inside the cooling water of the spent fuel pool at the No.2 reactor. The device became operational on Sunday.

The concentration of radioactive cesium remains high in the cooling water of the spent fuel pools following meltdowns at the No. 1, 2, and 3 reactors.

TEPCO has been removing radioactive material from the reactors' cooling water since July, but the No.2 reactor became the first where the procedure took place in the spent fuel pool.

TEPCO aims to reduce the concentration of radioactive material in the water from one-hundredth to one- thousandth within about a month.

There are fears that the metal pipes and walls of the spent fuel pools will erode, as seawater was used after the accident to cool down the spent fuel pools of the No. 2, 3 and 4 reactors. TEPCO has already begun removing salt from the water in the pool at the No.4 reactor, and plans to do the same at the pool of the No.2 reactor.

The company said removal of radioactive material from the pool water is necessary as a step toward removing salt. The salt concentration of the pools is not particularly high -- about one-tenth of the saltwater -- but erosion caused by salt may cause holes to form.
Monday, November 07, 2011 05:44 +0900 (JST)

If Japan cares about global warming, it should not be importing more natural gas and coal from Australia, and facilitating a natural gas pipeline from Russia. However, that is what it is doing.

Meanwhile the Arctic ice cap will be gone in summer by 2020, if things continue at this rate.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-10/21/content_13945235.htm

Japan drafts proposals for UN development summit

At a UN summit next year, the Japanese government will propose that emerging economies should accept greater responsibility in dealing with climate change.

The government has drawn up a set of proposals for the summit next June in Brazil. World leaders will discuss how to achieve sustainable development while protecting the environment.

Japan plans to argue that rapidly growing economies such as China and India as well as businesses and NGOs should play a greater role.

The Japanese government will call for a review of international assistance in dealing with climate change, which has been mainly provided by advanced nations to developing countries.

Japan will ask emerging economies to shoulder a large financial burden and propose that private companies contribute more in terms of personnel training and technological assistance.

The Japanese government plans to work with other countries to have these proposals reflected in a document to be compiled at the summit.
Sunday, November 06, 2011 06:43 +0900 (JST)

An odd cartoonization of the debate about closing Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant can be found her. Both pro and anti sides' arguments are pretty much what people are using. Since the video was made by a pro Yankee supporter, the conclusion is left with the antinuclear person not convinced, but thinking over what he has heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_tg8338_c&feature=player_embedded

 

[Olympia]

Doris, I love daffodils, and the double ones are so lavish. Thanks for the photo! My area abounds in all kinds of daffodils in spring, from the classic trumpet shape to the little button-cups of a contrasting color to the double ones, and I can never make up my mind which kind I like the best. What a great way for your father to commemorate where the water stopped. And I love the idea of a cherry tree planted for the birth of a child.

 

[dorispulaski]

Dad used to say he hoped people would remember he loved flowers; and certainly I remember that about him.

I love them too.

TEPCO STATUS REPORTS, November 9th, 3:30 PM JST


Unit 3

At 2:30 pm on November 7, we suspended the alternative cooling in order to clear clogs in the primary strainer resulted from reverse cleaning, as a countermeasure against the alarm suction pressure decrease of alternative primary coolant system pump in spent fuel pool of Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (water temperature of spent fuel pool as of suspension: approx. 24.8°C). After finishing the reverse cleaning of the primary strainer, then, at 7:17 pm on the same day we restarted the alternative cooling (water temperature of spent fuel pool as of restart: approx. 22.5°C *It is supposed that water temperature as of restart became lower than that as of suspension because water in skimmer surge tank was cooled down by outside air.

I believe that what they are calling reverse cleaning would generally be called 'back flushing' here in the US.

Unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool

At 12:25 am on November 8, RO membrane unit of desalting facility in spent fuel pool, Unit 4 automatically stopped due to the alarm indicating leakage. Responding to the alarm, we confirmed that all the isolation valves of each unit were closed by the interlocks. Also, considering that all the spots at leakage risk were equipped with receiving pans which would be able to store all of the liquid in the unit, we judged that further deterioration of leakage or leakage to outside of the unit was unlikely. We will check the site and situation in the future. The operation of circulating cooling system has been continued. Afterwards, as the result of confirmation at the site of this facility, we confirmed that the leakage have stopped, all of the leaked liquid is in the receiving pans (approx. 5 liter), and there exists a trail of leakage from the pump casing of RO membrane unit. At 2:00 pm on the same day, we wiped out the leaked liquid and reset the alarm. We will investigate in detail.

Plans are in order to do power supply reinforcement in Units 2 & 3. Preparatory work is complete.

At 2:55 pm on November 7, we started another boiler by using a spare water transfer pump for boiler. Then, we started evaporative concentration apparatus 3B at 5:24 pm and 3C at 6 pm. Causes of the trouble of the water transfer pump for boiler are still under investigation. At 2:24 am on November 8, we manually stopped the boiler of evaporative concentration apparatus in the water desalinations since alarm worked and indicated decrease of water level in boiler water supply tank at 2:20 am. Then, we stopped evaporative concentration apparatus 3B at 2:28 am ad 3C at 2:31 am. Although all the evaporative concentration apparatus stopped, water treatment by the water desalinations (RO membrane system) and water injection to the reactors have been continued. Causes will be investigated in the future.

Since October 24th, TEPCO has made changes to ocean sampling so that the limit of detection is significantly lower than it was before.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11110803-e.html

A new Survey map of the site is up, dated November 8th.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/f1-sv-20111108-e.pdf

Video of dust collecting at Unit 3
http://www.tepco.co.jp/tepconews/pressroom/110311/images/111108_1.wmv

Analysis of Spent Fuel Pool water for Units 1, 2, 3, and 4
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111108_01-e.pdf

All temperature measurements at Unit 1 are about the same as its Spent fuel pool- all between 40 & 50 C.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/11110906_temp_data_1u-e.pdf

NHK REPORTS

We knew this before, but it's good to see NISA has confirmed it.

No criticality in Fukushima

Japan's nuclear agency has confirmed that sustained nuclear fission did not take place at the Fukushima nuclear power plant last week.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency disclosed the results of experts' studies on a report by Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO.

The utility detected a small amount of the radioactive material, xenon-135, in the reactor's containment vessel of the damaged No.2 reactor on Tuesday of last week.

TEPCO initially feared it may signal an ongoing nuclear reaction. But it determined that the substance was produced through spontaneous fission, a form of radioactive decay, and not from sustained fission or criticality.

The nuclear agency said the density of the xenon, which did not change when a boric acid solution was injected into the reactor, proved that criticality did not occur.

The agency ordered TEPCO to regularly check the density of nuclear substances inside the vessels and to report any changes.

Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary Yasuhiro Sonoda said on Monday that it is regrettable that TEPCO was slow to report the incident to local governments, calling on the utility to share information as quickly as possible.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011 02:48 +0900 (JST)

This monitoring is key to determining when evacuees from given areas can return home.

Extensive radiation monitoring begins in no-go zone

The environment ministry has launched a detailed survey of radiation levels in areas near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

This information will enable the government to pinpoint which areas in the irradiated 20-kilometer zone of the plant need to be decontaminated first. Areas with radiation levels of about 20 millisieverts per year will also be included.

About 30 people, including ministry officials and Tokyo Electric Power Company staff gathered at a monitoring point in Iitate Village. The village is in a government-designated evacuation zone, from which all residents were ordered to leave.

Radiation levels for the survey will be measured at 100 meter intervals at an altitude of 50 meters, using unmanned helicopters and cars.

The ministry will provide an interim report on the results in December.

In the 12 designated municipalities, three corporations commissioned by the government have been selected to carry out the survey how to proceed the decontamination work effectively.

The ministry is set to begin full-scale cleanup efforts from next January according to the result of these surveys.

A ministry senior official said he hopes the survey and decontamination work will move forward quickly to allow some 100,000 evacuees to return to their homes.
Monday, November 07, 2011 19:42 +0900 (JST)

Most evacuees still want to return home, survey says:

1/4 won't return to Fukushima restricted zone

A survey in Fukushima Prefecture has revealed that one in 4 evacuees has no intention of returning to the restricted areas around the disaster-stricken nuclear power plant.

A group from Fukushima University sent questionnaires to all households from 8 municipalities in the district of Futaba, where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is located. Roughly half, or 13,500, responded.

26.9 percent of evacuees said they wouldn't be returning to their hometowns. Among people in their early 30s or younger, the figure rose to 52.3 percent.

More than 30 percent of evacuees from 3 towns in the no-entry zone said they won't return. The 20-kilometer zone is where radiation levels are particularly high.

Asked what troubles them most, nearly 60 percent cited a lack of prospects for ending their time in evacuation.

In the comment section of the survey, some evacuees wrote that they loved their hometowns and the people they know there, and that they would want to return home soon if it was possible.

The survey's leader, Associate Professor Fuminori Tanba, says the comments indicate that the evacuees do want to return home, despite the high number of those saying they will not. He also says the central and local governments should come up with steps to satisfy the wishes of the residents.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011 13:05 +0900 (JST)

The attempt by the government to be transparent about reactor safety is encouraging.

Govt releases nuclear safety test results

The Japanese government has begun posting the results of nuclear reactor safety tests on a government website.

Industry minister Yukio Edano said on Tuesday that the government aims to boost transparency before idled reactors now undergoing stress tests are restarted.

Kansai Electric Power Company submitted test results on its No.3 reactor at Ohi power plant late last month.

Edano told reporters that the results, along with exchanges of views between the government and utility, are now available on the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency website.

The industry minister said he wants the public to send opinions and questions over the test, and that the government will respond. He said exchanges of views could lead to a better understanding of the nuclear safety examination process.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011 13:05 +0900 (JST)

It's not clear why this would be so. When children in the US are obese, it is usually credited to eating the wrong things and being too sedentary. Here the researcher is postulating that children are losing weight because they are sedentary. I wonder wheter children from the shelters were included in the sample. Certainly, for the first two months, food there was inadequate; that could result in children not gaining weight as usual.

Smaller increase in children's weight in Fukushima

A survey shows that some children in Fukushima Prefecture have smaller average weight gains this year compared to the year before. A pediatrician says the results indicate the negative effects of the nuclear plant accident in March.

Doctor Shintaro Kikuchi tracked the weights of 245 children aged from 4 to 6 in 2 kindergartens in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. The results show an average weight increase of 0.81 kilograms over the past year through June. The increase for children in the same age group the previous year was 3.1 kilograms.

The average increase for children aged 5 to 6 in the survey was 0.84 kilograms. But a nationwide health ministry survey conducted last year for children of the same age group showed an average gain of 1.8 kilograms.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident has caused high levels of radioactivity in areas around the plant. Koriyama is located about 60 kilometers from the facility and many children in the city have been forced to play indoors to avoid contamination.

Kikuchi noted that the smaller weight increases could be related to reduced appetite resulting from less exercise as well as changes in the secretion of growth hormones due to stress. He said measures should be taken to restore normal hormone levels in the children.
Monday, November 07, 2011 20:09 +0900 (JST)

I hope we will hear reports from the Fukushima delegation after they return home.

Fukushima delegation ends visit to Chernobyl

A delegation from Fukushima Prefecture has ended a 6-day visit to the former Soviet republics of Belarus and Ukraine. The 2 countries were heavily contaminated following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

The delegation made up of prefectural officials and researchers visited the office of a civic group "ZEMLYAKI" in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Sunday.

The group was set up by a group of evacuees from Pripyat -- a town about 4 kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear plant. It has been working to improve medical assistance and international exchanges.

A representative said many evacuees are unemployed, face financial difficulties and need more support.

A former kindergarten director in Pripyat said the authorities failed to disclose the truth. She said she was told by officials that she would be able to return home several days after the accident, but later learned from TV that she would never be allowed to return.

The delegation head, Shuji Shimizu, who is deputy president of Fukushima University, said the group learned a lot during the visit about what people in Fukushima should do. He said he will make use of the findings.
Monday, November 07, 2011 11:09 +0900 (JST)

It's a nice thought, but I doubt that this saving will not lead to more visitors.

No-fee visa for foreigners to quake-hit areas

Foreigners bound for Japan will not have to pay fees for obtaining visas if they visit regions hard-hit by Japan's disasters in March.

The Foreign Ministry says it will charge no fees for issuing visas to visitors to any of the 3 prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.

Usually 3,000 yen, or roughly 38 dollars, is charged for a single-use visa, and 76 dollars for a multiple-use visa.

Visitors going to any of the 3 prefectures will need to verify their trip with documents such as hotel reservations or flight tickets.

The measure will be effective for 5 years from November 15th. The 5-year period is timed during the government's most intensive reconstruction efforts.

