Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 1166

hi UKVal.. indeed
by dean 5/14/2011 1:56:00 PM

Hello Dean, thought you'd find this info interesting ;) adds a little flavor to the USA's recent interest in Iran. Bushehr goes critical 10 May 2011 Iran's first nuclear power reactor has achieved a sustained chain reaction, Russian builder AtomStroyExport (ASE) has announced.

According to ASE, Bushehr achieved criticality at 11.12am on 8 May 2011 and is now functioning at the minimum controlled power level. Final commissioning tests will now be carried out prior to ramp-up to 100% power and the start of commercial operation. According to Iranian news agency Fars, the plant is expected to be connected to the national grid within the next two months. www.world-nuclear-news.org
by Tenzing 5/14/2011 1:56:23 PM

@Tenzing oh great -just as the quakes are starting there!that's just what the world needs
by UKVal 5/14/2011 1:58:33 PM

Everyone: Interesting source of info: World Nuclear News Association - Fukushima, Tohoku-Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake & Nuclear Power www.world-nuclear.org
by Tenzing 5/14/2011 1:59:23 PM

one thing about the temp cycling on #3... .the periodicity seems to be 3 days... temps increasing approx 168 degrees,,,, cycling times .. the peak is at approx 300 degrees then drops to approx 130 degrees... that's a 168 degree increase with some cyling frequency .. strang.. it's almost like temps go up.. then there is a quenching back down ..
by dean 5/14/2011 2:00:22 PM

very interesting Tenzing, all eyes outside of IRAN will be on that facility and what it starts doing after fuel is discharged.. I'm sure the eyes in the sky will track shipments out of the facility and if they head to certain other facilities there will be international concern
by dean 5/14/2011 2:02:22 PM

@dean What physical process would cause it to cycle like that? Decay heat is almost constant, with a very slow decrease.
by Bobby1 5/14/2011 2:02:57 PM

Hi Dean!
by lillymunster 5/14/2011 2:02:59 PM

Water poses questions for Tepco 12 May 2011
Radioactivity test results are back on the leak discovered yesterday at Fukushima Daiichi 3, while better data from unit 1 has begun to illuminate the damage there. Off-site, tap water restrictions have all been lifted.

Results announced by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) today showed the water found leaking to sea from a cable pit near unit 3 was contaminated with iodine-131, caesium-137 and caesium-134 to levels far beyond regulatory limits.

No more water restrictions

The last remaining restriction on the consumption of drinking water was lifted on 10 May. Some 21 separate orders to avoid giving tap water to infants due to levels of iodine-131 were imposed in the last week of March. Only one was placed on tap water consumption by the general public, in Iitate, and this too has now been lifted.

Some 74 thousand homes remain cut off from mains water due to damage caused by the natural disasters on 11 March.
This would indicate the water may have been in contact with the damaged reactor core, and thereby raise the question of its travel through the nuclear site. The water was leaking from a cable penetration in a concrete pit near the sea. This is part of a system of cable trenches to supply power to pump rooms, separate from seawater piping ducts.

In the last two weeks the temperature of unit 3 has gradually risen from around 90ºC to around 210ºC. It is not known if this is related to the water leak. www.world-nuclear-news.org
by Tenzing 5/14/2011 2:03:12 PM

@dean those 3 day heat cycles on 3 seem to coordinate with the big steam shows.
by lillymunster 5/14/2011 2:04:00 PM

hi lillymunster.. nice seeing you
by dean 5/14/2011 2:04:08 PM

As of the 13th they cranked top water injection to 3, added a new 3 cubic meters per hour, 12/ hr total. I haven't seen today report yet, not sure if they have kept it up.
by Markfm 5/14/2011 2:04:10 PM

@dean - yes, or a release of some kind. The behaviour seems to have started shortly after the govt expressed concern about the #3 temperature. Since then Tepco has more than doubled the water injection and a highly radioactive leak from #3 has been discovered.
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:04:16 PM

@markfm - greetings
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:04:41 PM

