Japan Earthquake: nuclear plants

MadderDoc

It is from the package released on Nov 10th, in which all photos according to Tepco were taken on November 8th. However some of the photos in the package have EXIF date October 5th, and some of them appear to have been cropped/ downsampled, as is the case with this one, and the EXIF date has been lost.

MadderDoc

Now I wonder what that recent investigation was really about. Tepco would have known for more than a year, since the first robot expedition to the area, that the entrance to the TIP room was blocked, so that a robot would not be able to enter. Indeed the new video indicates that a large object close to the entrance to the TIP room has been moved, so there have been humans at the spot too since then. So why make an effort to 'rediscover' that the entrance is blocked, rather than make an effort to unblock it -- which would seem the rational thing to do, if one _really_ would like to inspect the room? And as you mention, weirdly there is apparently not even a photo of the room to show from the latest mission. Was it all just a stunt?

tsutsuji

This is a document from one month ago :

( See also my translation of the 1 March 2012 report on the same topic (alternative thermometer insertion) : http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...ostcount=12465 part 1, http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...ostcount=12485 part 2, http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...ostcount=12492 part 3)

Translation:

1/12

2/12

3/12

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tsutsuji

Translation:

4/12

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tsutsuji

Translation:

7/12

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tsutsuji

Translation:

10/12

11/12

12/12

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MadderDoc

What are those big dark structures that have been raised on the seaside of Unit 2 turbine building?

MadderDoc

Assuming the TIP room door was hinged normally at the time of the earthquake, how would it have been possible to have the door closed,
considering Tepco apparently for some reason had placed a reddish beam along the ceiling protruding out through the doorway?

Tepconium-311

Looking at Tepco photo page of Nov 10, 2011
(Sorry, physicsforums does not allow me to include source links).

First observation. Floor 5 has been lifted up.
111110_03.jpg

Thus bars carrying floor 5 must have severed a little bit from pillars/walls and displaced slightly.
Proof (look upper right part, see also cracks propagating from bulging):
111110_06.jpg

This lifting up of the floor apparently created a bulging propagating from bulging seen in pic above.
111110_12.jpg

Maybe "cracking" and "bulging" are to be interpreted synonymously to some extent?

Yamanote

I also don't understand this TIP room story.

First they say the door is closed, then they suddenly discover that it is blown away. How come?

etudiant

We are again in debt to Tsutsuji-san for his continuing work in keeping this forum informed about the details of TEPCO's clean up effort.
It seems that there is a very large and well analysed push under way to allow TEPCO to make some visible headway with the cleanup. Presumably the entire Japanese nuclear community is dedicating resources towards that goal, if only to avoid the nuclear exit embraced for the moment by Germany and advocated by Mr Kan.
The scale of the work visible on the site and the detail planning shown in the documents Tsutsuji-san has unearthed suggest a 'no expense spared' program. That would seem to require confidence that the situation is reasonably stable and fairly well understood.
Yet the public posture and the discussions still center on a near bankrupt TEPCO and a very limited level of outside disclosure about a situation perceived to be tenuous.
It is hard to reconcile these two perspectives.

tsutsuji

See also on the same topic (alternative thermometer insertion) : my translation of the 1 March 2012 report ( http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...ostcount=12465 part 1, http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...ostcount=12485 part 2, http://www.physicsforums.com/showpos...ostcount=12492 part 3) and of the 23 April report just above ( http://www.physicsforums.com/showthr...78#post3939578 )

See also the videos:

http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/201...20601_02e.html "Decontamination around the truck bay door at Unit 2, Fukushima Daiichi NPS" (released on 1 June 2012)

http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/201...20601_01e.html "Mock-up test to check the insertability of the alternative thermometer at Unit 2" (released on 1 June 2012)

Translation:

1/10

2/10

3/10

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tsutsuji

Translation:

4/10

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tsutsuji

Translation:

7/10

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tsutsuji

Translation:

10/10

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MadderDoc

Earlier this year, a similar structure existed on the seaside of the unit 1 turbine building (see below), however that construction site appears in the more recent photo above to be back levelled. This would seem to indicate these structures may be only temporary covers for some ground work.


Might this activity be about blocking outflow of high radiation level water through trenches, and from pipes from the backwash pits?


hi res of map of trenches

MadderDoc

It is disconcerting to see in the latest helicopter footage that there has been so little apparent progress at the seaside of the plant. The building of the temporary tidal barrier seems to have come to a halt at Unit 4, and there is no indication of any progress of the steel pile barrier, the start of construction of which in the seafront of Unit 4 was announced many months ago. (If I understand the mid-term plan it is to not have a water tight barrier in place at the sea front before until some time in 2014, at the earliest).




The minimal work visible on the site as regards mitigation against emissions to the ocean and the apparent lack of detailed planning suggest a 'don't rush things' program, indicating that the measures against ocean emission are still pretty much ad hoc and the situation not yet under control. Yet the corporate posture is that emission to the ocean is something to be avoided at all costs, unless in situations of utmost necessity. It is not easy to reconcile these two perspectives.