Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[Jdietz]

The monitors are situated at nuclear plants, they don't really build those inside big cities for now obvious reasons. If you hover your mouse over the measure points it mentions the location of the detectors.

[jfchandler]

Here's the hourly reading from Tokyo for the evening of the 19th and morning of the 20th:

The source of the prefecture radiation reports, updated twice a day, is here:

http://www.mext.go.j...ail/1303962.htm

PS - I also posted the daily radiation reports that they're doing for the two main Tokyo airports here today earlier inthis thread.

Interesting how this system excludes the capital city, Tokyo.

TheWalkingMan

Edited March 21, 2011 by jfchandler

[bkkjames]

http://www.targetmap...x?reportId=4870

zoom in a bit to ibariki prefecture - I attached a screen shot from the above.

and compare the readings with this one http://www.bousai.ne.jp/eng/

[jfchandler]

James, I'm trying to figure out that mapping site... It's not run by the govt, as far as I can tell...

And, the mapping site seems to show population and territory areas....but not list the actual radiation numbers they're using to derive their color coding....

Ahh... I see... you need to mouse over on the map itself, and then the rad numbers flash up in the little box with the color coding chart...

Got it got it...

So the mapping site is showing 2+ microsievert for Ibaraki...as of 5:30 am...whereas the Speedi site is showing 1.1 as of 1 pm... both for Horiguchi city.

http://www.targetmap...x?reportId=4870

zoom in a bit to ibariki prefecture - I attached a screen shot from the above.

and compare the readings with this one http://www.bousai.ne.jp/eng/

Edited March 21, 2011 by jfchandler

[bkkjames]

Lots of talk about Tokai plant and the radiation surge in Ibaraki prefecture?

But there is another nuclear power station right next to Ibaraki, the Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant, which has one operational reactor and one decommissioned reactor, with an undetermined status of the spent fuel rods. It seems unlikely that radiation from Fukushima is the reason for the radiation surge at Ibaraki in the last 12 hours, without corresponding increases in other cities within 80 miles of the Fukushima reactors. Of course, there are no readings from Fukushimna or Miyagi prefectures at all and maybe the entire coastline for 100 miles is rapidly becoming hotter. But given the nearly identical circumstances of nuclear power stations on the shoreline added to massive quake and tsunami, one must wonder if there is more damage to the other coastal nuclear power stations than is being admitted to.

One thing is obvious from the radiation surge; something bad just happened somewhere!

http://whatreallyhappened.com/node/107272

Take this site for what it's worth but a quick google will show you that they aren't the only one's suspecting something may be up elsewhere...

[Jdietz]

Don't forget it may be just the wind direction change and rain. Doubling/halving at this level (delta of half a microSievert) doesn't really mean much, order or magnitude changes do.

[brahmburgers]

Pretty much every one of the last 100 posts have been about radiation levels. Yes, it's important, but it's not the only issue relating to the damaged plant. How about updates about the individual reactor cores and their containment vessels. If appears all reports of possible meltdowns are indirect data. In other words, how close has anyone been able to get to see first hand - the status of the core containment housings?

There's been talk of declaring the entire plant defunct. Is that real, in part or in whole? If so, what's the latest for dealing with the mess. What, if anything are they thinking of salvaging (rods?) - or are they planning to cover it with sand and concrete?

Maybe some of these questions are premature at this stage, but hearing about nothing but meter readings for radiation is just part of the picture.

[bkkjames]

Latest Reactor Status at Japan's Stricken Fukushima Nuclear Plant: Table

By Naoko Fujimura - Mar 21, 2011 8:53 AM GMT+0700 Mon Mar 21 01:53:22 GMT 2011

The following is the latest status of each nuclear reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant.

No. 1: Workers are ready to restore power to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama said on NHK Television yesterday. The reactor was damaged on March 12 by a hydrogen explosion that destroyed the building walls. The reactor is rated level five in terms of threat on an international scale of 1-7.

No. 2: Workers are ready to restore power to the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, Fukuyama said yesterday. It may take two to three days to replace broken parts, NHK Television said on its website. Workers reconnected a 1.5-kilometer (1 mile) power cable on March 19 to the unit. A March 15 explosion may have damaged the containment chamber. The reactor is rated a level-five threat.

