Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 679

Posted the JT article extract as it sounds 180 degrees off from the "all's well, rods undamaged" line earlier.
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:22:02 PM

there was fuel in unit 4 core
by xxx 4/13/2011 1:22:42 PM

@Markfm Odd report. Whatever do TEPCO mean? Radioactive material leaking from the reactor's pressure vessel? @xxx Hmm. Looks like it.
by es 4/13/2011 1:23:31 PM

I expect that was a garble by the reporter. I doubt TEPCO would lie that RPV4 is empty. Note the 84 mSv/hr was at 6 m above the pool -- not at the surface by any means.
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:27:03 PM

#4's RPV is uncapped. Both containment caps are in their stored positions and can be seen in some of the images. So what do they mean by that statement?
by Nancy 4/13/2011 1:27:50 PM

Nancy, correct, that is why I said I believe the JT reporter simply got that part wrong (that there isn't any fuel in the core, reporter muckup).
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:28:57 PM

OMG LOL, Really? Nishiyama also said that a seawater sample taken Monday 15 km away from the nearby city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, showed that the concentration of radioactive iodine-131 was about 23 times the legally permissible level.

NISA said that level does not pose any health risks
by Nancy 4/13/2011 1:31:09 PM

@Nancy @Markfm We did see that the thermal images showed something hot thereabouts too.
by es 4/13/2011 1:32:11 PM

@Markfm yes it seems to be a muck up in his words and doesn't really make sense when read in the context of the whole article.
by Nancy 4/13/2011 1:32:42 PM

@es Yes, there is a row of hot spots on the work deck of #4 to the right of the reactor well (if your looking at the building from the SFP end looking in)
by Nancy 4/13/2011 1:33:36 PM

There seem to be some contradiction there:
[kyodo] TEPCO confirms damage to part of No. 4 unit's spent nuke fuel
"The firm known as TEPCO said its analysis of a 400-milliliter water sample taken Tuesday from the No. 4 unit's spent nuclear fuel pool revealed the damage to some fuel rods in such a pool for the first time, as it detected higher-than-usual levels of radioactive iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137."
"[...] confirmed to be damaged, but most of them are believed to be in sound condition, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday"
english.kyodonews.jp
by Jocelyn Mayer 4/13/2011 1:34:23 PM

Those hot spots look like long skinny rods lined up on the floor and fluctuate in heat. I have also seen them spray that area when they are not putting water into the SFP.
by Nancy 4/13/2011 1:34:24 PM

SFP4 had, I believe, a significant water drop problem. I don't see how any could be okay -- anything above water line should have overheated significantly.
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:36:44 PM

Perhaps the spokesman meant "the lower half of the rods have probably not melted away as of yet".
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:38:00 PM

@Nancy Yes. Curiouser and curiouser.
by es 4/13/2011 1:38:24 PM

I just sent the following to Japan Times: To KANAKO TAKAHARA, Staff Writer.
In your recent article entitled, "Radiation surges above 4's fuel pool", you wrote the following statement:
"Tokyo Electric Power Co. was unsure whether the surge in radiation was being caused by the spent fuel rods or radioactive material leaking from the reactor's pressure vessel."
It is my understanding that Reactor #4 was empty at the time of the 9.0 quake and subsequent massive tsunami. Do you have information indicating that Reactor #4 was actually in operation with a full fuel load, or is the information you provided in error?
Thanks in advance...
James Ward
USA
by James Ward 4/13/2011 1:41:16 PM

@James Ward Great!
by es 4/13/2011 1:41:54 PM

Russia's nuclear chief says Japan exaggerating crisis www.reuters.com The official is part of an agency building multiple reactors in India (not exactly disinterested.)
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:43:02 PM

@mark this just gets more surreal by the moment I just saw a Russian news broadcast saying that it was only a matter of time till there was a fire in #4 sfp
by elainekirk 4/13/2011 1:45:00 PM

Yay, GoJ finally getting the idea, ordering TEPCO to check to see if the buildings are still okay. "''As strong aftershocks occur almost daily, we have to consider what will happen to buildings already damaged by blasts,'' said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the nuclear agency."
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:45:34 PM

Big spike in Tokyo I-131 and especially Cs-137 levels ftp.jaist.ac.jp
by Bobby1 4/13/2011 1:49:52 PM

Updated News links listing: fukushimafaq.wikispaces.com My must-read from the current list is: TEPCO confirms damage to part of No. 4 unit's spent nuke fuel english.kyodonews.jp It addresses multiple areas.
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:50:35 PM

