Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[jfchandler]

Japan nuclear situation not deteriorating: IAEA

Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:38am EDT

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic agency said on Friday conditions at a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant were grave but not deteriorating badly.

"The situation at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants remains very serious but there has been no significant worsening since our last briefing" on Thursday, Graham Andrew, a senior official of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said.

"The situation at the reactors at units 1, 2 and 3 appears to remain fairly stable."

http://www.reuters.c...E72H55B20110318

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[JulianLS]

Something I don't understand is why there seems to be no monitoring of radiation in the atmosphere out at sea, at least none we seem to be privy to.

We see a lot of mention of radiation measured at the main gate but I assume this is at the west of the plant and has been almost continuously upwind of the reactors. Most of the reading there is going to be the direct radiation from the reactors taking no account of material being ejected. What are we going to see when the wind comes from the NE or E?

The only monitoring I have seen at sea have been the reports from US naval vessels.....

Not that anyone lives out there. But as a predictor of what might be heading across Japan if and when the wind changes, it would seem quite useful to know.

[jfchandler]

Wearing goggles and duct tape, workers race to repair reactor

Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:25am EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Far from the camera crews, crawling through the radioactive wreckage of a nuclear power plant, a faceless battalion is taking on the most dangerous job in Japan, if not the world.

About 300 workers are toiling in Tokyo Electric Power's earthquake-smashed plant, wearing masks, goggles and protective suits whose seams are sealed off with duct tape to prevent radioactive particles from creeping in.

They are racing against time to restore power and cooling systems to the six reactors at Fukushima Daiichi and try to avert the biggest nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl in 1986.

"My eyes well with tears at the thought of the work they are doing," Kazuya Aoki, a safety official at Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, told Reuters. "We all just want to support them, and help them do a solid job."

MORE: http://www.reuters.c...E72H21920110318

Add:

Besides their protective gear, Tokyo Electric is limiting the amount of radiation to which the workers can be exposed.The average dose for a nuclear plant worker is 50 millisieverts over five years. Tokyo Electric said on Friday it had raised the limit for the emergency work to 100 millisieverts an hour, subject to an overall maximum of 250 millisieverts a year.

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[elcent]

this maybe the answer to radiation elsewhere

12:09am More on that detection of radioactive particles on the US west coast.

Reuters say two "diplomatic sources" tell them "miniscule amounts" have been detected - at a level far too low to cause any harm to humans.

One diplomat, citing information from a network of international monitoring stations, described the

material as "ever so slight", consisting of only a few particles. "They are irrelevant," the diplomat added.

Another diplomatic source also said the level was "very low".

The Vienna-based Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, an independent body for monitoring possible breaches of the test ban, has more than 60 stations around the world, including one in Sacramento in California.

They can pick up very small amounts of radioactive particles such as iodine isotopes.

"Even a single radioactive atom can cause them to measure something and this is more or less what we have seen in the Sacramento station," said the first diplomat, who declined to be named.

Asked if they were believed to originate from the Fukushima nuclear plant, he said: "That is the obvious assumption."

[jfchandler]

Japan radiation stays low down, air travel fine: U.N.

(Reuters) - Radiation leaking from a damaged nuclear plant in Japan has not reached the upper atmosphere, leaving air travel safe except for in the immediate area around the plant, a U.N. weather expert said on Friday.

"All our information is that the release is restricted to the very low levels of the atmosphere," said Herbert Puempel, an expert with the United Nations' weather agency the World Meteorological Organization.

"Under the current situation there is no reason to fear for international air travel," he said, adding that there was also no need to screen incoming passengers on flights from Japan.

Puempel also said the cold weather, which has heightened the human misery caused, was now moving away.

"The wintry spell is coming to an end," he said. "Hopefully this could take off a little pressure."

http://www.reuters.c...E72H3L220110318

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Factbox: Japan disaster in figures

(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. At least 6,539 people were confirmed dead, exceeding 6,434 who died after the Kobe earthquake in 1995. But 10,354 people are still missing, National Police Agency of Japan says on Friday.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVACUATED

* More than 410,000 people in 12 prefectures have been evacuated and are staying at shelters, Mainichi news paper reports on Friday. Hundreds of people are waiting for help in isolated areas and have no access to food.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, WATER

* Nearly 320,000 households in the north are without electricity in near-freezing weather as of Friday afternoon, Tohuku Electric Power Co. says.