The no-fee visa program may be extended depending on future developments.

The Foreign Ministry hopes the measure will help the reconstruction efforts by encouraging foreign tourists to visit the areas.

The Tourism Agency says the March 11th earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear accident led to more than a 30 percent decline in the number of foreign visitors to Japan.
Monday, November 07, 2011 17:59 +0900 (JST)

There have been a lot of well-publicized cyber attacks in Japan of late

Nuclear power companies subject to cyber attacks

The operators of nuclear power plants in Japan have become the latest victims of cyber criminals.

NHK asked 10 electric power companies that manage nuclear power plants if they have experienced attacks on their computer networks in the past year.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Hokkaido Electric Power Company and Tohoku Electric Power Company said they had received targeted cyber attacks through emails disguised as business communications from government offices.

TEPCO says, however, that it has no evidence of an information leak.

Five other utilities reported that their computers were hit by viruses delivered through email, but they also said they have had no data leakage.

Noting past cyber attacks on nuclear facilities abroad, Keio University Professor Keiji Takeda says hackers may have sent viruses to try and collect data from plants in Japan.

He says not only electric power companies, but also gas and water suppliers, railway operators and other infrastructure operators should share information on viruses and check again to see if their computers have been infected.

Earlier, Japanese government institutions and defense contractors came under cyber attacks.
Monday, November 07, 2011 19:42 +0900 (JST)

It's good to know that they are checking the ashes for radioactive materials before they bury them.

Disposal of earthquake rubble begins in Tokyo

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has begun work to bury rubble left behind by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

Tokyo began accepting large amounts of debris from Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, for disposal last Thursday. The rubble is being broken into pieces or incinerated at facilities in the city.

On Tuesday, ash was transferred from a local incinerator to a landfill site in Tokyo port, where it was buried using large construction equipment.

The metropolitan government said it plans to accept up to 500,000 tons of debris from Miyako and other disaster-hit areas by March 2014.

The head of the landfill assured residents that there is no cause for concern, as authorities are disposing of the ash only after conducting detailed radiation checks.

Tokyo is the first prefecture outside the quake-hit areas to offer help in disposing of the debris.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011 12:37 +0900 (JST)

and in the fishing and agricultural news:

Fish market in tsunami-hit town reopens

A fish market in a northeastern Japanese town that was devastated by the March tsunami has begun trading again.

The market in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, had been closed for about 8 months after the tsunami swept away the market building and an ice-making facility.

On Monday, 20 tons of mackerel, salmon and other fish were brought in. The market's first fish auction since the tsunami was about a half the normal haul for this time of the year but enough to bring life to the market again.

Before the auction, about 30 fishermen and market officials observed a moment of silence for those killed in the disaster.

The head of the town's fisheries cooperative says he has mixed emotions. He says the reopening is only a small step forward and that more fisheries workers should come back to the market.

One dealer says the market will gradually be revitalized now that the fish have returned.
Monday, November 07, 2011 12:41 +0900 (JST)

I hope the positive dealer is right.
mot would be happy if he were in Japan! Crabs!

Snow crab season opens

Tourists visiting a fishing area on the Sea of Japan have been treated to the season's first catch of snow crabs.

The snow crab season opened on Sunday in Japan's central and western coastal prefectures.

In Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, a fisheries cooperative offered tourists the first catch of the season, taken on Sunday by more than 40 crab boats.

The organizer boiled 100 of the female crabs and 100 of the much larger males in a huge pot. A pair of the crabs sold for about 13 dollars, less than half the usual price.

Despite the rainy weather, the event attracted many visitors.

One said the crab tasted even better because he was able to enjoy it before anyone else.
Monday, November 07, 2011 12:00 +0900 (JST)

Who knew that in Japan, they make Turnip Sauerkraut! And that it was a cause for celebration. My husband makes sauerkraut. The process is very similar, preserving cabbage with salt, other than there is no soup stock involved, since the salt leaches enough liquid out of the cabbage.

Kyoto marks winter with turnip pickling
The pickling of turnips, known as "senmaizuke", began in Kyoto on Tuesday, the first day of winter according to the traditional Japanese calendar.

One of the city's culinary specialties is made from shaved "Shogoin" turnips. The turnips get sweeter as nighttime temperatures start to drop around this time of year.

Workers at a pickle factory peeled the turnips, which are 20 centimeters in diameter and weigh about 2 kilograms each, and shaved off slices as thin as 2.6 millimeters using special planes.

They arranged the shaved turnips in wooden barrels in fan shapes, and then sprinkled salt on them.

The turnips are taken out of the barrels after 3 days and soaked in a soup stock with kelp.

A typhoon in September delayed the seeding of the turnips, but a good harvest came in this year.

The factory's foreman says the work is hard because the entire process must be done by hand. He says he hopes that the pickles will become more delicious as temperatures drop and sweeten the turnips.

The peak of pickling will come next month.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011 13:45 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

I haven't been including the daily monitoring data from Fukushima Daiichi for a while, since dramatic changes have ceased since short lived isotopes have already undergone radioactive decay and are no longer present. However, all readings are slowly decreasing over time, as one would expect if no significant additional amounts of radioactive materials are being emitted by the reactors.

Fukushima Daiichi
Eight peripheral monitoring points (2 PM JST, November 10th) (4, 20, 13, 12, 14, 33, 96, 70) microSieverts per hour
Main Office Building 280 microSieverts per hour
Main Gate 29 microSieverts per hour
West Gate 11 microSieverts per hour

For comparison, on June 5th (no particular reason for this choice; it's just the first one I grabbed):
Eight peripheral points (5, 24, 15, 15, 18, 39, 121, 101 ) microSieverts per hour
Main building 358 microSieverts per hour
Main Gate 30.4 microSieverts per hour
West Gate 14 microSieverts per hour

TEPCO STATUS REPORTS up until November 10 3:30 PM

Unit 1
At 4:24 pm on November 8, we stopped the radioactive material removal instruments of the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 and the cooling system of spent fuel pool was stopped at 5:43 am for unit 1 and at 5:41 am for unit 2 due to the switching work of electricity to enhance security of electricity source. (The temperature of the spent fuel pools were 22°C (Unit 1), 23.9°C (Unit 2) when the instruments were stopped.) At 8:47 pm on November 9, we restarted the radioactive material removal instruments of the spent fuel pool of Unit 2. The cooling system of spent fuel pool was restarted at 8:20 pm for unit 2 and at 10:29 pm for unit 1. (The temperature of the spent fuel pools were 20°C (Unit 1), 26.3°C (Unit 2) when the instruments were restarted.) * The temperature of the spent fuel pool of Unit 1 became lower. This was presumed to be influenced by water in Skimmer Surge Tank whose temperature was lowered by open air.


Unit 2
- On November 9, sampling survey of gas at the gas management system of Unit 2 primary containment vessel was implemented. According to its analysis, it is considered that recriticality was not occurred because radioactive Xe135 at the entrance of gas management system of Unit 2 was below detection limit (1.1x10-1Bq/cm3). In addition, Xe-135 (1.9x 10-5Bq/cm3) was detected by charcoal filter. This was measured value and evaluated to be the amount emitted from the gas management system. Thus, the value measured by gas vial was converted into the value of 1.1x10-2Bq/cm3 using achievement rate. This value was the same as 2.7x 10-2Bq/cm3 that was evaluated before.

At 4:24 pm on November 8, we stopped operation of the radioactive material removal instruments of the spent fuel pool in order to conduct switching work of the power source to enhance security of power source.
- At 5:41 am on November 9, cooling system of spent fuel pool was stopped due to the switching work of electricity to enhance security of electricity source. It will be shut down until 4:30 pm. The temperature at the time was approx. 24°C* and the temperature of spent fuel pool will be estimated to increase about 3°C.


Unit 3
* At 4:05 pm on November 8, water injection to reactor of unit 3, as decrease of injection rate from feed water system was observed, injection rate was adjusted to approx. 3.0m3/h (water injection continues from core spray system at approx. 8.0m3/h).

At 9:22 am on November 9, dust sampling commenced at open mouth of reactor building (blowout panel).

Followup on the problems at the water desalination system. When you have water with this much crap of all sorts in it, there will be scale, plugging, and other problems.

At 2:24 am on November 8, we manually stopped the boiler of evaporative concentration apparatus in the water desalinations since alarm worked and indicated decrease of water level in boiler water supply tank at 2:20 am. Then, we stopped evaporative concentration apparatus 3B at 2:28 am ad 3C at 2:31 am. Although all the evaporative concentration apparatus stopped, water treatment by the water desalinations (RO membrane system) and water injection to the reactors have been continued. Causes will be investigated in the future. Thereafter, as a result of the inspection of inlet strainer of boiler make up water transfer pumps (A) and (B), plugging was found due to water scale of filtered water attached to inside of the pipe, after removing those contaminations, evaporated concentration apparatus 3B and 3C was restarted at 5:08 pm and at 6:01 am on the same day respectively. Cleaning of strainer will be conducted at appropriate timing.

And more maintenance was needed on the cesium decontamination system as well. I believe what they mean by allophone is an odd noise.

At 4:23 am on November 8, as allophone was observed from the motor of cesium adsorption treatment water transfer pump (B), cesium adsorption apparatus was stopped. After switched to (A) pump, at 4:54 pm, it was restarted and reached to normal operation flow (approx. 18m3/h) at 5:00 pm. We will investigate the cause. As the apparatus stop time was short, there was no significant effect on the water treatment.

and they keep moving water around

- At 10:00 am on November 9, transfer of accumulated water from turbine building of unit 6 to temporary tank was started. and stopped the transfer at 4:00 pm on the same day.

-At 9:10 am on November 10, we started transfer of accumulated water from the basement of Unit 2 turbine building to Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility High Temperature Incinerator Building.

Photos from yesterday's approximately 5 liters of leaked water from the Unit 4 desalination system. Photos show the water located in the drip pan.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111109_01-e.pdf

And an update to their near term security plan, as requested by NISA
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11110912-e.html

NHK NEWS

It's been impossible to prove the theory until TEPCO employees entered Unit 4, and found damage that confirmed that the hydrogen got into Unit 4 via the common ductwork with Unit 3. The spent fuel pool did not produce the hydrogen, and the fuel in the Unit 4 spent fuel pool was not damaged.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111110_01-e.pdf

Above is the original TEPCO press release. It shows photos that demonstrate that the explosion occurred on the fifth floor, where the air conditioning ducting from Unit 3 connects, and not on the fourth floor, where the spent fuel pool is located.

TEPCO confirms hydrogen from reactor caused blast

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the explosion of the facility's Number 4 reactor on March 15th was caused by a backflow of hydrogen from an adjacent building.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, announced the finding on Thursday.

The blast was initially thought to have been caused by hydrogen created when spent fuel stored in a pool at the reactor building was damaged by the devastating March 11th quake.

TEPCO workers who entered the building on Tuesday to determine the cause found that the 5th floor was more severely damaged than the 4th, where a pool of spent fuel is located, and that the fuel was intact. The workers also confirmed that an air conditioning duct on the floor was severely damaged.

TEPCO says the hydrogen likely flowed into the reactor through the duct connected to the plant's Number 3 reactor when workers released pressurized air from it to prevent a hydrogen blast.

The firm says the explosion very likely occurred after the density of hydrogen in the duct increased.

A hydrogen blast took place at the Number 3 building a day before the explosion at the Number 4 building.
Thursday, November 10, 2011 17:24 +0900 (JST)

They are already monitoring xenon at Unit 2. And they already measure temperatures at 10 to 12 spots in all the reactors. Presumably, this press release refers to a decision to install gas systems monitoring at Unit 1 and Unit 3, similar to what is in place at Unit 2.

Here's a link to the current data sheet for Unit 2, to show what kind of information is being collected.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111110_02-e.pdf

TEPCO to monitor xenon at Fukushima plant

Tokyo Electric Power Company or TEPCO says that it will install devices to detect radioactive xenon and determine any occurrence of nuclear criticality.

Radioactive xenon was detected in gases from the containment vessel of No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on November 1st and 2nd.

TEPCO said that xenon was produced through spontaneous fission, not from sustained fission.

But initially the utility could not determine whether it was sustained fission or not.

The utility also plans to create a system to measure temperature changes of nuclear reactors as an indicator of nuclear fission.
Thursday, November 10, 2011 11:25 +0900 (JST)

And more robots!

Disaster-response robots draw attention

Robots developed for rescue operations in earthquakes and nuclear disasters are the focus of this year's International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo.

The biennial event began on Wednesday with more than 270 companies and universities exhibiting robots for industrial and other uses. They include humanoid and animal-like machines.