No. 3: Pressure in No. 3, which spiked earlier, stabilized yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said yesterday. Firefighters sprayed water on the reactor. Similar actions on March 18 managed to replenish water in the spent-fuel pool. A March 14 explosion damaged the unit's fuel cover. The reactor is rated a level-five threat. Firefighters from Tokyo and Osaka sprayed water on the reactor.

No. 4: Japanese Self Defense Forces sprayed water yesterday and once this morning toward the building of the reactor. A fire broke out in the pond containing spent-fuel rods. The nuclear agency said March 17 there may be no water in the cooling pool. It's rated four in terms of threat. This reactor was undergoing maintenance when the earthquake hit.

No. 5: The reactor achieved cold shutdown at 2:30 p.m. local time yesterday when the temperature fell below 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) yesterday, Megumi Iwashita, Tepco spokeswoman, said. The unit was idle for maintenance before the earthquake.

No. 6: The reactor achieved cold shutdown at 7:27 p.m. when the temperature fell below 100 degrees Celsius yesterday, Iwashita said. A backup generator was fixed March 19, according to a company press release. The unit was idle for maintenance before the earthquake.

http://www.bloomberg...lant-table.html

Edited March 21, 2011 by bkkjames

[jfchandler]

These govt. monitoring reports deal with the areas closest around Fukushima... This is the latest chart with data from yesterday, and the numbers don't show any overall elevation from the day before... And the highest levels at #32 are down from the day before..

We won't see today's version of these same monitoring sources until tomorrow. The Ibaraki numbers are maybe 1 microsievert per hour... Some of the ones below closest to Fukushima are from the dozens up to 110 microsievert per hour. Keep your eyes on the ball. This is where the hotter spots are.

The Japanese govt. is continuing to report daily radiation readings for locations around the 20 and 30 Km evacuation and stay indoors zones surrounding the Fukushima plants.

The latest report from yesterday March 20 shows peak levels declined from the day before. The highest readings remained at the town of Namie, No. 32 on the chart, north and inland from the reactors, though it was down to 110 micro-sievert per hour, down from the mid 100s in the prior days. Among the other some 30 locations listed, only monitoring station No. 33 nearby was above 50 microsievert per hour with a reading of 60.

The daily reports in English are located at this govt. web site..

http://www.mext.go.j...ail/1303962.htm

[Jdietz]

We will know more as soon as they get some instrumentation back up in the control room. Right now it's all observation / reaction in reactors #1 to #4. Pressure and temperature gauges don't need power, but that's mostly it.

- There is steam, there must be water

- Pressure is rising, let's vent some air

- Temperature is rising, let's add some water

Nobody really wants to take the lid off and have a good look at this stage.

[Jdietz]

BTW the Japanese really like their models, right now they are showing some very pretty reactor mock-ups complete with little storage pools you can fill with water. Somebody must have put in some overtime into those..

I'm waiting on the first anime.

[jfchandler]

I think a lot depends on where the readings are being taken... The prefecture reports document only one source point per prefecture. There are other reports that document multiple points per prefecture, such as the SPEEDI data.

I just looked thru the government's prefecture radiation reports, hour by hour, for yesterday... For reasons previously explained, the single prefecture source data from from Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures is absent (though it is included in the 20 Km. report and chart I've posted above).

Other than those, it looks like the highest values are consistently coming from the Ibaraki Prefecture/Mito City, and Tochigi Prefecture/Utsunomiya City, all in MICRO-sievert per hour:

Mito for 3/20

7am -- 0.162

Noon -- 0.204

4 pm -- 0.174

Utsunomiya for 3/20

7 am -- 0.142

Noon -- 0.136

4 pm -- 0.153

As far as I can read in the chart, those are the only values in the prefecture report where the micro-sievert levels reach 0.1 or greater....

But that is just for the one point prefecture reports. The localized monitoring around Fukushima in the 20 Km reports shows vastly higher radiation levels at those measuring point... though not elevated Sunday vs. Saturday.