NUMBER OF BUILDING DAMAGED

* At least 87,772 buildings have been damaged, National Police Agency of Japan says on Friday.

MORE: http://www.reuters.c...E72H22V20110318

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Friday Key Developments re the Nuclear Crisis

Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:36am EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Following are main developments after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan and crippled a nuclear power station, raising the risk of uncontrolled radiation.

- Japan's nuclear safety agency says cannot say if the quake-damaged nuclear reactors are under control.

- Japanese engineers say entombing the Fukushima Daiichi plant with concrete and sand may be a last resort to prevent a catastrophic radiation leak, the method used at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.

- Workers were dumping water to cool the most critical No.3 reactor and planned to run a power cable to reactors No.1 and 2 by Saturday to restart the water pumps needed to cool overheating fuel rods.

- Japan's nuclear agency says priority is to get water into spent fuel pools, particularly in reactor No. 3, which contains plutonium.

- The agency also raised the incident level at the stricken power plant to a 5 on a 1-7 scale. That would suggest a level of seriousness on par with the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the United States in 1979. But it said there was no need to expand the evacuation area beyond 30 km at this point.

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/18/us-japan-quake-snapshot-idUSTRE72D8LW20110318

[WarpSpeed]

Something I don't understand is why there seems to be no monitoring of radiation in the atmosphere out at sea, at least none we seem to be privy to.

We see a lot of mention of radiation measured at the main gate but I assume this is at the west of the plant and has been almost continuously upwind of the reactors. Most of the reading there is going to be the direct radiation from the reactors taking no account of material being ejected. What are we going to see when the wind comes from the NE or E?

The only monitoring I have seen at sea have been the reports from US naval vessels.....

Not that anyone lives out there. But as a predictor of what might be heading across Japan if and when the wind changes, it would seem quite useful to know.

No one lives out there but it is far from vacant, a hell of lot of cargo and passengers cross that little pond on a regular basis and a lot of seafood is caught as well..

[eyeofskye]

Something I don't understand is why there seems to be no monitoring of radiation in the atmosphere out at sea, at least none we seem to be privy to.

We see a lot of mention of radiation measured at the main gate but I assume this is at the west of the plant and has been almost continuously upwind of the reactors. Most of the reading there is going to be the direct radiation from the reactors taking no account of material being ejected. What are we going to see when the wind comes from the NE or E?

The only monitoring I have seen at sea have been the reports from US naval vessels.....

Not that anyone lives out there. But as a predictor of what might be heading across Japan if and when the wind changes, it would seem quite useful to know.

It's strange, if they are not monitoring the plume out at sea, say with aircraft, (and we don't know that they aren't) then no one knows what particulates are being generated and carried away from the plant and won't know until the wind changes.

[elcent]

So far the situation can be and is described as "very critical and stable" at the moment. So we have a very stable, critical situation, - nothing more, nothing less at the moment.

It's far from over. The tomb solution will be most probably not the solution. There're 100 tons of uranium in each reactor. One (or more) mixed with plutonium. The tomb with sand and concrete would be opened soon and the material would sink further. As mentioned earlier, it depends on the geolocial formation if the melting mass can reach ground and/or sea water.

In case it can be managed to cool the rods down they will need cooling for many years to come.

[elcent]

As one of the nuclear scientist described it himslef.

"With the help of Hell we're trying to play God"

[jfchandler]

One thing I didn't see mentioned much here was the announcement today by the IAEA director general during his visit to Tokyo that a group of IAEA officials are going to begin doing their own independent radiation monitoring in Tokyo and then in areas around the Fukushima nuclear plants. That may help address the Japanese government's credibility problems and their technical problems with non-working monitoring stations of their own.

See this excerpt from Xinhua News today (the same info was reported on NHK and elsewhere):

Upon his arrival in Tokyo earlier in the day, Amano told reporters: "This is not something that just Japan should deal with, and people of the entire world should cooperate with Japan and the people in the disaster areas." He also said that a four-member team of nuclear experts will first monitor radiation in Tokyo as early as Friday and conduct further tests in the vicinity of the stricken plant thereafter.

