Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[Lopburi99]

Wake up John, elcent, and the others. Things are happenin!

[Maestro]

AlJazeera 2011-03-18

4:35am

Barack Obama is now speaking on the US response to the nuclear crisis.

He says they "do not believe harmful levels of radiation to reach the US west coast, Hawaii, Alaska or US territories in the Pacific".

The president also sought to reassure the public that US nuclear reactors are safe, and said a review would be undertaken in relation to events in Japan.

Source: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/asia/disaster-japan-live-blog-march-18

[jfchandler]

Correct, they said last night the Tokyo police water cannon unit had to fall back, without hitting the No. 3 reactor with water, because of high radiation levels... I didn't see it reported, but presumably, the police truck had a shorter water throw distance than the fire units, and thus needed to be closer to the reactors...

Throughout this whole process, at least to us English speakers/readers, there have been a ton of seemingly unanswered questions. They also said last night that the spraying had little or no impact on plant radiation areas... So if the police water cannon unit couldn't stay close enough, then how are they going to be able to go in to do the equipment repairs needed to get cooling things working again.

I read today, probably in this topic, that radiation levels were too high for the water cannons to get close enough to spray on the reactors. Will they be able to get close enough to wherever they need to go to connect the new power cable?

[jfchandler]

Accurately or not accurately, the Japanese media reports I saw said the electrical work needed to wait until after the water spraying... and the water spraying was delayed until late in the day Thursday. So TEPCO was saying then they wouldn't be able to finish the electrical work until Friday at the earliest... There was no mention I saw in the Japanese media that the electrical work was unsuccessful. But I'd be surprised if they actually can restore the regular cooling systems as of today... I'd be happy, though, to be wrong.

AlJazeera blog 2011-03-17:

According to news reports in Japan, Thursday's attempt to set up power cables were unsuccessful, delaying the move until Friday. The reasons why are not clear.

Source: http://blogs.aljazee...ch-17-live-blog

[jfchandler]

Good morning, Fukushima...

Unlike some here... I actually try to read everything that others posted overnight before beginning to post for the day...so hopefully I'm not repeating what's already been chipped in.

Wake up John, elcent, and the others. Things are happenin!

[jfchandler]

NHK

Radiation levels lowered [a little] after water injection

Radiation levels dropped a little on Thursday at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after a water injection by pump trucks.

In a news conference early Friday, Tokyo Electric Power Company says the radiation levels at the west gate of the power plant was down by nearly 20 points to 292 microsieverts [0.292 milli-sieverts] per hour at 8.40 PM on Thursday.

The figures follow an hour-long operation by police and Self-Defense Forces to inject water from pump trucks into the No. 3 reactor building. It's possible the level of pool water used for cooling nuclear fuel was reduced.

At 11 PM the radiation level dropped again to 289 microsieverts [0.289 milli-sieverts] per hour.

The company says it saw steam billowing from the building after the water injection, which suggests the operation had some success.

Friday, March 18, 2011 02:54 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/18_05.html

And 0.279 millisieverts at 5 am today.

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

NHK reporting TEPCO this morning said they hope to restore the cooling system to one of the reactors by Friday evening. TEPCO says the electrical system of reactor No.2 appears to be less damaged than the other units. But company officials said that effort also will depend on the local radiation levels and whether they hamper workers' efforts.

Also reporting Tokyo Fire Department early Friday dispatched a contingent of 140 firefighters along with rescue squads and fire trucks to the Fukushima site. No mention of what their role will be, although apparently to support the water spraying efforts that are scheduled to resume today.

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Over 280,000 taking refuge at 2,200 shelters

More than 285,000 people are taking refuge in quake-ravaged northern and eastern Japan as of Thursday evening.

NHK asked prefectural governments the numbers of evacuees they are hosting.

The evacuees are wide-spread in more than 2,000 shelters in 15 quake-hit prefectures.

In the northeastern region, which includes the 3 hardest-hit prefectures, 265,000 people are taking refuge at 1,900 shelters.

Among them, Miyagi Prefecture is worst hit and 166,000 people are taking refuge in 1,000 shelters. That is about 60 % of the total evacuee number.

Fukushima Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture each has around 47,000 to 48,000 evacuees.

The quake did not spare the Kanto region, Tokyo and its surrounding areas. More than 20,000 people are taking shelter at around 300 places.

One week has passed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami last Friday. But it remains unclear when the victims will be able to start rebuilding their lives, raising fears that their temporary stay at shelters may be prolonged.

Friday, March 18, 2011 05:53 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/18_03.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[Lopburi99]

Maybe the corner has finally been turned in the reactor crisis.

