LIVE thread & Breaking News ~ Japan

That’s some good news.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/science/17plume.html?_r=1

Scientists Project Path of Radiation Plume
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: March 16, 2011

A United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume coming from crippled Japanese reactors shows it churning across the Pacific and touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday.

Geez, good question. they've been sending some out for reprocessing, but the site has been operating a while. I'm going to take a wild guess and say maybe one core loading for each unit in storage somewhere. Maybe more. Just a SWAG.

I gotta hit the hay, I'm under the weather. Thanks to everyone for keeping up the discussions.

The Diesel Generator for #6 was working. May have been the only one to survive the Tsunami/Quake. It is being used to power both #5 and #6, so the power may be limited. From what I have heard.

Hey, thank you! Hope you get to feeling better.

The spent fuel pools at the Daiichi reactors contain approximately these amounts: Unit 1, 50 metric tons; Unit 2, 81 metric tons; and Unit 3, 88 metric tons.[9] No mixed oxide (MOX) spent fuel is in the Unit 3 spent fuel pool. The typical U.S. reactor discharges 20 metric tons of spent fuel per year and stores that on site, in almost all cases, in wet or dry storage.

Post-Tsunami Situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan: Facts, Analysis, and Some Potential Outcomes By Arjun Makhijani

Arjun Makhijani is president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. He has a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, where he specialized in nuclear fusion. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2007.

http://www.kindleproject.org/blog/2011/03/16/post-tsunami-situation-at-the-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-plant-in-japan-facts-analysis-and-some-potential-outcomes-by-arjun-makhijani/

I think I saw someplace that unit #6 still had some power generation capacity and was using it for itself and #5, which are a small distance from #1-4.. Perhaps some of their generators were better sited and survived, but are only sufficient for marginal use on those two.. I wouldn’t think they’d have restarted reactor 6 to account for the claimed power. They’ll doubtless be extremely thorough checking out ‘intact’ reactors before restarting any, even though they’ll really be missing the power.

The Diesel Generator for #6 was working.

I didn't know that. That's significant!

Well it is the UN, but late Friday, hey plenty of time to evacuate and shelter in place if it blows /sarc. Kinda doubt it could get across the Pacific to So Cal in three days. My guess would be 3 days just from Aleutians to So Cal.

A United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume

It should greatly dissipate and "one" of the radioactive iodides has a half life of only 8 days.

It'll be weeks and months of continuous movement, if the source isn't stopped, that may some cause problems.

0355: Pressure is rising again at Reactor 3, the power station operator says - Reuters. That reactor includes plutonium and uranium in its fuel mix.

0352: The temperature of Reactor 5 is now a growing cause for concern, a Japanese official reports. “The level of water in the reactor is lowering and the pressure is rising,” he says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

Not good.

~placemarker~

Thank you - so, AC didn’t just pull that out of his hat.

The news conference spokesperson was an official from The Nuclear & Industrial Safety Agency.

NHK has repeated that news conference once in the past hour,,, my guess it will repeated again.

The hesitation as to the number drops came from the translator "100 errr 200 drops would needed".

------------------------------------

NHK English translation has shown 3 different news conferences plus a discussion by 3 professors about conditions at the plant site.

My impressions from the discussion by the 3 "professors" are as follows:

Their biggest worry was about the water level in the spent fuel rod storage pool of the #3 reactor.

They said "this pool has a capacity of about 2,000 tons of water. It would not be necessary to fill it completely, 1/3 full may help cool the spent fuel rods, but the pool would need continued water drops" No time frame given as to the length of time given.

Math says that 1/3 of 2,000 tons of water would require 90 drops of 7.5 tons each if they dropped all the water into the pool on #3.

"Yesterday the spent fuel rods in the storage pool at #4 were covered with water" per the 3 professors on the panel.

The Defense (?) Minister from the government stated in his press conference: "The radiation levels did not show a significant drop after the 4 runs by the helicopters dropping water today".

With NHK English broadcasting at least 4 news conferences about the nuclear plant it can get confusing.

"LD50/60 "

"LD", I take it, means "Lethal Dosage?"

...And 50/60?

http://www.gereports.com/facts-on-the-nuclear-energy-situation-in-japan/

Facts on the Nuclear Energy Situation in Japan (Update)

Update: March 16, 2011. Click here to read about the Mark I containment units used at the reactors.

