Fukushima updates

[robdogbucky]

TEPCO: reactor damage includes holes

The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says data analyses suggest damage to its reactors may have caused cracks and openings in the reactor containment vessels equivalent to a 10-centimeter hole.

Reactors 1 through 3 at the plant suffered nuclear fuel meltdowns after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. This is likely to have created holes and cracks at the bottom of the pressure vessels protecting the reactor cores and damaged the containment vessels.

Massive amounts of highly radioactive water also leaked from the structures.

Tokyo Electric Power Company analyzed the changes in pressure levels inside the pressure and containment vessels to gauge the scope of the damage...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 12:56 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/25_20.html



Quake may have damaged key piping at No.3 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company has released data which suggests the March 11th earthquake damaged a critical piping system in the No. 3 reactor at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The utility said that analysis of pressure and temperature data from the days after the quake shows that the No.3 reactor lost its cooling system on March 13th. Much of its nuclear fuel likely melted down and collected at the bottom of the pressure vessel over the next 24 hours.

The analysis also shows that piping in an emergency cooling mechanism, known as a high-pressure coolant injection system, may have been damaged by the earthquake. The system is designed to maintain the water level inside the reactor vessel during an emergency.

The system is known to have automatically switched on shortly after noon on March 12th...


Wednesday, May 25, 2011 18:46 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/society.html



No.1 reactor vessel damaged 18 hrs after quake


...The temperature of the containment vessel began to rise immediately after the earthquake. It shot up 15 hours after the quake, when a meltdown is believed to have occurred.

At 9 AM on March 12th, around 18 hours after the quake, the vessel's temperature had reached 300 degrees Celsius. That's more than double the temperature it was designed to withstand.

TEPCO says that when the temperature of a containment vessel hits 300 degrees, the rubber and metal parts used to seal joints will be damaged. The utility says highly contaminated water may have leaked through these damaged sections.

This is the first time that TEPCO has given details of how highly radioactive water may have been leaked at the No.1 reactor...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 05:02 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/25_03.html




High levels of cesium detected above No.1 reactor

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the density of radioactive cesium above the No.1 reactor is 18 times the permissible level for the edge of the plant's compound...

...TEPCO detected 360 becquerels of cesium-134 per cubic meter above the No.1 reactor, where most of the fuel rods are believed to have melted. The amount is 18 times the allowable limit for the plant's perimeter.

The firm also discovered 7.5 times the limit of cesium-134 above the No.4 reactor, which has no fuel in its core. The substance is believed to have come from the fuel storage pool and the neighboring No.3 reactor.

TEPCO says it will measure the levels of radioactive elements above the No.2 and No.3 reactors. It also plans to cover the reactor buildings with polyester sheets to prevent the further dispersal of radioactive materials into the air.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 07:48 +0900 (JST)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/25_07.html


More radioactive water may leak from Fukushima plant
2011/05/25

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is fast running out of places to stash highly radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and may soon be unable to prevent leaks into the ocean.

About 744 tons of water a day was being pumped into the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors as of May 22.

Some of that is evaporating into the atmosphere, but most appears to be ending up in pools of radioactive water at the plant.

TEPCO has been trying to contain that water by transferring it to storage areas around the site, but the containers for the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors are expected to reach full capacity in about four and three days, respectively...

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105240141.html



Japan: elderly engineers want 'final mission' to Fukushima
A group of elderly Japanese engineers are prepared to come out of retirement to fix the Fukushima nuclear power plant for their final mission.

By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo 7:00AM BST 25 May 2011

More than 160 nuclear and civil engineers over the age of 60 are planning to set up a Skilled Veterans Corps to assist restoring control over crucial cooling functions at the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant.

Decades of professional engineering expertise combined with a desire to protect younger workers from radiation exposure have united the elderly workers in a desire to help fix the plant.

The idea was masterminded by Yasuteru Yamada, 72, a retired engineer formerly working in plant construction, who was alarmed by reports of young subcontractors, some unskilled in this field, undertaking the high-risk work.

"We shouldn't leave the work only to young engineers," he said. "Young people, especially those who have children in future, should not be exposed to radiation." More than 1,000 people, including young subcontractors, are currently working in sensitive conditions at Fukushima in an on-going bid to restore control at the damaged six-reactor plant...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/8534808/Japan-elderly-engineers-want-final-mission-to-Fukushima.html




Some really good news for Japan;


Solar panels to be fitted in all Japan's new homes and buildings by 2030

Japan is expected to announce plans to make it compulsory for all new buildings and homes to be fitted with solar panels by 2030.

By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo 1:53PM BST 24 May 2011

Naoto Kan, the prime minister, is expected to confirm the "Sunrise Plan" initiative in a statement on the nation's energy policy at the forthcoming Group of Eight Summit opening this week in France.


Mr Kan is expected to tell other leaders that Japan will continue to use nuclear energy following industry-wide improvements on safety standards, according to Japanese media reports.


However, he is also expected to highlight the nation's future efforts to boost the use of renewable energy sources, in particular solar power for which the nation is already among the world's top users.


The exploration of alternative energy sources is timely, following the recent closure of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant due to its sensitive position on a fault line and the ongoing repair work at the tsunami- hit Fukushima plant...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8533083/Solar-panels-to-be-fitted-in-all-Japans-new-homes-and-buildings-by-2030.html