Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 1498

@fitter : tepco makes progress ?
by Edano 6/4/2011 5:43:00 PM

Radiation level in Fukushima's No. 1 reactor building rises

TOKYO, June 4, Kyodo

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said Saturday it has detected high-level radiation of around 4,000 millisieverts per hour at the building housing the troubled No. 1 reactor -- the highest reading taken in air inside the complex.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. also suggested the possibility that the March 12 hydrogen explosion at the plant's No. 1 unit may have been caused by a reverse flow of steam intended to be sent into the air through the exhaust stack after radioactive gases were vented, but a company official later said such a reverse flow was unlikely.

The high amount of radiation was observed during measurement taken using a robot Friday. Steam was seen rising from an opening in the floor for a pipe that runs through the building, but the utility known as TEPCO said it found no damage to the pipe.
english.kyodonews.jp
by Edano 6/4/2011 5:45:45 PM

@Edano mark it in your book!
by fitter 6/4/2011 5:47:11 PM

@pedro the site appears to be down www.whoi.edu
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 5:47:18 PM

english.kyodonews.jp

Fukushima's No. 1 reactor radiation up to 4,000 millisieverts
In this image taken from a handout video dated June 3, 2011, steam is seen rising from the opening in the floor for a pipe that runs through the building of the No. 1 reactor of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Fukushima Prefecture. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, said June 4 it detected radiation of up to 4,000 millisieverts per hour, the largest reading detected in the air at the troubled plant. (Photo provided by Tokyo Electric Power Co.) (Kyodo) english.kyodonews.jp
by Edano via English.kyodonews.jp 6/4/2011 5:48:29 PM

@elainekirk Not good. That website would provide very good information about the levels of radiation in the water around Fukushima.
by Pedro Jesus 6/4/2011 5:48:54 PM

@fitter : you mean they succeeded to install a provisional cooling system in pool #2, a pool that was not accessible from outside and never made bigger problems ?
by Edano 6/4/2011 5:49:45 PM

@elainekirk If you see Reed, please let him know that the website is down. You can delete these two comments. Thank you.
by Pedro Jesus 6/4/2011 5:49:53 PM

@Pedro I dont see how they could safetly enter waters in the zone the vessel would become heavily contaminated not to mention the risk to the men.
greenpeace recently took samples outside the zone but barring seaweed we got very few results from them I think myself that a condition of remaining in japan is that they only publish by agreement with the government
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 5:52:22 PM

i hope edano will not lose his job.

Edano on Kan's resignation

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says Prime Minister Naoto Kan will likely step down in the not-too-distant future.

Edano was speaking on a TV program on Saturday.

Prime Minister Kan on Thursday said he will step down once he fulfills his role in handling issues related to the March 11th disaster and Fukushima nuclear accident.
He later said a state of cold shutdown at the reactors of the Fukushima plant would lay the groundwork for his resignation.

Governing and opposition party members speculate that Kan will stay until January. That's when the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says it will achieve the cold shutdown of the reactors.
Former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama is reacting sharply, saying that he and Kan had agreed that the prime minister would resign in about a month.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano said the cold shutdown does not determine the timing for the prime minister's resignation, and that it won't be long before he resigns.

He said Kan has not said he himself will take part in the Japan-US summit scheduled for September.

Edano later told reporters that he believes the prime minister has no plans to cling to his seat for a long time, as is being reported by some media.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 13:23 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano edited by Edano 6/4/2011 5:54:10 PM

@joniver @joniver thanks for the link, reason i ask for links is to veryify my info, news media is natorious for using incorrect or misleading info... I am not sure and do not have time now to go back and vet the info.... but the information i saw today regarding "high" contaminated water involed a totally different style tank and just shippped (only a few) this picture has been out for some time... and not sure that they pertain to the "high" waste vs "low level" waste.. but that is the picture the media used.(not sure what they are getting to) hope that wxplains why I like the links.. (Media is usually only half right on a good day I find) Thanks again
by fitter 6/4/2011 5:54:38 PM

@elainekirk They seem to know what they're doing according to the report that Reed shared here sometime yesterday. There were more details at their website (that is now off-line) but I didn't have time to go through the report because I had to work.
by Pedro Jesus 6/4/2011 5:55:15 PM

@pedro I will se if I can find a cache
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 5:57:23 PM

the steam is comiung out of the "basement" ................ hmmmmmm ......... maybe they find the corium when they follow the steam ?