And if you look at the detailed Ibaraki Prefecture report listed on the govt.'s web site, it's showing three other monitoring locations in Ibaraki with values ranging between 0.6 and 1.0 microsievert per hour from yesterday.

[jfchandler]

B, I did posts earlier today in this thread on most of the issues you raise below...and other non-radiation topics as well. Go back to the 7 am timeframe or so... The radiation stuff is coming later after those...

Pretty much every one of the last 100 posts have been about radiation levels. Yes, it's important, but it's not the only issue relating to the damaged plant. How about updates about the individual reactor cores and their containment vessels. If appears all reports of possible meltdowns are indirect data. In other words, how close has anyone been able to get to see first hand - the status of the core containment housings?

There's been talk of declaring the entire plant defunct. Is that real, in part or in whole? If so, what's the latest for dealing with the mess. What, if anything are they thinking of salvaging (rods?) - or are they planning to cover it with sand and concrete?

Maybe some of these questions are premature at this stage, but hearing about nothing but meter readings for radiation is just part of the picture.

[Alphonso]

Post removed due to data below.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Alphonso

[jfchandler]

Here's the detailed reading from the Ibaraki/Tokai area...I assume near the nuclear plant there... Values in MICRO-sievert per hour.

They're definitely higher than elsewhere in the prefecture... The govt has been running a separate series of daily reports just on these stations, separate from all the other data.

The series is found here:

http://www.mext.go.j...ail/1303962.htm

And the latest one above:

Monitoring data at Ibaraki prefecture(19:00 Mar 20, 2011) (PDF:123KB)

Edited March 21, 2011 by jfchandler

[bkkjames]

@reutersflash: No evidence of contaminated food from Fukushima reaching other countries, says WHO

(yet)

[jfchandler]

BTW, today is a national holiday in Japan, including having the stock market closed, so that may explain in part why NHK seems stuck on an eternally repeating recap of EQ coverage... instead of offering much of anything new...

Spring Equinox Day (Shunbun-no-hi): March 20 or 21 (21 this year since the 20th fell on a Sunday):

This national holiday was established in 1948 as a day for the admiration of nature and the love of living things. Prior to 1948, the vernal equinox was an imperial ancestor worship festival called Shunki kōrei-sai

Pretty ironic considering they just underwent a massive earthquake and tsunami, courtesy of Mother Nature.

[jfchandler]

You know, this below reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask..

The other day, James and others posted info about air passengers from Japan setting off radiation detectors at various other international airports upon arrival.

Yet, traveling at high altitudes on international flights also exposes people to elevated radiation levels from the sun and natural sources...

So at those other airports that flagged the Japanese arrivals, what would they have been detecting from the Fukushima reactors that would have been different (or more) from elevated radiation associated with high altitude jet travel???

@reutersflash: No evidence of contaminated food from Fukushima reaching other countries, says WHO

(yet)

[bkkjames]

You know, this below reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask..

The other day, James and others posted info about air passengers from Japan setting off radiation detectors at various other international airports upon arrival.

Yet, traveling at high altitudes on international flights also exposes people to elevated radiation levels from the sun and natural sources...

So at those other airports that flagged the Japanese arrivals, what would they have been detecting from the Fukushima reactors that would have been different (or more) from elevated radiation associated with high altitude jet travel???

@reutersflash: No evidence of contaminated food from Fukushima reaching other countries, says WHO

(yet)

Well John: I assume your Department of Homeland Insecurity would have had special sensors brought in via blackwater to detect Uranium. I think there are a few left over from Iraq.

Edit to add:

Edited March 21, 2011 by bkkjames

[Tywais]

So at those other airports that flagged the Japanese arrivals, what would they have been detecting from the Fukushima reactors that would have been different (or more) from elevated radiation associated with high altitude jet travel???

Particulates, such as cesium/iodine that get on the surface of the plane and are carried with it. The other is cosmic(gamma/xray) radiation/electromagnetic radiation and can not be carried.

[WarpSpeed]

So at those other airports that flagged the Japanese arrivals, what would they have been detecting from the Fukushima reactors that would have been different (or more) from elevated radiation associated with high altitude jet travel???

