Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[Chopperboy]

Location of MOX fuel pool in unit 3

[Chopperboy]

Video of unit 3 pool before accident

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/news/110311/images/110428_1.zip

[Chopperboy]

For comparison, the features of the unit 1 explosion

Time (s)

0.0 - 0.1 | a detonation with a flash of fire

0.1 - 7 | an irregular cloud of dust is formed around the building

0.2 - 0.7 | a diffuse white steam cloud rises 150 m vertically above center building and dissipates/evaporates to invisibility.

0.5 -10 | the upper floor wall panels are seen flying in all directions 100 m or more, ballistically away from the building

7 | the cloud of dust can be seen spreading, dissipating with the wind

Features of the unit 3 explosion

0.0 - 0.4 | a detonation with a flash of fire

0.4 - 3.5 | an expulsion of water/water vapor from center of building

0.4 - 6.4 | a high buoyancy airmass rises vertically, dark and debris-filled eventually reaching a height of 500+ m

1.2 - 8 | an irregular cloud of dust/steam is being produced around the building

3.5 | base of the rising airmass from water expulsion starts drifting seawards

5.0 - 13+ | clouds of steam from expelled water is seen growing from along the surface out to 100's of meters away

6.4 | from 300+ m above, large and small objects start returning to earth

8 | the produced clouds of steam and dust start spreading, going with the wind kilometers oceanwards to eventually dissipate

14 | large objects from above start hitting surface or buildings, in zero to several hundred meters distance from unit 3

[Chopperboy]

On March 28th amerium 241, curium 242, 243, and 244 were detected from 2 samples among the 3 periodic sampling spots in which plutonium was detected.

tp://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...1042711-e.html

[Chopperboy]

Fuel rod pool Fukushima #3 during refueling in 2010

Shows one section of the pool

[Chopperboy]

UPDATE: Special Adviser To Japan Govt Quits Over Handling Of Nuclear Crisis

In a tearful news conference, Kosako said he could not stay and allow the government to set what he called improper radiation limits of 20 millisieverts an hour for elementary schools in areas near the plant.

"I cannot allow this as a scholar," he said. "I feel the government response has been merely to bide time."

Kosako also criticized the government as lacking in transparency in disclosing monitoring of radiation levels around the plant, and as improperly raising the limit of radiation exposure levels for workers at Fukushima Dai-ichi, according to Kyodo News agency.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/04/30/general-as-japan-earthquake_8443174.html

Edited April 30, 2011 by Chopperboy

[Chopperboy]

TEPCO Data Shows Ongoing Criticalities Inside Leaking Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2

Data released on April 28, 2011 by TEPCO is now unequivocal in showing ongoing criticalities at Unit 2, with a peak on April 13. TEPCO graphs of radioactivity-versus-time in water under each of the six reactors show an ongoing nuclear chain reaction creating high levels of "fresh" I-131 in Unit 2, the same reactor pressure vessel (RPV) with a leak path to reactor floor, aux building, and outdoor trenches, that is uncontrollably leaking high levels of I-131, Cs-134, Cs-137 into the Pacific Ocean.

http://www.glgroup.com/News/TEPCO-Data-Shows-Ongoing-Criticalities-Inside-Leaking-Fukushima-Daiichi-Unit-2-53751.html

[Chopperboy]

The Building of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant - Movie 1966

[Puschl]

In a tearful news conference, Kosako said he could not stay and allow the government to set what he called improper radiation limits of 20 millisieverts an hour for elementary schools in areas near the plant.

The new limit is 20 milliSieverts per year, not per hour, as quoted on forbes.com. Exposing kids (or adults) to 20mSv/h over extended periods of time would without doubt be criminal negligence. Even Throatwobbler and JetsetBkk would agree.

The 20mSv/a (milli-Sievert per annum, i.e. per year) limit is still a questionable decision (fatal cancer incidence rate probably somewhere in the 0.1 to 5 per mill range) and I salute Kosako for speaking up against it.

[StreetCowboy]

Out of interest, to what extent do pressure groups and governments and others use fora such as this for deliberately spreading misinformation?

Perhaps some of our posters might like to give their comments?

SC

[Lite Beer]

Second worker at damaged nuke plant overexposed to radiation

Tokyo - A second female worker at the damaged nuclear plant in north-eastern Japan was exposed to a higher radiation dose than the legal limit, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said Sunday

The employee at the company's Fukushima nuclear plant had been exposed to a total of 7.49 millisieverts of radiation, above the limit of 5 millisieverts for a three-month period.