@Bobby1 Drat, just when I had a News link Radiation in Tokyo returns to pre-disaster level english.kyodonews.jp
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:51:25 PM

peeking in , checking things out
by dean 4/13/2011 1:51:54 PM

@Bobby & Mark, give it a few days....The winds are going to point things more to Tokyo this weekend
by wrshpr 4/13/2011 1:53:54 PM

@Dean On the one side we get TEPCO saying many SFP 4 rods may not be badly damaged, on the other side we have TEPCO confirms damage to part of No. 4 unit's spent nuke fuel english.kyodonews.jp Not sure how to square rods being exposed with rods not damaged -- I thought they were likely fairly exposed for a significant time, basically the top portions of all of them are likely melted or burned by now.
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:54:32 PM

checking this out markfm
by dean 4/13/2011 1:55:55 PM

Article: "Fukushima radiation taints US milk supplies at levels 300% higher than EPA maximums" www.naturalnews.com QUOTE: "The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to release new data showing that various milk and water supply samples from across the US are testing increasingly high for radioactive elements such as Iodine-131, Cesium-134, and Cesium-137, all of which are being emitted from the ongoing Fukushima Daiichia nuclear fallout. As of April 10, 2011, 23 US water supplies have tested positive for radioactive Iodine-131, and worst of all, milk samples from at least three US locations have tested positive for Iodine-131 at levels exceeding EPA maximum containment levels (MCL)

As far as the water supplies are concerned, it is important to note that the EPA is only testing for radioactive Iodine-131. There are no readings or data available for cesium, uranium, or plutonium -- all of which are being continuously emitted from Fukushima, as far as we know -- even though these elements are all much more deadly than Iodine-131."
by James Ward 4/13/2011 1:56:12 PM

@ifz probably something like this? showcase.homesandcommunities.co.uk
by me 4/13/2011 1:56:15 PM

@Dean This is the other article on SFP 4: Radiation surges above 4's fuel pool search.japantimes.co.jp
by Markfm 4/13/2011 1:57:35 PM

"The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says the water temperature in the spent fuel storage pool at the No. 4 reactor in the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has risen to about 90 degrees Celsius. It fears the spent fuel rods may be damaged."

"The company thinks the pool's water level was about 5 meters lower than normal, but 2 meters above the fuel rods."

"The storage pool at the No. 4 reactor has housed all the fuel rods that were in operation at the reactor due to massive engineering work there."

"University of Tokyo Professor Koji Okamoto says the temperature of 90 degrees indicates that cooling is continuing, although some of the water in the pool may be boiling."

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 21:08 +0900 (JST) www3.nhk.or.jp
by Pedro Jesus 4/13/2011 2:00:59 PM

markhm... that first one to me,, is making statements or generalizations of a water sample.. we need visual proof.. with a robot cam or some other device.. to actually look down in the pools
by dean 4/13/2011 2:02:26 PM

Here's a helpful EPA chart that converts radioactive isotope activity to rem from drinking water falloutphilippines.blogspot.com
by Bobby1 4/13/2011 2:04:10 PM

"The firm known as TEPCO said its analysis of a 400-milliliter water sample taken Tuesday from the No. 4 unit's spent nuclear fuel pool" from english.kyodonews.jp How did they take the sample?
by Optim 4/13/2011 2:04:58 PM

the second article uses some ... staff writer privileged to make assumptions on fuel burns etc.. some times it's the writer of the article that shapes what TEPCO assumed to have said and the consequences of what they say... I want a photo of the SFP..
by dean 4/13/2011 2:05:33 PM

www.unitconversion.org that is a good conversion.. for all to check out..
by dean 4/13/2011 2:06:50 PM

@Optim TEPCO press notice (Apr 13,2011) just said this: On April 12th, in order to confirm the conditions of the fuels stored in the spent fuel pool of Unit 4, we sampled the water in the spent fuel pool. We will be conducting nuclide analysis on these samples. www.tepco.co.jp
by es 4/13/2011 2:07:48 PM

Yellow rope going up the side of the pumper probably had a bucket on the end of it (from yesterday -- I had thought it was a joke, but perhaps not...)
by Markfm 4/13/2011 2:07:53 PM

@me: I know smaller residential zones that are similar but I didn't know about the one in freiburg :) (and I'm from germany ;)
by ifz 4/13/2011 2:08:51 PM

off to work for me.. back in awhile
by dean 4/13/2011 2:09:44 PM

They're pouring a huge amount of water into that SFP. Another 195 tons Wednesday, and I've seen reports just about every day on the ongoing, large, volume of water being shoveled into it.
by Markfm 4/13/2011 2:09:55 PM