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Clerk in charge -
04-14-2011, 05:15 AM
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 Some ultra-radical, maybe....
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difficulty of lowering the level of the radioactive water -
04-14-2011, 10:01 AM
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04-14-2011, 02:03 PM
That the radiation levels had decreased in Tokyo to pre-earthquake/tsunami/accident levels (barely....but still there), you would THINK was some "major newswothy item" and would have been covered by the mainstream press here in the USA. Nope. Not a peep.
Guess it is not something that induces fear in the general populace. Can't mention any potentially good news. Might affect the ratings and the tendency for people to look at other "bad news" headlines they will still write about everything Japanese that can be construed in the most negative fashion possible.  best, .....................john Quote:
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04-14-2011, 08:45 PM
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I also heard ZERO about this here in Germany.. it's ridiculous really! The things wich I DO hear everyday is that the radioactivity could very well top the amount from Chernobyl..
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04-15-2011, 01:43 AM
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But that's humanity for you...
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04-15-2011, 02:32 AM
Another interesting recent development from TEPCO:
"Press Release (Apr 08,2011) Avoiding implementation of rolling blackouts and measures to maintain power supply-demand balance toward summer period Due to the tight power supply-demand balance, TEPCO has been implementing rolling blackouts since March 14 (Mon). We sincerely regret causing anxiety and inconvenience to our customers and the society. We appreciate your cooperation in conserving electricity consumption. Since number of our nuclear power stations and thermal power stations were damaged by Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake and were shut down, we are currently focusing on restoration and maintenance of supply capacity. As a result of widespread cooperation from our customers in conserving electricity, the supply-demand balance has improved significantly. Considering the situation, we have decided to cease the implementation of rolling blackouts for the time being. 1. Forecast of power supply-demand balance Currently, peak demand of each day has been continuing to be approximately 20% lower compared to that of previous year. We consider this as an effect of not only stagnant of corporate activity due to the earthquake but also effort to conserve electricity driven by the customers. We are assuming that weekly peak demand of April and May will decrease for the meanwhile as a result of rising temperature and Golden Week holidays, in addition to customer's cooperation on conserving electricity. Subsequently, the demand will increase toward the end of May but at a relatively low level around 38,000 MW. By restoring power plants, we would be able to maintain supply capacity at around 39,000 MW to 42,000 MW. Accordingly, our supply capacity shall have some allowance. 2. Cease implementing rolling blackouts Taking into account these assumptions, we consider that power supply-demand balance will be maintained. Hence, in principle, we have decided to cease the implementation of rolling blackouts. Since the electricity demand may increase rapidly due to unexpected weather changes or trouble in our facilities such as restored power plants, we kindly request our customers to continue conserving electricity. In case the power supply-demand balance gets tightened, we may implement rolling blackouts after giving prior notice, therefore your cooperation would be very much appreciated. 3. Measures regarding power supply-demand balance toward this summer On the other hand, supply capacity (46,500 MW) is deemed to be significantly short considering the peak demand (assumed to be 55,000 MW*). (supply capacity and peak demand are forecasts at the end of July) [previously announced on March 25th] *Peak demand of last summer (July 23rd) was 59,900 MW due to remarkably high temperature. Hence, in order to continue to cease the implementation of rolling blackouts in the summer period, we will be taking measures as follows. (1) Measures on supply side We will make our best efforts as follows to further enhance supply capacity. -Further restoration and start-up of thermal power plants including jointly owned power plants. -Installation of emergency power sources such as gas turbines. -Utilization of in-house power generators. -Utilization of pumped-storage hydroelectric power generators (2) Measures on demand side At present, despite the measures to be taken on supply side, power supply-demand balance is unlikely to be maintained. Therefore, we appreciate your cooperation in conserving electricity during the summer period. Taking into account the "framework for measures on electricity supply and demand during summer period" presented from governmental headquarters for emergency measures on electricity supply and demand, we will proactively provide consultancy services, information, equipment inspection, recommendation on entering into contract for control of demand and supply to household, commercial and industrial customers in order to enable enhancement of electricity conservation. We sincerely regret causing anxiety and inconvenience to our customers, and appreciate your continuous cooperation in conserving electricity consumption. "
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04-15-2011, 03:23 AM
Another thing not mentioned about the Fukushima plant is that the earthquake and tsunami were both greater than the design standards set by the government, meaning that the plant was not designed to withstand either the quake or the tsunami. That the plant was damaged is not the fault of the workers, plant operators, or it's builders. The government standards of the time never considered the possibility of a quake of this magnitude, as none this large had occurred in memorable history. That the plant was damaged is not surprising, what is surprising is that the damage wan't worse.
Current operating plants will have to be upgraded to higher standards, and perhaps the reactors should be upgraded to the newer designs which use natural convection to circulate coolant and do not depend on separate pump systems.
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toxic water -
04-15-2011, 03:52 AM
Groundwater radiation level at nuke plant rises: TEPCO
TOKYO, April 15, Kyodo The concentration levels of radioactive iodine and cesium in groundwater near the troubled Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have increased up to several dozen times in one week, suggesting that toxic water has seeped from nearby reactor turbine buildings or elsewhere, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday. The announcement came as the plant operator continued to grapple with pools of highly radioactive water found on the plant's premises, with the level of polluted water filling an underground trench edging up again after the company finished pumping out around 660 tons of water. According to the latest findings, a groundwater sample taken April 6 near the No. 1 reactor turbine building showed radioactive iodine-131 of 72 becquerels per cubic meter, with the concentration level growing to 400 becquerels as of Wednesday. The concentration level of cesium-134 increased from 1.4 becquerels to 53 becquerels. The government's nuclear regulatory agency said it had ordered the utility firm known as TEPCO to enhance monitoring of groundwater inside the plant, which is located on the Pacific coast. A total of around 60,000 tons of contaminated water is believed to be flooding the basements of the Nos. 1 to 3 reactor turbine buildings as well as trenches connected to them, and the water is hampering work to restore the cooling functions of the reactors lost since the March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. The pools of contaminated water are believed to be a side effect of TEPCO's emergency efforts to continue injecting water into the reactors and their spent nuclear fuel pools from outside to cool them down. TEPCO pumped out around 660 tons of highly radioactive water Tuesday and Wednesday from one of the trenches to a ''condenser'' inside the nearby No. 2 reactor turbine building, where during normal operation steam from the reactor is converted into water. But the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the water level in the vertical part of the trench as of 11 a.m. Thursday had increased by about 4.5 centimeters from the level observed at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The level of the water is now only 1.5 centimeters lower than shortly before the water-transfer mission started at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday. Rest of article Pumping big amounts of fresh water into reactor core gets the result of increasing level of contaminated water in service trenches and basements.....
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04-15-2011, 05:38 AM
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It was actually hit with less than a 7. Sure, the epicenter was a 9, but the plant isn`t standing on the epicenter. This is fueling the misconception that the plant was not built to withstand a quake of the size that hit it. People have a tendency to forget that the epicenter number isn`t always the same as what hits populated areas. I believe even the very worst hit places only got a 7 in terms of shaking. As the plant was built to withstand an 8, and was hit by a 6.8(? vague recollection here) there was very little earthquake damage sustained to the facilities. The damage that did occur can be easily explained by the simple fact that while the building was built to withstand an 8, it was also only built to run 25 or 30 years - but had been extended to 40+. In the end, it was the tsunami. That was what they had not planned for. They built a huge wall, but it wasn`t quite high enough. Everything that has happened is a result of the problems caused by the plant being flooded and having stuff washed away... Quote:
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