Since a magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami hit the plant on March 11, it has leaked radiation into the air and sea.

The employee was the second woman to be exposed to levels over the limit since the start of the nuclear crisis.

The firm said Wednesday that the radiation exposure of the other female worker measured at the end of March was 17.55 millisieverts, more than three times the limit.

The government sets the exposure limit for women lower than that for men, to take into account the possibility of pregnancy.

The limit for plant male workers is set at 100 millisieverts over five years and 50 millisieverts in one year.

The cumulative exposure limit stands at 250 millisieverts per year for male workers at the Fukushima plant as a special case.//DPA

-- The Nation 2011-05-01

[JetsetBkk]

In a tearful news conference, Kosako said he could not stay and allow the government to set what he called improper radiation limits of 20 millisieverts an hour for elementary schools in areas near the plant.

The new limit is 20 milliSieverts per year, not per hour, as quoted on forbes.com. Exposing kids (or adults) to 20mSv/h over extended periods of time would without doubt be criminal negligence. Even Throatwobbler and JetsetBkk would agree.

<snip>

Agreed.

But...

Japanese gov makes Fukushima evac zone compulsory

Some communities beyond the 20km limit have also been evacuated following detection of elevated radiation and recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA), which has a monitoring team in the area. These towns and villages are Katsurao, Kawamata, Namie, Minami Souma and Iitate, with the highest radiation readings seen at Iitate.

Radiation dose rates at Iitate dropped below 10 microsievert/hour as of March 25 and are now below 5 microsievert/hour. If the Iitate dose rate stabilised permanently now, people living there would sustain annual dose rates of 44 millisievert. If levels continue to descend along the curve seen thus far the dose in the first year would be below 20 millisievert and less thereafter.

For comparison:

Nuclear powerplant workers, whose cancer rate is somewhat lower than in the general population (probably because they don't smoke so much) are allowed to sustain 50 millisievert in any one year in normal times and average doses across five years of 20 millisievert/yr.

That web site, again: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/21/fukushima_evac_measures/

Edited May 1, 2011 by JetsetBkk

[elcent]

Radioactive cesium 25 times above the legal limit for consumption was detected Wednesday in young sand lance caught off Fukushima Prefecture, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. http://www.houseofjapan.com/local/excessive-cesium-in-fish-found

[elcent]

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday it will take at least six months before the utility can stabilize troubled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, saying that about three months are needed to achieve a ''steady reduction'' in radiation leaks.

http://www.houseofjapan.com/local/6-months-to-reactors-stabilization

[elcent]

TEPCO official: Fukushima is man-made disaster

A vice president of Tokyo Electric Power Company says he believes the nuclear crisis at Fukushima nuclear power plant is a man-made disaster.

TEPCO vice president Norio Tsuzumi visited Iitate village in Fukushima Prefecture on Saturday and apologized to about 1,000 villagers who gathered to hear him speak.

When he was asked if he thinks of the nuclear crisis a man-made disaster or a natural disaster, he said personally he thinks it is a man-made disaster.

All of the 6,000 residents of Iitate were instructed to evacuate by late May based on accumulated radiation exposure levels caused by emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

After the meeting with local residents, Tsuzumi explained to reporters why he feels it is a man-made disaster.

He said that some say the nuclear accident in Fukushima was beyond any expectations but personally he thinks adequate precautions should have been in place.

Sunday, May 01, 2011 09:02 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/01_09.html

[elcent]

More workers to be sent to Fukushima

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is studying the possibility of sending more employees and former employees to the plant.

People who have previously worked at the plant and who have been trained in nuclear-related matters, such as radiation monitoring, are the potential candidates. About 3,000 people are believed to qualify.

About 1,000 workers of Tokyo Electric Power Company and its contract companies are currently working at the power plant to bring it under control.

TEPCO laid out a plan on April 17th to stabilize the reactors in 6 to 9 months. But the work is expected to take a long time and the radiation level is high.

On Saturday, 2 workers were found to have been exposed to more than 200 millisieverts of radiation.

Another 30 workers or so were exposed to radiation in excess of 100 millisieverts.

The government recently raised the legal limit for radiation exposure during an emergency from 100 millisieverts to 250 millisieverts.

The power company considers it necessary to have more people on site to proceed with the operation while ensuring the safety of the workers.

