Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[ETatBKK]

not a good news - another M6.1 after shock. at 22.31h Japan Standard Time, at Shizuoka ( 静岡 ), south west of Tokyo.

check this USGS link for more details : http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/140_35.php

静岡東部で震度６強　中部電力浜岡原発に影響なし

source : www.asahi.com Mar 15, 2011 at 22.47h JST

[LaoPo]

not a good news - another M6.1 after shock. at 22.31h Japan Standard Time, at Shizuoka ( 静岡 ), south west of Tokyo.

check this USGS link for more details : http://earthquake.us...s/10/140_35.php

静岡東部で震度６強　中部電力浜岡原発に影響なし

source : www.asahi.com Mar 15, 2011 at 22.47h JST

...... That's VERY close to Tokyo........116 km (72 miles) WSW of TOKYO, Japan

From the link above.

LaoPo

NOTE:

This earthquake comes from different "Plates" clashing together, rather than the previous earthquake, causing the tsunami; this 6.1 quake had the epicenter on land:

http://earthquake.us...shake/c00023fx/

Edited March 15, 2011 by LaoPo

[JulianLS]

That said, it doesnt excuse how they allowed one of the reactor pumps post quake to runout of fuel becuz they werent monitoring it..and thus the reactor ran dry...

Just a guess but I imagine the people looking after the pumps are trying not to get a gamma ray suntan, and are probably sheltering somewhere in between observations.

I suspect that the remaining workers at the site are going through major trauma. When do they sleep? Each one knows, just by being at the site, they're putting their lives in danger. I'm sure lots of emotional scenarios. I don't think it's right for us to sit back in our comfy computer chairs from hundreds of miles away, and belittle their efforts.

Example: generators powering pumps running out of fuel. It could have been negligence, but I think it's more likely they simply didn't have enough fuel on hand. How many thousands of liters of fuel would you predict would be needed at a nuclear power facility - before the earthquake struck? Sure, it's easy to be Monday morning quarterbacks, but those guys are like the Kamikaze fighters of WWII, literally putting their lives on the line to try and make the best of a dire situation.

I agree with some of your post, but not all of it.

Yes, the guys on the ground, risking their lives trying to get the reactors under control, are beyond any criticism. National heroes, no question.

But about the leadership/management, I am less convinced. The "running out of fuel' incident happened long after the earthquake/tsunami. There was plenty of time to ship in more fuel if they were short, it should have been a priority. Tepco has resources, the Japanese govt would surely have given it top priority, and there are a whole bunch of other resources available to get fuel in fast. Including the US military. So the fuel on hand is not that relevant. The issue I think is more because the leadership (whether onsite or within Tepco) seems not to be asking for outside help when it needs it. Whether that is because they think (or thought) they can handle it themselves, or because they did not really want 'outsiders' involved, or just because they are too inexperienced to know when they need help, I cannot say. But I think think their planning seems highly questionable, and it sounds as if they underestimated the seriousness of the situation and were slow to get the resources they needed to control the situation. The Japanese Prime Minister also seems a bit annoyed with how they have dealt with it. I suspect if they had flown in some experts 3 or 4 days ago, maybe some of the problems might have been avoided.

[ScubaBuddha]

nuclear reactors, whether designed to "breed" or not, produce plutonium. ...

Reactor 3 is now in total meltdown, Once the molten core 'burns' through the containment vessel it will hit the water table. The result a massive explosion (non nuclear) and corresponding gas cloud of Radioactive particles including plutonium238 that has a half life of 87.7 years

Really? How do you know that? Source? Why spread lies like that?

The situation you describe is sometimes called a "China Syndrome", although in this case we would have to call it "America Syndrome" since Japan's antipode is off the coast of Uraguay. The origin of the phrase is the fictitious hyperbole that molten material from an American reactor could melt through the crust of the Earth and reach China.

The account at one of my earlier links appears suspended. Here is a couple more:

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/

http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/nuclear-reactor-releases-radioactive-vapor/x2ro1hc

Keep in mind Brooks is pro-nuke.

Edited March 15, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[egeefay]

This should be a warning to Thailand

I shudder to think what could happen if Asian countries go ahead with their plans to build nuclear power plants . Especially in countries like China where safety and environmental safeguards are non existent , where factory and mine accidents are all too common and where official corruption is rampant.

