Fukushima Daiichi Earthquake October 2017 and Plant Conditions

This post can be read as a pdf at the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3jjyzsj4u8nfv95/Fukushima%20Daiichi%20Earthquake%20October%202017%20and%20Plant%20Conditions.pdf?dl=1

Fukushima Daiichi's structures appear intact (at least above ground) and visible atmospheric emissions appear unaffected by Friday's earthquake, described below:

AP (2017, October 7). Strong quake shakes northeastern Japan, no danger of tsunami. The Asahi Shimbun, http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201710070007.html

Visible emissions on the TEPCO 1 webcam (first screenshot in linked document here) appear less than yesterday, while visible emissions on the TEPCO 4 webcam seem up a bit, particularly over the common spent fuel pool, but are not high by comparison to historical levels.

Of course, what appears on the webcams is a narrow slice of the leaking, spilling, belching phenomena occurring out of view at the plant. TEPCO has been reporting "unintended" contaminated water leaks pretty regularly over the last 6 years. Here are samples of latest reports:

Fukushima plant may have leaked radioactive water (2017, September 29). NHK https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170929_19/

Tom O'Connor (Sep 29, 2017) Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Radioactive Water May Have Been Leaking From Reactors for Months. Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/fukushima-nuclear-plant-radioactive-water-leaking-months-674434

Here is a "blast from the past" on contaminated water production and leaks:

Radioactivity levels in Fukushima groundwater increase 47-fold over 5 days THE ASAHI SHIMBUN August 06, 2013 http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201308060059

[excerpt] Radioactivity levels soared 47-fold over just five days in groundwater from a monitoring well on the ocean side of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the plant operator said Aug. 5…. TEPCO has been struggling to deal with the enormous amounts of water used to cool the damaged reactors and block the flow of contaminated water into the ocean. [end]

Fukushima is a contaminated water producing machine. Contaminants are concentrating in certain areas and organisms, with ominous implications for affected lives.

Perhaps you saw the new study reporting high concentrations of radioactive cesium in groundwater below sandy beaches miles from Fukushima at levels up to 10 times higher than cesium levels found in seawater in the Fukushima Daiichi harbor:

Scientists Find New Source of Radioactivyt from Fukushima Disaster (October 2, 2017). PhysOrg, https://phys.org/news/2017-10-scientists-source-radioactivity-fukushima-disaster.html#jCp
The scientists estimated that the amount of contaminated water flowing into the ocean from this brackish groundwater source below the sandy beaches is as large as the input from two other known sources: ongoing releases and runoff from the nuclear power plant site itself, and outflow from rivers that continue to carry cesium from the fallout on land…
The cesium levels in the groundwater were up to 10 times higher than the levels found in seawater within the harbor of the nuclear power plant itself. In addition, the total amount of cesium retained more than 3 feet deep in the sands is higher than what is found in sediments on the seafloor offshore of the beaches.

I remember the diagram of the nuclear melt-through at Fukushima allegedly posted by the Swiss embassy in Japan. This diagram has never been verified as authentic but its representation is consistent with the delays in fuel extraction and the very high radiation levels being reported in units 1 and 2:

The German Risk Study suggests that this scenario, if found at Daiichi, could result in years of accumulating contamination:

Bayer, A., Al-Omari, I., & Tromm, W. (1989). Dispersion of radionuclides and radiation exposure after leaching by groundwater of a solidified core-concrete (No. KFK-4512). Available http://www.irpa.net/irpa8/cdrom/VOL.1/M1_97.PDF

How to extract melted reactor fuel when the technology required for such a feat has yet to be developed?

Chikako Kawahara (September 26, 2017). 3-year delay in removal of fuel rods from Fukushima plant The Asahi Shimbun, http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201709260025.html

Of course, the Japanese are leaders in robotics and technology development more generally. If anyone can do it, they can.

Unfortunately, technological expertise and hubris often go hand-in-hand. We build wings to ascend to the status of gods, but too often overlook our vulnerabilities as mere mortals subject to error and avarice.

Japan's nuclear regulator, the NRA, has certified TEPCO's unit 5 and 6 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station meet new safety standards. The NRA has been very critical of TEPCO's lack of action at Fukushima Daiichi, but is also under great pressure by the LDP (and probably the US) to resume nuclear operations despite great concerns expressed within Japan, as illustrated in this article:

Environmental economics expert questions clearing of TEPCO reactors in safety review (October 5, 2017) The Mainichi, https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20171005/p2a/00m/0na/005000c The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has endorsed a draft document certifying that the No. 6 and 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station in Niigata Prefecture operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) have met new safety standards introduced after the Fukushima disaster -- paving the way for the reactors to be restarted. This move, however, has been questioned by Kenichi Oshima, a professor in environmental economics at Ryukoku University...
During screening by the NRA, it emerged that TEPCO had exaggerated the quake resistance of a quake-proof building that would be used as the command and control hub in case of an accident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.

TEPCO claims it must re-start reactors at this plant in order to recover financially from the Fukushima disaster, with support from the LDP and Japan's "policy-setting" Atomic Energy Commission, which recently issued a 322 "nuclear white paper" report calling for nuclear to remain at least 20% of Japan's energy supply in 2030:

Associated Press (15 September 2017). Bucking public sentiment, Atomic Energy Commission backs nuclear power for national energy mix (Sep 15, 2017 ) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/09/15/national/commission-supports-nuclear-power-japans-energy-needs-despite-shift-public-opinion/#.WcE9ucbdnc 

The report also endorsed continuing the government’s ambitious pursuit of a nuclear fuel cycle program based on plutonium, despite a decision last year to scrap the experimental Monju reactor, the centerpiece of its plutonium fuel program, following decades of poor safety and technical problems. Japan faces growing international scrutiny over its plutonium stockpile because the element can be used to make atomic weapons.

The heightened geological activity, including both earthquakes and volcanic activity, is disregarded in decision making that prioritizes re-starting idled reactors and the decision to move forward plutonium production at Monju can only be explained by nuclear governmentality (see m discussion here).

Recently it was reported that Japan's nuclear reactors are susceptible to cooling problems from volcanic ash from eruptions:

5 nuclear plants' cooling systems may fail during volcanic eruptions KYODO NEWS KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2017  https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2017/09/32b3a608802c-5-nuclear-plants-cooling-systems-may-fail-during-volcanic-eruptions.html

Volcanic activity has been especially high in Kyushu (see here) where nuclear reactors are operational.

Hubris is leading the Japanese and Americans down a dangerous road. And they are fighting others for territory on this road that leads ultimately to human extinction.


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