Making mountains out of meltdowns (in Japan)
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@unknownuser said:
TEPCO tackles increasing contaminated water
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant says water accumulating in the basement of the No. 1 reactor building is contaminated with highly radioactive substances. The utility is battling to stop further leaks as the rainy season approaches.
Tokyo Electric Power Company detected 2 million becquerels of radioactive cesium per cubic centimeter of water in the basement of the No. 1 reactor building.
It speculates that radioactive substances from the melted fuel have leaked from the pressure vessel encasing the reactor core.
Large amounts of contaminated water in the plant's buildings are hampering efforts to contain the situation.
TEPCO has created a map showing the distribution of contaminated water at the plant to prevent a recurrence of the accident in March, where 3 workers were exposed to radiation by stepping in contaminated water in the basement of the No. 3 reactor's turbine building.
Rain showers that began Sunday are causing the water levels in the No. 2 and 3 turbine buildings to rise at a faster pace of 3 to 4 millimeters per hour.
The company plans to set up a cooling system to circulate decontaminated water back into reactors. The system is expected to be set up in July.
Until then, the utility needs to come up with measures to prevent further leakage, such as transferring the water to a new storage site.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 06:03 +0900 (JST)
@unknownuser said:
Rain increases radioactive water at nuke plant
Heavy rain has increased the volume of highly radioactive water building up inside the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.Contaminated water already floods the basements of the turbine and reactor buildings, partly due to water injections to cool down the reactor cores.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, now says water levels rose faster on Monday as rain poured inside the badly damaged buildings.
In the basement of the No.1 reactor building, radioactive water rose by 37.6 centimeters during the 24 hours through Tuesday morning.
At the No.2 reactor, the level of water rose by 8.6 centimeters in an underground tunnel extending from the building.
The water in the tunnel's shaft is now only about 39 centimeters below ground level. The utility is speeding up work to seal the opening.
TEPCO is planning to decontaminate and recycle the radioactive water as coolant for the reactors. But the system won't be in place until July at the earliest.
In the meantime, the utility is studying steps to prevent rainwater from seeping in. It will also consider new storage sites to which the contaminated water can be quickly transferred as the rainy season approaches.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 12:32 +0900 (JST)
@unknownuser said:
High radioactivity levels at No.1 reactor
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reported high levels of radioactive substances in water that has accumulated in the basement of its Number 1 reactor.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says a water sample taken from the reactor building's basement on Friday contained 2.5 million becquerels of radioactive cesium-134 per cubic centimeter. It also detected 2.9 million becquerels of cesium-137 and 30,000 becquerels of iodine-131.The levels are almost the same as those already measured in contaminated water in the basement of the Number 2 reactor's turbine building.
Water contaminated with highly radioactive substances has flooded the reactor building's basement, apparently after leaking from holes created in the reactor's pressure and containment vessels in the fuel meltdown.
Under the utility's plan to bring the plant under control, a circulatory cooling system is to be installed to decontaminate radioactive water and use it as a coolant.
TEPCO says it will examine ways to decontaminate the water, as its radiation levels are too high for workers to approach.Monday, May 30, 2011 22:25 +0900 (JST)
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@tfdesign said:
However the situation that is out of control is the German energy situation where the German chancellor has agreed to shut down Germany's energy programme on based on the events at Fukishima. This means that Germany will now have to import electricity from France, or worst still burn coal!
I have to agree with you here. What in the world are they thinking? Is Germany afraid of a giant earthquake and tsunami happening in Europe? If yes where did they get that info? Another question is with what will they replace the reactors?I don't think fossil fuels should be an option. Maybe they know something about the fusion reactor's development that we don't?
Anyway that will be an incentive for the nearby countries around Germany to build more reactors and sell them electricity. What idiots..... -
I think Germany's (Merkel's) decision is political. She's down in the polls and knows that 70-80% of Germans are opposed to nuclear energy. They are the greenest country in europe and after closing 17 reactors they'll be the greenest in the world.
I think 30% of their energy come from nuclear reactors so that'll have to replaced by either green energy or buying from neighbours as you mention.
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What annoys me most is not that they're getting rid of their reactors and replacing them with safer and greener alternatives, it is the reason they gave. Like what happened in Japan is even a possibility in Germany. I don't remember Germany having 30 earthquakes over 6 in magnitude in the last 100 years. They should have just said that they are committed to using green energy and thus they plan on disposing of their reactors without ever linking Japan to that decision. It just sounds stupid to me.
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What surprises me most is.....
@unknownuser said:
don't remember Germany having 30 earthquakes over 6 in magnitude in the last 100 years
...you must be our oldest member
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Yes, while nuclear energy seems to be a necessity, it doesn't hurt to rethink the alternatives. However I still have a question of the validity of many "green" options. Manufacture, and safe disposal of batteries, and "green light bulbs" may become a real problem in the future.
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@unknownuser said:
What surprises me most is.....