In 2009 The former general manager of China's largest nuclear-power company, the state-owned China National Nuclear Corp., was sentenced to life in prison. Kang Rixin accepted bribes worth nearly $1 million , embezzled $ 265 million and interfered with bids for nuclear power plant construction schemes., according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Can you imagine how easy it would be to bribe an official in Thialand, where corruption is deeply ingrained, to take shortcuts the building process or go for cheaper, less reliable components and equipment?

It wouldn't be so bad if a nuclear accident could be confined to the country of origin.

Unfortunately that isn't what happens. When Ukraine’s Chernobyl power plant went into meltdown 25 years ago, vast areas of Europe were coated in radioactive dust, putting farms out of business and leaving millions ­fearing long-term health issues. Even British farms felt the effects of the radioactive particles.

A nuclear disaster in Asia could easily affect other nations in Asia

When you combine third world countries, laxed regulations and private "for profit" power companies who often put money before safety, you have a recipe for worldwide disaster.

[ETatBKK]

absolutely agreed ! the management of TEPCO has the full responsibility on this incident ! not those poor heros on site !

earlier CNN news also mentioned that years back TEPCO management dishonest and hiding information and all gone. this is perhaps the new management.

But about the leadership/management, I am less convinced. The "running out of fuel' incident happened long after the earthquake/tsunami. There was plenty of time to ship in more fuel if they were short, it should have been a priority. Tepco has resources, the Japanese govt would surely have given it top priority, and there are a whole bunch of other resources available to get fuel in fast. Including the US military. So the fuel on hand is not that relevant. The issue I think is more because the leadership (whether onsite or within Tepco) seems not to be asking for outside help when it needs it. Whether that is because they think (or thought) they can handle it themselves, or because they did not really want 'outsiders' involved, or just because they are too inexperienced to know when they need help, I cannot say. But I think think their planning seems highly questionable, and it sounds as if they underestimated the seriousness of the situation and were slow to get the resources they needed to control the situation. The Japanese Prime Minister also seems a bit annoyed with how they have dealt with it. I suspect if they had flown in some experts 3 or 4 days ago, maybe some of the problems might have been avoided.

[jfchandler]

So the analogy you're trying to put forward is, the Daiichi guys are going to drive those reactors until they crash and explode into a ball of flames, taking out everything around them?

Sure you don't want to reconsider your analysis???

[qsuote name=brahmburgers' timestamp='1300197006' post='4284527]

Sure, it's easy to be Monday morning quarterbacks, but those guys are like the Kamikaze fighters of WWII, literally putting their lives on the line to try and make the best of a dire situation.

[jfchandler]

According to the Japanese govt., reactor 3 and probably the others there at Daichi 1-4 have experienced partial meltdowns, meaning deforming of the enclosure holding the fuel rods and release of fission elements. Whether that's going to progress further to a full blown meltdown...I think it's safe to say right now no one knows...

The additional risk with Reactor 3 is the presence of a part plutonium fuel, which makes it potentially more hazardous in the event of a real meltdown. But from what we're hearing, it's likely that Reactor 2 has had the greatest extent of partial meltdown thus far compared to the others 1-4.

nuclear reactors, whether designed to "breed" or not, produce plutonium. ...

Reactor 3 is now in total meltdown, Once the molten core 'burns' through the containment vessel it will hit the water table. The result a massive explosion (non nuclear) and corresponding gas cloud of Radioactive particles including plutonium238 that has a half life of 87.7 years

Really? How do you know that? Source? Why spread lies like that?

One of my earlier links appears suspended. Here is a couple more:

http://bravenewclima...le-explanation/

http://video.au.msn....e-vapor/x2ro1hc

Keep in mind Brooks is pro nuke.

[ETatBKK]

yeah, the terrible thing is - this quake is on another plate on the west, and clashing into the problem plate on the east ( of Sendai ), and just 1km deep on the surface.

TOKYO is in between

not a good news - another M6.1 after shock. at 22.31h Japan Standard Time, at Shizuoka ( 静岡 ), south west of Tokyo.

check this USGS link for more details : http://earthquake.us...s/10/140_35.php

静岡東部で震度６強　中部電力浜岡原発に影響なし

source : www.asahi.com Mar 15, 2011 at 22.47h JST

...... That's VERY close to Tokyo........116 km (72 miles) WSW of TOKYO, Japan

From the link above.