Updated March 15, 2011: GE’s thoughts and condolences continue to be with the people of Japan affected by the devastating impact of last Friday’s unprecedented natural disaster. And GE officials continue to closely monitor the events at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, which suffered a loss of power after the tsunami struck the site.

During the magnitude 9.0 earthquake (the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history), the GE Boiling Water Reactors (BWR), performed as designed and initiated safe shut down processes. We understand that the back-up generators performed as designed to begin the cooling process. Shortly thereafter, we understand that the tsunami disabled the back-up emergency generation systems.

Immediately following the earthquake and tsunami, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy (GE’s nuclear joint venture with Hitachi based in Japan) communicated to the Japanese Government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant operator, that we were ready to assist them. The GE and Hitachi alliance assembled incident response and engineering teams in Tokyo and Wilmington, NC to provide 24/7 support.

While TEPCO is managing the response efforts, GE has been offering its assistance from the beginning and is now taking a number of additional actions, including:

Providing technical assistance to TEPCO through our joint venture partners in Japan
Providing technical assistance to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which is in turn providing assistance to the Japanese government
Responding to a request today from TEPCO to deliver 10 GE truck-mounted gas turbines which can provide temporary power (Click here for a photo). Three of those 10 are ready in Florida and are awaiting air transport. GE Energy, along with its Aeroderivative Gas Turbines business, has also been in contact with IHI, in addition to other companies in the region, to support equipment delivery in Japan. GE’s cross-functional business teams are coordinating engineering and project resources as well as equipment availabilities.
Engaging our network of more than 1,000 engineers within GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to provide technical assistance to the NRC, Nuclear Energy Institute, the government of Japan and TEPCO.

Reactor Safety:

The fleet of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) BWR reactors has a proven track record of performing reliably and safely for more than 40 years.
GE has been in the nuclear industry for more than half a century. There are currently 92 GE-built BWR plants and plants using the licensed GE BWR design operating globally. Our BWR designs meet the rigorous regulatory requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other government regulators and have proven to be safe and reliable. Our reactors are one of the workhorses of the industry.
The Unit 1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi site went into commercial operation in 1971; it is a BWR-3, with a Mark I containment system. That means that the reactor is the third generation of the BWR design. The reactor in Unit 1 is the same type as several reactors in the U.S., although every reactor is designed specifically for each project and site. All GEH BWR designs meet all NRC requirements for safe operation during and after an earthquake for the areas where they are licensed and sited.
BWR reactors are designed to be able to safely shutdown in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster.

What is GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy?

The global nuclear alliance was formed by combining GE and Hitachi’s nuclear businesses. The timeline at the bottom shows how GE and Hitachi independently progressed since the 1950s, ultimately combining operations in 2007 to create GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
In 2010, GEH had approximately $1 billion in revenue for GE.
Our global nuclear alliance is recognized as the world’s foremost developer of boiling water reactors, robust fuel cycle products, and highly valued nuclear plant services. Beginning in the 1950s, we developed breakthrough light water technology with the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). Since that time, GE has developed nine evolutions of BWR technology including the ABWR, the world’s first operational Generation III Class advanced light water design and, most recently, the ESBWR, our latest Generation III+ Class design that combines advanced safety features, improved economics, and new operational efficiencies. The first ABWR became operational in Japan in 1996.
GEH also offers a wide range of services that can improve performance, increase power output, and extend plant life.
GEH’s fuel cycle business supplies reliable fuel products and services to utilities all around the globe.
Japan, like most countries with nuclear power, has a channeling law under which the operator and government are liable for damage to third parties and the operator carries insurance. Suppliers bear no liability under the law.

The following links are supplied by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and offer additional information on the situation in Japan:

Nuclear Energy Situation in Japan: This page includes frequently asked questions about the situation with Japan’s nuclear energy plants, a time line of events, graphics of the nuclear power reactors and other general statistics on Japan’s nuclear energy program.

Radiation and Japan’s Nuclear Energy Plants: This page provides background information on radiation, including its different sources, how it is measured, and the ways federal authorities protect the public and workers from radiation exposure. It also explains how the Japanese plant operators are using a process called “venting” to manage the temperature and pressure of the reactor vessels and protect the integrity of the primary containment.