Much attention is focused on robots that can operate in conditions where people cannot, such as quake-hit areas and nuclear disaster sites.

A robot developed by a major machinery manufacturer can cut through concrete, carry debris and perform various other jobs by changing its arm attachments. It can be operated by remote control.

In a discussion session, Shinji Kawatsuma of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency spoke about the failure of Japanese-made robots to perform properly during the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. He said workers need more time to learn how to operate the machines, and that day-to-day training is essential for the use of rescue robots.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011 19:19 +0900 (JST)

This sort of thing gives me a headache, because it's bogus, and it kills people by exposing them longer to unsettled conditions in their lives. 20 milliSieverts is 5x low enough.

Govt to bring view on low-level radiation impact

Japan's government plans to disclose its view on the health impact of low-level radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The government held its first meeting of a 9-member expert team to study the radiation impact on Wednesday evening, attended by Goshi Hosono, the minister in charge of the nuclear crisis.

The panelists agreed to formulate a view as early as the beginning of December on the impact on human health of radiation levels of 20 millisieverts per year. That's the exposure limit used by the Japanese government to specify the evacuation zone around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The panelists also agreed to hear opinions from experts who are critical of the government's policies, as well as from specialists overseas.

After achieving a cold shutdown of the disabled reactors, the government is to review the 20km no-entry zone surrounding the nuclear plant.
Thursday, November 10, 2011 06:30 +0900 (JST)

And no surprises here:

IEA: Denuclearization to increase energy prices

The International Energy Agency has warned that the cost of energy will grow if a global trend toward scrapping nuclear power spreads following Japan's nuclear accident.

The IEA, an advisory body of major oil-consuming countries, released its annual World Energy Outlook on Wednesday, exploring the world's energy prospects by 2035.

The agency examined the impact of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, speculating that it will halt construction of new reactors in developed countries and halve construction in developing nations.

The report says that the demand for natural gas and coal will drastically grow causing high prices, while renewable energy such as wind power will increase.

It says the result is that energy importing countries, including Japan, will face a total increase in energy costs of 90 billion dollars in 2035.

The report adds that emerging economies must meet their energy needs and warns that carbon dioxide emissions will rise by 6 percent, seriously affecting the fight against global warming.
Thursday, November 10, 2011 08:16 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

Comcast didn't really come back on line for me until today, so I'm sorry that I've missed 2 days of reports. I've tried to gather up everything, but probably missed some things. In any case:

TEPCO STATUS NOVEMBER 12 and previous


Unit 2 spent fuel pool

At 11:04 am on November 6, we started operation of radioactive material decontamination instrument of spent fuel pool.
At 10:30 am on November 12, we temporarily stopped its operation and started to replace adsorption instruments. We have kept cooling spent fuel pools using circulating cooling system for spent fuel pool. Afterwards, we completed the replacement and we restarted the operation at 12:05 pm on the same day. We will appropriately replace adsorption instruments of radioactive material decontamination instrument for spent fuel pool.

It turned out that pressure in D/W of Unit 2, which is one of the plant parameter, such as water level, pressure of temperature, was incorrect from 11:00 pm on October 29 to 11:00 pm on 10 November. This is because the pressure loss in the pipe for additional amount of injected nitrogen gas was not considered for the calculation of the pressure in D/W although injected amount of nitrogen gas has been increased appropriately since October 28 when the operation of gas management system of primary containment vessel started. Because revised pressure in D/W calculated by correct pressure loss in the pipe exceeds atmospheric pressure, there is no problem about its safety. The revision of value of the past data will be informed separately.

At 3:42 pm on November 11, we started to transfer the accumulated water from the basement of Unit 1 turbine building to the basement of Unit 2 turbine building.

NHK NEWS

This was planned for a week or 2 ago, but was delayed due to the Xenon detection and resultan criticality scare.

Fukushima plant opened to journalists

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been opened to reporters for the first time since the accident occurred 8 months ago.

On Saturday, 36 reporters and cameramen from Tokyo and Fukushima and from other countries put on protective gear and full face masks, and accompanied nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono to the site of the accident.

They stayed on a bus during the one-hour tour that started around 11 AM to minimize exposure to radiation.

The crew saw reactor buildings that were severely damaged by hydrogen explosions and vehicles hit by the tsunami that remain on the site.

A facility to clean contaminated water and a number of tanks to store cleansed water have been set up, and rubble has been removed from roads.

However, the reporters could finally see first-hand the intensity of the explosions and the overwhelming power of the tsunami.

The head of the plant, Masao Yoshida, told the reporters that he had thought he would die several times during the week that followed the accident.

He said he had thought he would not survive when the No.1 and No.3 reactors exploded, and when his team was unable to inject water into the No.2 reactor.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 01:13 +0900 (JST)

Just previously, some the living spaces for the workers were opened to reporters:

Base for Fukushima clean-up shown to the media


An operations base for repair and clean-up efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been shown to the media for the first time.

A group of journalists visited the J-Village soccer training center in Fukushima Prefecture on Friday, the 8-month anniversary of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

The center, located about 20 kilometers south of the plant, has been used to house workers for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company, Self-Defense Forces members and others.

TEPCO officials led a 3-hour tour showing the lodging facilities, equipment to measure radiation, and a counter to provide protective gear. A waste storage area has 480,000 pieces of used protective clothing piled up in
containers or bags awaiting disposal.

The power company says living conditions have improved over the past 8 months, with a clinic and a dining hall now open around the clock. Workers initially had to sleep on the floor.

An employee assigned to decontaminate vehicles says staff feel more positive now the facilities are cleaner.
TEPCO is also opening the crippled power plant to the media for the first time on Saturday.
Friday, November 11, 2011 18:22 +0900 (JST)

Commission releases report on scrapping Nuclear plant

Japan's Atomic Energy Commission has compiled a report saying it will take more than 30 years to scrap the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The commission's panel of experts had been discussing the schedule since August. The report released on Wednesday says transferring spent fuel from the plant's 4 damaged reactor buildings to a pool inside the compound will begin within 3 years after the reactors achieve cold shutdown. Removing the melted fuel inside the No.1 through No.3 reactors will begin within 10 years. The reactors' containment vessels must first be repaired and filled them with water to block radiation.

The schedule is based on the handling of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in 1979. But the situation at Fukushima Daiichi is far more serious because 3 reactors suffered simultaneous meltdowns.

It could take more than 30 years to extract the nuclear fuel, dismantle the reactors, and turn the compound into a vacant lot.

The report recommends that the government and the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, set up a new task force to lead this unprecedented project.

It also calls for cooperation with overseas research institutions, and construction of a facility near the plant to examine extracted fuel and other waste material. The report is to be made official by the end of the year.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011 17:34 +0900 (JST)

There is a reason that there are signs on all the entries to the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine, Russia & Belarus saying, "Don't pick any mushrooms or berries." Cesium concentrates in berries and mushrooms.


Meanwhile, in the US, the North Anna, VA, nuclear plant has been given the OK to restart after extensive inspections following the big East Coast earthquake.

APNewsBreak: Va. nuclear plant gets OK to restart
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM, AP Business Writer

Friday, November 11, 2011

You can read the whole article here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/11/11/national/a100623S33.DTL

Multiple inspections done by both Dominion and federal regulators show the plant's twin 980-megawatt reactors and other safety components did not suffer any functional damage during the temblor. Dominion has spent more than 100,000 hours and $21 million in inspection, testing and evaluation at the power station about 50 miles northwest of Richmond.

The entire following article can be read here. EON is the General electrical utility that was affected by being required to pay a huge tax to keep their nuclear plants open, then followed by a decision that they would have to close them anyway.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...s-on-nuclear-exit-after-3-1-billion-loss.html

EON to Seek Damages on Nuclear Exit After $3.1 Billion Loss

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- EON AG will seek damages in court for losses Germany’s largest utility suffered from the decision by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to exit nuclear power.
“Early shutdown of the nuclear power stations in Germany, and the nuclear fuel tax, reduced earnings by 2.3 billion euros ($3.1 billion)” this year, said Chief Financial Officer Marcus Schenck on a conference call. While EON doesn’t seek to reverse Germany’s decision, the company has a “responsibility to its shareholders” to protect its assets in the courts, he said.

They had some success already appealing the tax itself.

EON and RWE won rulings in Hamburg and Munich courts after protesting against the nuclear-fuel tax drafted last year, when Merkel planned to extend the life of reactors into the 2030s. While the companies were conditionally reimbursed 170 million euros after the favorable ruling, the tax was retained.

 

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO REPORTS November 14th and prior, 7:00 PM JST

Max temperature at Unit 1: 42.0 C (the spent fuel pool is higher, at 47 C)
Max temperature at Unit 2: 77.1 C
Max temperature at Unit 3: 82.4 C

Radiation measurements at Fukushima Daiichi on November 14th at 7:00 PM JST
Eight peripheral points ( 4, 20, 13, 11, 14, 33, 95, 69 ) microSieverts per hour
Near Main Building 282 microSieverts/hour
Near Main Gate 27 microSieverts/hour
Near West Gate 11 microSieverts/hour

At 0:32 pm on November 14, an alarm went off at the measure (Continuous Dust Monitor) installed in front of the main gate, which had continuously measured the radioactivity concentration in air. The cause of the alarm was assumed to be a defect of the equipment by clogged filters. Around 1:08 pm on the same day, the measure was reset and the monitoring was resumed. The dust concentration near the main gate was measured 6 x 10-6 [Bq/㎤], which was less than the reference measure for wearing a full face mask, 1 x 10-4 [Bq/㎤]. Although an instruction to wear a full face mask since 0:39 pm was given responding the alarm, around 2:11 pm on the same day it was announced that the workers did not have to wear a full face mask as per normal

Not much else has been reported, other than addition of hydrazine to spent fuel pools, to prevent corrosion, and the movement of water from this place to that place.

NHK NEWS

Sometimes it is forgotten that the March 11th earthquake was unprecedented in many ways, and so was an invitation to learn more about earthquakes in general.

Panel to analyze long-period motion from quakes


A panel for Japan's Meteorological Agency has begun looking into measures against long-period ground motions caused by earthquakes.

The agency set up the panel to better understand the impact of long-period ground motions, whose cycle is more than several seconds. Long jolts, which often occur during powerful earthquakes, are known to violently shake high-rise buildings.

In the first meeting of the panel on Monday, the agency explained the effects of long-period ground motions during the March 11th earthquake.

It says that more than 30 surveyed high-rise buildings in Tokyo did not suffer structural damage, but that people inside half of the buildings had difficulty standing because of the swaying.

It says long-period ground motions damaged a tall building in Osaka, hundreds of kilometers to the southwest of the quake's epicenter. It also damaged large oil tanks in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast to the west.

The agency plans to develop a scale to indicate any impact of long-period motions on buildings and release the information to the public immediately after a quake.

The panel will discuss what exactly should be told to the public and through what media. It plans to come up with a recommendation by next spring.
Monday, November 14, 2011 15:11 +0900 (JST)

Testing is good. In addition to catching any thyroid cancer caused by radioactive materials, the testing will catch all other cases of childhood thyroid cancer as well.

Taking thyroid tests to the children in Fukushima

Doctors in Fukushima Prefecture are hitting the road to improve children's' access to thyroid tests in an effort to spot possible health problems associated with the nuclear accident in the prefecture.

Medical personnel visited a health center and a nursery school in Kawamata Town on Monday and conducted ultrasound scans on about 240 children. The town is about 47 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The tests, which began last month, were initially available only at a medical university in Fukushima City.

People not living in the city found it hard to bring their children to the university for the tests.

The tests cover about 360,000 children in the prefecture who were 18 years old or younger as of April 1st, about 20 days after the accident.

Radioactive iodine released from the nuclear plant could accumulate in the thyroid glands of children and raise their risk of developing cancer.

The results of the tests will be mailed out in about a month.

The Fukushima children will undergo thyroid checks every two years until they turn 20, and once every five years after that.
Monday, November 14, 2011 19:01 +0900 (JST)

I don't think this suit would succeed in the US--does anyone have a good idea whether it might succeed in Japan?

Shareholders to sue TEPCO execs over nuke accident

Tokyo Electric Power Company shareholders are preparing to sue the utility's current and former executives over the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

The group of 42 individuals asked the company's auditors on Monday to file a lawsuit against 61 people who have held executives posts since 2002.

The shareholders are requesting compensation of over 5.5 trillion yen, or about 71 billion dollars, from the executives. The amount is the highest ever demanded in a lawsuit in Japan.

The investors say the TEPCO executives failed to take steps to protect the plant from earthquakes and tsunami and must be held accountable for the accident.

The group adds that if the auditors fail to file a lawsuit within 60 days, they will do so on their own.