LaoPo

NOTE:

This earthquake comes from different "Plates" clashing together, rather than the previous earthquake, causing the tsunami; this 6.1 quake had the epicenter on land:

http://earthquake.us...shake/c00023fx/

[jfchandler]

I just got back home..

You're talking about the international scale for nuclear incident based on their severity...

I believe, the Japanese nuclear agency originally rated the Daichi incident as a 5, TMI was a 6 and Chernobyl was a 7, the highest level...

The French yesterday said the rating of the Japan incident ought to be raised based on developments. As of when I walked out from home a couple hours ago, I hadn't seen any change in status by the Japanese.

Dont know if reported already but the incident is now a 6 on a7 grade scale. Tjernobyl was 7.

Tiger

[jfchandler]

Tywais or someone...can you spell this out in easy to understand terms...for guys like me...

What the heck was the conclusion about the radiation counter readings for those locations in Tokyo?

I must have read 20 posts back and forth between you guys, and couldn't grasp what we were suppose to conclude from whatever readings they showed. :jap:

[jfchandler]

Never a dull moment over there... But not unexpected... They've been predicting similar all along.

Kyodo News now saying the magnitude has been upgraded to 6.4.

NHK:

Powerful quake hits Shizuoka

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 jolted central Japan on Tuesday night.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the quake with an intensity of 6 plus on the Japanese seismic scale zero to 7 hit at 10:31 PM.

The focus of the quake is in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture and is estimated to be at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 23:05 +0900 (JST)

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

This is the first time I've seen this length of time reported re the No. 2 reactor running dry...

NHK:

Shortly after 6 AM on Tuesday, an explosion was heard at the plant's No. 2 reactor. The explosion is believed to have occurred near a facility known as a suppression pool, which adjusts the pressure of the reactor.

After the blast, pressure in the facility dropped rapidly. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency suspects the facility was damaged and leaked radioactive materials.

The water level in the reactor had dropped, and fuel rods are believed to have been fully exposed for 6 and a half hours from Monday evening.

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Evacuees move away from nuke plant Many people living near the disaster-hit Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant are evacuating after a government advisory.

The government on Tuesday morning advised residents living 20 to 30 kilometers from the plant to stay indoors, based on reports of a new radiation leak at the facility. Residents within 20 kilometers have already been advised to evacuate.

Video footage taken from an NHK helicopter 2 hours after the advisory shows a long line of cars headed toward Tokyo metropolitan area on a highway in Yabuki town, some 60 kilometers from the plant.

At a gas station in Motomiya city, about 50 kilometers from the plant, cars were lined up for 3 kilometers.

Disaster relief officials in Date city, 60 kilometers from the plant, say more than 800 people have taken refuge in public shelters in the city.

Aizubange town, about 90 kilometers from the plant, opened a shelter to accept 50 evacuees at the request of municipalities near the facility. The town is preparing to accept 300 more evacuees.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 17:50 +0900 (JST)

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Nearly 450,000 evacuated from disaster-hit areas

Nearly 450,000 people are taking shelter at over 2,500 evacuation centers in northeastern Japan after the region was struck by the earthquake and tsunami on Friday.

2,546 shelters were set up and 449,096 people evacuated in 9 affected prefectures as of 8 PM on Monday.

Some shelters have yet to receive relief supplies such as water and food.

Relief efforts are being hampered by a shortage of gasoline for ambulances and trucks.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 04:27 +0900 (JST)

[ETatBKK]

please help to get a better picture, what actual status of these Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear reactors :

reactor 1 - hydrogen explosion, Mar 12, Sat

reactor 2 - melting down, from Mar 13, Sun

reactor 3 - hydrogen explosion, Mar 14, Mon

reactor 4 - fire broke out and extinguished, Mar 15, Tue

reactor 5 - in maintenance, but lost cooling, Mar 15

reactor 6 - in maintenance, but lost cooling, Mar 15

Edited March 15, 2011 by ETatBKK

[jfchandler]

I believe this is the last of the four Daiichi reactor chronologies that NHK has prepared. Already posted the other three:

Reactor No. 1

On Friday night, the Tokyo Electric Power Company informed the government that there was a state of emergency at the No. 1 reactor of its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The utility explained that the emergency power generator for cooling the reactor was not functioning, and that it was unable to confirm the status of the reactor's cooling systems.