@lillymunster - that's my point exactly
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:05:13 PM

out of mod mode. :-)
by Nancy 5/14/2011 2:05:23 PM

Hi, playing chauffeur.
by Markfm 5/14/2011 2:05:27 PM

When the water gets too hot, the convection disrupts the pile, Then it cools and settles back down and goes critical again,that makes it cycle.
by Ralph Unger 5/14/2011 2:06:28 PM

@hudebnik TEPCO claimed it was just the temp and humidity at that time of day. But we don't always see that happen every day at that time of day even with same temp/humidity. The temp and humidity likely add to the visibility of the steam but there seems to be a cycle related to 3
by Nancy 5/14/2011 2:06:36 PM

my thought could be the melt superheats the water as it makes it's way after a quench and then builds up and flashes again.. I don't think there is criticality along with it however, given that accident strange things are possible
by dean 5/14/2011 2:06:56 PM

Can we name 3 the tea kettle?
by Nancy 5/14/2011 2:08:00 PM

I'm visualising some sort of corium flow, maybe building up and increasing temp near the sensor, then plopping through a hole ?into the "containment"? ?out of the containment?
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:08:24 PM

Ralph is right on mark... think about the yellowstone park.. the geysers blow and then settle down then blow again..
by dean 5/14/2011 2:08:44 PM

Personnaly I think you guys are right and it sure looked like smoke not steam to me.
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:08:57 PM

The steaming pile of fuku goo
by Markfm 5/14/2011 2:09:12 PM

@hudebnik That's what I was thinking, gets hot & spits out corium, new cycle begins.
by Bobby1 5/14/2011 2:09:23 PM

ha ha.. nancy.. kettle #1, 2 and 3
by dean 5/14/2011 2:09:37 PM

@hudebnik we have only seen the "show" during their early morning. Not sure what it would look like in broad daylight.
by Nancy 5/14/2011 2:09:41 PM

but .. not a pressure cooker
by dean 5/14/2011 2:09:44 PM

The high rad release figures from #3 suggest any containment is shot now
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:09:44 PM

Lil volcano
by Markfm 5/14/2011 2:09:53 PM

It is called chugging, we discussed it before here.
by Ralph Unger 5/14/2011 2:10:29 PM

@nancy/lillmunster are you working double time?
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:11:00 PM

@Ralph - yes, but it looks like there might be actual evidence of it here. I almost wrote concrete evidence...
by hudebnik 5/14/2011 2:11:47 PM

The fuel pellers settle at the bottom of the reactor and get close enoughtogether to become critical and they produce a bunch of heat which disrupts the pile and it is no longer critical, rinse and repeat.
by Ralph Unger 5/14/2011 2:12:07 PM

Ralph.. yes and it would be interesting to see the rise and fall of rad readings to match ..
by dean 5/14/2011 2:13:11 PM

Don't know if 3 is actually chugging, vs. just thermal buildup and release. 2 its the unit that has the biologic radiation buildups
by Markfm 5/14/2011 2:13:15 PM

some time ago if it were me I would be opening every pit, trench, ,cable tray etc going from the building and permanently sealing them... j
by dean 5/14/2011 2:14:12 PM

I want I-131 readings from the plant.
by Ralph Unger 5/14/2011 2:14:26 PM

Darn droid - periodic radiation buildup
by Markfm 5/14/2011 2:14:39 PM

that would be grand Ralph.. by the way.. nice seeing you
by dean 5/14/2011 2:14:50 PM

Hi Dean :-)
by Ralph Unger 5/14/2011 2:15:06 PM

usually when we see a lot of steam it's from all 3 kettles together -that suggests that the timing of the releases relates to something TEPCO does as well as internal processes in 3.
by UKVal 5/14/2011 2:16:04 PM

@hudebnik I seem to have multiple personalities. Had been signed in as mod. Went back to regular sign in. Every time I scroll the page I activate mod options on posts. Driving me crazy
by Nancy 5/14/2011 2:16:33 PM