Fukushima

Crack found over 200 feet above ground at Unit 1 & 2 exhaust stack — Fukushima Worker: May be more difficult to deal with than contaminated water

ENENews,

18 September, 2013

See more photos of exhaust stack here

Tepco ‘Prompt Report’: Fracture-like traces found on steel bracings at Fukushima Units 1 and 2 exhaust stack — High radiation dose rate in area, had measured over 10 sieverts/hr — Press conference to explain incident

“Workers detected radiation exceeding 10 sieverts per hour on the pipe” -UPI, August 2011

ENENews,

18 September, 2013

Title:Fracture-like Traces Found on Steel Members (Diagonal Bracings) in the Intermediate Section of the Exhaust Stack for Units 1 and 2 at Fukushima Daiichi NPS


Source: Fukushima Daiichi NPS Prompt Report
Date: Sept. 18, 2013

We have been conducting an on-site inspection for seismic safety evaluation on the exhaust stack for Units 1 and 2 at Fukushima Daiichi NPS. Today (on September 18), in the inspection, we found fracture-like traces on steel members (diagonal bracings) of the exhaust stack.

Since the area around the exhaust stack includes a location with a high dose rate, we will start a detailed investigation after examining how the investigation should be conducted.

The exhaust stack in question has been out of use. Neither abnormality in the plant data (the RPV bottom temperature, the PCV internal temperature, etc.) nor significant change has been found.

This incident will be explained in the regular press conference to be held today (on September 18).

TEPCO failed to meet promise on water barriers

NHK,

18 September, 2013

A onetime advisor to former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has revealed that the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant promised 2 years ago to build fences to block radioactive water leaks at the plant, but failed to deliver on the promise.



Democratic Party of Japan executive member Sumio Mabuchi told a party meeting on Wednesday that Tokyo Electric Power Company agreed with the DPJ-led government in June 2011 to build shields around the reactor buildings.



Soon after the crisis at the plant began in March 2011, Mabuchi was helping the government respond to the situation as an advisor to the prime minister.



Mabuchi says TEPCO asked the government not to announce the agreement about building the fences, saying that the company was worried the 1 billion dollar construction cost would add to its debt and lead to market confusion.

He says the government agreed not to publicize the deal.

Mabuchi says TEPCO then promised it would honor the agreement by building the fences immediately, but it did not carry out the work.

For video GO HERE

40 years – estimated duration of works at Fukushima

.




Steam observed 5 of previous 6 days at Fukushima Unit 3; Lasted for 24 hours straight at one point

— Nuclear Expert: There could be pockets of corium still in molten state; Nobody quite understands what’s going on (AUDIO)

ENENews!

18 September, 2013

Tepco has reported seeing steam at the Fukushima Unit No. 3 Reactor Building almost everyday from September 13-18 (Prior to September 13, no steam had been observed for over a month — since August 7):

• 8:00 AM on September 13 – 3:00 PM on September 13 (7 hours)
• 8:00 AM on September 15 – 8:00 AM on September 16 (24 hours)
• 8:00 AM on September 17 – 9:40 AM on September 17 (1 hr 40 min)
• 8:00 AM on September 18 – 10:00 AM on September 18 (2 hours)

Title: THE DEEPENING CRISIS AT FUKUSHIMA
Source: Green Power and Wellness
Host: Harvey Wasserman
Date: Aug. 12, 2013

At 7:00 in

Harvey Wasserman, host: Is there any of the corium at Fukushima still at 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit?

Gordon Edwards, nuclear expert and president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility: It’s conceivable there is, it’s impossible to know for sure… if you’re adding energy, if you’re adding heat, and if that heat cannot escape, if there’s no way for the heat to be removed, then the temperature will go up and up and up. There’s no limit to how high the temperature can go if the heat isn’t removed. Now the heat can be removed by various ways, by conduction, by convection, by active cooling. It’s possible the corium, the melted mass, there could be pockets of corium which are still in a molten state. We don’t know that for sure. [...]

Wasserman: Some steam has been observed on the site. That would be an indicator that we still have super hot material at Fukushima, is that correct?

Edwards: That’s right — and in fact there’s been several incidents of steam escaping. Nobody quite understands what’s going on.

Listen to the full interview here

Asahi: Buildings at Fukushima plant can start floating from too much groundwater

— Expert: Blocking groundwater with ice wall may weaken soil and cause buildings to topple (AUDIO)

ENENews

18 September, 2013

Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 18, 2013: [...] The site receives so much groundwater that special equipment–rendered useless by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami–was set up to prevent the plant’s buildings from floating on the continuous flow. [...] The original site of the Fukushima No. 1 plant was a cliff more than 30 meters high. But 20 meters was lopped off [...] putting the groundwater level only a few meters below the surface. The plant itself was constructed on land containing gravel layers through which water can easily pass through. In the past, a brook trickled by the No. 4 reactor. [...] Without that pumping, the buildings faced the danger of being buoyed by rising groundwater. [...] TEPCO officials have pinpointed only two locations, including the turbine building of the No. 1 reactor, where groundwater is entering the building basements. They believe there are many more breaches. [...]

Atsunao Marui, head of Groundwater Research Group at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology: “About 4 million tons of rain falls on the plant site over the course of a year. Of that figure, it is believed that between 1 million and 1.5 million tons seep into the ground.”

Gordon Edwards, nuclear expert (at 39:45 in): This underground river that we talked about flowing thorough — the problem with this is they don’t really know how to stop it. […] They really don’t know how to stop this flow because it’s a major aquifer. One of the plans that they are talking about is… a wall of ice a mile long to act as a barrier to prevent the groundwater from going in to the cores of these damaged reactors, in order to try and solve the problem… And nobody knows if it’s actually going to work. In fact, some of the experts in Japan have said that by diverting the groundwater around the sides of the building, you may weaken the soil to the point where the buildings themselves topple — and that could be a far worse problem. So, they really don’t know what they’re going. They literally don’t know what they’re doing.

From Yesterday: Gundersen: Fukushima reactor buildings essentially now sitting in mud — Soil could ‘disappear’ during quake and bring structures down with it; That can result from what Tepco’s doing to groundwater (AUDIO)