Sunday, May 01, 2011 10:35 +0900 (JST) http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/01_11.html

[Throatwobbler]

Be very wary of what Prof Chris Busby says. I posted links about him before. This is a guy a prefers to publish his own work...[snip]

Better to believe anonymous people on the internet instead? lol

I've seen other high figures, while not as high, they are still in the 100's of thousands..

Well that's what people are doing on this thread. Just believing a random person who has a prof in front of his name. No attempt to check up on him to see if he is reliable or anything.

[Throatwobbler]

Oh dear, it's that naughty "Register" again, printing stuff that the anti-nuclear lobby doesn't want to hear:

http://www.theregist..._evac_measures/

Ah Jetset.... here is Dr. Helen Caldicott ( even though you said you didn' t know her - she does

know a little more about how radiation affects the body - than the guys at the Register )

warning about stuff that the pro -nuclear lobby doesn't want to hear

" You've bought the propaganda from the nuclear industry.( Jetset has yes ) They say it's low-level radiation. That's absolute rubbish. If you inhale a millionth of a gram of plutonium, the surrounding cells receive a very, very high dose. Most die within that area, because it's an alpha emitter. The cells on the periphery remain viable. They mutate, and the regulatory genes are damaged. Years later, that person develops cancer. Now, that's true for radioactive iodine, that goes to the thyroid; cesium-137, that goes to the brain and muscles; strontium-90 goes to bone, causing bone cancer and leukemia. It's imperative … that you understand internal emitters and radiation, and it's not low level to the cells that are exposed. Radiobiology is imperative to understand these days."

http://www.infiniteu...radnet-reports/

Oh yes Helen Caldicott. This is a women who thought that the space shuttle was destroying the ozone layer and a total of 300 missions would completely destroy it. This is why i take comments by these people with a lot more than a pinch of salt.

Juding by some people on this thread though I'm expecting a "Shuttle is destroying our Ozone." thread soon.

http://www.equityfeminism.com/articles/2003/the-stylized-rantings-of-helen-caldicott/

[Throatwobbler]

Out of interest, to what extent do pressure groups and governments and others use fora such as this for deliberately spreading misinformation?

Perhaps some of our posters might like to give their comments?

SC

I'm sure all sides are spreading huge misinformation. That is why i'm trying to counter some of the posters who are believing everything they read from Anti Nuclear people.

[elcent]

Out of interest, to what extent do pressure groups and governments and others use fora such as this for deliberately spreading misinformation?

Perhaps some of our posters might like to give their comments?

SC

I'm sure all sides are spreading huge misinformation. That is why i'm trying to counter some of the posters who are believing everything they read from Anti Nuclear people.

Germany has shut down 9 reactors so far because they're all stupid, right?

The last one will be shut down latest in 2020. - The nuclear lobby painted the walls black and said that the power grid will collapse. So far still enough power and the engineers said that there will be no problems.

The German consumers also rejected the already implemented higher percentage of bio fuel. This was also taken off the markets.

A little more forward thinking does no harm and we could have much better solutions altogether within the next 15 to 20 years..

The same model of a nuclear power plant was built in Austria at around the same time than those in Japan and was never opened. It's used as a museum instead.

Grave security issues have been exposed, like the weldings and other.

Want to have it veryfied? No probs at all, just take your time and do some research.

[JetsetBkk]

I'm sure all sides are spreading huge misinformation. That is why i'm trying to counter some of the posters who are believing everything they read from Anti Nuclear people.

Germany has shut down 9 reactors so far because they're all stupid, right?

<snip>

Wrong - it's because of mass hysteria spread by the media egged on by a German chancellor who is running scared of losing the next election.

Merkel Braces for Election Debacles in 2011

Support for the coalition has dropped sharply since Merkel shifted her party to the right after forming a government with the FDP following the September 2009 general elections. Her decision to extend the lifespans of Germany's 17 nuclear power stations by 12 years on average and her support for Stuttgart 21, the controversial underground railway station project, has sharpened the right-left divide in German politics and propelled the opposition Greens to unprecedented highs above 20 percent in opinion polls in 2010.

Were a general election to be held now, the government would be ousted by a center-left alliance of Social Democrats and Greens, according to opinion polls which put support for her government at just 37 percent.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,736816,00.html

Did Angela Merkel Just Shut Seven Nuclear Power Plants As A Political Stunt?

This morning, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany would shut seven of its nuclear power plants for 3 months as part of a safety review.