The IAEA chief said his team plans to gather comprehensive data that will be useful for the wider international community as well as Japan's government, as efforts to avert a nuclear crisis were widened by Japan's Self-Defense Force, Tokyo firefighters and workers at Tokyo Electric Co.'s (TEPCO) failing No. 1 power plant.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/18/c_13786158.htm

[manarak]

As one of the nuclear scientist described it himslef.

"With the help of Hell we're trying to play God"

Not very helpful and illogical on all levels.

I never understood the urge some scientists have to flee into superstition when there is something they cannot control or that don't understand.

If they want to go down that route, then yes, humans' work is as imperfect as God's.

[WarpSpeed]

I just want to point out without the intention of overly alarming anyone that this is all ringing a familiar tune from my childhood as my father who was a navy engineer on the USS Ajax and fed all of this same bunk when he was "volunteered" to be present at Bikini atoll and shortly after discharged from the navy and then just a few years later developed cataracts and went blind as well as numerous other radiation related maladies most of which have been denied by the government.

He went in a healthy young man and came out an elderly man much older then his actual years grey, thinning hair and loose teeth due to damaged gums to name just a few ailments. Barred by law to tell his own family about the raw truth of his exposure nor even his doctors who were trying to understand and formulate proper treatment as he and we were basically abandoned by our government as nothing more then worthless guinea pigs and in the end it finally did him in at a relatively young age of 62 but in severe discomfort so probably luckier then others who survived longer.

They focus on cancers but specialists generally agree (seldom the governments mind you as that opens a whole new kettle) that there is a wide range of illnesses attributed to radiation exposure of all levels and that it even alters ones genes at the genetic level for future generations..

Sadly, they haven't learned a thing, except how to be better liars, history is repeating itself and so is the patronizing treatment they are not telling the entire truth, I've maintained that from the beginning that were down playing it and I think many are finally seeing the light.. I don't trust the U.S. governments assessment either and with good cause, from their point of view it's strictly "a need to know basis" bottom line it's just more poison to add to the poison we all ingested during the masses of past nuclear tests.

Wiki leaks part duex maybe??

Edited March 18, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[Tywais]

It's far from over. The tomb solution will be most probably not the solution.

Just watched Aljazeera interviewing a nuclear expert. He said the concrete entombment has consequences also. Specifically, the weight could fracture the rods in the pool potentially releasing material into atmosphere. He also mentioned, it took 10 years to finalize cleanup at 3 Mile Island.

[jfchandler]

Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants

TOKYO, March 19, Kyodo News The following is the known status as of Friday night of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima Daini plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, which were crippled by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the ensuing tsunami on March 11.

Fukushima Daiichi plant

-- Reactor No. 1 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged March 12 by hydrogen explosion, roof blown off, seawater being pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building housing reactor damaged Monday by blast at reactor No. 3, blast sound heard near suppression chamber of containment vessel on Tuesday, damage to containment structure feared.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Operation suspended after quake, cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building housing reactor badly damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday and presumed to have come from spent-fuel storage pool, seawater dumped over pool by helicopter on Thursday, water sprayed at it from ground on Thursday and Friday.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, no fuel rods in reactor core, temperature in spent-fuel storage pool reached 84 C on Monday, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared, only frame remains of reactor building roof.

-- Reactors No. 5, 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, some fuel rods left in reactor cores, water temperatures in spent-fuel storage pools increased to about 64 C on Thursday.

-- Spent-fuel storage pools - Cooling functions lost at reactors No. 1 to 4, water temperatures or levels unobservable at reactors No. 1 to 4, no immediate threat to water level at common spent fuel pool.

MORE: http://english.kyodo...1/03/79482.html

Edited March 18, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

I just want to point out without the intention of overly alarming anyone that this is all ringing a familiar tune from my childhood as my father who was a navy engineer on the USS Ajax and fed all of this same bunk when he was "volunteered" to be present at Bikini atoll and shortly after discharged from the navy and then just a few years later developed cataracts and went blind as well as numerous other radiation related maladies most of which have been denied by the government.

That's a sad story, WS.... My sincere sympathies... Unfortunately, it's been repeated over and over again in a variety of venues....with the Japanese survivors of the A bombs, participants in drug trials, exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.. hazardous waste sites in the U.S. That's what makes it important to try to get to the real truth in these matters, and for citizens to demand accountability and reliable, factual information from their governments instead of platitudes.

