Japan Earthquake: Nuclear Plants at Fukushima Daiichi

[jlduh]

Is it possible to locate the seawater pumps of Fukushima Daiichi precisely on satellite views or on the map at http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/f1-sv-20110323-e.pdf ? According to http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110410003477.htm they are "near water intake outlets". According to http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104060126.html they were "not located within a sealed structure" and had been designed at a time prior Hitachi and Toshiba gained the experience that would lead them to locate seawater pumps "within buildings".

Ok, on google maps i checked but it is very difficult to see it due to the poor resolution. On the picture below, you see on the right the four water intakes (one for each reactor, N°1 is smaller because the reactor is smaller in fact). Then if you move a little bit on the left, then you will see some spherical grey objects, aligned parallel to the intake, these are the pumps: 2 for N°1, 3 for N°2 to 4 but at N°4, because they were doing maintenance on the core, it seems they were also doing maintenance on the pumps because they seem to be removed on this picture. You can see that they are very vulnerable from tsunami standpoint (they must be close to the sea to some extent of course!) and they are also critical in order to keep the cold source working!

http://www.netimago.com/image_202942.html

I add this other satellite view, you see very well the difference between the N°1 and the others (size of intake and N° of pumps)

http://www.netimago.com/image_202943.html

I add a picture showing how they look like -these are from N°5 reactor and got hit by this big blue structure, but they look similar to the others:

http://www.netimago.com/image_202944.html

Do you see them?

Note 1 : I add this other picture showing the all 6 reactors from the sea, so you see very well the size of the various intakes and the grey pumps in the alignment:

http://www.netimago.com/image_202948.html

Note 2: At DAINI plant, which is newer, they added some buildings close to the sea but to me, these pumps are still outside, close to these buildings (the 3 aligned white/grey circles each time)

http://www.netimago.com/image_202950.html

 

[tsutsuji]

More detailed analysis of accumulated turbine building water from march sampling finally published:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_110522_04-e.pdf

Any comments?

JAEA and JNFL don't agree much with each other.

 

[zapperzero]

The images look just as distorted as they did 2 weeks ago. Is there something new and noteworthy there?

Hm? What distorsion?

EDIT: the camera was focused on unit #4 and panning left to right, then back again.

 

[tsutsuji]

Do you see them?

Thank you. Thanks to your pictures, I think I could see all of them, except those for unit 4. Have they been wiped out by the tsunami, or have they already been removed for cleanup or repair ?

Their absence is conspicuous on :
http://www.netimago.com/image_202942.html

and got hit by this big blue structure

Are you sure ? Looking at that picture, it is difficult to say if the blue structure is close or far enough behind.

 

[zapperzero]

More detailed analysis of accumulated turbine building water from march sampling finally published:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_110522_04-e.pdf

Any comments?

Yep. Ruthenium, Strontium, Uranium and Plutonium present. That's used fuel, basically. It needs to have melted down for this stuff to be mobilized, I think.

 

[jlduh]

Thank you. Thanks to your pictures, I think I could see all of them, except those for unit 4. Have they been wiped out by the tsunami, or have they already been removed for cleanup or repair ?

Their absence is conspicuous on :
http://www.netimago.com/image_202942.html


Are you sure ? Looking at that picture, it is difficult to say if the blue structure is close or far enough behind.

Well, on this other picture taken March 12, after the tsunami, you see that in the area close to intake N°4, there were some blue covers at the intake, and i think this tend to make e think that they were doing some repair in this area when the tsunami hit.

http://www.netimago.com/image_202962.html

But this is a guess, also based on the fact that N°4 was stopped.

For the blue structure, i don't know if it hit or not the pumps at N°5 but fore sure there has been some damage on this structure.

At first, when the accident happened, i heard in the news that they lost first the cold source, then the electrical power. I don't know if all the pumps were still fully functionnal after the tsunami, in addition to loss of electrical power, in fact...

 

[Maxion]

I agree. I was talking about the withe dots for example in this picture already posted, which are a totally different subject than the fringing in the satellite image, as i mentionned it...

http://www.netimago.com/image_202891.html

Yeah, I kind-of ignored that subject because those white dots are definitely an image artifact that I have never seen before. The color white comes when the bayer-filter registers all three color channels as fully saturated. The only artifact that comes close is hot pixels when shooting with high ISOs and long exposure, but they aren't white, or very rarely are.

 

[jlduh]

More detailed analysis of accumulated turbine building water from march sampling finally published:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_110522_04-e.pdf

Any comments?

For experts: how can you interpret that water from N°1 is significantly less contaminated (orders of magnitude lower for most isotopes) than N°2 and N°3, and that Ba-140, La-140 (short half life) and Sr 89 and 90 are much lower in this N°1 water (see page 3 of pdf)?

