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

If they could ensure absolute integrity in the industry...yes.
I don't see it happening any time soon.





Jim Hansen Presses the Climate Case for Nuclear Energy
[link to dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com]

How it happened...




Nuclear power for the anti-nuclear set
[link to www.rutlandherald.com]




That story is ably told in a book published in 2011 by Richard Martin, titled “Super Fuel.” Martin details the long battle between the demanding and acerbic Admiral Hyman Rickover, who wanted nuclear engines based on known technology right now to propel his fleet of submarines, and the gentle visionary Alvin Weinberg, longtime director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who envisioned a nationwide fleet of thorium-powered electric plants, using molten fluoride salts as moderator and coolant.

Rickover, a savage bureaucratic infighter, got what he wanted, and in 1972 Weinberg was fired. The nuclear industry put its muscle behind the hugely expensive liquid metal fast breeder reactor. It in turn was shelved in 1984 after Congress spent $8 billion on the Clinch River Breeder without turning a shovelful of dirt.

As Martin puts it, “Light water reactors and their younger cousin, the liquid metal breeder, won out because of technological intransigence rooted in the military origins of the U.S. nuclear program.”

From 1965 to 1969, however, Weinberg’s molten salt reactor experiment had operated successfully, in the later months with thorium-derived U-233 fuel. By 1973, with Weinberg gone, molten salt was rejected, and thorium was dead. Rickover’s uranium-based industrial empire was preserved. Any cheaper, safer and environment-friendly alternative was shelved.

Now, 40 years later, the liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) is again emerging as one of the six “Generation Four” nuclear power technologies now viewed as most promising alternatives to traditional light water reactors.

Feelin' hot, hot, hot...
Wonder if that is the accurate measurement? Probably low.



High radiation levels found near area where steam spotted at Fukushima plant
[link to ajw.asahi.com]


High levels of radiation were detected near an area where steam was spotted July 23 at the No. 3 reactor building of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, said.

TEPCO gave a measurement of 562 millisieverts per hour.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority, the government's nuclear industry watchdog, instructed TEPCO to investigate further because the dose level is high.

What appeared to be steam was spotted near an equipment storage pool on the fifth floor of the No. 3 reactor building around 9:05 a.m. There was a similar occurrence on the morning of July 18.

Wow! Pretty freakin' blatant..


Institute revises radiation exposure chart without explanation
[link to ajw.asahi.com]


A key institute that studies the effects of radiation has revised its chart of doses and related health risks without offering an explanation, triggering confusion and criticism as a result of the disparity among government figures circulating among the public.

The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Chiba posted the chart as a reference that listed exposure from natural radiation and that from radiation leaked by the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and possible health risks on its website after the nuclear accident unfolded in March 2011.

In April 2012, the NIRS deleted a description saying that there were no increased cancer incidences with a radiation dose of 100 millisieverts or less.

Sure..




Former Fukushima worker “They knew contamination flows to the sea from the very beginning”
[link to fukushima-diary.com]

Gizmodo: Entirely possible leaking nuclear material from Fukushima is going to U.S. and Canada — Bloomberg: “Fish contamination concerns have spread beyond Japan”
[link to enenews.com]

Test drilling starts for geothermal power

Test drilling has begun in northern Japan for the first time since the government eased restrictions on geothermal energy projects inside protected national parks.

Major oil wholesaler Idemitsu Kosan and others say work started at Kurikoma national park in Akita Prefecture on Thursday. The companies will drill some 1,700 meters deep to determine underground temperatures. A scaffold, about 30 meters high, has been set up at the site.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Fishermen file protest against TEPCO over leaks

The head of a national federation of fisheries cooperatives has lodged a protest against the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant after revelations that contaminated groundwater has leaked into the sea.

Federation chief Hiroshi Kishi visited the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Company on Thursday.

Kishi handed a letter of protest to TEPCO president Naomi Hirose. He said the federation has repeatedly asked the utility to ensure that no radioactive water reaches the sea. He accused TEPCO of betraying fishermen's trust.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Cooling device outage reported at Fukushima plant

TOKYO — The cooling system for an undamaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant temporarily stopped working Thursday, the plant’s operator said, as mysterious steam continued to rise from a broken unit.

While the outage only last two hours and there was no danger of a runaway nuclear reaction, the incident further underlined the precarious state of the plant more than two years after it was hit by a tsunami.

On Thursday morning machinery keeping Reactor 6 cool stopped as workers tested a back-up diesel generator, said operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO).

Meanwhile, steam that began appearing last week near the badly-wrecked Reactor 3 was still in evidence, the company said, admitting it was still no closer to identifying the reason for the vapor.

“Workers could still see the steam rising from the area as of 1 p.m.,” a TEPCO spokesman told AFP.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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Pennsylvania Department of Health to Offer Free Potassium Iodide Tablets on Aug. 8

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Health will provide free potassium iodide tablets Thursday, Aug. 8, to Pennsylvanians who live, work or attend school within a 10-mile radius of one of the state's five nuclear power plants.