But this move may be more about domestic political concerns than worries over the crisis in Fukushima, according to Der Spiegel.

http://www.businessinsider.com/angela-merkel-nuclear-power-2011-3

It's all about politics and elections - little to do with nuclear safety. It's a great shame that politicians can't be made to keep their uniformed noses out of subjects that are way over their pay grade.

[Chopperboy]

In a tearful news conference, Kosako said he could not stay and allow the government to set what he called improper radiation limits of 20 millisieverts an hour for elementary schools in areas near the plant.

The new limit is 20 milliSieverts per year, not per hour, as quoted on forbes.com. Exposing kids (or adults) to 20mSv/h over extended periods of time would without doubt be criminal negligence. Even Throatwobbler and JetsetBkk would agree.

The 20mSv/a (milli-Sievert per annum, i.e. per year) limit is still a questionable decision (fatal cancer incidence rate probably somewhere in the 0.1 to 5 per mill range) and I salute Kosako for speaking up against it.

I realised afterwards that they must have got it wrong. It was translated from this Gov't statement in Japanese, and pretty impenetrable even in Japanese....

http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/houdou/23/04/1305174.htm

At 20mSv per year its the equivalent of two full body CAT scans. It's estimated that the cancer risk from one 10mSv CAT scan is as high as 1 in 2000.

[Chopperboy]

Greenpeace today called on the Japanese government to drop plans to raise the official limits of radiation exposure for children in Fukushima Prefecture, 20 milliSievert per year (1) – the same level as nuclear power plant workers, and twenty times the internationally recognised annual allowable dose for adults.

The international environmental organisation has also asked the governments of nations including Germany, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, Greece, India, France and Italy (2), to raise the issue with Japan.

“It is utterly outrageous to raise the exposure levels for children to twenty times the maximum limit for adults. The Japanese government cannot simply increase safety limits for the sake political convenience or to give the impression of normality”, said Junichi Sato, Greenpeace Japan Executive Director. “One of the lessons learned from Chernobyl was that children are far more vulnerable to the effects of radiation, and the Fukushima nuclear crisis will expose them to much higher risks of developing radiation related diseases due to contamination (3)”.

“While the declaration of a 20km no-entry zone around Fukushima Daiichi is a legitimate, if late response to the crisis, the Japanese authorities are still underplaying the risks to human health throughout the greater Fukushima area”.

“Greenpeace radiation monitoring teams found highly contaminated hot spots in densely-populated areas of Fukushima City and Koriyama City (4). These areas need to be cleaned up immediately or evacuated, and the people made acutely aware of the risks they face – not made to think everything is ok with new safety limits”, said Sato.

See this map for reference:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=216097317933419817421.00049f79dd8efb50bf317&ll=37.62946,140.581055&spn=0.761327,1.647949&z=9&source=embed

Edited May 2, 2011 by Chopperboy

[StreetCowboy]

8>< NESTED QUOTES DELETED ><8

Wrong - it's because of mass hysteria spread by the media egged on by a German chancellor who is running scared of losing the next election.

Merkel Braces for Election Debacles in 2011

Support for the coalition has dropped sharply since Merkel shifted her party to the right after forming a government with the FDP following the September 2009 general elections. Her decision to extend the lifespans of Germany's 17 nuclear power stations by 12 years on average and her support for Stuttgart 21, the controversial underground railway station project, has sharpened the right-left divide in German politics and propelled the opposition Greens to unprecedented highs above 20 percent in opinion polls in 2010.

Were a general election to be held now, the government would be ousted by a center-left alliance of Social Democrats and Greens, according to opinion polls which put support for her government at just 37 percent.

http://www.spiegel.d...,736816,00.html

Did Angela Merkel Just Shut Seven Nuclear Power Plants As A Political Stunt?

This morning, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany would shut seven of its nuclear power plants for 3 months as part of a safety review.

But this move may be more about domestic political concerns than worries over the crisis in Fukushima, according to Der Spiegel.

http://www.businessi...ar-power-2011-3

It's all about politics and elections - little to do with nuclear safety. It's a great shame that politicians can't be made to keep their uniformed noses out of subjects that are way over their pay grade.

Greenpeace today called on the Japanese government to drop plans to raise the official limits of radiation exposure for children in Fukushima Prefecture, 20 milliSievert per year (1) – the same level as nuclear power plant workers, and twenty times the internationally recognised annual allowable dose for adults.

....