Is La-140 a daughter isotope in the decay process of other elements?

 

[ModelX]

Yeah, I kind-of ignored that subject because those white dots are definitely an image artifact that I have never seen before. The color white comes when the bayer-filter registers all three color channels as fully saturated. The only artifact that comes close is hot pixels when shooting with high ISOs and long exposure, but they aren't white, or very rarely are.

The "funny" pixels are not always white. It looks like impulse noise affecting one or more color components to me. I've seen artifacts like these when the CCD power source had noise or when there was some RF interference. There can be several places where the noise could be introduced: in CCD, in ADC converter or when transfering digital data from imager to the processing system. Sometimes the data transfers are done using YUV data channels, so a single bit off could change the overall luminance or color. It's not at all certain that radiation is causing this.

 

[jarvik]

Yep. Ruthenium, Strontium, Uranium and Plutonium present. That's used fuel, basically. It needs to have melted down for this stuff to be mobilized, I think.

The U, Pu and Ru are below detection limits as the are all reported as < X.

While there certainly is Radioactive Sr present in large amounts (3rd table), most of the Sr in table 2 (by mass) will be stable Sr from sea water.

Sea water will also contain trace amounts of U, though that leads me to my 3rd point, the detection limits in table 2 are two high to be useful from the point of view of detecting fuel failure etc.

Crap load of 134/137Cs and 90Sr to deal with for long-term clean up though. Pity the table didn't give volume estimates of the various "pools" so we could easily convert this to total inventories of the isotopic activities.

 

[Maxion]

The "funny" pixels are not always white. It looks like impulse noise affecting one or more color components to me. I've seen artifacts like these when the CCD power source had noise or when there was some RF interference. There can be several places where the noise could be introduced: in CCD, in ADC converter or when transfering digital data from imager to the processing system. Sometimes the data transfers are done using YUV data channels, so a single bit off could change the overall luminance or color. It's not at all certain that radiation is causing this.

I never said it was ;) I tried to ignore the subject because my knowledge of how an image is formed on a sensor and it's path to becoming a RAW or JPG is quite limited. I do know that it is not caused by the cameras normal operation under normal operating conditions.

 

[jarvik]

For experts: how can you interpret that water from N°1 is significantly less contaminated (orders of magnitude lower for most isotopes) than N°2 and N°3, and that Ba-140, La-140 (short half life) and Sr 89 and 90 are much lower in this N°1 water (see page 3 of pdf)?

Is La-140 a daughter isotope in the decay process of other elements?

I'd like to hear an expert on this too,

My non-expert thinking is the I and Cs isotopes are more volatile and more readily escape the fuel than Sr so the increased Sr in # 2 and 3 likely means much greater damage to fuel and containment for those units.

 

[jpquantin]

The U, Pu and Ru are below detection limits as the are all reported as < X.

One can question this "<". For U in page 2 they explicitly stated "ND" (not detected?). Moreover for Zr in page 2, the detection limits would not be the same for each sample analyzed ... (I understand Italic numbers as being recalculated from analysis of diluted solutions).

Is it plausible that JAEA may not be able to detect concentration lower than 1.2 mg per liter for Pu?

 

[tsutsuji]

Note 2: At DAINI plant, which is newer, they added some buildings close to the sea but to me, these pumps are still outside, close to these buildings (the 3 aligned white/grey circles each time)

http://www.netimago.com/image_202950.html

Some details about Daini are provided in this article :

Unit 3 was undamaged and continued to cold shutdown status, but the other units suffered flooding to pump rooms where equipment transfers heat from the reactor circuit to the sea - the ultimate heat sink.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Insight_to_Fukushima_engineering_challenges_1803112.html

I wonder how enough seawater pumps at Daini unit 3 could remain safe after being flooded by the OP+6m ~ OP+14m wave reported and depicted on dramatic pictures at http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110409e10.pdf, if they are located outdoors. How can we explain the Daini unit 3 miracle ?

The following attachments are from , a video explaining how the Tokai NPP (located further South in Ibaraki prefecture) survived the March 11th tsunami. The video says that the seawater pumps are enclosed in "more than 6 m" high walls, while the tsunami wave was only "more than 5 m" high. Two pumps survived. The third pump didn't survive because its wall was still under construction and not finished.

