*** Fukushima *** and other nuclear-----updates and links

Yeah. That one would be worth re-posting..
Wish I could remember what page it is on..

How ya doin', girl..?

It really was worth watching - should be mandatory. It's sooo many pages back now it might be hard to find.

I'm doing ok, the oldest left Friday so I took the day off and had myself a one woman pity party. All better now though and looking forward to her new adventures in life. At some point you have to stand back and let the bird fly...I still wish it was closer than Missouri though.

True dat ^ , as they say in the bayou..

I can sympathize.. as I am 1150 miles from most of my family. My baby girl has one foot out the door but, hopefully, she won't move very far away..

Feel better..

My youngest daughter said "Don't worry mom, I plan to live with you till I'm 50". She was trying to make me feel betteer. That did not make me feel better, I want them to experience all that life has to offer. I told her she could move out and go on with her life, but I would prefer that she stays within an 8 hour drive. LOL

67 years ago, today..

This week in history: The beginning of the nuclear age
[link to www.deseretnews.com]

I had a feeling that the BS about the explosion at 4 being due to hydrogen gas migrating from 3 was bogus..

~



March 25th, 2011 – Presentation from Japan Nuclear Technology invokes questions about official analysis of Reactor 4 explosion
[link to enformable.com]

[snip]

Looking at this synopsis, it may imply that the build-up of hydrogen that led to the explosion in Reactor 4 was generated in that reactor building, and did not travel from Unit 3 as TEPCO has since stated.

The presentation is uncertain as to the root cause of the hydrogen build-up in the reactor, but there are two theories with how this may have occurred if the hydrogen did in fact source from the Spent Fuel Pool

A: The buildup was created from the steam bubbles being produced in the Spent Fuel Pool water, (as Dr. Genn Saji has stated), or

B: came from the zirconium at the top of the fuel being exposed to air (As Arnie Gundersen has proposed).

When the pool water temperature rose above the boiling point, practically all of the dissolved hydrogen (DH) gas generated, is likely to be released into the Spent Fuel Pool room.

If in fact the temperature of the water allowed it to reach a boiling point, the racks containing the spent fuel might have become distorted, which may make TEPCO’s removal plans more difficult. Recently TEPCO announced that they will attempt to remove two spent fuel bundles that gave off no heat (new), which means that their test might not be meaningful.

so nice to be back to a page that makes sense of the missery rather that peeps who simply state it never happened or is negligable... been bussy last few weeks but still archiving ... ty to all.. you know who you are....

Lithuania to hold a referendum on nuclear plant
Lithuania lawmakers have approved holding a referendum on whether to build a new nuclear power plant.

The non-binding vote will be on the same day as parliamentary elections, October 14th.

The government has proposed building the plant after 2020. Japanese firm Hitachi was granted preferential negotiating rights last year for the project.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Radioactive village rezoned into 3 parts
A village in Fukushima Prefecture has been divided into 3 areas according to accessibility.

One area has been fenced off because of a high level of radioactive contamination.

Nearly all of the 6,000 residents were removed from Iitate village after the March 2011 accident at the nearby Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The village was reclassified into 3 areas on Tuesday.
6 fences were set up along the border of the no-entry zone which is expected to be uninhabitable for a long time.

At midnight government officials locked down 3 of the 6 fences with coded bolts. Only people who own homes in the area are allowed to enter using the code, but their stay will be limited from morning to evening. They are prohibited from staying overnight in their homes.

In Iitate village, full-fledged decontamination work will start focusing on homes so residents can return. But there is no plan yet to decontaminate wooded land and paddy fields which cover 85 percent of the village.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Power usage surges in scorching heat
Power usage across Japan has surged amid scorching heat in much of the country.

Power usage on Tuesday reached 91 percent of capacity for Tokyo Electric Power Company, which provides power to the capital and nearby prefectures.

Usage in central Japan hit 93 percent for Chubu Electric Power Company, and 90 percent for Hokuriku Electric.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Utility employees banned from voicing views at energy policy hearings
The government has decided not to allow employees of electricity companies to voice opinions at state-sponsored open hearings on energy policy in a bid to avoid raising public suspicion on the forums' neutrality, national policy minister Motohisa Furukawa said Tuesday.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Another reactor at Oi power plant to be reactivated Wednesday
The No. 4 reactor at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture is due to be reactivated Wednesday night, becoming the second reactor to resume operations following regular checks in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The 1.18 million kilowatt No. 4 reactor is scheduled to begin power transmission on Saturday and get up to full operation on July 25, further easing power constraints in western Japan.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Good to see you, CP.

I know what you mean. The main board is the wild, wild west. I'm losing the desire to post there, any more. If someone comes here looking for info, they will get honesty.. Can't vouch for any other threads. I throw in my opinion now and then, backing them up, most of the time with links to articles... doesn't seem to make any difference.