Reactor Designs:This page describes how nuclear plants are designed and constructed to withstand natural disasters, including: earthquakes, tsunamis, fires and other natural or man-made events.

NEI Backgrounders: Fact Sheets and Policy Briefs: This page includes fact sheets and policy briefs on environmental protection, safety and security, and nuclear waste and used nuclear fuel management

GEH Timeline: Click to enlarge. Use your icon to zoom further, or the view tab on your browser.

Published March 14, 2011: As the people of Japan work to recover from the devastating impact of Friday’s unprecedented natural disaster, GE offers its heartfelt condolences — and ongoing help. Japanese authorities are working around the clock to ensure the safety of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, which was damaged by a tsunami following the initial earthquake.

At a press conference yesterday in India, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt — there as part of a previously planned business visit — said, “Clearly we are offering any kind of technical assistance to our customer TEPCO and the government of Japan as they go through the recovery efforts with the nuclear power plants. Our first priority is to support the government and people of Japan.”

To that end, he announced that GE and the GE Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, will be committing $5 million in cash, equipment and services toward relief in the coming weeks and months. GE is currently working with disaster relief organizations, GE regional business leaders and the Japanese government to determine what specific additional GE support can be provided to best complement Japan’s response capacity.

Immelt, who also visited Japan’s embassy in New Delhi to personally express GE’s deepest sympathy to the government and people of Japan, explained to the press, “I think we just have to let the discovery take place…we are going to be supportive and transparent in that process.”

http://www.gereports.com/facts-on-the-nuclear-energy-situation-in-japan/

http://www.gereports.com/the-mark-i-containment-system-in-bwr-reactors/

The Mark I Containment System in BWR Reactors

While events are still unfolding on the ground at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, GE continues to provide technical assistance to TEPCO through our joint venture partners in Japan and to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which is in turn providing assistance to the Japanese government. There are also some facts that GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy can attempt to clarify, such as those concerning the Mark I containment system in use at the reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant.

The Mark I containment has a proven track record of safety and reliability for over 40 years and there are 32 BWR Mark I reactors operating as designed worldwide.

While the technology was commercialized 40 years ago, it has continued to evolve. Over the last four decades, the Mark I has been modified in the form of retrofits to address technology improvements and changing regulatory requirements.

All of the modifications were made in accordance with regulatory requirements. In the United States, for example, the NRC issued a generic industry requirement in 1980 for the Mark I containment that the industry used to make modifications.

We understand that all of the BWR Mark I containment units at Fukushima Daiichi also addressed these issues and implemented modifications in accordance with Japanese regulatory requirements.

The modifications made to Mark I containments include:

“Quenchers” were installed to distribute the steam bubbles in order to produce rapid condensation and to reduce loads on the unit. In a reactor, exhaust steam is piped into a suppression chamber, which is known as the torus and is a large, rounded suppression pool that sits next to the reactor core. It is used to remove heat when large quantities of steam are released from the reactor. In the torus, the steam bubbles go under water. With the modification to the Mark I, the quenchers, which are also underwater, make steam bubbles smaller by breaking up the larger bubbles. This in turn reduces pressure.
Another modification is the installation of deflectors inside the torus. When that steam goes in, the water level rises. The deflectors that were added break up the pressure wave that is produced and help relieve pressure on the torus.
A further modification was made to the “saddles” on which the torus sits — basically the series of leg-like structures that support it. The construction was fortified, as was the steel, to accommodate the loads that are generated.

A BWR reactor: The schematic above shows the torus at left, which is doughnut-shaped.

* Read our most recent update on the nuclear energy situation in Japan

http://www.gereports.com/the-mark-i-containment-system-in-bwr-reactors/

Posted on March 16, 2011

Authorities and local press need to double check the levels of risk for which US nukes were designed. The main design error leading to this crisis was that no one had a large enough nightmare. Although they survived the 9.0 quake they were only designed for 7.9 or 8.2 (I've seen both levels claimed). They were only designed for a 2m tsunami and got twice that. When they were built 40 years ago that may have been a plausible worst case scenario, but they should have known better for several years now. In hind sight a bigger sea wall would have been VERY cost effective.