Edited March 18, 2011 by Lopburi99

[jfchandler]

Screen capture of NHK video of the Fukushima plant on Friday morning, with the broadcaster reporting it shows steam and/or smoke rising from Reactors No. 2 and 3. The steam from No. 3 is interpretted as being a sign of water remaining in that reactor's spent fuel cooling pool.

Japanese police report death toll reaches 5,600.NHK reporting at least 25 people have died thus far in the evacuation shelters.

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

More detail on the TEPCO electrical work from NHK:

The firm began to set up power lines from the high-voltage cables near the plant on Thursday, saying a large amount of electricity is needed to recover the reactor cooling systems.

The company says the new power lines will be connected to a makeshift transformer, and then to the cooling system of the No.2 reactor. They say the system seems to have less damage than the other reactors.

The company originally planned to work on the power line on Thursday, but the high radiation levels and lengthy water-injecting operations forced a delay.

Friday, March 18, 2011 02:56 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/18_01.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Tokyo Electric releases new image of reactors [explains why it is prioritizing Reactor No. 3]

Tokyo Electric Power released on Thursday an image of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant taken the previous day.

It says the image convinced them to prioritize the No.3 reactor, where the spent fuel pool appeared to be in greater trouble.

The utility firm says the aerial image was taken at 4 PM on Wednesday.

The image shows the exposed iron framework of the No. 4 reactor. It also shows part of a light-green crane designed to handle nuclear fuel.

The firm says it believes that the shining white object below the crane is the surface of the spent fuel cooling pool.

They concluded that the No.4 reactor's pool still contains water to cool down the nuclear material.

But the image shows white smoke billowing from the No. 3 reactor, and shows a serious damage to the roof and walls.

They could not confirm whether the No.3 reactor's cooling pool still contains water. This convinced them to make it a priority for water injection.

The outcome of the operations by Self-Defense Forces and the police is not yet clear.

Friday, March 18, 2011 02:56 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/18_02.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

NISA live news conference on NHK... says government still deciding on whether to continue water spraying operations today.

Says white smoke spotted again this morning from Reactor No. 2. Believed coming from damaged panel at reactor from prior explosion at Reactor No. 3.

Rising concern about spent fuel storage pool in Reactor No. 4. But recent video seems to show there still is water in storage pool.

No change in status for Reactors No. 5 and 6.

[jfchandler]

NISA - hope restored electrical system will provide power to Reactors No. 1 and 2 on Friday. Want to provide power to spent fuel storage pool in Reactor No. 2.

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

NHK:

More than 5,600 people confirmed dead

Japanese police have so far confirmed 5,692 deaths in Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunamis that hit northeastern Japan. 9,506 people are still missing.

But the current number of missing people reflects only the number actually registered with the police. Police say the number may be in the tens of thousands.

In Miyagi Prefecture, 3,158 people have been confirmed dead and 2,157 are missing. Iwate Prefecture has confirmed 1,905 deaths, and says 3,853 people are missing.

Fukushima has 574 confirmed deaths and more than 3,491 missing. In the Kanto region, dozens of people died in the disaster, including 19 in Ibaraki and 7 in Tokyo.

More than 305,000 people have sought refuge in about 2,260 shelters.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 13:57 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_27.html

[StreetCowboy]

NHK:

Over 280,000 taking refuge at 2,200 shelters

More than 285,000 people are taking refuge in quake-ravaged northern and eastern Japan as of Thursday evening.

NHK asked prefectural governments the numbers of evacuees they are hosting.

The evacuees are wide-spread in more than 2,000 shelters in 15 quake-hit prefectures.

In the northeastern region, which includes the 3 hardest-hit prefectures, 265,000 people are taking refuge at 1,900 shelters.

Among them, Miyagi Prefecture is worst hit and 166,000 people are taking refuge in 1,000 shelters. That is about 60 % of the total evacuee number.

Fukushima Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture each has around 47,000 to 48,000 evacuees.

The quake did not spare the Kanto region, Tokyo and its surrounding areas. More than 20,000 people are taking shelter at around 300 places.

One week has passed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami last Friday. But it remains unclear when the victims will be able to start rebuilding their lives, raising fears that their temporary stay at shelters may be prolonged.

Friday, March 18, 2011 05:53 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/18_03.html

Puts it in perspective; I can see why the Japanese would want to minimise further evacuations; perhaps better the risk of cancer many years in the future than short-term illness in a disaster-hit country.

I can see some tremendous opportunities for statisticians, epidemiologists and forensic actuaries in the future

SC

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Japan raises radiation exposure limit

Japan's government has raised the radiation exposure limit for police and Self-Defense Force personnel to allow them enough time to engage in an operation to cool reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

On Thursday, the limit was raised to 250 millisieverts, in an emergency measure applying only to the ongoing nuclear crisis. The limit for government employees in emergency situations had been 100 millisieverts.