At a news conference in Tokyo on Monday, one of the shareholders said she wants to make it clear through a court trial that the executives are personally responsible.

TEPCO declined comment on the matter.
Monday, November 14, 2011 20:00 +0900 (JST)

Am I reading this correctly? It sounds like Japan has Ninja re-enactors the way we in the states have Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactors?

Ninja visit to children in tsunami-hit town

Young children in a tsunami-hit town of Miyagi Prefecture have been cheered up by a visit from a group of ninja.

Six costumed volunteers from Iga City, Mie Prefecture, which is known for a long-established ninja school, visited Asahi Kindergarten in Minami Sanriku on Monday. The school's building was washed away by the tsunami in March.

Welcome by cheers, the ninja taught the children how to walk without making a sound, and how to avoid stepping on water chestnuts scattered on a floor to prevent strangers from sneaking in.

They also made shuriken, or throwing stars, out of paper and showed the children how to fling the traditional weapon.

The kindergarten reopened at a community center in October with about 40 pupils, half its student body from before the tsunami. Many of the children are still living in temporary housing units.
Monday, November 14, 2011 19:01 +0900 (JST)

This from the Mainichi News highlights the problems with the Japanese version of nuclear plant inspection. It is interesting that the US version of inspection regulations are recommended:
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111102p2a00m0na015000c.html
Sloppy inspection procedures threaten Japan's nuclear safety regulations

The stunning revelations that the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) under the jurisdiction of the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) prepared inspection procedures for nuclear facilities after copying everything off draft inspection procedures worked out by a nuclear fuel company have called into question the country's atomic safety regulations.
Sloppy inspection procedures worked out by the government-affiliated body were revealed at a time when Japan is struggling to ensure nuclear safety in the wake of the outbreak of a crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant and is trying to step up measures to check the safety of nuclear power plants. In line with strict inspections carried out in the United States, Japan needs to vastly improve its procedures to inspect nuclear power plants.

The article includes quotes from a visiting professing from Japan who was involved with nuclear plant inspections in the US for 6 months.

Yoshihiro Nishiwaki, a visiting professor at the graduate school of the University of Tokyo, was stunned by the revelations and said, "Inspections are carried out by the government itself, and therefore they should make painstaking efforts to determine the content of inspections on their own." While working for the then-Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), he was assigned to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) from September 1991 to June 1993. He spent about six months inspecting nuclear reactors in Atlanta, Georgia. There he realized differences between the two countries in terms of methods and ideas of inspecting nuclear reactors.

It is an interesting, thoughtful article, worth reading.

And Germany is struggling to supply electricity at a reasonable cost.
The article is much longer. Here's an excerpt:
http://www.minyanville.com/business...g-and-earthquakes-natural/11/11/2011/id/37889

Germany Faces Sticker Shock as It Looks to Replace Nuclear With Renewables

But government ministers are increasingly concerned primarily with ensuring the security of the nation's energy supply, even though the June 30 legislation mandated that Germany's share of energy from renewable sources must increase from 17% to 35% in 2020 and reach 80% by 2050. A modest start has already been made, as since the eight reactors were closed Germany increased its share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources from 17% to 20.8%.

But the renewable power sources will be costly. On October 19 the German Association of Industrial Energy and Power Users complained that electricity price had increased even though its quality has decreased and noted that next year its members will see their electrical power invoices increase by 9%.

As for the economics of the shift, electricity from conventional coal fired plants costs roughly $83 per megawatt-hour, the price increases roughly 50% to $124 per megawatt-hour for wind energy, $207 per megawatt-hour for offshore wind power, and $268 per megawatt-hour for solar, the last more than three times the cost of coal-fired electricity.

Meanwhile Carlsbad, NM, is interested in retaining the nuclear waste storage business it already has, and is discussing hiring a lobbyist to help:
http://www.currentargus.com/ci_19324375

Nuclear 'advocate' on Carlsbad City Council agenda Tuesday
From the Current-Argus
Posted: 11/12/2011 06:56:05 PM MST
From the Current-Argus
CARLSBAD — Carlsbad City Councilors will consider the approval of a Nuclear Industry Advocacy Committee at a special meeting on Tuesday.
According to the agenda, the council will invite the Eddy County Commission to participate for the purpose of preserving and enlarging the nuclear industry and "other appropriate Carlsbad industries."
At an October meeting, the Eddy County Commission was divided over a proposal to hire a nuclear energy consultant and lobbyist to be based in Washington for the purpose of protecting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant — a U.S. Department of Energy nuclear waste repository — from further budget cuts and possible closure in the future.

 

[Olympia]

They showed a brief clip of the news footage of the Daichi plant on TV. What appalling destruction. For some reason I imagined that the place still had, you know, walls and a roof. The section they showed was a complete ruin. They bussed in the reporters in hazmat suits (or whatever the anti-nuclear equivalent is called), and they weren't allowed to leave the bus.

 

[dorispulaski]

It always impresses me that the tsunami was so strong that it twisted an oil storage tank into a corkscrew shape. Then the hydrogen explosions at Unit 1 and Unit 3, and in the piping at Unit 4, really destroyed the tops of those building.


There is a long video clip on the TEPCO website. Here's the video of a whole bus tour of the site from November 3.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/news/110311/images/111022_1e.wmv

 

[dorispulaski]

NHK Stories and comment November 16th

IAEA team submits decontamination report
A survey team of the International Atomic Energy Agency has drawn up final recommendations on how to remove the radioactive substances released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The team handed the 80-page report to the Japanese government on Tuesday. The report is based on the team's visit to Fukushima Prefecture last month.

The report urges the central and local governments to find final disposal sites for contaminated topsoil and other materials so they won't cause health problems.

The experts say the decontamination work should start from locations where high levels of radiation are detected.

They advise that much of the radioactive waste in urban areas can be treated at existing disposal facilities, because the radiation levels are low by IAEA safety standards.

The team asks authorities to set up road signs to warn people they are approaching the no-entry zone around the troubled plant.

The IAEA says it will provide technological support according to the Japanese government's requests.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 06:16 +0900 (JST)

Here's the IAEA press release on the report:
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2011/missionfinalreport.html
and a link to the report itself
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2011/missionfinalreport.html

The report is 81 pages long. I'm extracting & quoting what I think is the most important part, the advice section:

Advice

Point 1: The Japanese authorities involved in the remediation strategy are encouraged to
cautiously balance the different factors that influence the net benefit of the remediation
measures to ensure dose reduction. They are encouraged to avoid over-conservatism which
could not effectively contribute to the reduction of exposure doses. This goal could be
achieved through the practical implementation of the Justification and Optimization
principles1 under the prevailing circumstances. Involving more radiation protection experts
(and the Regulatory Body) in the organizational structures that assist the decision makers
might be beneficial in the fulfillment of this objective. The IAEA is ready to support Japan in
considering new and appropriate criteria.

Point 2: It is appropriate to consider further strengthening coordination among the main
actors, through the establishment of a more permanent liaison between the organizational
structures of the Government of Japan and the prefectural and municipal authorities.

Point 3: The central and local governments are encouraged to continue strengthening the
involvement of and cooperation between various stakeholders. The authorities might wish to
strengthen the engagement of appropriate universities and/or academia in the process of
further developing a stakeholder involvement strategy and implementation methods, which
would be based on stakeholder needs and domestic cultural settings.

Point 4: Access to the “Deliberate Evacuation Area” is free and unmarked. The Team
encourages considering the use of appropriate indications/markings of the routes and simple
instructions for the public when entering or leaving these areas. These indications/markings
are considered important tools for informing the public and avoiding unnecessary radiation
exposures to individuals.

Point 5: It is important to avoid classifying as “radioactive waste” waste materials that do not
cause exposures that would warrant special radiation protection measures. The Team
encourages the relevant authorities to revisit the issue of establishing realistic and credible
limits (clearance levels) regarding associated exposures. Residues that satisfy the clearance
level can be recycled and reused in various ways, such as the construction of structures,
banks and roads. The IAEA is ready to support Japan in considering new and appropriate
criteria.

Point 6: The Team draws the authorities’ attention to the potential risk of misunderstandings
that could arise if the population is only or mainly concerned with contamination
concentrations [surface contamination levels (Bq/m2) or volume concentrations (Bq/m3)]
rather than dose levels. The investment of time and effort in removing contamination beyond
certain levels (the so-called optimized levels) from everywhere, such as all forest areas and
areas where the additional exposure is relatively low, does not automatically lead to a
reduction of doses for the public. It also involves a risk of generating unnecessarily huge
amounts of residual material. The Team encourages authorities to maintain their focus on
remediation activities that bring the best results in reducing the doses to the public.

Point 7: The management of the collected data should be formally described in a data
management plan.

Point 8: With respect to the remediation of agricultural areas, the Team considers that for the
next cropping season there is room for reducing some of the conservatism (such as that in the
factors determining the transfer of radioactive caesium from soil to crops) by taking into
account data and factors published by the IAEA and the results obtained from the
demonstration sites. The IAEA is ready to support Japan in considering new and more
appropriate criteria.

Point 9: With respect to waste in urban areas, the Team is of the opinion that it is obvious
that most of the material contains very low levels of radioactivity. Taking into account the
IAEA safety standards, and subject to safety assessments, this material might be remediated
without temporary and/or interim storage. It is effective to utilize the existing municipal
infrastructure for industrial waste. The IAEA is ready to support Japan in considering new
and appropriate criteria.

Point 10: Before investing substantial time and efforts in remediating forest areas, a safety
assessment should be carried out to indicate if such action leads to a reduction of doses for
the public. If not, efforts should be concentrated in areas that bring greater benefits. This
safety assessment should make use of the results of the demonstration tests.

Point 11: The Mission Team encourages the Japanese authorities to continue the useful
monitoring of freshwater and marine systems.

Point 12: The Mission Team encourages the Japanese authorities to actively pursue
appropriate end-points for the waste in close cooperation with stakeholders. The national and
local governments should cooperate in order to ensure the provision of these facilities. A lack
of availability of such an infrastructure would unduly limit and hamper successful
remediation activities, thus potentially jeopardizing public health and safety.

Shikoku electric submits reactor test results

An electric company in western Japan has submitted to the government the results of safety tests on a reactor at its nuclear power plant. The plant has been offline since a month after the accident at the Fukushima plant.

Shikoku Electric Power Company executive Susumu Tanigawa handed the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency the results of the so-called stress test on the No. 3 reactor at Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture on Monday.

The utility says the test results show that the reactor can withstand seismic shaking of up to 1,000 gals, around 1.9 times the assumed maximum intensity of a quake, and it can hold out against a tsunami of up to 14.2 meters.

The nuclear watchdog agency will scrutinize the test results.

A final decision to reactivate the reactor will be made by the government.

Sikoku Electric became the 2nd utility to submit stress test results after the Fukushima accident.

But prospects for the restart of idle reactors are uncertain.

Some nuclear experts voiced criticism of the reactor safety tests on Monday at the first meeting of a government panel to discuss ways to evaluate the results.

One member said the stress test should not be the only condition for restarting reactors when the cause of the Fukushima accident has not been clarified.

Some also said it will be impossible to gain public understanding if safety evaluations are conducted solely by the government-run nuclear safety agency, and stressed the need to listen to the opinions of local residents.

Disagreements within the panel lead to it putting off specific discussions on evaluating the test results of the No. 3 reactor at Kansai Electric's Ohi plant, which were submitted earlier in October.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 06:16 +0900 (JST)

Clearly the panel needs to get its act together. It needs to decide, now that it has two reports, and will be getting more reports, how to evaluate a report, and how to decide whether to allow restart or not. Clearly, from this NHK story, the panel is not working well. I might suggest the process used to restart the North Anna plant here in the US, which resulted in Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia complimenting the NRC & the Dominion power company on their work.
http://www.elp.com/index/from-the-wires/wire_news_display/1541033043.html

"I am pleased that Dominion's North Anna Power Station is now ready to be restarted after being shut down for the past 11 weeks. In the wake of the historic earthquake that impacted the Commonwealth in August, Dominion officials have worked in tandem with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to thoroughly assess the Power Station in order to guarantee the soundness and safety of the facility moving forward. Dominion provided regular and comprehensive briefings to this office throughout the process and committed over 110,000 hours to testing, analyzing and inspecting the station. The extensive, painstaking and detailed review revealed that there was no significant damage resulting from the earthquake and no functional damage to any of the facility's safety systems. Following this lengthy assessment period, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has now given Dominion approval to restart North Anna's nuclear reactors. I want to thank Dominion and the NRC for putting public safety first from the moment this earthquake occurred. Working together, Dominion and the NRC have ensured that every possible precaution was taken prior to returning the facility to normal operations. Nuclear power is an important component of energy production in the Commonwealth, and it is good news that the North Anna Power Station will soon be back online and running."Jeff CaldwellPress Secretary (804) 786-2211

What did the NRC do? They received the report, evaluated the report, held a public meeting, required extra tests of Dominion, and then held a second public meeting, and then issued the restart.
While anti-nuclear activists are not happy, there is no general public complaint or outcry, even though the North Anna plant experienced an earthquake that exceeded its design threshhold. The two reactors here did not experience any problems due to the earthquake or tsunami, and more than passed the tests the government assigned. Public meetings should be held, the mayors & governors of the towns consulted, and then the restart should be issued.
If the Japanese government wants to never allow any restart of any reactors, they should not be asking the power companies to perform costly work whose only result will be to increase the price of electricity for the rate payers. They should just say so explicitly.