Steam, high radiation detected at No.1 reactor

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says steam was observed coming out of the floor of the No.1 reactor building, and extremely high radiation was detected in the vicinity.

Tokyo Electric Power Company inspected the inside of the No.1 reactor building on Friday with a remote-controlled robot.

TEPCO said it found that steam was rising from a crevice in the floor, and that extremely high radiation of 3,000 to 4,000 millisieverts per hour was measured around the area. The radiation is believed to be the highest detected in the air at the plant.

TEPCO says the steam is likely coming from water at a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius that has accumulated in the basement of the reactor building.

The company sees no major impact from the radiation so far on ongoing work, as it has been detected only within a limited section of the building.

The No.1 reactor is believed to have suffered a meltdown after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

It is believed to have created holes in the pressure vessel and damaged the containment vessel, causing highly contaminated water to leak out and accumulate in the basement.

Under the utility's plan to bring the plant under control, a circulatory cooling system is to be installed to decontaminate radioactive water and use it as coolant.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 13:23 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 6/4/2011 5:58:14 PM

@pedro cached copy webcache.googleusercontent.com
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 5:58:28 PM

@edano they are stumped due to the radiation a robot took the video and they cannot get it any nearer to the source , have you seen the vid? I can post it if you havent
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 6:00:06 PM

Gov't didn't release radiation data after accident

The Japanese government has expressed regret for not disclosing some important results of the radiation monitoring conducted near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant soon after the accident.

The central and Fukushima prefectural governments collected the data to determine evacuation measures as well as food and water restrictions for residents.

A reading on March 12th, one day after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the plant, shows that radioactive tellurium was detected 7 kilometers away. Tellurium is produced during the melting of nuclear fuel.

Three hours before the data was collected, the government expanded the radius of the evacuation area around the plant from 3 kilometers to 10 kilometers.

But the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported at a news conference several hours later that the nuclear fuel was intact.

The government also failed to disclose the high radiation levels in weeds 30 to 50 kilometers from the plant. On March 15th, 123 million becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per kilogram were detected 38 kilometers northeast of the plant.

The nuclear safety agency says it deeply regrets not releasing the data.

Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu of Gakushuin University says radioactive iodine has a high effect on children. He says that if the data had been released earlier, more measures could have been taken to protect them from exposure.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 15:27 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:00:24 PM

this is a good reason for kan to resign.
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:02:28 PM

so, speedi was censored, or what does that imply ?

Gov't failed to release some radiation projections

The Japanese science ministry has admitted failing to release some of its projections of how radioactive substances would spread if they leaked from the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant.

The science ministry used a computer system called SPEEDI to calculate how radiation would spread depending on the weather and terrain.

It said on Friday that it had failed to release 37 projections for the Fukushima Daini plant. It made the projections once an hour from 6PM on March 11 to 9AM on March 13.

The ministry said it had overlooked the existence of the data because it stopped making projections for the Fukushima Daini plant on March 13.

It was found on Thursday that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency had failed to release 5 SPEEDI calculations for the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear plants.

The government said in May that it would release all projections made with the SPEEDI system.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 09:05 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:04:00 PM

@Edano Yes its progress.... if something is broken, and an integral part of a saftey system and you get it back on line, funcually.... so that should a new EQ take out the system opperation on stop functioning . How is that not progress.... PLUS if a EQ did cause a problem and they had not tryed to get it functional and there was a failure in the one opererating!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG you would be all over them because they did not fix it! Progress is being made every day.... you just refuse to acknolege it... thats not the same.... the larger problems are not going to happen over nite...
by fitter 6/4/2011 6:04:26 PM

@fitter : there is no need to repeat tepco. i want more consistent data, not propaganda.
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:05:51 PM

@edano I think the Japanese gov are now using tepco PR guys they are certainly using the same excuse format
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 6:07:27 PM

@elainekirk thanks say and grabbed the links... also I don't see peter on, so I am not sure the info on the design criteria for the harden vents at Japan... but my quess they will not show on "refueling schedule info" because other than the "tie-in" to the system.... more than likly they are able to perform this work under a normal work shedule... it might be listed under manitaince or modifications or addtions... could be in a lot of places.. would need to see what peter knows to better guess at it
by fitter 6/4/2011 6:08:02 PM

ha, my local heroes !