The Self-Defense Forces and police are getting involved in an operation to inject seawater into the reactors using helicopters and other means, to stop overheated fuel rods from melting and causing radiation leaks.

The change follows the health and labor ministry's decision on Wednesday to raise the exposure limit for nuclear contract workers to 250 millisieverts.

The ministry says it believes the new limit represents the maximum tolerable exposure level for human health.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 17:54 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/politics.html

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Other countries follow US to advise evacuation

Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Canada have followed the United States lead and advised their citizens within 80 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to evacuate the area or to stay indoors.

The US government on Wednesday issued the advisory to US nationals within the 80-kilometer radius zone.

White House spokesperson Jay Carney said the advisory is in line with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's evacuation guidelines for a domestic nuclear accident.

Carney said US citizens should first abide by instructions given by the Japanese government. But, he added that the US advice is based on its independent analysis of the critical situation.

The Japanese government is advising people within 20 kilometers from the plant to evacuate, and those within 20 to 30 kilometers to remain indoors. It maintains that it's not necessary to widen that area.

The larger-scale evacuation advisories made by the United States and other countries show mounting international concern over the way the situation is unfolding at the nuclear plant.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 17:14 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_33.html

[jfchandler]

NHK:

US to help its citizens [families of diplomats] leave Japan

The US State Department is chartering aircraft to evacuate family members of US diplomats who wish to leave Japan amid the quake-triggered nuclear crisis.

The Department said on Wednesday it will ready aircraft for the roughly 600 family members of US government officials stationed in Japan, including at the US Embassy in Tokyo and consulate general in Nagoya.

The State Department says US citizens other than families of diplomats can also board the flights.

The Department says the planned airlift will in no way affect work at the US Embassy and consulate generals in Japan. The same applies to operations of US forces stationed in Japan and the relief teams dispatched to quake-stricken areas.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 16:53 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_31.html

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Earlier at the hearing [on Wednesday], US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant seems worse than the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.

Chu said the department has sent 39 personnel to Japan, to measure radiation levels. He said this would not only help assist the Japanese power company and the Japanese government, but also help the Untied States to know what is really happening. Thursday, March 17, 2011 11:45 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_17.html

[jfchandler]

NHK:

French firm sends protective gear to Fukushima

France-based nuclear energy firm AREVA has sent special protective gear to Japan for workers battling to resolve the nuclear crisis at a power plant.

The company sent 10,000 protective suits, 20,000 pairs of gloves, and 3,000 masks on Thursday. They are due to arrive in Japan on Friday night.

At the Japanese government's request, French utility EDF also plans to send 100 tons of boric acid to Japan as early as Friday. The substance is necessary to prevent nuclear fission.

France has been conducting regular training to cope with possible nuclear accidents as it has the world's second largest number of nuclear power stations after the United States.

The French government believes it can use its experience to tackle the nuclear disaster in Japan. It has already dispatched 12 radiation experts, including doctors and decontamination specialists.

Friday, March 18, 2011 07:45 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/18_09.html

[jfchandler]

NHK:

EU Advises Radiation Checks for Japan Imported Food

The European Union's executive arm has advised its 27 member states to check levels of radioactivity in food imports from Japan.

The European Commission revealed the recommendation on Thursday in response to a nuclear crisis in Japan. It says the check is a preventive measure.

Japan's total food and feed exports to the EU were worth just 65 million euros, or about 91 million dollars. That's less than one percent of the EU's overall imports.

Neighboring South Korea is already checking all farm products from Japan for radioactive contamination. Its agricultural imports from Japan amount to only 110 tons a year.

South Korea and Taiwan are also checking the radiation level of passengers from Japan at airports.

South Korean authorities found traces of radiation on 3 passengers from Japan's northeastern region. Taiwanese authorities also found a trace on a woman returning from the same area.

But both authorities say the levels are too low to affect health.

Friday, March 18, 2011 05:56 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/18_04.html

[jfchandler]

Basically, they're using a standard for the general public of up to 1 millisievert per year of extra radiation being a limit, which would be an amount beyond the 2+ millisievert per year that people receive from natural sources.

By comparison, the Japanese government has raised the exposure limit for police, military and contractors working on the Fukushima plant to up to 250 millisievert.

NHK:

High radiation level detected 30km from nuke plant

Japan's science ministry says radiation levels of up to 0.17 millisieverts per hour have been detected about 30 kilometers northwest of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Experts say exposure to those levels for 6 hours would result in absorption of the maximum level considered safe for 1 year.

The government has instructed residents living within a 20 to 30 kilometer radius of the plant to stay indoors.

The ministry gauged radiation from 9:20 AM to 3:00 PM on Thursday at 28 spots, in areas 20 to 60 kilometers from the plant.