Higher radiation detected downstream in Fukushima

Surveys by Japan's Environment Ministry show that downstream radiation levels have risen in some rivers in Fukushima Prefecture.

The ministry has been monitoring radiation levels in rivers near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to assess the impact of the accident there.

Officials took sand samples from 2 rivers in September.

In northern Fukushima Prefecture, the upstream radioactive cesium levels were 3,200 becquerels per kilogram in the Niida River in a district of Iitate Village.

The downstream levels of the same river in an area of Soma City were 13,000 becquerels.

The upstream levels had fallen to one-fifth of those observed in May, but the downstream measurements had tripled.

Cesium levels near the mouth of the Mano River in another part of Soma City had doubled from May.

Kinki University Professor Hideo Yamazaki says radioactive substances in riverbed sands are probably moving downstream, and radiation levels should be monitored near river mouths.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 03:17 +0900 (JST)

Yes, radioactive materials wash off the land and concentrate in the rivers. And the rivers run into the ocean. It's wise to keep an eye on how they disperse.

Radioactive material removed from Setagaya lot

A radioactive substance detected in Setagaya Ward in Tokyo was removed on Tuesday. After a brief scare, it was found to be unrelated to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The substance was detected at a supermarket parking lot and nearby sidewalk in the ward last month.

Officials conducted work to remove the substance from the ground where the highest reading was registered.

They say a bottle-like object was found underground.

The science ministry says it is highly likely that the bottle contains radium 226, which was used for treating cancer and as an ingredient in luminous paints.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 14:41 +0900 (JST)

Government-backed fund grants TEPCO $7.3 billion

Japan's government-backed nuclear disaster fund has transferred over 7.3 billion dollars to the operator of the Fukushima plant to assist compensation payments.

The money is the first installment of about 11.8 billion dollars in public money earmarked to Tokyo Electric Power Company by the end of the fiscal year next March.

The rest of the money will be provided after it has been confirmed that compensation is being paid properly to those affected by the nuclear crisis.

TEPCO is expected to pay back the money, which was transferred Tuesday, but the utility must also shoulder the huge cost of scrapping the plant's reactors.

The troubled company will draw up a new business plan next spring, including measures to rationalize management.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 16:01 +0900 (JST)

Counter-terror measures for nuclear plants


The Japanese government is planning to strengthen defensive measures against terror attacks on nuclear power plants.

A government anti-terror panel met on Monday to discuss ways to respond to international threats.

It proposed counter-terrorism measures for nuclear plants, including compelling plant operators to cover emergency power sources and seawater pumps, which are used to cool reactors.

Utilities will also be obliged to step up security surveillance.

The panel calls for increasing the number of police guards and stocking up on protective clothing at the plants.

It says computer systems that control nuclear plants should be cut off from outside networks to protect them from cyber attacks.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told the panel that the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant could be triggered not only by natural disasters but also by terrorist attacks.

The government will ask utilities to implement urgent measures within this fiscal year.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 06:16 +0900 (JST)

Actually, at least in the US, it is not that easy for terrorists to trigger problems at a nuclear plant. The walls in the US at least were designed to withstand plane crashes. Here's a great video showing one of the tests, involving a real plane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoFLby5x8Y

Be aware that the following is based on a simulation, not on measurements or testing. It is only as correct as the model that is used for the prediction.
http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/en/...ity_level_prefecture/2011/11/22271/index.html
Actual radiation values in Hokkaido range between 0.02 and 0.105 microSieverts per hour, and were 0.028 microSieverts per hour at Sapporo. This is typical of background radiation.
In May & April, the value was 0.029 microSieverts per hour in Sapporo.

Radioactive cesium may have reached Hokkaido

A team of researchers says radioactive cesium discharged from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant may have contaminated soil in Hokkaido and areas of western Japan more than 500 kilometers from the plant.

The international team, including researchers from Nagoya University, simulated the spread of radioactive materials. They combined global atmospheric patterns with nationwide radioactive measurements taken over one month from March 20th, 8 days after a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima plant.

The researchers say the results suggested that some cesium-137 had reached the northernmost island of Hokkaido, and the Chugoku and Shikoku regions of western Japan.

They say the radioactive material may have accumulated in the soil due to rain.

Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years.

But the research team says the pollution is not high enough to require decontamination.

The radiation density per kilogram reached 250 becquerels in eastern Hokkaido, and 25 becquerels in mountainous areas of western Japan.

Nagoya University professor Tetsuzo Yasunari says the simulation suggested cesium had dispersed across a wide area. He called for a nationwide testing of soil, and warnings of hot spots where radiation levels are high.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 06:16 +0900 (JST)

Except that the government has actually been doing a widespread testing of soils, and is continuing to do so, and the IAEA is complimenting them on that widespread testing...

And what is replacing nuclear plants in Japan? Global warming causing natural gas...

IEA: Gas imports to jump with no new nuclear plants
The International Energy Agency says Japan is likely to face a sharp increase in spending on natural gas imports in 2035 if it halts construction of new nuclear power plants following the Fukushima nuclear accident.

IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven provided estimated calculations in a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.

She said Japan will pay 66 billion dollars for imported natural gas in 2035, as energy demand from emerging economies increases and gas prices rise. That figure is nearly double the current level.

She added that if Japan were to stop building new nuclear reactors, the cost of gas imports would increase by about an additional 13 billion dollars.

Van der Hoeven warned that in 2035, Japan will be spending about 40 billion dollars more on natural gas annually than it is now. She added that this could have a substantial impact on Japan's trade balance.

Van der Hoeven also said that higher energy costs would cause a sharp rise in electricity prices, affecting Japanese industries.

She added that the Japanese government should find a solution to these issues if it chooses to reduce its reliance on nuclear power, as alternative measures, such as the use of renewable energy sources, and energy-saving efforts will have limited impact.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 18:36 +0900 (JST)

And its good to hear of normal rites of passage going on.

5-year-olds in Kesennuma celebrate rite-of-passage

Children in disaster-hit Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, celebrated a traditional rite-of-passage on Tuesday.

November 15th is shichi-go-san, a day when children who are turning 3, 5 or 7 visit shrines with their parents to pray for good health and growth.

The 5-year-olds at a childcare center in Kesennuma are always taken to a nearby shrine for the annual festival. This year, the center has 2 new children who transferred there because their normal facility was damaged in the March tsunami.

The children listened quietly as the priest performed the ritual, calling out the name of each child. They then made offerings of sprigs from sacred trees and received gifts.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 16:01 +0900 (JST)

And good hearing that US and Japanese relations have improved due to cooperating over disaster relief.

US commander says disaster support improved ties

The commander of the US Pacific Fleet says US military support to Japan immediately after the March 11th disaster has helped improve relations.

Admiral Patrick Walsh was speaking at the Japan Society in New York on Tuesday.

Walsh led the military relief effort called "Operation Tomodachi" or "Operation Friends." It was conducted jointly with Japan's Self-Defense Forces right after the earthquake and tsunami, and involved nearly 20,000 US military personnel.

Walsh said the mission forged deeper relations between US and Japanese troops carrying out their responsibilities under harsh conditions.

He said he hopes that relationship grows and fosters further exchanges between the 2 countries.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 12:34 +0900 (JST)

 

[dorispulaski]

TEPCO has taken measurements of the soil in 12 regions inside the 10 km radius part of the exclusion zone, and measurements at Daini, which is a little further away than that:
Data
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/111117e8.pdf
Map of Sampling locations

Here are the Cs 137 measurements

Daiichi Environmental management building ground 1900 becquerels/m2
Daiichi Environmental management building roof 7100 becquerels/m2
5 km north of Daiichi 320 becquerels/m2
5 km northwest of Daiichi 420 becquerels/m2
5 km west of Daiichi 2600 becquerels/m2
5 km southwest of Daiichi 720 becquerels/m2
5 km south of Daiichi 620 becquerels/m2

10 km north of Daiichi 260 becquerels/m2
10 km northwest of Daiichi 260 becquerels/m2
10 km west of Daiichi 2500 becquerels/m2
10 km southwest of Daiichi 270 becquerels/m2
10 km south of Daiichi 590 becquerels/m2
10 km south of Daiichi (rooftop) 570 becquerels/m2

Daini plant administration building 68 becquerels/m2
Daini plant administration building rooftop 90 becquerels/m2

Unit 2
We have been conducting gas analysis by using PCV gas management system since October 28, 2011. However, it was found that some measurement results collected on October 28, November 1, 2 and 14 were evaluated about 10% lower in terms of the concentration of radioactive materials due to computation process error. The error is limited to figures only, and does not affect the criterion of criticality resumption nor evaluation results.


Unit 3
From 1:32 pm to 2:55 pm on November 17, to clean primary system strainer by back wash, in order to deal with an alarm indicating decrease of alternative cooling primary system pump suction pressure at the spent fuel pool (SFP) alternative cooling was temporarily stopped. (SFP water temperature when stopped: approx. 19.2°C, SFP water temperature when restarted: 18.8°C * as skimmer surge tank water decreased influenced by outside air, it is presumed that temperature decreased compared with the time it stopped)
Unit 4
At 2:58 pm on November 17, an error alarm of spent fuel pool alternative cooling system went off, and the system automatically shut down. We are currently investigating the cause of alarm.
Other
- From 9:15 am to 1:09 pm on November 17, at unit 1 and 2 emergency reactor injection line, flow amount adjusting valve was additionally installed to control the amount of water injection. Water injection to reactor is done through regular reactor water injection line, and therefore the additional installation above has no impact.

- At around 10:50 am November 17, a partner company worker confirmed water leakage by pin holes at one point of freshwater transfer line, and three points at concentrated water transfer line of desalination apparatus (RO method). At around 2:30 pm, while transfer was continued at fresh water transfer line, at the same time, leakage repair (repair by tapes) was implemented and completed (leakage amount: little). Leakage was also repaired at concentrated water transfer line (leakage amount: 1 liter). Cesium adsorption apparatus, 2nd adsorption apparatus and concentrated evaporation apparatus continued operation, and therefore there is no major effect with processing accumulated water. Also, concentrated water transfer line is currently not being used, and is isolated.

DAINI

Restoration of Residual heat removal system (A) of Unit 1 Residual heat removal system (A), which could not be used because of tsunami and been worked to return to service, was confirmed its soundness by commissioning and returned on standby. Heat removal and cooling system of reactor will be changed from residual heat removal system (A) to (B) (estimated around 6 pm today). As a result of this, the heat removal and cooling system of reactor of all units (Unit 1~ 4) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station was multiplexed, so it is considered that reliability of cold shutdown status will be increased. Meanwhile, when residual heat removal system was changed from (A) to (B), the function of heat removal and cooling of reactor by residual heat removal system will stopped temporary, however, cooling by clean up water system will be implemented and temperature of furnace water will be controlled appropriately.

Govt, TEPCO predict cold shutdown this year

Japan's government and the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant say a cold shutdown of the reactors will be attained this year.

The government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company on Thursday announced the results of their monthly review of a 2-stage timetable for containing the nuclear crisis.

They said temperatures around the facility's No.1, 2 and 3 reactors are no more than 100 degrees Celsius, and that the amount of radioactive material emitted there has dropped to one 13-millionth the level detected at the time of the accident.

They also said additional exposure to radiation in areas just outside the plant is estimated at 0.1 millisieverts per year at the most.

The government and the utility are stepping up efforts to achieve the second stage of the timetable, involving a cold shutdown of the reactors.

Late last month, a shield to cover the No.1 reactor building was completed, and workers began installing walls to prevent radioactive material from leaking into seawater.

Nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono said comprehensive measures are vital to handle every possible occurrence. Hosono added that the government will try to beef up the cooling system of reactors to withstand earthquakes, tsunami and other disasters.