Berlin Philharmonic performs for quake survivors

Members of the Berlin Philharmonic have held a charity concert in Japan in support of survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Thirteen members of the German orchestra performed in Tokyo on Friday. They included the world's top violinists and 11 Stradivariuses.

Violinist Sebastian Heesch spoke to the audience after the performance. He said he would be pleased if survivors had been consoled by the music.

Survivors living in Tokyo were invited to the concert. One evacuee from Fukushima Prefecture said she was moved to tears by the performance and expressed gratitude for the support she has received. Proceeds from the concert will benefit children who lost their parents in the disaster.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 09:05 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:09:25 PM

@Edano - Thank you for the excellent posts and accurate assesments.
by Lethbridgean 6/4/2011 6:09:35 PM

@elainekirk Now isn't that interesting. On that cached copy, notice that, while the whoi.edu is down, the sub-domain cafethorium.whoi.edu in the last link isn't.
by radioguy 6/4/2011 6:09:36 PM

@Edano and my reason to "spread propaganda" would be????? maybe I just speak the truth of the facts.... what did I say that was not fact (as we know it ) and maybe some want to know or track all the items being address!!!?????
by fitter 6/4/2011 6:10:00 PM

@Fitter @edano Not sure if you both realize that the Tepco release Elaine posted -where progress was made on 4- referred to Daini..not Daiichi......
by LM 6/4/2011 6:10:42 PM

@Edano That pool was a big problem because the interior of the building had 99%humidity and hi rad from the pool SFP#2
by RBeaner 6/4/2011 6:10:47 PM

@elainekirk a few km from the site, the water is safe for travel, not a big contamination problem, fish and sludge an entirely diff issue.
by RBeaner 6/4/2011 6:12:25 PM

@RBeaner : okay. agreed. but maybe i can humbly predict that they will find out that this will not solve the problem ?
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:13:00 PM

@lm ty I didnt reallise that was causing the confusion you are a star for realising
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 6:13:05 PM

Grrrrrrrr..... NISA says "it deeply regrets not releasing the data."
by radioguy 6/4/2011 6:14:15 PM

@radioguy : liars.
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:15:17 PM

@rbeaner have airborne contaminants been tested there , well actually they would need floating monitoring posts wouldnt they? relaying the info to any vessels in the area as leaving a contaminated (airboorne) water zone is not as easy as a land zone #just my thoughts going on my sailing experiences
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 6:15:33 PM

@Elaine No problem! I was wondering if we should be concerned as well...didn't know they were still concerned about Daini...I think we haven't heard the half of it!
by LM 6/4/2011 6:15:47 PM

@LM Yes I did, I don't know about Edano.... but in my mind it make it that much more prevalent as it shows TEPCO has more than just 1/2/3 on its plate... thanks
by fitter 6/4/2011 6:17:25 PM

@lm they dont make daini rad readings easy to find but onagawa and tokai are high, working conditions must be horrendous
by elainekirk 6/4/2011 6:17:41 PM

And if R1 building has 4Sv/hr in it, it's pretty intolerable, too.
by radioguy 6/4/2011 6:18:33 PM

@elainekirk : can you give me a short summary regarding Daini ?
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:19:55 PM

Wow...the fact they have leaks etc..from multiple plants all over Japan should be enough f
by LM 6/4/2011 6:20:23 PM

Yikes...enough reason to stop building plants...at least in seismic areas!
by LM 6/4/2011 6:21:00 PM

do they have leaks in Daini, Tokai and Onagawa ???
by Edano 6/4/2011 6:21:22 PM

@elaine, etc., I have maintained for awhile that Daini is a sleeper....it presumably has limited resources and attention as opposed to Daiichi, but it is within what, 10 km. of the other plant, so now that wind is blowing more inland and typhoon season has started, it could turn really souther there quickly.
by wrshpr 6/4/2011 6:21:29 PM

@fitter lets remember that tepco are staging this horror show alone because they refuse help and the Japanese government , IAEA etc are facilitating them .
Now people will have differing opinions but mine is that they should not be running the show it is our planet and I would like a say in how it is managed if only by endorsing a scientist to be allowed to join the 'team tepco'
Ideally I would like to see tepco management in jail

by elainekirk 6/4/2011 6:21:54 PM