@unknownuser said:
don't remember Germany having 30 earthquakes over 6 in magnitude in the last 100 years
...you must be our oldest member
You may not know this about me but I remember all of my past lives.
I wish I didn't remember being Hitler though...@honoluludesktop said:
Yes, while nuclear energy seems to be a necessity, it doesn't hurt to rethink the alternatives. However I still have a question of the validity of many "green" options. Manufacture, and safe disposal of batteries, and "green light bulbs" may become a real problem in the future.
I have nothing against looking for alternatives, I'm all for it, but taking decisions in the "heat of the moment" is not the wisest way to move ahead. And like you say we don't know how green, green technology really is yet. We shouldn't just rush into things.
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Nuclear energy is perfect when all goes in a good way
but as soon as there is something wrong for any reason that is a nightmare!
and there is always something wrong in the duration time- multiplications of nuclears plant sites!
We just can do that for radioactive waste!
If you want electricity, make it with your legs!
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And don't forget stupidy like this for example!
All was written but they don't want to see, to much cost to make a big wall against tsunami
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First good news for the ocean at the base of the nuclear plant.
@unknownuser said:
Radiation levels fall in Fukushima seawater
Tokyo Electric Power Company says radiation levels have fallen in seawater near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The utility said on Tuesday it had detected 3.1 becquerels of cesium 134 per cubic meter of seawater near the water intake of the No.3 reactor.
The reading is 52 times the national limit, but the lowest since TEPCO began checking radiation levels near the intake after the nuclear accident that followed the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
On May 11th, a level 32,000 times the national limit was detected at the same location due to a leak of highly contaminated water from the plant.
Cesium 134 was found in seawater 16 kilometers from the plant on Monday, but the level was below the limit set by the government.
The utility said the level of radioactive iodine near the water intake at the No.2 reactor was 160 times the limit on Monday.
But the reading was less than one-third of the previous day's figure.
TEPCO said it found radioactive strontium in seawater samples taken at 4 locations off Fukushima Prefecture on May 9th, but the levels were all below the national limit.
Radioactive strontium is produced during the nuclear fission of uranium. It was found in seawater off Fukushima in April.
TEPCO said the substance probably came from the damaged plant. The utility also said the detected levels were very low, but it will continue to monitor the seawater.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011 02:59 +0900 (JST)
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@unknownuser said:
If you want electricity, make it with your legs!
Has it ever occurred to you how you would mass-produce the dynamos and stand required to manufacture your leg-powered device? And what about a kidney dialysis machine? Do you expect patients to cycle for their lives?
You regressive middle-class 'environmentalists' do nothing but present the same old reactionary reasons without thinking of the huge implications lowering mass electricity consumption will mean to society.
How do you expect old people to stay warm during the winter without help? Give them an axe and a pile of wood? That's fine, but then we get back to the same old argument of CO2 emissions. So what, you're saying get on yer bike and pedal hard? Nope, I don't think so.
BTW, something worth a thought, and a bit OT, while we're on the subject of 'saving the planet', the recent outbreak of e-coli bacteria in Germany this week, the source of the infection came from organic cucumbers. 10 people have died already. If mass-production is such a bad idea, how come we've managed to feed the world with it, and safely for the past x amount of years without killing millions? And that count of 10, is still more than the amount of people killed so far from a nuclear power station in northern Japan!
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The Japanese people are quite remarkable
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13597670
and this should not be forgotten.
The sums are quite simple. You just add up the number of kW-h needed to power the world's economy and the 'current' need for nuclear power becomes obvious. This could change with political will and a huge amount of investment, but not over night. It is my opinion that we are stuck with nuclear power for the next 30 to 40 years, but I hope I'm wrong.
So, where is all this money going to come from for new technologies? Not from Bahrain I fear. How wacko can you get!
Regards,
Bob -
@watkins said:
The Japanese people are quite remarkable
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13597670
and this should not be forgotten.
Utterly selfless
..........While the selfish and bourgeois western 'elite' continue to look on, observe and pass judgement.......
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I think the ski slope in Bahrain, although being totally self-indulgent (and why not?) is a great idea! Just because it's in the desert, does this mean it's bad? I think not. Anyway it would be hypocritical of the bourgeois west to criticise this complex when the UK. And other non-snowy countries also have their own indoor skiing facilities. There's a snowdome only 10 miles from here in Tamworth. We also passed another just outside Leeds yesterday.
I want MORE electricity!!
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With the currently reported levels of radiation in the Nuclear Plant's water, how could they consider dumping it into the Ocean.
@unknownuser said:
TEPCO mulls release of decontaminated water
The Tokyo Electric Power Company is studying a plan to decontaminate seawater pooled at the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant and discharge it into the sea.
TEPCO says about 3,000 cubic meters of radioactive seawater has been stagnant in the basement of the plant's reactor and turbine buildings since being hit by a tsunami following the March 11th earthquake.