Particulates, such as cesium/iodine that get on the surface of the plane and are carried with it. The other is cosmic(gamma/xray) radiation/electromagnetic radiation and can not be carried.

I like your explanation much better, much less unwarranted, unnecessary antagonism and irrelevance in it from the one above it..

Edited March 21, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[Jdietz]

JF: The graph you've posted earlier is now updated and shows the same peak (albeit attenuated) I talked about in the SPEEDI data:

http://mextrad.blob.core.windows.net/page/08_Ibaraki_en.html

http://www.bousai.ne.jp/eng/

SPEEDI still reports 1.153 microSievert/h @ Ibaraki

[bkkjames]

So at those other airports that flagged the Japanese arrivals, what would they have been detecting from the Fukushima reactors that would have been different (or more) from elevated radiation associated with high altitude jet travel???

Particulates, such as cesium/iodine that get on the surface of the plane and are carried with it. The other is cosmic(gamma/xray) radiation/electromagnetic radiation and can not be carried.

I like your explanation much better, much less unwarranted, unnecessary antagonism and irrelevance in it from the one above it..

Get over yourself mate - really. Just because you didnt like a little joke meant for John - despite what you may think - it has nothing to do with you.

[Jdietz]

In other news, Americans are advised to go home, lock the doors and watch Fox News.

OK enough US bashing for now

[bkkjames]

NHK News: gray smoke came out from No.3, cable failed? worker evacuated from No3.

Breaking News went up but little detail from what I can tell: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

[jfchandler]

Thanks Jd... I see it, courtesy of your links below... Thanks!

Still, I'm more interested in the data in the 20-30 Km reports that reflect some 30 stations around the reactors... where the readings are generally much higher, and with peaks yesterday up to 110 microsievert per hour... compared to the 1 vs. 2 uSv/hr discussion re the Ibaraki points...

It's a mystery to me why the prefecture monitoring reports for Fukushima and Miyagi, if I recall correctly, continue to show blanks...when apparently the government does in fact have a variety of monitoring points throughout at least the Fukushima area... Just not, apparently, the two officially designated points for those two particular prefectures.

The monitoring points in the 20-30 Km reports are not divided out by prefecture, and the map that accompanies them doesn't show prefecture boundaries, as far as I can see. But I'm pretty certain many or most of the monitoring stations listed in the 20-30 Km reports are in the Fukushima prefecture...and maybe a few in others.

JF: The graph you've posted earlier is now updated and shows the same peak (albeit attenuated) I talked about in the SPEEDI data:

http://mextrad.blob....Ibaraki_en.html

http://www.bousai.ne.jp/eng/

SPEEDI still reports 1.153 microSievert/h @ Ibaraki

[jfchandler]

Hey boys...Speaking as an American (though hardly a flag waver), it's the American military guys and gals who are out there at least trying to deliver much needed supplies to the Japanese...via ships, airplanes, helicopters, etc...

Other countries may be involved as well in that, but honestly, I haven't seen much if any mention of that as regards to providing relief supplies. France is too busy fleeing Tokyo and bombing Libya... and Britain the latter too, I guess...

It seems there are times when it pays off to have billions and billions of military aircraft and ships flying and floating around the world... :jap:

In other news, Americans are advised to go home, lock the doors and watch Fox News.

OK enough US bashing for now

[bkkjames]

@RamCNN: TEPCO: All workers evacuated from #Fukushima plant after smoke seen emerging from Reactor #3

[Jdietz]

It's like a Papal election in the Vatican.

White smoke is good

Black smoke is bad

[jfchandler]

Grayish smoke seen billowing from Fukushima No. 3 reactor building

TOKYO, March 21, Kyodo

Grayish smoke was seen billowing from a building that houses the No. 3 reactor of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station on Monday, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

After the smoke was spotted at the southeast of the building around 3:55 p.m., TEPCO said it had temporarily evacuated its workers from the site as it assessed the situation.

http://english.kyodo...1/03/79920.html

Edited March 21, 2011 by jfchandler