The level of cooling water continued to decline through Saturday, while the pressure in the nuclear containment vessel increased.

To prevent the container from being damaged, workers began to release air, which included radioactive substances. But the water level continued to fall, exposing the fuel rods up to 1.7 meters above the surface of the water.

Radioactive substances, including cesium and iodine, were detected around the reactor, suggesting the possibility that the fuel rods had melted.

While the air-release and water-pumping work was continuing on Saturday, the housing of the No.1 reactor suddenly exploded. The building's ceiling and walls were blown off, and 4 workers sustained injuries.

Experts think that hydrogen gas created by the damaged fuel rods filled the inside of the building and exploded in a chemical reaction with oxygen.

On Saturday night, after detecting no damage to the containment vessel, workers began pumping seawater into the reactor to cool it down. By Sunday morning, the reactor was filled with seawater.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the reactor would pose no danger if the pumps continued working and filling it with seawater.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 17:50 +0900 (JST)

[Jdietz]

Both counters seem to indicate around the same level (0.16μSv/h), not that far off from normal background radiation.

Ballpark conversion cps -> μSv/h is divide by cps by 100.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-tokyo

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-chiba

Edited March 15, 2011 by Jdietz

[jfchandler]

Cabinet Sec. Edano about dinner time tonight on Reactors 5 and 6, via NHK:

Edano also said temperatures in the plant's No. 5 and No. 6 reactors were gradually increasing due to malfunctioning of cooling systems affected by the quake. He added that workers are trying to prevent possible hydrogen gas explosions similar to that at the No. 4 reactor.

[jfchandler]

Bad news re Reactor No. 4:

Spent nuke fuel pool may be boiling, further radiation leak feared

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

A nuclear crisis at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant deepened Tuesday as fresh explosions occurred at the site and its operator said water in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods may be boiling, an ominous sign for the release of high-level radioactive materials from the fuel.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the water level in the pool storing the spent fuel rods at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's No. 4 reactor may have dropped, exposing the rods.

The firm said it has not yet confirmed the current water level or water temperature in the pool and will try to pour water into the facility from Wednesday through holes that were created following an explosion earlier Tuesday in the walls of the building that houses the reactor.

Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could be damaged and emit radioactive substances. The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency urged TEPCO to inject water into the pool soon to prevent heating of the fuel rods.

TEPCO said Tuesday night that its workers were unable to remain in the central control room at the Fukushima No. 1 [Daiichi] plant due to high radiation levels and retreated to a remote site to monitor data on the reactors.

MORE: http://english.kyodo...1/03/78318.html

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

But they still seem to be most worried about Reactor No. 2, via Kyodo News

The new development followed a critical situation at the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima plant earlier in the day, in which part of the reactor's containment vessel was damaged following an apparent hydrogen explosion at 6:10 a.m.

TEPCO said the problem could develop into a critical ''meltdown'' situation, in which fuel rods melt and are destroyed, emitting massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air.

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[ETatBKK]

wonder why Japan Self Defense Force not completely takes over the control from TEPCO and take it as nation-critical defence ?

I guess SDF has more mobility of resources than the TEPCO ?

The firm said it has not yet confirmed the current water level or water temperature in the pool and will try to pour water into the facility from Wednesday through holes that were created following an explosion earlier Tuesday in the walls of the building that houses the reactor.

Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could be damaged and emit radioactive substances. The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency urged TEPCO to inject water into the pool soon to prevent heating of the fuel rods.

[jfchandler]

Somebody finally starts talking about use of helicopters....well, at least talking...

Gov't eyes using SDF choppers to cool spent fuel pool at nuke plant

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo News The government is considering using Self-Defense Forces helicopters to pour water on the spent fuel pool of one of the troubled reactors at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture to help cool it, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Tuesday.

But the measure has been put on hold because the government has had trouble assessing the potential impact it would pose to the fuel rods underwater and SDF personnel involved in such an operation, Kitazawa told reporters.

The request for the measure came from a task force set up Tuesday by the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Fukushima No. 1 [Daiichi] nuclear power plant, according to the Defense Ministry.

