Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 1595

Welcome home @bo glad you avoided the bean sprouts
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:27:39 AM

@hudebnik out of the bean sprout threat and into the glow! Always something.
by bo 6/12/2011 8:28:14 AM

@bo - so true. In the UK we don't need a special threat, the government is doing very well by itself
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:30:29 AM

@hudebnik so true. I went from Germany to Spain and everyone in Spain was just plain cynical about the German claim even before it proved false.
by bo 6/12/2011 8:31:28 AM

Radioactive water treatment likely to be delayed
Treatment of highly radioactive water at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is likely to be delayed by a problem with the flow of water.
The system being installed at the plant includes a device to remove cesium using zeolite, as well as equipment that settles out radioactive substances using specialized chemicals.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, said on Sunday that it has found that water does not flow in one of the 4 units as expected.
TEPCO had planned to start a test-run of the device on Friday, but it was postponed after the firm found another problem, which needed repairing first.
The operator hopes that the system will lower the concentration of radioactivity and expects to treat 1,200 tons of radioactive water a day.
TEPCO is trying to identify the cause of the problem.
Sunday, June 12, 2011 15:08 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:33:31 AM

Safety4Sea . Japan Update RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SHIPS TRANSITING NEAR THE EXCLUSION ZONE OR IN AFFECTED AREAS Monitor NAVTEX warnings issued by Japanese authorities and coastal warning broadcasts by VHF.
Monitor NAVAREA warnings for sea areas XI(11) and XII(12) for additional guidance and recommendations.
Keep in regular contact with the Designated Person Ashore (DPA)/ship technical managers,port agents and correspondents,and port authorities when transiting Japanese waters.
Monitor weather conditions especially prevailing wind conditions. Consider obtaining a radiation meter to measure readings on deck and from the bridge. The instrument should be calibrated correctly
and procedures for its use and maintenance should be incorporated into the safety management system (SMS).
Restrict access to the deck - non-essential work on deck should be restricted until such time as when the vessel is well clear of the affected area.
Crew members conducting essential work on deck should be provided with facemasks and protective clothing.
Where iodine-potassium tablets are carried on board, they should be distributed as necessary - company medical advice to be promulgated to the fleet regarding the use of such tablets,including precautions, side effects, etc.
Consider placing the air conditioning system into recirculation mode and closing vents to the accommodation block.
Freshwater generators should not be used when transiting near the exclusion zone or any areas affected by it.
Strainers from the sea water chests should be cleaned, if necessary, prior to transiting Japanese waters and not while in these waters.
Use of the fire main line should be avoided where possible when transiting near the affected areas off Fukushima.
Restrict ballast water exchanges near the exclusion zone,particularly when the next port of call is within China or Chinese waters.
Any clothing found to be contaminated with radiation particles to be disposed of in an appropriate manner.
www.safety4sea.com
by Majj 6/12/2011 8:35:48 AM

@hudebnik will that be #4 ? they were suprised and astounded to find that the piping they intended to feed through had been mangled beyond recognition and had stopped work so I imagine they were intending to use the sfp cooling pipes :) poor tepco they try so hard
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 8:36:40 AM

@elaine - no I think it is the new system to treat the basement water in #1-3 using zeolite
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:38:48 AM

Slightly different angle from Kyodo Water treatment system testing at Fukushima plant hits snag again
TOKYO, June 12, Kyodo
Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s preparations to begin testing a newly installed radioactive water treatment system at its troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant hit a snag again as the piping may be clogged, company officials said Sunday.
The utility initially planned to begin the tests for the system, intended to decontaminate highly radioactive water that is accumulating at the site and hampering work to restore the damaged plant, last Friday, but postponed it because water leaks were found in the equipment that day.
Repairs to fix the water leaks were completed by Sunday and the firm, also known as TEPCO, was getting ready to conduct the tests. But the fresh problem is likely to cause a delay in the company's plan to put the system in full operation from mid-June, as the trial run using low-level radioactive water is expected to last about a week.
english.kyodonews.jp
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:40:49 AM

@hudebnik so no system on #4 #3 they got #2 sort of working didnt they? how about #1?
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 8:45:26 AM

