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Fukushima: News Updates and Current Status of Facilities [MIT NSE Nuclear Information Hub]
MIT NSE ^ | March 16, 2011 | by mitnse

Posted on 03/16/2011 9:15:53 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay

Units 1 and 2: TEPCO has released estimates of the levels of core damage at these two reactors: 70% damage at Unit 1 and 33% at Unit 2. They have also stated that Unit 1 is being adequately cooled.

Outlook: It is difficult to make conjectures at this point about the final disposition of the damaged fuel without further information. However, during our only operating experience with a partially melted and subsequently cooled core, Three Mile Island, the fuel mass was fully contained by the reactor vessel, resulting in minimal radiation release to the public. A decision is currently being made on how to best supply cooling water to Unit 2.

Unit 3: At 8:34 AM JST, white smoke was seen billowing from roof of Unit 3. The source of this smoke was not investigated because workers evacuated due to radiation levels. These levels had been fluctuating during the early morning hours before rising to 300-400 millisievert/hr around the time the smoke appeared. It was unclear at the time whether these rising levels were a result of some new event at Unit 3, or were lingering as a result of Unit 2’s recent troubles.

Outlook: In order to provide some perspective on worker doses to this point, radiation sickness sets in at roughly 1000 millisieverts. A future post will deal further with the health effects of various amounts of radiation. Response to the smoke seen at Unit 3 appears to be in an information gathering phase at this point. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano speculated the smoke from Unit 3 might be the result of a similar wetwell explosion to that at Unit 2, but there is not enough information currently available to support or refute that statement.

Units 4-6: Flames at Unit 4 result of a pump fire....

(Excerpt) Read more at mitnse.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fukushima; mitnse; nuclear; tepco
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Updated from source of my post on 3.14.11
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2688915/posts

Includes: Introduction to Radiation Health Effects and Radiation Status at Fukushima with several charts and explanations.


NY Times on 3/16/11 referenced by mitnse

1 posted on 03/16/2011 9:16:04 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
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To: fight_truth_decay

They omitted 3 and 4.


2 posted on 03/16/2011 9:18:16 PM PDT by allmost
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To: allmost

I see the statement.


3 posted on 03/16/2011 9:19:37 PM PDT by allmost
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To: fight_truth_decay

Bookmark


4 posted on 03/16/2011 9:32:14 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: fight_truth_decay

Bfl


5 posted on 03/16/2011 9:42:11 PM PDT by reed13k (For evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.)
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To: allmost; fight_truth_decay

They are complaining about lacking water to the cooling system!

They have plenty of seawater outside their door!!

Send a couple of tugboats or oil rig supply vessels with powerful water canons douching the whole power plant with seawater. They did it on the BP explosion in the Mexican Gulf!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/us/03rig.html


6 posted on 03/16/2011 9:45:09 PM PDT by danamco (-)
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To: danamco; LucyT

Ping to # 6!!!


7 posted on 03/16/2011 9:46:46 PM PDT by danamco (-)
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To: danamco

The BP Explosion wasn’t spreading radiation out to sea.

Jesus christ, people, this isn’t a Hollywood movie, it’s REALITY. Has our media-centric culture completely detached us from reality?


8 posted on 03/16/2011 9:48:17 PM PDT by tcrlaf (2012 Slogan: "You'd Have To Be Insane, To Vote For Hussein!")
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To: All

Radiation Monitoring Stations

http://radiationnetwork.com/


9 posted on 03/16/2011 9:54:24 PM PDT by troy McClure
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: fight_truth_decay

The last I heard there was a high-priority project to get power lines strung up to the Fukushima nuclear plant so they could power up the backup systems to cool the reactor fuel rods. I wonder how fast is that project coming along....


11 posted on 03/16/2011 10:05:22 PM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
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To: tcrlaf

No but there are 50 Japanese still working at the plant, hmmmm!!!


12 posted on 03/16/2011 10:06:08 PM PDT by danamco (-)
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To: tcrlaf

So how are they going to get the planned fire trucks with water canons working there, hmmmm???


13 posted on 03/16/2011 10:08:28 PM PDT by danamco (-)
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To: tcrlaf

We will be posting here as the radiation washes over us LOL


14 posted on 03/16/2011 10:58:04 PM PDT by gunsequalfreedom (Conservative is not a label of convenience.)
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To: troy McClure; fight_truth_decay

Both of your sites are great - thanks!


15 posted on 03/16/2011 11:05:58 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: danamco; allmost; tcrlaf; bray; gunsequalfreedom; troy McClure; aquila48; Oldeconomybuyer; ...
Crews began aerial water spraying operations from helicopters to cool reactor 3 at Fukushima Daiichi shortly before 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 16. The operation was planned for the previous day, but was postponed because of high radiation levels at the plant. News sources said temperatures at reactor 3 were rising. Each helicopter is capable of releasing 7.5 tons of water.

Spokesmen for TEPCO and Japan's regulatory agency, Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, on March 17 Japan time refuted reports that there was a complete loss of cooling water in the used fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi reactor 4.

The spokesmen said the situation at reactor 4 has changed little during the day today and water remained in the fuel pool. However, both officials said that the reactor had not been inspected in recent hours.

"We can't get inside to check, but we've been carefully watching the building's environs, and there has not been any particular problem," said TEPCO spokesman Hajime Motojuku.

SNIP

TEPCO also continues efforts to restore offsite power to the plant, with up to 40 workers seeking to restore electricity to essential plant systems by Thursday morning, March 17.

UPDATE AS OF 7:30 P.M. EDT, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16:

NEI has added a new video to its YouTube page "NEI Offers Support to Japan." Also available is an updated schematic of the reactor design at Fukushima Daiichi.

NEI

More updates today at links.

16 posted on 03/17/2011 6:11:26 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
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To: fight_truth_decay

Three other souces that I have been following for analysis and information:

Japan Atomic Industrial Forum - Japan techical view
http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/

World Nuclear News - UK/EU technical view
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/default.aspx

Zero Hedge - global financial view
http://www.zerohedge.com/

I do not consider any single source to have the full story at this point. I’m happy to add the MIT site to the reading list.


17 posted on 03/17/2011 7:56:28 AM PDT by Nobel_1 (bring on the Patriots!)
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To: tcrlaf
Jesus christ, people, this isn’t a Hollywood movie, it’s REALITY.

The REALITY is, if you want to drench the buildings with seawater, NOTHING beats my proposal!!!

Just try to figure out the logistics of obstacles when they bring in 11 firetrucks with water canons, supplying sea water???

18 posted on 03/17/2011 10:13:09 AM PDT by danamco (-)
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To: RayChuang88; fight_truth_decay

Well, it took FPL more than three weeks (3+) to restore power to our house after the last hurricane and in some areas much longer!!!


19 posted on 03/17/2011 10:19:12 AM PDT by danamco (-)
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To: fight_truth_decay; allmost; tcrlaf; bray; gunsequalfreedom; troy McClure; aquila48; ...
It looks to me that most of that dumped water was dispersed away from the real target by the wind!

So when they could use the helicopters over the plant they could as well use tugboats or oil rig supply vessels with powerful water canons like they used on the BP platform last year!!

Crew members could be outfitted like the 50 plant workers for radiation protection. Those vessels can shoot of a powerful cascade of sea water with very little labor involved!!!

20 posted on 03/17/2011 10:31:36 AM PDT by danamco (-)
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