After achieving a cold shutdown of the plant's disabled reactors, the government plans to review the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the plant.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 20:25 +0900 (JST)

Here's TEPCO's summary report on how the work is going compared to schedule.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/111117e1.pdf

Accident manuals for No 2 & 3 reactors disclosed

Accident manuals for reactors Number 2 and 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have again disclosed a lack of proper procedures to deal with a nuclear accident.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency released Tokyo Electric Power Company's procedural manuals for the two reactors on Thursday. The portion of the manual for the No 1 reactor was disclosed in October.

The newly disclosed portions, about 180 pages each for reactors 2 and 3, describe procedures on water injection into the reactors and procedures to vent steam to reduce pressure within the reactor containment vessel.

But, the manuals had not made sufficient and specific preparations for an extended all-station blackout such as the one that occurred at the No 1 reactor.

The utility staff members followed the procedures in the manuals immediately after the March earthquake hit the power plant, but very few steps were followed after the tsunami.

The latest disclosure of the manuals came after the utility earlier submitted them to a Lower House panel with most of the contents blacked out.

TEPCO had insisted the information had to be kept secret in order to protect its intellectual property rights and because disclosure could open its facilities to terrorist attack.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 15:29 +0900 (JST)

Fukushima Prefecture probes cesium-tainted rice

Fukushima Prefecture is trying to track down all rice harvested in one district of Fukushima City after radioactive cesium higher than the government limit was found in some of the rice.

The prefectural government says 630 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium has been detected in rice harvested in the Oonami district in Fukushima City. The maximum allowable level set by the central government is 500 becquerels per kilogram.

The prefecture says that rice harvested from the same rice paddies is stored at facilities including a local agricultural cooperative, and none of that rice has been released to the market. The prefecture has asked all 154 farmers in the district to suspend rice shipments.

Still, the prefectural government has asked all the farmers about their shipments. Based on the interviews of 86 farmers, about one ton of rice was sold to local dealers from the district.

The government is trying to confirm whether any of the rice has reached consumers.

The Fukushima Prefectural government is investigating the cesium contamination while continuing the interviews. The prefecture will discuss its course of action with Fukushima City and local agricultural cooperatives on Thursday afternoon.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 13:44 +0900 (JST)

Rice shipments from Onami district in Fukushima banned
The Japanese government has ordered Fukushima Prefecture to suspended shipments of rice from a district of the prefecture as radioactive cesium higher than the state limit has been detected.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura announced on Thursday that he has told Governor Yuhei Sato of Fukushima Prefecture to restrict shipments on rice harvested this year in the Onami District of Fukushima City.

On Wednesday, the prefectural government of Fukushima announced that tests detected 630 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in rice samples from a field in the Onami District. The government's maximum permissible level for rice is 500 becquerels per kilogram.
This is the first ban imposed on rice shipments since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Fujimura noted that radioactive material higher than the state level was detected in pre-shipment tests and that no rice of such levels has been put on the market.

He said he has asked the governor to determine the cause of the problem and strengthen inspection on rice in and around the Onami District.

Fujimura said the government will consider lifting shipment restrictions on rice from fields as soon as tests confirm the safety of the rice.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 19:27 +0900 (JST)

The Environment Ministry official was exactly right. Just as the IAEA said, the Japanese government is engaging in stupid overkill here. Why the government continues to behave this way, I have no idea, and await enlightenment.

Govt official dumps radiation-contaminated soil

An Environment Ministry official has dumped radiation-contaminated soil near his home in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo.

Environment Minister Goshi Hosono revealed this at a news conference on Thursday.

He said a cardboard box containing the soil was sent to his ministry on November 8th from a sender who identifies himself as a resident of Fukushima City.

An enclosed message calls on the ministry to store and dispose of the soil collected from the sender's garden.

The Environment Ministry kept the soil in its warehouse, and the radiation reading taken close to it was 0.18 microsieverts per hour.[ETA-this is not very much]

A section chief at the ministry said this is no higher than readings taken in many areas in and around Tokyo and suggested he could dispose of the soil in his own garden.

His subordinate then dumped the soil in a vacant lot near his home on Sunday.

This was revealed after another box marked as "ash" was sent to the ministry apparently from the same sender on Wednesday.

The ministry is said to have already retrieved the soil and plans to dispose of it appropriately.

Hosono said he takes the inappropriate dumping of the soil very seriously and apologized. He said it should not have happened, as his ministry has been playing a central role in efforts to clean up areas contaminated with radiation.

Hosono said he will punish the section chief and study taking punitive actions against other senior officials, including himself.

He also said sending radiation-contaminated materials to his ministry will not lead to a fundamental solution to the problem, and called on people not to do so.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 18:41 +0900 (JST)

Oil surges above 100 dollars per barrel

Crude oil futures climbed above 100 dollars per barrel in New York on Wednesday.

Investors placed buy orders on expectations that demand for oil will rise following recent favorable signs from the US economy, including improved retail sales.

The benchmark WTI ended at more than 102 dollars per barrel, moving above the 100-dollar mark for the first time in about 5 months.

Prices were also pushed up by the announcement that Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge plans to improve the flow of oil in North American pipelines.
Thursday, November 17, 2011 15:30 +0900 (JST)

http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/
The NEI has more details about the stress tests on the Shikoku & Chubu power companies' reactors:

Shikoku Electric Power Co. has submitted the results of first-phase stress tests for its Ikata Unit 3 reactor to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. The results show Ikata 3 could withstand an earthquake with ground acceleration 1.9 times as strong as the reactor’s design basis and a 47-foot tsunami, four times its design basis. Shikoku Electric is the second utility to submit a stress test result after Kansai Electric did so for its Ohi Unit 3 reactor Oct. 28.
Chubu Electric Power Co. has begun building a 1-mile-long seawall to protect Hamaoka nuclear energy facility against tsunamis. The wall is designed to withstand a tsunami 59 feet high and will cost $1.3 billion. It is to be completed by December 2012. Of the five reactors at the site, reactors 1 and 2 are permanently shut, reactor 3 has been closed for periodic inspection since November 2010, and reactors 4 and 5 were shut down in May after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

If you were as confused about what was going on with the effort to seal air gaps, this is what it was about.
http://www.neimagazine.com/story.asp?sectionCode=72&storyCode=2061089

Air gaps sealed to reduce dust migration
08 November 2011
TEPCO has sealed stairwells, hatches and other penetrations leading to the basements of the Fukushima Daiichi units 1-4 turbine halls and other buildings to reduce the spread of radioactive dust.

Meanwhile, much more CO2 is being sent up into the atmosphere in Japan, due to increased use of oil and natural gas.
http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/8582686

Japan's 10 power utilities consume 6 times more oil in Oct Tokyo (Platts)
--15Nov2011/547 am EST/1047 GMT
Japan's 10 major power utilities consumed nearly six times more oil and 31.7% more LNG in October compared with a year ago, and bought more than four times more crude and fuel oil and 20.1% more LNG during the month, data released Monday by the Federation of Electric Power Companies.

http://atomicpowerreview.blogspot.com/2011/11/xenon-at-fukushima-daiichi-no-2-gone.html
Xenon at Fukushima Daiichi No. 2 -no longer detected
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111117_03-e.pdf

TEPCO has released its latest analysis of gases sampled from the primary containment of the Unit 2 plant... and Xenon (all isotopes tested for) is not present. Below is the TEPCO table showing this very latest data.

There have been no statements so far of which this author is aware to indicate that TEPCO will not sample Unit 1 and Unit 3 containments for xenon, but this developing trend makes any such action appear not only clearly less emergent but probably less important all the time.

 

[dorispulaski]

Yesterday, they reported a leak. Today it appears to have been fixed with duct tape- I hope they use the fancy stuff we call here in the home of nuclear submarine manufacturer, Electric Boat (or EB), "EB Green", the stuff of urban legends.

http://lubbers-line.blogspot.com/2006/03/eb-green-tape-stuff-of-urban-legends.html
strong enough to patch a hole in a boat.


It may be the same stuff amazon sells as "nuclear grade" duct tape, but since it is not available in olive drab, I have my doubts.

- At around 10:50 am on November 17, water leakage from pin holes at one point of freshwater transfer line, and three points at concentrated water transfer line after desalination process, was confirmed by partner companies' worker who was patrolling at desalination apparatus. At around 2:30 pm on the same day, while water transfer was continued through fresh water transfer line, at the same time, running leakage repair (repaired by tapes) was implemented and completed (estimated leakage amount: approx. 1 liter). Cesium adsorption apparatus, 2nd adsorption apparatus and concentrated evaporation apparatus continued operation, and therefore there is no major effect with processing accumulated water. Also, concentrated water transfer line is currently not being used, and is isolated.

After that we also conducted emergency repair by repair tape on leaking points at concentrated water transfer line, and after checking on site, we confirmed the amount of leaking water by the concentrated water transfer line was 25 liters. And we confirmed the radiation dose in ambient air near the leaking points were not specifically different from surrounding area. We are planning to change the hose later.

Work to improve water supply to Units 1 & 2
- At 9:15 am on November 17, at unit 1 and 2 emergency reactor injection line, the additional installation work for water flow adjusting valve was commenced to better control the amount of water injection, and completed at 1:09 pm on the same day. Water injection to reactor had been done through regular reactor water injection line, and therefore the additional installation work above had no impact to water injection.

Spent Fuel pool
At 2:58 pm on November 17, an error alarm of spent fuel pool alternative cooling system went off, and the system automatically shut down. After that we confirmed the stop occurred due to error alarm of leakage at heat exchange unit. At 3:58 pm on the same day, we confirmed no leakage occurred, and we restarted the system 4:12 pm.

- At 10 am on November 17, accumulated water at the basement of Unit 6 Turbine Building was started to transfer to Temporary tanks. At 4 pm on the same day, the transfer was stopped.

- At 1:15 pm on November 17, hydrazine was injected to Unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool through circulating cooling system, and finished the injection at 2:50 pm on the same day.

- At 2:58 pm on November 17, an alarm of Unit 4 spent fuel pool circulating cooling system was sounded, and the system automatically shut down. After that we confirmed the stop occurred due to error alarm of leakage at heat exchange unit. At 3:58 pm on the same day, we confirmed no leakage occurred, and we restarted the system 4:12 pm.

TEPCO is getting ready for winter at Fukushima Daiichi. They are trying to be sure that all their pumping efforts with water don't freeze up. Also, the workers are all getting their flu shots.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111118_02-e.pdf

A robot is cleaning radioactive substances off surfaces in Unit 3.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111116_01-e.pdf

Tepco is investigating tsunami sediments off the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear pant
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111116_01-e.pdf


Results released comparing concentrations of radioactive materials before and after water treatment.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111118_01-e.pdf
After secondary treatment, no more cesium 134 or 137 is above the detection limit. After desalination, and further treatment, the one detectable radioactive substance has been tritium. The water is then fed into an evaporative concentration apparatus. This concentrates remaining impurities. In Nov, such water (which is then stored) has 44 becquerels per cubic centimeter of Cs 137 and similar amounts of other radioactive substances.
At that point it could be fed back through the system to remove still more radioactive substances, but that is not currently being done.

They are finally getting around to repairs at other stations:

Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Power Station: Units 5, 6: under normal operation (Units 1 to 4 and 7: outage due to regular inspections) - As to residual heat removal system A of Unit 1 which was unable to use due to Tsunami effect of Mar. 11, on November 17, the trial run was conducted in order to investigate soundness. At 3:35 pm on the same day, it was restored to stand-by status. At 5:15 pm on the same day, we switched residual heat removal system B to residual heat removal system A. At 5:29 on the same day, the system A started to operate

NHK NEWS

Apparently, the pregnant women went elsewhere to deliver their babies.

Fukushima saw fewer births after nuclear disaster

A survey in Fukushima Prefecture shows the number of births fell by 25 percent in the 3 months following the accident at the nuclear power plant.

The Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists conducted a nationwide survey of around 1,100 medical institutions handling deliveries between April and June. 714 responded.

The number of births per institution in Fukushima came to 67, down from 90 in the same period last year.

This means there were 1,000 less deliveries in the prefecture during the 3-month period than a year earlier.

The combined number of deliveries in Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa is also estimated to have decreased by around 2,000 in the same period.

On the other hand, some prefectures further west such as Fukuoka, Gifu and Osaka saw more babies born than a year earlier.

Professor Akihito Nakai of Nippon Medical School took part in the survey. He says the findings show that many women chose to give birth away from their homes because they were concerned about radioactive contamination.

He is calling on authorities to work out measures to help these mothers deal with heavy psychological burdens.
Friday, November 18, 2011 09:56 +0900 (JST)

NHK reported this. It reminds us that radioactive materials can come from other places besides reactors.

Radioactive iodine leaked from Hungarian institute

Hungary says the source of radioactive iodine detected in Europe over the past few weeks was probably from an isotope maker in Budapest.