Given the large number of unexpectedly bad natural disasters the past couple decades I suspect many risk estimates were low balled in the past. '100 year' floods seem to happen every 20 years and '500 year' ones are commonplace. They better not be designing midwestern nuke plants for only T3 tornadoes or we'll find how well a T5 can scatter radiation. Siting plants near large natural water supplies can be very beneficial- where'd they be without easy access to sea water now? But you need a generous safety margin of elevation. Run computer models of worst theoretically conceivable river floods, tsunamis, etc. Seattle area better model lava flows or lahars from Mt. Rainer.

Consider the probability that a natural disaster strong enough to break one thing could well break several things. I'd also like to see robots capable to investigating high radiation areas and debris strewn areas. That need has been obvious since Chernobyl. It's shocking that Japan apparently doesn't have such available. Our military has made much progress in robots in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of that tech and experience needs to be spun off and pre-positioned for such use. It should be technically possible to remotely pilot helicopters for these water drops as well as those pump trucks. There may still be some radiation hazard involved in fueling and servicing them, but performance could be better without having to protect a pilot. A robot that could deliver and position a fire hose would also be great.

GE TM2500 Mobile Gas Turbine Generator

This is the html version of the file http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/GEA18664_TM250_r2.pdf.

Page 1

GE Power & Water

Aeroderivative Gas Turbines

TM2500 Mobile Gas Turbine Generator

50/60Hz Applications

fact sheet

Quickly Installed Mobile Power

The TM2500о Mobile Power Unit is a perfect fit for temporary

power applications including:

• Base load bridge to a permanent power installation/maintenance

• Peak shaving

• Emergency or backup power

The TM2500 is GE’s proven LM2500™ gas turbine mounted on

wheels…literally, a power plant contained on a mobile, four-trailer

assembly. After minimal site and/or foundation preparation, it can

reach full power within as few as three days from arrival on site

and has less than a ten-minute start cycle to full power. The units

are extremely flexible and have been transported via land, sea, and

air to some of the most remote places in the world by an extremely

experienced project management team.

GE offers the TM2500 for both rental and sale.

What does it come with?

The TM2500 mobile power plant kit includes four trailers assembled

together to create the power station:

1. Main Trailer – Includes LM2500 Power Turbine and Brush Generator

2. Air Inlet Trailer – Provides air for cooling and combustion

3. Exhaust Trailer – Provides exhaust discharge and noise control

4. Control Trailer – Contains all operating controls and interface skids

The TM2500 is manufactured with new or fully OEM-qualified

overhauled LM2500 engines and new components. A project

includes the appropriate services and consumables associated with

the units:

• Installation

• Commissioning

• Project management

• Decommissioning

• Consumable parts kit (filters/lubricants for operation needs)

In addition, GE offers many other services associated with the

project including, but not limited to:

• Operation and maintenance

• Operation and maintenance training

• Transportation

• Transportation advisory services

• Fuel treatment

• Performance testing

• Various levels of support for the balance of plant scope

Customer’s Scope

At the start of the project, GE and the customer will discuss and

complete a detailed division of responsibilities matrix. Prior to this

agreement, GE’s assumption is that the customer is responsible for:

• Providing sufficient space for unit assembly

• Obtaining appropriate permits

• Providing fuel to TM2500 specification to the TM2500 flange

• Providing balance of plant requirements per desired scope

Page 2

For more information, contact your GE representative

or visit www.ge-energy.com.

Micronet is a registered trademark of the Woodward Company.

GEA18664 (03/2011)

Key Product Features and Specifications

• Output: 21.8 MW @ 50 Hz; 22.8 MW @ 60 Hz (ISO)

• Dual Frequency – 50/60 Hz quick conversion (no reduction gear)

• Heat Rate: 9800 Btu/kW-hr @ 50 Hz; 9500 Btu/kW-hr @ 60 Hz (ISO)

• Voltage: 11.0kV (50Hz); 13.8 kV (60Hz)

• Liquid or natural gas fuel capability

• Brush Air-cooled 2-pole generator with brushless excitation

• Multiple units started/controlled through a single desktop PC

• Low emissions with demineralized water injection 25 ppm (gas);

42 ppm (liquid)

• Woodward Micronetо control system

• Inlet air heating/cooling provisions

• Electro-hydraulic starting system

• Single unit footprint ~110' x 70'

• Sound level at 3 ft. 90 dBA

The robots would definitely help with the water cannons right now!