The ministry also observed radiation levels of 0.0183 to 0.0011 millisieverts per hour at most of the observation points.

It says these levels are higher than normal but pose no immediate threat to health.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 21:20 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/17_38.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Kyodo News:

Water-dousing at nuke plant eyed for Fri. afternoon: Defense Ministry

Cooling down Fukushima reactors to take several weeks: U.S. regulator

Electricity restoration for No. 3, No.4 reactors eyed for Sun.: nuke agency

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/

[jfchandler]

Pouring water on No. 4 nuke reactor may be effective: U.S. think tank

WASHINGTON, March 17, Kyodo News

Pouring water on the No. 4 unit of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant may be effective to cool down apparently overheating spent nuclear fuel in the facility, as the reactor appears to have only a skeleton of the roof frame, a U.S. think tank said Thursday, citing a fresh satellite image of the facility.

''With only a skeleton frame on the roof, it may be easier to deliver water to the spent fuel pond to unit 4 from above,'' the Institute for Science and International Security said in a statement.

Analyzing the new satellite image, the Washington-based think tank said, ''While the paneling on the roof of the building appears intact in the March 16, 2011 image, it appears that only the skeleton of the roof frame is left in the March 17, 2011 image.''

While it is possible that the varying angles of the images are affecting the appearance, the difference appears significant enough to indicate a structural change, it added.

Japan is struggling to prevent high levels of radiations from emitting from the damaged reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Fukushima.

The No. 4 reactor was under maintenance when a powerful earthquake hit Japan last week.

http://english.kyodo...1/03/79098.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

TEPCO in live news conference talking about supplying electrical feed of 6.9 Killo-Volts to Reactor No's 1 and 2.

Need to lay about 1.5 kilometer of electrical cables.

Talking about radiation levels of up to 20 millisievert radiation per hour at the plant reactors.

Here's the project map they were showing...

The reactors are the pink shaded boxes in the middle of the graphic. Beyond that, I'm no electrician.

It sounded like they're going to try to run the electrical feed into Reactor No. 1 and then from there into Reactor No. 2.

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Radiation down at one point near Fukushima plant

TOKYO, March 18, Kyodo

Radiation readings at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have consistently followed a downward path through Friday morning, according to Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency measurements taken roughly 1 kilometer west of the plant's No. 2 reactor.

The agency also said Friday the radiation reading at 5 a.m. Friday came to 279.4 microsievert per hour, compared with 292.2 microsievert per hour at 8:40 p.m. Thursday, shortly after the Self-Defense Forces discharged water from fire trucks in an attempt to cool an apparently overheating spent fuel pool.

MORE: http://english.kyodo...1/03/79131.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[brahmburgers]

^^Yes the Japs arguably lead the world in robotics it is amazing they don't have anything to do this kind of surveillance..This seems a tailor made circumstance for their application..

They're good at fuzzy wuzzy feel-good robots like square puppies with big rolling eyes. And they're good at making walking androids which do nothing, except dazzle shareholders at big corporations' annual bashes - but they're behind on practical non-cute robotics, and particularly the types with innovative shapes/propulsion modeled after spiders, three-armed starfish, mini-tanks, butterflies, etc. That's where the Americans excel.

As for a nuclear explosion: imagine a sphere of highly enriched U or Plutonium just smaller than a soccer ball. Now slice that ball in twelve equal sized segments, each with points pointing inward. Then separate the pieces (by a flimsy foam-like metal mesh?) by about a half inch. Then put plastic explosive charges on the fat/outer end of each segment, and wire them to go off simultaneously - ka-boom! - you've the basics of an atom bomb. That's why the Japanese reactors won't explode. The fissionable metals there aren't configured that way.

[jfchandler]

Infrastructure gradually restored, deaths among evacuees reported

TOKYO, March 18, Kyodo

Vital infrastructure was gradually being restored Friday in areas hit by last week's mega earthquake, while the fate of tens of thousands of people still remained unknown.

Around 90,000 rescue workers, including police officers and Self-Defense Forces personnel, have reached some 26,000 survivors so far, while the death toll climbed to 5,692, according to the National Police Agency.

Damaged roads, airports and ports have been gradually repaired, with the Tohoku Expressway and the submerged Sendai Airport open to emergency vehicles, airplanes and helicopters.

MORE: http://english.kyodo...1/03/79135.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[Tywais]

The change follows the health and labor ministry's decision on Wednesday to raise the exposure limit for nuclear contract workers to 250 millisieverts.

Just to clarify this - that is 250 mSv/Year which is 28 uSv/hour and not 250mSv/hour. 4 hours exposure is the beginning of possible radiation sickness at this level. Need the full units to prevent confusion.