The utility says the temperature in all 4 of the plant's reactors has fallen below 100 degrees Celsius, but cites the risk that stagnant seawater will corrode equipment.
TEPCO is considering a plan to decontaminate the water so that it meets national safety standards and then release it into the Pacific Ocean.
The utility says the concentration of radioactive cesium in the water is 30 times the permissible limit, but that it contains no other radioactive materials exceeding the safety limits.
In April, TEPCO drew strong criticism for discharging contaminated water with levels of radioactive iodine-131 about 100 times the limit from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The utility will decide whether to discharge water from the Daini plant after consulting with local municipalities, people in the fishing industry, and the Fisheries Agency.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says that a full examination of the plan is necessary even if radioactivity is below the safety limit.
It added that the concerns of local municipalities and people in the fishing industry must be taken into account.
The Fisheries Agency says it cannot now authorize a discharge of seawater even if the level of contamination is under the limit.
The chief of a fishing cooperatives' association in Fukushima Prefecture expressed shock and bewilderment at the utility's plan.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011 19:55 +0900 (JST)
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@honoluludesktop said:
With the currently reported levels of radiation in the Nuclear Plant's water, how could they consider dumping it into the Ocean.
Erm....because the level of danger from radiation is below safety levels? Come on Hono, stop playing up to the sensationalist game!
"The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says that a full examination of the plan is necessary even if radioactivity is below the safety limit."
"The chief of a fishing cooperatives' association in Fukushima Prefecture expressed shock and bewilderment at the utility's plan."
Well they would say that wouldn't they? After all they are only fishermen and not nuclear scientists and are being being fed this sensationalist rubbish by NHK!
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These are not my reports or measurements. Aren't the reported levels of radiation (per cubic centimeters) sufficient to cause illness, and death? Perhaps not in the case of Superman, and yourself.:) Where are you getting your measurements from? Besides NHK, here is another source. As I posted before, the NHK is Japan's Voice of America, unlikely to to make light of the problem. If anything, I expect them to down play the situation.
The reason I continue to post, is because it is no longer "front page news", but a serious issue that should not be swept under the carpet.
@unknownuser said:
High radioactivity levels at No.1 reactorThe operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reported high levels of radioactive substances in water that has accumulated in the basement of its Number 1 reactor.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says a water sample taken from the reactor building's basement on Friday contained
2.5 million becquerels of radioactive cesium-134 per cubic centimeter. It also detected2.9 million becquerels of cesium-137 and 30,000 becquerels of iodine-131.The levels are almost the same as those already measured in contaminated water in the basement of the Number 2 reactor's turbine building.Water contaminated with highly radioactive substances has flooded the reactor building's basement, apparently after leaking from holes created in the reactor's pressure and containment vessels in the fuel meltdown.
Under the utility's plan to bring the plant under control, a circulatory cooling system is to be installed to decontaminate radioactive water and use it as a coolant.
TEPCO says it will examine ways to decontaminate the water, as its
radiation levels are too high for workers to approach.Monday, May 30, 2011 22:25 +0900 (JST)
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@honoluludesktop said:
These are not my reports or measurements. Aren't the reported levels of radiation (per cubic centimeters) sufficient to cause illness, and death? Perhaps not in the case of Superman, and yourself.
Hooray! You've finally started to talk! There is life in this architect!
Well let's start by you telling me. I mean;
@unknownuser said:
High radioactivity levels at No.1 reactorThe operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reported high levels of radioactive substances in water that has accumulated in the basement of its Number 1 reactor.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says a water sample taken from the reactor building's basement on Friday contained
2.5 million becquerels of radioactive cesium-134 per cubic centimeter. It also detected2.9 million becquerels of cesium-137 and 30,000 becquerels of iodine-131.Let's start, by you giving us a detailed explanation with what exactly a becquerel is? And if we are counting millions of these things, why is no one worried? And why are older members of the community willing to get stuck in and help? Death? Death comes to us all. My very lovely friend Hannah has cancer. My brother has Alzheimer's. My sister in law recently died of multiple sclerosis. Fortunately my other parents in law's parents lived to 100 years and over!). Bottom line is, we all die. And if we do nothing about feeding ourselves, a lot more people will die, if we don't go forward and discover, and invest, and experiment.
@honoluludesktop said:
The reason I continue to post, is because it is no longer "front page news", but a serious issue that should not be swept under the carpet.
Serious issue? Really? And you don't think that finding and providing power to the whole world over the next 60 years or so is not a serious issue? Or perhaps you do? So explain to me how you intend to do that? We're all living a lot longer (isn't it great?!) We all need more food and more power. Wind? Solar?? Ever heard of "Entropy"? I don't think so. Fusion perhaps? But that technology is a long way off. So what are we to do in the meantime? Renewables? What renewables? Hydrogen producing algae? Sounds interesting? What about batteries that can grow themselves? Sounds great- but we're not going to get any of that technology if we simply worry then walk away from what we have now, will we?
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Just do the math.
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