Tokai NPP's pump protecting wall is also depicted on a diagram at http://www.asahi.com/photonews/gallery/infographics/110330_toukai2.html and on photographs at http://mytown.asahi.com/areanews/ibaraki/TKY201104190562.html (according to that article, the seawater pumps are also providing cooling for the emergency diesel engines ; One diesel engine stopped because the seawater pump for that engine was flooded through a hole in the wall. The reason for the existence of the hole is that the wall was under construction ; If the wall had been 70 cm lower, the Tokai NPP might have had the same destiny as Fukushima Daiichi)

 

[jarvik]

One can question this "<". For U in page 2 they explicitly stated "ND" (not detected?). Moreover for Zr in page 2, the detection limits would not be the same for each sample analyzed ... (I understand Italic numbers as being recalculated from analysis of diluted solutions).

Is it plausible that JAEA may not be able to detect concentration lower than 1.2 mg per liter for Pu?

Oh I thought it was odd that U was given as ND while most others are reported as <X. The analsyis here is evidently a relatively rough chemical analysis as only the major ions of sea water are given values (Na, Ca, Cl etc) as even expected minor ions like Si are only given <X. From my own experience an analyitical lab will give you an actual value OR give you <X where x is the detection limit in question.

I'm not sure I follow you on the Zr, the < X value is the same for all straight samples and reduced by the dilution factor as appropariate for dilution runs.

The inability to detect Pu I think is another reflection of this being a wet chemical method and not a radiometric method which would be far superior at detecting Pu.

In all honesty the detection limits seem piss poor for the question that will obviously be asked from the data (fuel failure?) but more appropriate for asking what % is sea water and water % is fresh water sourced in each sampling pool.

For a comparison I recently have gotten some chemical elemental (30 elements) analysis data back for some work I'm doing and looking at it the reported detection limits vary by element but for example they have a detection limit of 0.05 mg U /kg soil and 0.5 mg Mo/kg soil for the lab we went with. Seems far better than Tepcos lab sadly.

 

[zapperzero]

Is La-140 a daughter isotope in the decay process of other elements?

Yes. It is daughter of Ba-140, which in turn can be found in the decay chains of both U-238 and U-235, iirc. But I can't find a chart so... let's wait for the experts.

 

[jarvik]

Yes. It is daughter of Ba-140, which in turn can be found in the decay chains of both U-238 and U-235, iirc. But I can't find a chart so... let's wait for the experts.

Er.. you mean fission product of U I expect.

 

[zapperzero]

Er.. you mean fission product of U I expect.

Err. Yes. Found a chart as well :D

http://www-nds.iaea.org/sgnucdat/c3.htm

 

[Jorge Stolfi]

This. From the live feed. No zooming and no cropping on my part.

Sigh. Try to locate the *pillars*. Do NOT use the outline of the building (walls, corners and roof) since it is obscured by hanging debris, sagging beams, paint spots and such. Then check the pipes in the tower.

 

[Jorge Stolfi]

2 for N°1, 3 for N°2 to 4 but at N°4, because they were doing maintenance on the core, it seems they were also doing maintenance on the pumps because they seem to be removed on this picture.

I think that the missing pumps were swept away by the tsunami. One of them (an isolated pump due west from unit #2) is still lying on its side, not far away from its presumed base. I would guess that the other missing ones were rolled into the sea by the receding wave.

 

[tsutsuji]

[PLAIN]http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/photo/20110419-495936-1-L.jpg
Diagram from http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/news/20110419-OYT1T01008.htm

It shows that in order that the contaminated water moved from unit 2 does not leak into the ground water, it will not be allowed to fill more than the second basement floor of the process main building.

 

[zapperzero]

Sigh. Try to locate the *pillars*. Do NOT use the outline of the building (walls, corners and roof) since it is obscured by hanging debris, sagging beams, paint spots and such. Then check the pipes in the tower.

I see I have a reputation which is following me , and it's not a good reputation

Anyway. I was interested in the pictures because you can just make out a gantry crane and the huge beam it travels on. Second pic shows a tower that is rarely present in the feed.

 

[tsutsuji]

Note 2: At DAINI plant, which is newer, they added some buildings close to the sea but to me, these pumps are still outside, close to these buildings (the 3 aligned white/grey circles each time)

http://www.netimago.com/image_202950.html

[URL]http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0405/images/TKY201104050670.jpg[/URL]
This diagram is taken from http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0405/TKY201104050625.html

The upper part is Fukushima Daiichi.
The lower part is Fukushima Daini.

The horizontal red rectangles are the emergency diesel generators.
The small vertical red pins are named "seawater pump"
The quadrilateral shape around Daini's seawater pump is named "seawater pump building"
扉 is "door".

According to this diagram, at least the pumps sending seawater to provide cooling for the diesel generators are indoors at Daini. Perhaps only these pumps are indoors while the other pumps are outdoors ?

 

[~kujala~]

For experts: how can you interpret that water from N°1 is significantly less contaminated (orders of magnitude lower for most isotopes) than N°2 and N°3, and that Ba-140, La-140 (short half life) and Sr 89 and 90 are much lower in this N°1 water (see page 3 of pdf)?