It still irks me, 'tho, when I see people being fed bullshit and falling for it..
The hostility is palpable. The preponderance of evidence is pissing people off and I think they are frustrated at being taken in by bogus entities and bogus information..
Or possibly, pissed at themselves for being in denial for so long..

At some point you have to step back and look at the big picture. I don't think that many are doing that.

C'est la vie..

Simply the best!

Mmmm... I thought we were told there would be no health effects here..?
Did I 'lucid' dream that or something..?
Surely I must have..
Why would anybody make a ridiculous claim such as that soon after a triple meltdown..?

~





Fukushima fallout could cause cancer deaths in Alaska and US
[link to www.alaskadispatch.com]

[snip]

The results of their analysis -- “Worldwide health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident” -- was published Tuesday in the journal Energy and Environmental Science. They said it was most detailed analysis of the health impact by the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The paper contains some disconcerting graphics showing how measurable (if relatively small) radioactive fallout moved across the Pacific and drifted over Alaska and other North American locales.

“The estimates have large uncertainty ranges,” the authors explained, “but contrast with previous claims that the radioactive release would likely cause no severe health effects.”

~

I wonder what would happen if more people got involved with this thread, posting every rational article they could find on the web. A flash mob of posters.
Imagine the info that could be gleaned in a short period of time. Maybe help some people understand the situation we are all in together is just what it is.. a global catastrophe.. that needs to be dealt with by the combined weight of the finest minds and technology that are available to us, for as long as it takes... screw the cost.. Get it done.. now!

But... I digress..

~

Redundant news, lately..

~



NISA warns of active fault beneath Shika nuke plant
[link to ajw.asahi.com]

[snip]

A geological fault line that runs directly beneath a reactor building at the Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa Prefecture is likely an active one, a government agency has warned, despite the plant operator's repeated assertion over 25 years that it is inactive.

The government's safety standards mandate that key nuclear power facilities not be built directly over an active fault. If the fault is identified as active, that could force the site to be declared inoperable and the Shika nuclear plant, which is currently offline, to be decommissioned.

Denied..

~




Uranium regulations lawsuit thrown out
[link to www.telluridenews.com]

[snip]

With a new Denver District Court ruling, state regulators as well as private citizens will continue to have full involvement with the permitting and regulatory processes of mining operations.

Powertech Uranium Corp., a Canadian uranium prospecting company, originally filed the lawsuit in late October 2010. The company claimed the state had exceeded its authority by implementing rules and regulations concerning a broad range of mining issues. Specifically, the company’s challenge was aimed at in situ uranium mining in regards to ground water protections and public input when issuing permits. However, on Friday Judge Christina Habas rejected all of the company’s arguments.

“The lawsuit brought by Powertech was fairly broad,” said Western Mining Action Project attorney Jeff Parson. “It attacked the entire set of rules that were finalized by the [Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board] in late 2010. For instance, they tried to challenge the ability of citizens to participate in the mine permitting process at the earliest stages. That certainly would have affected all mines across the state.”

Office of Public Counsel expert says FPL's nuclear project on 'runaway course of its own'

[snip]
Jacobs, a consultant with GDS Associates Inc. who has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from Georgia Tech and was involved in power plant start-ups for 12 years, said the estimated future costs for the Turkey Point project increased by $555 million in 14 months, but the costs have been "buried" by combining them with other projects.

"It is now clear that the Turkey Point EPU project is on a runaway course of its own, the extent of which is being buried by FPL's composite approach," he said. His testimony was filed July 10.
[link to www.thefloridacurrent.com]

[snip]
Reprocessing appears dirty and dangerous enough, but it is “the fundamental link between a nuclear reactor and a plutonium bomb. Irradiated, or “spent,” fuel is separated into its constituent ingredients. The plutonium can be used to make MOX reactor fuel or bombs. The most lethal reactor at the melted down Fukushima plant in Japan utilized MOX fuel. Accounting for civilian use of plutonium is one of the world’s greatest proliferation accountability problems. Reprocessing procedures leave millions of gallons of radioactive liquid in aging tanks threatening to leak into waters of Washington, Idaho, South Carolina and New York.

The weapons grade (or high assay) enriched uranium cylinders at the diffusion plants resulted in potential money generating schemes. There were 41,000 depleted uranium cylinders at Paducah and approximately 20,700 depleted uranium cylinders at Portsmouth. Of those, 8,800 at Paducah and 5,800 cylinders at Portsmouth had so-called “high assay tails.” Instead of an environmental liability, the proposal was to generate $2.2 B by turning them into a re-enriched commercial asset for at the time 19% of U.S. electricity came from nuclear power. The re-enrichment would delay mothballing Paducah, keep workers earning, and provide 10% of the nation’s nuclear electricity needs, while postponing the allocation for D & D mandates at Paducah. (From Paducah Citizen Advisory Board, Re-Enrichment of High Assay Tails, dated August 25, 2011.)