[elcent]

since the incidence is now upgraded to 5, the same level asThree Mile Island, I really recommend to have a look at this And in 1971 the Atomic Energy Commission did a series of tests of Emergency Core Cooling systems. Accidents were simulated. In each case the emergency systems worked - but the water failed to fill the core. Often being forced out under pressure.

As one of the AEC scientists says in the film:

"We discovered that our theoretical calculations didn't have a strong correlation with reality. But we just couldn't admit to the public that all these safety systems we told you about might not do any good"

And again the warnings were ignored by senior members of the Agency and the industry.

That was the same year that the first of the Fukushima Daiichi plant's reactors came online. Supplied by General Electric.

The film also has some of the recordings of the voices of the Commissioners struggling to deal with the Three Mile Island disaster in 1979. It was recorded by a dictaphone left running on a table - and you get a very good sense of what it must feel like to deal with such a crisis. A group of men realising they have no idea what is going on inside the core - knowing only that the cooling systems seem to have failed.

A IS FOR ATOM scroll down to the 57 minute clip http://www.bbc.co.uk...s_for_atom.html

many answer there ...

Edited March 18, 2011 by elcent

[ETatBKK]

the workers on site already exceed 100mSv

TEPCO confirmed there are 279 subcontractors on site and their dosimeter already indicate 80mSv in the morning. workers will leave when the dose at 100mSv.

福島第一原発の作業員、１００ミリシーベルト超え始める

translated : www.asahi.com Mar 19, 2011 at 02.30h JST

[JulianLS]

Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, no fuel rods in reactor core, temperature in spent-fuel storage pool reached 84 C on Monday, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, pool water level feared receding, renewed nuclear chain reaction feared, only frame remains of reactor building roof.

MORE: http://english.kyodo...1/03/79482.html

Whoa...... I thought they were reasonably happy with the water level in unit 4 storage pool, after taking the photos (the small area of white which they interpreted as the reflection from the surface of the storage pool - not that I was convinced, it could have been anything). I haven't seen "renewed nuclear chain reaction feared" before!!!! The rods overheating and melting is one thing, but an uncontrolled chain reaction in an open space is much more frightening....

The latest Tepco status report doesn't mention unit 4 storage pool, only the one at unit 3. Is this then just poor reporting?

[WarpSpeed]

I just want to point out without the intention of overly alarming anyone that this is all ringing a familiar tune from my childhood as my father who was a navy engineer on the USS Ajax and fed all of this same bunk when he was "volunteered" to be present at Bikini atoll and shortly after discharged from the navy and then just a few years later developed cataracts and went blind as well as numerous other radiation related maladies most of which have been denied by the government.

That's a sad story, WS.... My sincere sympathies... Unfortunately, it's been repeated over and over again in a variety of venues....with the Japanese survivors of the A bombs, participants in drug trials, exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.. hazardous waste sites in the U.S. That's what makes it important to try to get to the real truth in these matters, and for citizens to demand accountability and reliable, factual information from their governments instead of platitudes.

Thanks JF, but I have to tell you that the Japanese people received and still receive far better care and follow up evaluation courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer then ANY U.S. service man or family who have received little to nothing.. My father was one of only a teen number of exceptions due to the undeniable relation to and extent of sudden onset of his illnesses but it was still far from adequate..

And because there are other past similar instances doesn't justify that one, or this one, or any in the future.. This is why this hits so close to home for me and why I've been dubious from the beginning about the info being fed us by the powers that be..

[jfchandler]

Here's what was announced earlier in the day Friday:

Besides their protective gear, Tokyo Electric is limiting the amount of radiation to which the workers can be exposed.The average dose for a nuclear plant worker is 50 millisieverts over five years. Tokyo Electric said on Friday it had raised the limit for the emergency work to 100 millisieverts an hour, subject to an overall maximum of 250 millisieverts a year.

http://www.reuters.c...E72H21920110318

The onsite radiation levels Friday were being reported in the neighborhood of up to 20 milli-sieverts per hour.

Though if a particular worker had been caught during some of the higher radiation periods earlier in the week, they'd be reaching the cumulative 250 mSv limit even more quickly.

According to Reuters, the 100 mSv is an hourly exposure limit...not the cumulative one.

the workers on site already exceed 100mSv

TEPCO confirmed there are 279 subcontractors on site and their dosimeter already indicate 80mSv in the morning. workers will leave when the dose at 100mSv.