Potassium iodide, or KI, can help protect the thyroid gland against harmful radioactive iodine when taken as directed during radiological emergencies. Individuals should only take KI when told to do so by state health officials or the governor.

Each adult will receive four 65-milligram tablets. Children will be given smaller doses based on their age. Individuals can pick up KI tablets for other family members or those who are unable to pick them up on their own. Directions detailing when to take the tablets and how to store them will be provided with the KI.

Anyone can take the tablets as long as they are not allergic to KI. They are safe for pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding, people on thyroid medicine, children and infants. Individuals who are unsure if they should take KI should ask a healthcare provider.
[link to www.nuclearpowerdaily.com]
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NRC Announces Hearing Opportunity on License Renewal Application for Byron and Braidwood Nuclear Plants in Illinois

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is announcing the opportunity to request an adjudicatory hearing on an application to renew the operating licenses of the Byron and Braidwood nuclear power plants in Illinois.

Exelon Generation Co. filed the application, dated May 29, seeking to renew the operating licenses for an additional 20 years of operation. The Braidwood Nuclear Station, located 20 miles southwest of Joliet, and the Byron Nuclear Station, located 17 miles southwest of Rockford, each have two pressurized-water reactors. The current operating licenses for Braidwood expire on Oct. 17, 2026, for Unit 1 and Dec. 18, 2027, for Unit 2. The licenses for Byron expire Oct. 31, 2024, for Unit 1 and Nov. 6, 2026, for Unit 2.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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NRC Orders Permanent Shutdown of Aerotest Research Reactor, Requires Decommissioning Plan Details

The NRC has directed the permanent closure of the Aerotest Radiography and Research Reactor in San Ramon, Calif., due to the unresolved foreign ownership of the reactor’s owner/operator, Aerotest. The facility has been voluntarily shut down since October 2010.

“The agency’s Order prohibits Aerotest from operating the reactor in the future,” said Roy Zimmerman, Director of the NRC’s Office of Enforcement. “The NRC has also given Aerotest 30 days to provide an updated plan for properly managing the reactor fuel and other licensed material until it can be permanently disposed of, and for decommissioning the facility.”
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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or, as the girl in "Godzilla 2000" said: "I'm not an imbecile".

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Thread: Incoming! Here comes tsunami debris! Canada and soon.....

Thread: At the Brink of Apocalyptic Terror: Fukushima Continues to Spew Its Darkness: (the title got me)

Thread: TEPCO, remove 1 place on English version from Japanese results: eg:4,500 ;Sv/h : becomes 450 Sv/h

Fukushima Day 714 - Inside LooK of Reactor 1 & 3 SPF + Radioactive MOX Bugs
[link to fukushimaemergencywhatcanwedo.blogspot.com.au]

Last Edited by CitizenPerth™ on 07/25/2013 11:47 PM

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Too Big to Cover Up

[snip]

Published on Monday, July 22, 2013 by Common Dreams

Plant operator makes first public admission of severe radioactive leaks; meanwhile, Japan races towards more nuclear power

- Sarah Lazare, staff writer

Contaminated groundwater is leaking from Japan's Fukushima power plant into the ocean, the plant operator acknowledged Monday in the first public admission of the leak.

The nuclear giant also acknowledged that the number of workers exposed to dangerous radiation is ten times greater than previously claimed.

"We would like to offer our deep apology for causing grave worries for many people, especially for people in Fukushima,"

Masayuki Ono, Tokyo Electric Power Company's general manager, told a news conference in comments broadcast on public NHK television, Reuters reports.

TEPCO had refused for two years to acknowledge the environmental damage wrought by thew orst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

[end snip]

[link to www.commondreams.org (secure)]

tooo big too cover up, but OK to hide from the masses....

[link to fukushimaemergencywhatcanwedo.blogspot.com.au]

more revised data ranges..... they'll get the lies right one day....

Last Edited by CitizenPerth™ on 07/26/2013 12:25 AM

NRC Orders Permanent Shutdown of Aerotest Nuclear Reactor

[link to www.newsroomamerica.com]

(Newsroom America) -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered the permanent closure of the Aerotest Radiography and Research Reactor in San Ramon, Calif., due to the unresolved foreign ownership of the reactor’s owner/operator, Aerotest.

The facility has been voluntarily shut down since October 2010.

“The agency’s Order prohibits Aerotest from operating the reactor in the future,” said Roy Zimmerman, Director of the NRC's Office of Enforcement.

"The NRC has also given Aerotest 30 days to provide an updated plan for properly managing the reactor fuel and other licensed material until it can be permanently disposed of, and for decommissioning the facility.”

Nuclear Timelines: A New Tool for Looking at History
[link to fairewinds.org]

Cooling device outage at Fukushima
[link to www.google.com]

The cooling system for an undamaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant temporarily stopped working Thursday, the plant's operator said, as mysterious steam continued to rise from a broken unit.