According to Congressional records, President Obama requested $155 million in FY 2012 for DOE’s research and development program , as well as now providing loan guarantees for the proposed reprocessing facility at the site of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion facility. However, the plain English description of the plan appears to be a revival of the imperfect re-processing that had been done at HPP/RPP and certain diffusion plants.

[link to www.huntingtonnews.net]

NRC Approves Entergy Plan for Spent Fuel

The plan addresses how Entergy Point will deal with Indian Point 3 spent fuel pool, which is virtually full.
[link to pearlriver.patch.com]

Ah.. yes. A wee light at the end of the tunnel..?

~


NRC Petitioned to Stop 35 Reactors Until Court Ruling Satisfied
[link to www.utilityproducts.com]

~




Prosecutors ignore criminal complaints over Fukushima nuclear accident
[link to ajw.asahi.com]

from that article;

However, prosecutors seem unwilling to even take the first step toward opening an investigation.

"It is legally difficult to indict anyone at TEPCO or in the central government on suspicion of polluting the environment or professional negligence resulting in bodily injury and death,” a source close to prosecutors explained. “For example, in the latter charge, it is unclear to what extent radiation exposure has affected human health. Even if the documents were accepted and the decision was made not to indict, there is the option of taking the matter up with the prosecution inquest panel."

..

"Questioning suspects would have a huge social impact,” a source with the prosecutors office said. “We will decide whether to accept the complaints and accusations after referring to the reports compiled by the investigative commissions set up by the central government and the Diet."

...



so all these thyroid cysts that are being found are just naturally occuring? maybe its be the stress again... and not questioning suspects because of the huge social impact. ffs.

ty wb.

Experts: ground under nuke plants needs assessment
Experts have asked the government to assess cracks under the ground below and around nuclear power plants. They want to ascertain whether the gaps are active faults or not.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is listening to opinions from geologists and other experts about breaches around nuclear plants throughout Japan.

The move came after some scientists recently pointed out the possibility that the fissures near the No. 2 reactor of the Tsuruga nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, could be active faults.

On Tuesday, the experts discussed the Ohi plant, also in Fukui Prefecture. They noted one of underground rifts runs about 900 meters from north to south between the No.2 and No.3 reactors.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Dominion Reduces Output Of Millstone 2 Reactor For Repair Work
Dominion Resources Inc.reduced the 869-megawatt Unit 2 at the Millstone nuclear power plant in Connecticut to 85 percent by early Monday from full power early Friday, a spokesman at theU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) said Monday.

Now is not a good time to have a big nuclear plant reduced with the power grid already stressed as homes and businesses across the U.S. Northeast and Midwest crank up their air conditioners to escape another brutal heat wave.

The NRC spokesman, Neil Sheehan, said the company was working to fix vibrations in a circulating water pump. He could not say when the plant would return to full service. Officials at the plant were not immediately available for comment.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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Biggest Laser Pulse Fired in Human History Could Power New Kind of Nuclear Reactor

The most energetic laser shot in mankind's history was fired at the stadium-sized National Ignition Facility in California this month.

On July 5, an array of 192 lasers filed a pulse of ultraviolet laser light that deliver generated 500 trillion watts of peak power - 1,000 times more than the whole of the U.S. uses at any given time.

The pulse is a historic moment for the 'fusion' facility, which aims to generate power using a nuclear fusion reaction - similar to what happens in hydrogen bombs.

NIF Director Edward Moses said. 'It is fully operational, and scientists are taking important steps toward the quest for clean fusion energy.'
[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]
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Portent of things to come, my friend. Hard to prove liability in these situations. So many possible contributing factors to isolate a single cause, creating enough doubt to nullify any judgement on appeal.

A class-action could possibly win a general liability suit but I don't think individuals would benefit much.. especially if they sicken and die.

True story..

~



Five Men Agree To Stand Directly Under An Exploding Nuclear Bomb
[link to www.gpb.org]

[snip]

They weren't crazy. They weren't being punished. All but one volunteered to do this (which makes it all the more astonishing.)

On July 19, 1957, five Air Force officers and one photographer stood together on a patch of ground about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. They'd marked the spot "Ground Zero. Population 5" on a hand-lettered sign hammered into the soft ground right next to them.

~

and this on the trinity test. Great blog..



James B. Conant on Trinity (1945)
[link to nuclearsecrecy.com]

[snip]

This week, you’ll get your weekly document on a Monday, because it’s a special occasion. Today, July 16, 2012, is the 67th anniversary of the first test of an atomic bomb: “Trinity.”