福島第一原発の作業員、１００ミリシーベルト超え始める

translated : www.asahi.com Mar 19, 2011 at 02.30h JST

[jfchandler]

And because there are other past similar instances doesn't justify that one, or this one, or any in the future.. This is why this hits so close to home for me and why I've been dubious from the beginning about the info being fed us by the powers that be..

WS, you totally misunderstood my comments. They weren't aimed at justifying or excusing what happened to your father and others like him. Rather, just the opposite, I was pointing out that what happened to him and the others wasn't an isolated incident, bur rather, part of a pattern of similar treatment of people in other cases where the authorities also have been less than honest. I wasn't comparing the magnitude of one vs. another.

[ETatBKK]

these are 'suicide missions', my goodness ! between the line, you may notice they are 'subcontractors' :-(

I guess the management team still remotely in the board room

The onsite radiation levels Friday were being reported in the neighborhood of up to 20 milli-sieverts per hour.

Though if a particular worker had been caught during some of the higher radiation periods earlier in the week, they'd be reaching the cumulative 250 mSv limit even more quickly.

According to Reuters, the 100 mSv is an hourly exposure limit...not the cumulative one.

the workers on site already exceed 100mSv

TEPCO confirmed there are 279 subcontractors on site and their dosimeter already indicate 80mSv in the morning. workers will leave when the dose at 100mSv.

福島第一原発の作業員、１００ミリシーベルト超え始める

translated : www.asahi.com Mar 19, 2011 at 02.30h JST

[WarpSpeed]

And because there are other past similar instances doesn't justify that one, or this one, or any in the future.. This is why this hits so close to home for me and why I've been dubious from the beginning about the info being fed us by the powers that be..

WS, you totally misunderstood my comments. They weren't aimed at justifying or excusing what happened to your father and others like him. Rather, just the opposite, I was pointing out that what happened to him and the others wasn't an isolated incident, bur rather, part of a pattern of similar treatment of people in other cases where the authorities also have been less than honest. I wasn't comparing the magnitude of one vs. another.

No I didn't I didn't take your comments that way.. It did seem a little "life is tough sometimes" but I just continued on with my thoughts to broaden my point..

[manarak]

these are 'suicide missions', my goodness ! between the line, you may notice they are 'subcontractors' :-(

I guess the management team still remotely in the board room

The onsite radiation levels Friday were being reported in the neighborhood of up to 20 milli-sieverts per hour.

Though if a particular worker had been caught during some of the higher radiation periods earlier in the week, they'd be reaching the cumulative 250 mSv limit even more quickly.

According to Reuters, the 100 mSv is an hourly exposure limit...not the cumulative one.

the workers on site already exceed 100mSv

TEPCO confirmed there are 279 subcontractors on site and their dosimeter already indicate 80mSv in the morning. workers will leave when the dose at 100mSv.

福島第一原発の作業員、１００ミリシーベルト超え始める

translated : www.asahi.com Mar 19, 2011 at 02.30h JST

Using expendable personnel is the only way to go.

It would be pretty stupid to send in the experienced workers that are knowledgable about the plant just to send them home after a day or two, leaving the remaining teams without their expertise or experience.

[jfchandler]

Kyodo News:

NEWS ADVISORY: Tokyo Fire Dept. begins dousing coolant water over Fukushima reactor

12:45 am Sat. JST / 10:45 pm Fri Thai time

At this hour???

[WarpSpeed]

I would like to think they are doing it around the clock, this doesn't seem to hold to any schedules..

[ETatBKK]

YES, at 00.30h JST ( Japanese media also reported this ) !!

they are changing 'short' shifts the whole day that avoids over dosing of radiation, and also the capacity limit of the pump trucks.

Kyodo News:

NEWS ADVISORY: Tokyo Fire Dept. begins dousing coolant water over Fukushima reactor

12:45 am Sat. JST / 10:45 pm Fri Thai time

At this hour???

[elcent]

Hospitals in the areas of Japan most devastated by last week's earthquake and tsunami are treating a steady stream of injured victims. But, faced with increasing shortages of manpower, food and supplies -- and a tense situation in nearby Fukushima -- they must also battle their own nerves.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,751835,00.html