Authorities in the Czech Republic, Austria and Russia measured very low levels of iodine-131 in their atmospheres from late October to November. The International Atomic Energy Agency along with those countries conducted an investigation for the source of the iodine.

On Thursday, the IAEA issued a statement saying that Hungary's nuclear authority told the agency that iodine-131 had been released from a private institute from September 8th to November 16th. The institute produces radioisotopes for healthcare, research and industry.

The Hungarian government also issued a statement on the same day, saying there are no public health concerns because the leaked iodine is within the permissible amount set by the country.

Hungary and the IAEA are continuing the investigation and working out measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
Friday, November 18, 2011 07:13 +0900 (JST)

As you know, as part of this series on energy, and disaster, I have also become interested in the rare earths market. This article was really interesting. As you may know, China has a stranglehold on the rare earth supply of the world. Prices soared to such an extent that people are looking at reopening mines in the US, including this one in Alaska.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/alaskas-billion-dollar-mountain-10272011.html

October 27, 2011, 5:00 PM EDT

Alaska’s Billion Dollar Mountain
The story of one man who used a little persuasion—and a lot of luck—to win the rights to millions of tons of rare earths

The gearbox of a 300-foot-tall, two-megawatt wind turbine contains 372 kilograms of neodymium and 60 kilograms of dysprosium. At today’s prices, those rare earths alone cost $301,680.[/quote]

You don't build big windmills without neodymium & dysprosium.
....

At the end of 2010 the U.S. Energy Dept. declared five rare earths to be most critical to the future of the green energy economy. Dysprosium, a metal found in high percentages at Bokan, topped the list. Congress has proposed five bills regarding rare earth metals; some offer loan guarantees for miners, others suggest stockpiling the metals. “A domestic rare earth supply is very important,” says David Sandalow, assistant secretary for policy and international affairs at the Energy Dept. “Security rests above all in diversity of supply, and domestic supplies are the most secure.”
....
When China took over the rare earth industry 10 years ago, it also took over the associated supply chain. For U.S. manufacturers to use rare earths from Bokan, the country must rebuild industries in rare earth separation, metalmaking, alloying, and magnet production. Alaska is now weighing whether to underwrite a rare earth separation plant on nearby Gravina Island, the site of Ketchikan’s airport. Thus McKenzie finds himself selling not just the construction of a mine, but likely a $25 million to $35 million rare earths separation facility.

You'd think that environmentalists would be supportive of a mining effort to support windmills, but indeed they are not.
http://seacc.org/issues/mining/bokan-mountain-mine

 

[dorispulaski]

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111119_02-e.pdf

TEPCO has a map and photographs of the heavy debris removal from both the tsunami and the hydrogen explosions going on at Fukushima Daiichi. Approximately 50,000 square meters (12.4 acres) have been cleared, resulting in 20,000 cubic meters (26,160 cubic yards) of debris.

NHK NEWS

The rest of Japan is also dealing with debris, both from the tsunami and material contaminated with radioactive cesium. It isn't easy.

Officials mull disposal of disaster debris

Officials from local governments across Japan have inspected how debris from the March earthquake and tsunami is transferred from disaster-hit areas to Tokyo for disposal.

The environment ministry organized the study tour on Friday for some 50 officials from 31 municipalities. They inspected a temporary storage site in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, which is part of the disaster zone. So far, of the municipalities outside the disaster-hit Tohoku region, the Tokyo metropolitan government is the only one to undertake the disposal of debris from Miyako.

Other municipal governments have yet to decide if they'll handle materials that could be contaminated with radioactive substances from the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Participants on Friday's tour observed workers repeatedly measuring radiation levels of rubble to ensure they were within permissible limits before leaving the site by truck. A lead box packed with debris was measured, as well as the container carrying the load.

In a survey conducted by the environment ministry in October, 54 municipalities and associations expressed willingness to dispose the disaster-related wreckage. That is about one-tenth the number of areas that said they would handle the rubble in April, when there was much less fear about nuclear contamination. Some officials said they want their municipalities to follow the lead of the Tokyo Metropolitan government to help dispose of the wreckage. But others said they first needed the understanding of residents.
Friday, November 18, 2011 21:53 +0900 (JST)

And there is debris in the ocean as well:

Debris in sea from March 11th will be cleared

A huge amount of debris along Japan's eastern coast has been hampering the activity of fishing boats following the March 11th tsunami. The government says it will complete clearing away the debris by March 2014.

Wreckage of houses, boats, and vehicles is still drifting at sea or has sunk to the bottom along the coast of the Tohoku Region, the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, and the Kanto Region.

The debris is impeding navigation of vessels in and out of ports and fishing activities, which have resumed after the disaster.

The Environment Ministry and Land and Transport Ministry worked out guidelines to clear away the debris and informed the 7 prefectures, including Hokkaido and Chiba.

The guidelines say that the debris at fishing ports should be cleared away by prefectures and local municipalities by the end of this year.

In sea areas where trawl fishing takes place, debris will be cleared away by the end of the current fiscal year in March.

All the gathered debris will be incinerated or put into a landfill by the end of March 2014.

The guidelines say the salt content of debris in sea water may cause corrosion of incineration facilities, and that wood debris should be exposed to the elements after being collected to get rid of salt before burning. The Environment Ministry plans to send officials upon request by local governments of the affected areas to provide technical advice.
Saturday, November 19, 2011 11:24 +0900 (JST)

Getting the economy of northeastern Japan working again is a challenge, even in the area of agriculture and fisheries.

Food fair opens to support disaster-hit producers

A food fair is currently under way in Tokyo, with farmers and retailers from around the country marketing their products at more than 80 booths.

A non-profit organization comprising corporate farms and other groups opened the fair at a park in central Tokyo on Saturday.

The event features a variety of local foods, especially those from the disaster-stricken areas of northeastern Japan.

The booth of an agricultural cooperative from Tome City in Miyagi Prefecture served skewered grilled beef. The staff assured customers that no radioactive substances have been detected in the beef.

A retailer of fisheries products from Tokyo's Tsukiji district sold squid and mackerel. A sandwich with a slice of grilled and salted mackerel was especially popular among the fair's visitors.

The fair also offers people the rare opportunity to try their hand at operating farm machinery.

An elementary school girl had a good time trying to use a compact cultivator to plow a bit of ground.

The event runs through Sunday.
Saturday, November 19, 2011 22:01 +0900 (JST)

This is touching.

Messages of gratitude videoed in tsunami-hit town
In a tsunami-hit town in northeastern Japan, residents have taken part in a project to thank people around the world for their support following the March 11th disaster.

People of Minamisanriku town in Miyagi Prefecture gathered at a hotel on Saturday to take part in the "Arigato Project". Arigato means thank you in Japanese.

A volunteer group promoting the project videotaped the participants holding hand-written messages saying "thank you" in various languages and expressing their gratitude.

A woman who wrote a message in Hebrew was asked why she took part. She said she wanted to thank a medical team from Israel. The team treated the woman when she got sick after the disaster.

The group will continue the campaign and post the video messages on its Website.
Sunday, November 20, 2011 06:52 +0900 (JST)

 

[Olympia]

Interesting about the rare earth mine in Alaska. Maybe this is what geologists should be looking for, not oil. You've taught me to think strategically about this.

By the way, can any of these materials be reclaimed from waste, namely used electronics? We in the U.S. surely have the largest supply of that!

When people think of Japan, I don't think they envision winter. There are always cherry blossoms in our stereotyped mental images. But the winters can get very severe in parts of Japan, which is after all near to Russia. I hope the plant can be prepared for the season sufficiently.

 

[dorispulaski]

Olympia, Japan has a rare earth reclaimation project, ever since China refused to ship them any rare earths following some kind of incident over a fishing boat that crossed into Japanese waters. Since Japan is offering to do infrastructure development for countries that will ship them their rare earths, it's been helpful, but not enough.

I envision winter, but only because the Sapporo Olympics was so exciting to me! Barbara Cochran won a gold medal in skiing! She was from Richmond, VT. Our town at the time, Underhill, and Richmond all send their kids to the same Regional High School, so it was a big deal to us, an Olympic medallist from right next door!



TEPCO STATUS, up to 3:30 PM JST on November 22
A number of small maintenance issues are in this block of quotes.

Regarding the water leakage from pressure hose connecting point of absorption side of emergency feed water injection pump located upland of Unit 1 on November 18, we started to change these hoses at 9:30 am on November 22 and finished the work at 10:20 am on the same day because we were ready for the exchange these hoses, there is no effect caused by the installation work because we continue water injection into the reactor with the regular-use feed water pump located upland.

* At around 3:00 pm on October 3, TEPCO staff observed an oil leakage from the transformer B system for transportation of Okuma 3 line (in-vehicle) while on patrol. The amount of the oil leakage was about one drop in ten seconds and the oil formed an oil film of approximately 1m x 1m. An emergency procedure was taken to stop the leakage. As the preparation of repair materials, replacement of oil cooler of transformer will be start from November 22, on November 21 today, to switch source of electricity load receiving at this transformer from Okuma-line No.3 to Okuma-line No.2, series of water treatment facilities currently under operation such relevant facilities as Cesium adsorption apparatus, secondary cesium adsorption apparatus, water desalination facility (RO membrane type), evaporative concentration apparatus) will be out serviced accordingly from 5:00 am today. There will be no effect on the water injection into reactor as water injection will be continued by using desalinated water stored in the tank.


* At 1:58 pm on November 20, as it was confirmed that there was a decrease in the water injection amount from the feed water system at unit 1 reactor, injection amount was adjusted from 5.3m3/h to 5.5m3/h.

At 3:33 pm on November 18, we adjusted flow rate of injecting water of reactor of Unit 1 at approx. 5.5m3/h before the addition of water injection line from Core Spray System in order to enhance security of water injection.


At 3:33 pm on November 18, along with the adjustment of water injection amount of Unit 1, we adjusted the amount of water injection to the reactor of Unit 2 to approximately 3.1 m3/h from water feeding system, and to approximately 7.1 m3/h from Core Spray System.
At 3:33 pm on November 18, along with the adjustment of water injection amount of Unit 1, we adjusted the amount of water injection to the reactor of Unit 3 to approximately 2.5 m3/h from water feeding system, and to approximately 8.1 m3/h from Core Spray System.



On November 19, it was confirmed that coolant water temperature at the heat exchange facility exit of unit 3 alternative cooling facility 1 for the fuel spent pool is once again in the trend to increase (17.9°C at 8 am → 19.6°C at 2 pm). Spray of water of cooling tower (A) of facility 2 is being continued, however, as it was found that net in the spray tank of this tower is clogged up, from 4:11 pm to 4:50 pm, there was a switch from Unit 3 spent fuel pool alternative cooling facility 2 cooling tower (A) to (B). Currently, the temperature is stable.


- At 10:47 pm on November 18, desalination plant (RO) unit 2-2 suspended due to automatic suspend of a high pressure pump and a booster pump. The research is currently underway. There is no impact for water injection to the reactor because of enough fresh water stock. - Around 11:00 pm on November 18, it was confirmed that coolant water temperature at the heat exchange facility exit of unit 3 alternative cooling facility for the fuel spent pool tends to increase (16.5°C at 8 pm → 17.3°C at 11 pm). At 7:00 am on November 19, it was confirmed main tap for watering was closed. The temperature decreased after tap opening (19.5°C at 5 am → 17.9°C at 8 am). The research for tap close is currently underway.

*At around 4:10 pm on November 18, water leakage of one drop in 3 seconds was observed from pressure hose connecting point of suction side of emergency feed water injection pump located upland of Unit 1. Valves before and after the hose were closed and isolated, and a saucer was placed to receive the drop. We confirmed the radiation dose in ambient air near the leaking point was not specifically different from surrounding area. There was no impact to the water injection to the Reactor because the pump was for emergency feed water injection and not in operation at that time. As the preparation for replacement of that hose was completed, we started the replacement work at 9:30 am on November 22. At 10:20 am on the same date, we completed the work. As we are injecting water to the Reactor by the main reactor water injection line, there is no impact to the water injection from this work.

BUT THIS IS INTERESTING TO ME: ROBOT BOAT

Start of use of unmanned investigation boat. The boat is supposed to sample water, and measure underwater dose rate. The boat is going to cruise a route between Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini about 3 to 7 km offshore in an area between the onshore measurement points and the 15 km measurement points.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111121_01-e.pdf

And if you want to know about the measurements TEPCO is making

There is an additional 18 page handout on how measurements are taken on the site, including a flow chart of how strontium is measured, and explanations of other measurements. It's a useful document:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111119_04-e.pdf

NHK NEWS

It's getting easier for people displaced by the earthquake/tsunami to find housing.