@elaine - I think they have a system rigged up to cool the SFP in #2 but not yet anything for the highly rad water in the basements, which is due to start overflowing any day now.
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:50:19 AM

@bo I didn'
t welcome you back properly , Greetings Bo Good to Have You Back On Board
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 8:52:09 AM

@hudebnik they worry me because tepco wouldnt know the truth if it leapt up and slapped them round the face with their radioactive sealife
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 8:53:42 AM

@bo - I don't imagine you had time when away but when you're awake tonight Arnie Gundersen has been saying some very interesting stuff over the past couple of weeks, incl a very good hour long four part radio interview which is on fb somewhere.
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:54:17 AM

@elaine - oh I disagree, I think Tepco (certainly the poor workers on site) know exactly how precarious the situation is. The trouble is that this whole situation has always been officially deemed impossible as in 'can't possibly happen ever' so there isn't any form of thought-through plan, it is pure improvisation. With the added joy that they can't be sure exactly what the situation is in each reactor.
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 8:58:33 AM

@elainekirk thank you so much!. @hudebnik I did see a few of the vids, but didn't hear the radio piece. Thanks for the heads up.
by bo 6/12/2011 8:59:42 AM

@hudebnik Oh believe me I have utmost respect for the actual workers onsite and believe that if management were removed from the equation (preferably into the nearest penal facility) and the workers and engineers were running the plant then there would be cause for optimism
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 9:01:42 AM

@elaine - yes I agree tho unfortunately the workers on site have very few options open to them, and they are hitting big snags with all of them, even the "easiest".
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:04:02 AM

Here's a slightly different angle on what's going on at #2: Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tepco vents No. 2 reactor while U.S. surveys ocean
Kyodo
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Saturday it began filtered venting of the No. 2 reactor building at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant to reduce radiation levels to the point where workers can go inside.
If the airborne radioactivity inside drops enough after three days, Tepco plans to open up the doors and send workers in to make repairs.
The No. 2 unit's high radioactivity and humidity have prevented workers from checking gauges and pipes, hampering the beleaguered utility's efforts to guide the reactor into a cold shutdown.
Meanwhile, a U.S. private research institute is conducting a survey of waters off Fukushima to assess the radiation's impact on the ecosystem.
An international team of experts led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution began the 15-day survey June 4. It is being carried out on a research ship from the University of Hawaii, with permission from the Japanese government, government officials said.
search.japantimes.co.jp
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:06:07 AM

@hudebnik I think there may be over reliance on big solutions thought up by big companies ie the cesium system I think maybe the practical side of the worker on the ground would come up with a more practical solution given the tools
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 9:06:21 AM

@elaine - personally I don't think there is a solution sadly, the best they can hope for is that there isn't a fresh disaster caused for instance by a (very likely) 8 mag aftershock happening before the corium has cooled below 100C in a year or two. Until then there is an extra 500 tons a day of highly radioactive water to store/treat/release etc
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:09:41 AM

I would be very interested in any info on stress-related illness at Fuku, I can't imaging how the workers are keeping going in those physical and mental conditions. Must be like a war zone there.
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:11:03 AM

There's an interesting background piece (one of three) on the Tepco/GoJ complacency in the Daily Yomiuri: NUCLEAR CRISIS: HOW IT HAPPENED / Government, TEPCO brushed off warnings from all sides
www.yomiuri.co.jp
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:15:15 AM

@bo if you are still around - my impression is that the Japanese media are now back on the story in a big way, and carrying far more investigative stuff.
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:17:06 AM

G'morning all. Welcome home @Bo, glad you enjoyed Spain.
by es 6/12/2011 9:19:39 AM

Oh my word, thank-you Scribble gremlin, for returning my avatar.
by es 6/12/2011 9:20:01 AM

@hudebnik I agree. Just back so not so much exposure yet, but I think now that the situation is acknowledged (3 melts) and it isn't so much about "trusting what authorities say" but rather thinking about what to do now, there is more criticism.
by bo 6/12/2011 9:26:21 AM

@es thanks. Do I take it from the bull avatar
you are Spanish?
by bo 6/12/2011 9:26:50 AM