"While the declaration of a 20km no-entry zone around Fukushima Daiichi is a legitimate, if late response to the crisis, the Japanese authorities are still underplaying the risks to human health throughout the greater Fukushima area".

"Greenpeace radiation monitoring teams found highly contaminated hot spots in densely-populated areas of Fukushima City and Koriyama City (4). These areas need to be cleaned up immediately or evacuated, and the people made acutely aware of the risks they face – not made to think everything is ok with new safety limits", said Sato.

...

How much do you reckon global warming is going to cost us in the near future? Unfortunately, we can't trace CO2 the way we can radioactive isotopes, nor is the impact of global warming as simplistic as an interpolated relationship between radiation dose and cancers. Of course, the people that suffer the most - in places like Bangladesh - have least choice. Not that I particularly care about them either, but I can see that others might.

I am sure that the Japanese are stoically trying to make the best of a bad job, and the last thing that they need is the hardship of people being made homeless by arbitrary limits set by foreigners who are not affected; I am sure that thanks to their American allies the Japanese are only too aware of the possible impact of radiation, and if they think such a limit is acceptable, perhaps we should accede in deference their greater experience, even if we ourselves retain the more cautious limits that we can afford

SC

[Chopperboy]

Michio Ishikawa of the Japan Nuclear Technology Institute on the situation at Fukushima I Nuke Plant, as he appeared on Asahi TV on April 29

“I believe the fuel rods are completely melted. They may already have escaped the pressure vessel. Yes, they say 55% or 30%, but I believe they are all melted down. When the fuel rods melt, they melt from the middle part on down.

“I think the temperature inside the melted core is 2000 degrees to 2000 and several hundred degrees Celsius. A crust has formed on the surface where the water hits. Decay heat is 2000 to 3000 kilowatts, and through the cracks on the crust the radioactive materials (mostly noble gas and iodine) are escaping into the air.

[Later on] The show’s host says “But wait a minute, Mr. Ishikawa, you are a proponent of nuclear power and we expected to hear from you that everything is going well at Fukushima…”

Mr. Ishikawa answers, “Well, if I’m allowed to tell a lie…”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO0flpwmjJI&feature=youtu.be

Edited May 2, 2011 by Chopperboy

[StreetCowboy]

...

Mr. Ishikawa answers, “Well, if I’m allowed to tell a lie…”

...

We should be grateful for every ray of sunshine...

No matter how dry, a sense of humour is a valuable thing in troubled times

SC

[Chopperboy]

Deterioration situation - Spent Fuel Pool #4

Temperatures continue to rise in fuel pool #4 despite injecting an increasing amount of water.

Photo taken using camera connected to the end of a concrete pump arm.

Clockwise from the top:

1)Spent fuel assemblies, etc.

2) Control rods

3) Debris

4) Fresh fuel assemblies

5) Metal rack

Stock of SFP4

548 Spent/partially Fuel assemblies 4 month old about 2MW

783 Spent Fuel Assembles >> 4 months about 0.4kW

204 Brand new assemblies (heat negligable)

On 27/4/2011 Tepco stated that 70 tons/day of water is required to cool SFP4.

On the 28/4/2011 they stated 175 tons of water were boiling away.

[Chopperboy]

...

Mr. Ishikawa answers, “Well, if I’m allowed to tell a lie…”

...

We should be grateful for every ray of sunshine...

No matter how dry, a sense of humour is a valuable thing in troubled times

SC

Evacuation rather than humour could save lives!!

[Crushdepth]

Out of interest, to what extent do pressure groups and governments and others use fora such as this for deliberately spreading misinformation?

Perhaps some of our posters might like to give their comments?

SC

It was pretty obvious in the lead up the last Thai election that Thaivisa was being used as a platform for propaganda (hardly a surprise, since political parties all over the world hire people to dial into talkback radio and tv shows). And there is an ongoing BS campaign by both sides over the 2010 riots etc.

Tobacco companies certainly play the game. I haven't seen it for 'nuclear' issues like this myself but I would not be surprised. However, as far as this incident is concerned the main forum for swaying public opinion seems to be simply lying at press conferences.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Crushdepth

[StreetCowboy]

...

Mr. Ishikawa answers, “Well, if I’m allowed to tell a lie…”

...

We should be grateful for every ray of sunshine...

No matter how dry, a sense of humour is a valuable thing in troubled times

SC

Evacuation rather than humour could save lives!!

Or cost them, depending on where people can go for evacuation

Still, look on the bright side...

SC