Conditions for survivors' public housing eased
Japan's land and infrastructure ministry has decided to ease the tenant conditions for post-disaster public housing to accommodate more survivors of the March earthquake and tsunami.

The ministry will rent public housing to those survivors whose houses were only partially damaged but have since been deemed beyond repair and have to be demolished.

Until now, only those whose houses were totally destroyed have been eligible.

Prefectures and local municipalities are building public housing for the survivors who cannot afford to rebuild their damaged houses by themselves. The central government is offering subsidies and the rent will be relatively low.

The ministry is also expected to shorten the period required before tenants can buy their public housing.

People would be able to purchase a wooden house after living in it for 5 years, instead of 7 and a half years. Those in fire-proof housing would be able to buy them after 11 and a half years, rather than 17 and a half years.

12,000 units will eventually become available in Miyagi Prefecture and up to 5,000 in Iwate.

Fukushima has yet to decide on the total number. But the prefecture's Soma City will complete 12 units by March next year -- the first in the affected areas.
Monday, November 21, 2011 10:55 +0900 (JST)

And this has been a subject of discussion since the beginning of the problems at Fukushima Daiichi:

Govt panel seeks to revise nuclear projects
A Japanese government panel says a project to build an experimental fast-breeder nuclear reactor should be thoroughly reviewed before a decision is made on its future.

The 7-member panel focused on the country's nuclear projects on Sunday, the first day of its 4-day policy screening.

Some panel members said it would be difficult to gain public understanding for the resumption of the Monju project. They added that it is not clear if the reactor can be put into commercial service by 2050 as originally planned.

Some members also said that the Monju project to build a fast-breeder nuclear reactor should be scrapped and a next-stage fusion reactor should be developed instead.

The Monju reactor uses plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel to generate power, and has been regarded as a prototype for Japan's next-generation nuclear plant.

The panel concluded that a budget of 29 million dollars for next summer's test-run of the Monju project should be cut along with various maintenance costs, except for the crucial portion.

It also questioned an allocation of 292 million dollars for an international nuclear fusion project, ITER, as the amount is about 5 times the total for the current fiscal year.

Some panel members said the funds should be used to rebuild the area around the Fukushima plant by decontaminating soil and installing radiation-monitoring systems.

The panel concluded that Japan should try to reduce the financial burden of the project by negotiating its suspension or cancellation with the other 6 participating countries.

The Science Ministry, which is in charge of nuclear projects, says it will consider the next step after seeing the results of the discussion by a panel of Cabinet members on the country's nuclear policies, including the fast-breeder reactor project.
Sunday, November 20, 2011 23:27 +0900 (JST)

The cleanup keeps costing more money

Japan's Diet passes 3rd extra budget for FY2011
Reconstruction efforts from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami have received another financial boost. Japan's Diet passed the third extra budget for the current fiscal year.

The Upper House approved the budget on Monday worth more than 12 trillion yen, or about 156 billion dollars.

The budget allocates about 20 billion dollars as financial support for local authorities in disaster-hit areas to implement reconstruction projects.

About 3 billion dollars are earmarked for projects to remove radioactive materials from areas affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The budget also includes measures to help ease negative impact of the strong yen.

The government allocates more than 6 billion dollars to subsidize Japanese companies building new factories in the country. This is to prevent the hollowing-out of domestic industry.
Monday, November 21, 2011 15:27 +0900 (JST)

And some info from other news sources:

http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/2011/11/from-neis-safety-first-web-site-japan.html

The Japanese cabinet has approved “basic policies” to clean up radioactive contamination resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi accident. Based on recommendations made in 2007 by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, areas contaminated to dose levels within 20 millisieverts per year above background will be cleaned up to reduce adult doses by 50 percent within two years and 60 percent for children, and to a long-term level of 1 milliSievert /year above background radiation levels. 20 milliSieverts is about the same amount of radiation exposure a patient would receive from a full body CT scan. Areas where the annual dose levels are above 20 milliSieverts per year will be given priority in scheduling decontamination activities.

And another article discussing cancer risks in Japan, and that likely it will be too small to prove.
http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_19378332
Basically, since 40% of people in industrialized nations eventually die of cancer, it's hard to determine whether an additional 5 or 10 or 100 people died of cancer.

 

[Olympia]

Goody! A robot boat. Isn't it time for a new calendar, anyway. Next we'll be seeing Wonder Woman's robot plane to the rescue (though of course it's invisible; we'll have to spray flour into the air to see its outline...I've stayed up too late, clearly).

Thanks for the snippet about Japan and rare earths.

Good news that housing is getting easier for tsunami exiles to obtain.

I read in another source about the recent cancer findings. Kind of a sobering observation. I once read that approximately 80% of all cancers are environmental, not (obviously) solely from radiation. There's all manner of ground and water pollution that echoes or stimulates hormonal production in our bodies, for example.

 

[dorispulaski]

And there's smoking. Especially in Japan. This is from Wikipedia, so buyer beware, so to speak.

Smoking in Japan is much less restricted than in many other nations, and Japan accounts for much of the tobacco consumption in Asia. Nearly 30 million people smoke in Japan, making the country one of the world's largest tobacco markets.[1] Japan is one of the last industrialized nations in the world where adult smoking is still widespread; statistics show Japanese men smoke at one of the highest rates in the world.[2] The smoking rate among adults was 29% in 2008, 43% of men and 13% of women.[3] As of 2010, the total smoking rate is 24%, 36.6% of Japanese men and 12.1% of Japanese women;[4] this is the lowest recorded figure since Japan Tobacco began surveying in 1965.[4] The law prohibits the smoking of cigarettes by persons under the age of twenty.[5]

If the Japanese would take their fear of radiation and say, "You know, maybe its time I stopped smoking. 2 carcinogens in my life is at least one too many, and I can control the smoking," they would end up with less cancers than if Fukushima never happened.

And then there's second-hand smoke. Even the non-smokers would benefit.

 

[let`s talk]

Still you are way less "smoked" by passing-by smokers than you would be in Paris or St-Petersburg.

This website has some useful info, not always unquestionable, plus the translation of some articles from J-media in English: http://fukushima-diary.com

 

[dorispulaski]

I always think of Rena Inoue's father, who died of lung cancer, and Rena, who also developed lung cancer but has remained cancer free for a long time now. I also think of my husband, who has vascular conditions and who had a stroke, both attributed by his doctors to his smoking. (He quit in 1995, when the trouble began, but the damage is still there, particularly from the stroke.)

So when people who are worrying about their health have not quit smoking, I always ask them, "Why not quit?" no better time than the present. I guarantee their health will benefit, or at the very least, food will taste better, flowers smell sweeter.

I would not approve the smoking in Paris or Russia either. I would advise them to quit too.

November 27, 2011, 3:00 PM JST
TEPCO STATUS

TEPCO and the government appear to be moving towards declaring the reactors in cold shutdown by year end. The announcement of cold shutdown triggers some resettlement of evacuees. One of their requirements is that temperature shall be below 90 C, another that emissions of radioactive material into the air shall be lower, and that emissions into the water shall be lower. Just how much lower is a matter of discussion, I suppose, since I have not seen a firm target. They also have to demonstrate that their water system continues to work.
The less water they have to inject the better, as then there is less that has to be stored. However, it is important for the temperature to stay low, not so much because of risk of it really spiking up, but because when the temperature gets over 100C (boiling) more steam is emitted, and the steam contains radioactive cesium, etc.

*On November 24, we lowered the water injection into the Unit 1 - 3 reactor in order to lower the hydrogen concentration by rise of the temperature and the steam proportion in the Reactor Pressure Vessel. After that, we monitored the temperature trend in the Reactor Pressure Vessel and the Primary Containment Vessel. Since the change of the temperature at the respective Units was small and there was a possibility of significant change of the temperature by further reduce of the water injection, we lowered it from 10:18 am to 11:02 am on November 26. We will continuously monitor the temperature trend. Unit 1: The water injection was adjusted from approx. 5.0 m3/h to approx. 4.5 m3/h through reactor feed water system. Unit 2: The water injection was adjusted from approx. 5.5 m3/h to approx. 4.5 m3/h through core spray system (through reactor feed water system it remains unchanged, approx. 3.0 m3/h). Unit 3: The water injection was adjusted from approx. 7.0 m3/h to approx. 6.0 m3/h through core spray system (through reactor feed water system it remains unchanged, approx. 2.0 m3/h).

For reference:
Highest temperature of those measured for Unit 1: 47.1 C at the Safety Exhaust Valve (air)
Highest temperature of those measured for Unit 3: 82.3 C at the Reactor Pressure Vessel Air Bellows
At Unit 2, one value jumped from 53C to 102.6 C in the Reactor Suppression Chamber B Gas. They seem to think there is a gauge malfunction at this point. They may well be right, because the water temperature in Reactor Suppression Chamber B is very slowly dropping at about 47.4 C, and from the diagram, it is immediately below the other gauge.

Other than that, they are working on getting gas systems on all three reactors to control any hydrogen gas emissions, and are doing prep work towards enclosing the other reactors, or deciding to enclose the other reactors. And they are building their sea wall that goes all the way down to bedrock, to prevent leaching of radioactive materials into the ocean that way.

Other than that, they are moving water around, cleaning it, and storing it.
And solving maintenance issues.

At 11:04 pm on November 25, an alarm which informed of system malfunction went off in the alternative cooling system of the Unit 4 Fuel Pool and the system automatically stopped. Although it was found that the stop was caused by the alarm which had informed of leakage in the Heat Exchanger after checking the details of the alarm, we confirmed that there was no malfunction at the site such as leakage etc. At 11:39 pm on the same day, we restarted the system. As the flow rate detector normally operated, we assumed that the alarm had been caused by a temporary malfunction. In the meantime, we confirmed that there was no significant change in the temperature of the Fuel Pool. We will do check of the indicators etc. as a similar event happened on November 17.

* At 2:00 am on November 27, we confirmed the difference in temperature at the gateway of the heat exchanger on the primary side of the Unit 3 spent fuel pool alternative cooling equipment was getting small (inlet temperature: 19.7°C, outlet temperature: 19.0°C). However, as we could figure out that it did not affect the cooling of the spent fuel pool immediately, we decided to conduct a field investigation after dawn. At 6:33 am, as a result of the field investigation, we confirmed the main valve of watering equipment was closed and therefore we opened it and filled with water for watering. As a result, we could confirm that the outlet temperature fell down (as of 7:00 am on November 27, inlet temperature: 20.3°C, outlet temperature: 15.1°C). Considering this result, it is confirmed that the cause for the difference in temperature is that the valve was closed down and the cooling water was not supplied. We will further investigate the reason of the closing down of the valve (the temperature of the inlet port of the heat exchanger on the primary side = the temperature of the spent fuel pool).


On November 25, the related equipments such as the respective apparatus (cesium adsorption apparatus, 2nd cesium adsorption apparatus) etc. in operating water treatment instruments was sequentially stopped from 6:30 am, due to switching of the electric source received from Okuma 2 movable (in-vehicle) transformer. At 0:37 pm the operation of power receiving to Okuma 3 was completed. At 5 pm on the same day, the 2nd cesium adsorption apparatus restarted and thus all of the suspended equipments restarted.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111125_01-e.pdf
The unmanned survey boat takes off on its travels

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111124_03-e.pdf
Description of how the PCV gas system works to limit hydrogen concentrations in the PCV.
Diagram of same
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111124_02-e.pdf

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11112506-e.html

TEPCO has just opened the small Torao hydroelectric plant that they started building in April. Every bit helps (it is only

Today, TEPCO started an operation of "Torao Hydro Power Station" located in Uenomura, Tanogun, Gunma Prefecture. The power station is the first waterway hydro power station using a water bypass way for the reservoir of the existing pumped hydro power station. The water is taken from the upstream of the dam of the pumped storage hydro power station. Specifically, the water is taken from the river (Kannnagawa river (1st Class River) in Tonegawa River system) located in the upstream of the lower dam (Ueno Dam) of the pumped storage hydro power station (Kannagawa Pumped Storage Hydro Power Station). The power station has an effective head of about 101 m and maximum output 270 kW. The construction was started from April 2011, and completed today. The expected annual generation of the power station is about 1.6 GWh (equivalent to annual electricity consumption of about 440 standard households). Besides, it is expected to contribute to CO2 emission reduction of about 540 ton in a year (equivalent to annual CO2 emission of about 110 standard households). TEPCO continuously makes efforts to stably supply electricity and utilizes renewable energy including hydro power generation.

If the Japanese do not restart their reactors, then they have to get power from other places, and continue to cut consumption of electric power.