I am a non-expert but still trying to answer this one as I have a theory.
They did not spray sea water to unit #1 SFP.
AFAIK the first spray they did (and all sprays after that) were done using fresh water.
March 31st 13:03～16:04 Water spray by Concrete Pump Truck (Fresh water) ...

The really contaminated water in the unit #1 could be in the basement of the reactor building whereas the water in the basement of the turbine building could have come mainly from tsunami/SFP sprayings. Also perhaps some groundwater has leaked in but not enough to affect the levels of contamination heavily.

Once they measure SFP contamination levels in #1 it could further confirm this kind of theory.
The expected result would be to see low-level contamination in #1 SFP.

 

[Joe Neubarth]

http://atmc.jp/plant/rad/

Where in each plant are those outrageous Sieverts per Hour readings coming from? Is it in the control centers? Is there something wrong with the data? Does Sv/hr in Japan mean something different from what I think it means. The readings from Unit Five and Unit Six are frightening considering that they were in cold shutdown at the time of the Tsunami.

 

[elektrownik]

http://atmc.jp/plant/rad/

Where in each plant are those outrageous Sieverts per Hour readings coming from. Is it in the control centers? Is there something wrong with the data? Does Sv/hr in Japan mean something different from what I think it means.

First plot is for unit 1, and if you will read tepco data you will see that there was big radiation jump in drywell, but we don't know if this is correct, sensor can be damaged, if data is correct than this could be corium which get into drywell from RPV
http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/11052306_level_pr_data_1u-j.pdf

 

[tsutsuji]

The following article http://astand.asahi.com/magazine/judiciary/articles/2011051100015.html?iref=chumoku expresses the view that most diesel generators at Fukushima Daiichi are water-cooled : "The tsunami hit the seawater pumps and water intake became impossible. As a consequence, the 10 water-cooled emergency diesel generators stopped (...) Unit 2, unit 4 and unit 6 have one air-cooled emergency diesel generator each. (...) Those at unit 2 and unit 4 failed too. They are located high above sea level, which raises the possibility that what failed was the metal-clad switchgear which acts as the electric power receiving end at the building"

A photograph showing seawater pumps being removed for inspection at Ikata NPP can be viewed at : http://mytown.asahi.com/areanews/ehime/OSK201105190135.html

 

[Uagrepus]

The "fringin" on the highlights in the photo is with 99% certancy an optical effect caused by the Earth's atmosphere coupled with the extreme optics needed to get images like this from Earth orbit.

Thanks for your interpretation. So there is 1% left those colored sparkles are optical effects simply from oil? ;-)

-->
http://www.netimago.com/image_202942.html

I have to look for similar fringed spots in satellite photos of the mexican gulf desaster ...

EDIT: Colored sparkles found here, American Samoa Tsunami, no radioactivity needed :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalglobe-imagery/3969593680/sizes/l/in/photostream/

 

[ottomane]

First plot is for unit 1, and if you will read tepco data you will see that there was big radiation jump in drywell, but we don't know if this is correct, sensor can be damaged, if data is correct than this could be corium which get into drywell from RPV
http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/11052306_level_pr_data_1u-j.pdf

Ouch. Let's hope only the sensor broke. We'll know soon.

Btw.: Can such values be reached without recriticality?

 

[AntonL]

radiation measurement live from Japan
μSv/h

Iitate village, Fukushima pref
39.5 km away from Fukushima Daiichi
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8000164

Fukushima city, Fukushima pref
67 km away from Fukushima Daiichi
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8060606

Hokida, Fukushima city, Fukushima pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8073183

Miyagi pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7954538

near Sendai station, Miyagi pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8126354

Mito city, Ibaraki pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7574817

Adachi ward, Tokyo
seismometer(L) & radiation measurement(R)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7754813

Shinjuku ward, Tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7943728

Tsurumaki, Setagaya ward, Tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8278742

Asakusa, Taito ward, Tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7658661

Asakusabashi, Taio ward, Tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7873981

Katsushika ward, Tokyo
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7373757

north Tokyo
200km away from Fukushima Daiichi
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7485012

Kashiwa city, Chiba pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7555976

Chiba city, Chiba pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7960747

Inage ward, Chiba pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7691874

Yachimata city, Chiba pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8211793

Ichinomiya seaside area, Chiba pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7817633

Kuki city, Saitama pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7800484

Yamato city, Kanagawa pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8315787

Tsuru city, Yamanashi pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8244010

Ueda city, Nagano pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7545780

Shijokarasuyama, Kyoto city, Kyoto
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7752205

Kita ward, Osaka
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/7752284

Kakogawa city, Hyogo pref
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/8207434