The power supplier is battling to bring reactors at the plant under control, including the No. 4 reactor, where a spent fuel pool was boiling and its water levels were feared to be receding on Tuesday. The plant was crippled by Friday's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

The ministry began preparing to dispatch a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter unit in Chiba Prefecture, seeing that it would be possible for the helicopters to apply the same technique used for putting out a forest fire -- namely, dropping water from the air.

But for now, the spent fuel pool is being cooled by police and firefighters on ground, after the government judged that an aerial approach ran the risk of damaging the spent nuclear fuel underwater and exposing SDF personnel to radiation, according to Kitazawa.

''We will perform our duty when we reach the stage where (the temperature rise in spent fuel) begins to settle down and we decide to drop large amounts of water from the sky,'' he said.

[jfchandler]

Why to worry about Reactor No. 2

Nuclear Reactor Container in Japan Partially Damaged

Tokyo, March 15 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that the container of a reactor at an earthquake-hit nuclear power plant may have been partially damaged, a development that marks a further deepening of the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan.

An explosion was heard at 6:14 a.m. (9:14 p.m. Monday GMT) at the No. 2 reactor at the power company's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric said, pointing out that the suppression pool at the bottom of the reactor container may have been damaged.

This is the first time damage to a nuclear reactor container has been reported since the 9.0-magnitude quake jolted eastern Japan on Friday, triggering a series of accidents at the plant.

"The danger of further radioactive leaks is increasing," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

Kan urged people living between 20 and 30 kilometers of the plant to remain indoors, a fresh warning after those living within 20 kilometers were advised to move out of the area.

(2011/03/15-18:23)

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Winds blowing Japan radioactivity over ocean: WMO

Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:08am EDT

GENEVA (Reuters) - Winds are dispersing radioactive material from Japan's quake-crippled nuclear power plant over the Pacific Ocean, away from Japan and other Asian countries, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said.

But the United Nations weather agency warned that although winds had blown nuclear particles offshore so far, weather conditions could change and it was closely monitoring satellite and other data in case the patterns shifted over land.

"At this point, all the meteorological conditions are offshore so there are no implications inshore for Japan or other countries near Japan," Maryam Golnaraghi, chief of WMO's disaster risk reduction division, told a briefing on Tuesday.

MORE: http://www.reuters.c...E72E51Z20110315

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Role of U.S. relief efforts, via Reuters:

The U.S. Navy said some arriving warships would deploy on the west coast of Japan's main Honshu island instead of heading to the east coast as planned because of "radiological and navigation hazards".

The risks of the U.S. relief mission have been illustrated by the growing number of U.S. personnel exposed to low-levels of radiation. Still, a Navy spokesman said exposure levels of returning crew were well within safety limits and that operations to assist close ally Japan would continue.

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

The rising toll...

(Reuters) - The following is a list of the likely impact of and response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, and subsequent crisis at nuclear power plants.

DEATH TOLL

-- The death toll is expected to exceed 10,000, with northeastern prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima most severely hit. More than 3,000 people were confirmed dead, but officials still cannot reach more than 15,000 people to confirm whether they are safe, Japan's NHK public broadcaster says.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVACUATED

-- Around 500,000 people have been evacuated from 10 prefectures, Mainichi newspaper says. Hundreds of people are waiting for help in isolated areas and have no access to food.

NUMBER OF BUILDING DAMAGED

-- More than 76,000 buildings have been damaged, including at least 6,300 completely destroyed, NHK says.

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/us-japan-quake-numbers-idUSTRE72E38620110315

[jfchandler]

From Tuesday, now at the end of the night, the TEPCO English language web site has at least six different updates on the Daini plant, where not much is happening, fortunately.

However, the same web site, as of tonight, doesn't have a single overall briefing update on the Daiichi 1-4 reactors...only one radiation regulatory advisory and a brief mention of the morning's explosion at Reactor 4.

[Crushdepth]

TEPCO said the problem could develop into a critical ''meltdown'' situation, in which fuel rods melt and are destroyed, emitting massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air.

What happened to "there is no chance of another Chernobyl"?

[Panhandler007]

Earthquake, tsunami, nuclear explosion, volcano...It`s not 2012 yet!