While the outage only lasted two hours and there was no danger of a runaway nuclear reaction, the incident further underlined the precarious state of the plant more than two years after it was hit by a tsunami.

Four of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant were battered by huge waves in March 2011, with their cooling systems knocked offline, sending three of them into meltdown.

Reactors 5 and 6 were not affected, although both still had fuel inside at the time of the disaster.

On Thursday morning machinery keeping Reactor 6 cool stopped as workers tested a back-up diesel generator, said operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO).

Alarming rate of Thyroid cancer in Fukushima while tourism continues
Nuclear-contaminated Pacific Ocean may become a global threat
[link to www.eturbonews.com]


It has been officially confirmed. The crippled Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan is leaking highly contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. This is continuing by the minute causing great concern not only for Japan, but for all nations bordering on the Pacific Ocean, including the United States, Canada, Russia and most Pacific Island nations. Officials finally admitted this alarming news for the first time.

Earlier this month the tourism industry in this Japanese regions seemed to be doing fine. A new scheduled Asiana Airlines Charter Flight arrived with Korean tourists at Fukushima Airport on July 13.

Fukushima operator TEPCO knew radioactive water was leaking into Pacific a month before going public
[link to www.radioaustralia.net.au]

NRA chairman says release of radioactive water into sea is inevitable
[link to ajw.asahi.com]


The head of Japan’s nuclear watchdog body has acknowledged for the first time that Tokyo Electric Power Co. has no choice but to release radioactive water accumulating at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea.

“The Fukushima No. 1 plant is filling up with water,” Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, told a news conference on July 24. “Inevitably the contaminated water will have to be discharged into the sea after TEPCO processes it properly and lowers (its radioactivity levels) below the standards.”

Radiation scare sweeps S. Korea
[link to www.koreaherald.com]


According to Asahi Shimbun, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. measured the levels of dosages to be up to 2,170 millisieverts per hour. Several hours of exposure to such a high dosage is fatal.

The news alarmed many South Koreans who had suspected the Japanese government of attempting to play down the dangers of the nuclear meltdown in Fukushima Prefecture.

“Why are they (Japan) telling us after all this time? There might be more things they are keeping under wraps about the incident. The situation in Japan is SERIOUS,” said an unnamed netizen. Others said the government must move to ban imports of all foods and marine products from Japan.

As of Thursday morning, “Japan radiation,” and “Fukushima” were among the most popular searched keywords on Naver, the nation’s biggest and most influential web portal.

Did I not just say this a couple of days ago..?






‘Mysterious’ steam at Fukushima Unit 3 — NPR: “Fuel could have shifted… or worse restarted nuclear reactions” — Tepco: “We still don’t know for sure the cause” (AUDIO)
[link to enenews.com]

Last Edited by Waterbug on 07/26/2013 09:38 AM

TEPCO to halt radioactive water treatment system

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says it will remove from operation leaky equipment designed to treat radioactive water in order to take an anti-corrosion measure.

Last month, Tokyo Electric Power Company detected a leak in the welding of a tank used to store pre-treated contaminated water. The tank is part of a system being tested to remove radioactive substances from tainted water.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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TEPCO admits lax risk management over tainted water

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has admitted to insufficient risk management over contaminated groundwater.

Tokyo Electric Power Company made the admission in its first report to a panel of outside experts on Friday.

The company said that highly radioactive water had been detected in the plant's monitoring wells near the sea and seawater in the port since May.

It also said that it took more than a month for the company to admit the fact because officials feared that the information would deal a blow to the local fishing industry.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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4 nuclear reactors on restart screening

Japan's nuclear regulators have chosen the first group of 4 reactors for a review of severe accident measures. The move is a step toward restarting the facilities.

On Thursday, Nuclear Regulation Authority officials conducted a hearing with the operators of the Tomari plant in Hokkaido, the Ikata plant in Ehime, and the Sendai plant in Kagoshima.

The plants' 4 reactors are prioritized for the review.

But the NRA put on hold screenings of the remaining 6 reactors, saying they are not ready for inspection.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Plug officially pulled from nuke plant

Workers have removed the nuclear fuel from both units at San Onofre and notified federal regulators, a step that effectively terminates Southern California Edison’s license to operate the nuclear power plant, utility and federal officials said Wednesday morning.

“We will notify them that they are no longer authorized to operate the reactors,” said Victor Dricks, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal agency charged with assuring the safety of nuclear power plants.

The procedural step means that Edison or a successor would have to apply for a new license to restart San Onofre, a process that has never been tried in the U.S., Dricks said.
[link to www.utsandiego.com]
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Westinghouse and Vitkovice Take First Concrete Steps Towards Building Czech AP1000 Reactors

Westinghouse Electric Company has announced that it has contracted with Vitkovice Power Engineering a.s., a member of the Czech Vitkovice Machinery Group, to construct a mock-up of one of the AP1000 nuclear power plant's critical modules in preparation for the potential construction of Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic.
[link to www.nuclearpowerdaily.com]
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