@bo Not Spanish no, but I live here very happily.
by es 6/12/2011 9:29:26 AM

METI tried to gain influence over Fukushima panel (12 June, 2011): www.asahi.com
by es 6/12/2011 9:29:41 AM

@bo - found the Gundersen radio interview (33 pages or so back!) - @mona posted it originally www.youtube.com well worth listening to all four parts.
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:31:37 AM

@hudebnik thanks!
by bo 6/12/2011 9:32:08 AM

@all - taking a sanity break now, see you later. @bo - a very big welcome back, you have been missed!
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:32:45 AM

@hudebnik thanks. See you when you are sane!
by bo 6/12/2011 9:34:12 AM

@bo - you may have to wait a while...!
by hudebnik 6/12/2011 9:35:51 AM

@hudebnik hehehehe
by bo 6/12/2011 9:36:45 AM

Previous 48 hours
MAP 4.9 2011/06/12 08:09:47   36.404   141.005 45.4  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 2011/06/12 00:38:02   35.796   140.602 34.5  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 2011/06/11 20:08:57   37.032   141.371 10.1  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.8 2011/06/11 16:31:20   39.724   143.145 32.7  OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 2011/06/11 14:02:43   38.021   144.672 38.0  OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 2011/06/11 09:05:01   37.582   142.703 20.7  OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 2011/06/11 04:17:01   35.384   141.111 18.6  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/06/10 22:35:57   38.310   142.222 44.8  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.8 2011/06/10 18:33:25   36.773   142.100 36.3  OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.8 2011/06/10 13:39:45   38.691   141.755 47.3  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.6 2011/06/10 08:18:37   36.387   140.631 50.4  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

Previous 48 hours
MAP 4.7 2011/06/09 15:40:57   37.909   141.531 53.7  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.4 2011/06/09 10:38:34   36.408   140.842 11.3  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 5.1 2011/06/09 10:26:06   37.266   142.143 20.8  OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.7 2011/06/09 00:12:08   25.060   125.906 40.5  SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 5.0 2011/06/08 22:11:17   39.064   142.351 39.6  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
by jt 6/12/2011 9:37:45 AM

Kaieda:Nuclear plants to resume operating in July (12 June, 2011): www3.nhk.or.jp
by es 6/12/2011 9:50:57 AM

90,000 in shelters; most debris still uncleared 3 months on (12 June, 2011): www.yomiuri.co.jp
by es 6/12/2011 10:01:45 AM

Tsunami map to aid reconstruction (12 June, 2011): search.japantimes.co.jp
"SENDAI — The land ministry's regional development bureau for northeastern Japan will compile a map showing areas inundated by major tsunami, including the ones triggered by the March 11 quake, and post it on the Web as early as this month.

Bureau officials said Saturday the map will cover cities, towns and villages on the Pacific coast with the aim of helping the municipalities prepare detailed restoration plans."
by es 6/12/2011 10:02:23 AM

Italy's atomic shift on nuclear power (11 June, 2011): www.bbc.co.uk
"This weekend, Italians will take part in a referendum to decide whether they want to say, "Nuclear, no thanks," or to embrace it as a power source of the future.

Somewhat awkwardly for voters, the question on the ballot paper is phrased as a negative. So to vote against nuclear energy, they have to tick Yes on the referendum."
by es 6/12/2011 10:03:16 AM

Shareholders propose Kansai Electric give up nuclear power (June 12, 2011): mdn.mainichi.jp
"OSAKA (Kyodo) -- A group of 124 shareholders of Kansai Electric Power Co. have proposed that the utility give up nuclear power generation in light of the ongoing nuclear crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 plant, sources close to the situation said Sunday.

The development comes after Tokyo Electric said Friday that 402 of its shareholders have submitted a request to discuss at the firm's shareholders meeting on June 28 revising the utility's articles of incorporation to say that it will give up atomic power generation."
by es 6/12/2011 10:11:32 AM

@es do we know where Kansai come in the list of major suppliers will their shareholders decision affect the way others go?
by elainekirk 6/12/2011 11:34:46 AM