TEPCO releasing pressure at Fukushima No. 1 reactor-trade min

[jpak]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/japan-quake-tepco-radiation-idUSTKZ00680420110312

Tokyo Electric Power Co has begun releasing pressure from No.1 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the trade ministry said on Saturday, a day after a massive quake hit northern Japan.

TEPCO said it would prepare for the release of pressure from the second nuclear plant, the Fukushima Daini plant, as pressure mounted.

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[NNadir]

1. Um, um, um...so?

[jpak]

2. They are releasing radioactive materials

n/t

[FBaggins]

5. How much?

Or is that not relevant?

[jpak]

6. I don't know - but I do know this

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-11/pressure-radiation-rising-at-japanese-reactors-after-quake.html

March 12 (Bloomberg) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it lost control of pressure building at three reactors at one of its nuclear power plants, and radiation levels are rising at another after a powerful earthquake shut down the plants’ cooling systems.

The company is venting radioactive vapor at the Dai-Ichi plant in Fukushima, Japan, to reduce the pressure building up from steam inside the reactor containment structure, Tokyo Electric Power said in a statement. It’s preparing to vent at the second plant, also. The company is monitoring radiation from the discharges.

The national government widened an evacuation order for residents who live near two of the utility’s plants in Fukushima to a radius of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from 3 kilometers, the company said.

The radiation level in the central control room of the Dai- Ichi No. 1 reactor rose to 1,000 times higher than normal, Kyodo News reported, citing Japan’s nuclear safety agency.

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[NNadir]

9. Of course you DON'T know.

You don't know anything at all about the situation.

By the way, do you give a fuck about the people who died from, um, buildings?

Any concern about the burning dangerous fossil fuels, that have killed people?

Um, no?

I thought so.

[jpak]

10. I do not know and you do not know - there have been no TEPCO press releases on the quantity released

I don't give a flying fuck about the rats ass

yup

[Name removed]

11. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FBaggins]

13. But we DO know ONE thing

Whatever amount is announced. There will be at least 3-6 posters here who are certain that the actual levels were at least 100 times higher.

Possibly mant thousands of times higher.

The nuclear industry lies you see?

[jpak]

14. one word

Monshu

google it

yup

[FBaggins]

15. The head of a monastery?

I consider myself chastised. Thanks :)

[jpak]

16. lol - try monju

There was a series fire at the Monjo breeder prototype in 1995

lotsa CYA

yup

[FBaggins]

17. Got it.

I'm not saying that nobody every lies about the extent of an incident. That's hardly limited to nuclear power companies.

But that doesn't mean that EVERY incident is therefore lied about. That's the difference I'm talking about.

[FBaggins]

12. "This" unfortunately doesn't tell us much.

What's a normal level in the control room? If it's 1/10,000th of a dangerous level, this isn't a big deal (particularly since they've almost certainly been in protective gear for many hours now).

They're venting excess pressure and that's certainly going to contain some radioactivity, but if the core isn't damaged, it really wouldnt' be very much. It makes a big difference.

[NNadir]

7. Um., um. um, so?

[FBaggins]

3. It's at least interesting.

Of course... they don't say how much. But there are some that won't care.

What is interesting (assuming what I read this morning was correct) is that one of these plants wasn't originally equiped to release excess pressure in this fashion. It was retrofitted quite some time ago, but it would have been a more significant issue without that ability.

[godai]

4. Hopefully this begins the process to regain control.

I understand that they have portable power equipment on the scene now. This may allow the cooling process to restart. CNN just covered this. The expert indicated, no chance of a Chernobyl (the rods dropped as they should have) but a 3 Mile Island scenario is worst case, if the power to the generators is not restored in the next few hours.

[jpak]

8. UPDATE 4-Japan warns of radiation leak from quake-hit plants

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/japan-quake-reactor-idUSL3E7EB2HM20110312

Japan warned of a possible radiation leak on Saturday as authorities battled to contain rising pressure at two nuclear plants damaged by a massive earthquake, and were moving tens of thousands of residents in the area out of harm's way.

Tokyo Electric Power Co said it has begun steps to release pressure at its two nuclear power plants in Fukushima, located some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.

While some radiation leakage could be expected, Naoto Sekimura, a professor at the University of Tokyo, said a major radioactive disaster was not likely.

"No Chernobyl is possible at a light water reactor. Loss of coolant means a temperature rise, but it also will stop the reaction," he said.

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