February 16, 2012

Scientists: 'Big One' Building Beneath Fukushima

Wed Feb 15, 2012 at 12:28 PM PST
Scientists: 'Big One' Building Beneath Fukushima
by JoieauFollow

Last week the temperature in Fukushima Daiichi's #2 reactor vessel - as measured at the "0" position gage - began rising in an erratic manner. Over the weekend the gage shot over 80ºC, causing TEPCO to have to report that if the reading is accurate, the #2 reactor can no longer be considered to be in a state of "cold shutdown..."

SNIP

...Today the "0" level gage at unit-2 is still hovering around 250ºC, after having gone as high as 275.9ºC on Monday. TEPCO has been issuing reassuring statements that they 'think' the gage is broken because two other temperature gages in the vessel aren't reading that high, although at least one of them has behaved as irregularly as the "0" gage has. TEPCO employees at the site say they doubt the gage is actually broken, and have increased the water being added to the vessel as well as injected boron to help prevent criticality. Analysts have suggested that recent changes in the coolant flow due to changes made when the endoscopy was done may have affected the amount of water reaching the molten corium (wherever it may be), causing it to crack or shift, thus possibly going critical again for short periods to cause the temperature rise. Also over the weekend [Feb. 11 & 12] cesium levels measured around unit 2 jumped from single digits to 98.2 MBq/km2 for Cesium 134 and 139 MBq/km2 for Cesium 137.

SNIP

Some of us will recall the many reports during the fall of rising groundwater underneath the nuclear reservation, including boiling water and steam 'erupting' from the ground around units 1 and 2 through the extensive ground fissures and cracks that riddle the ground and widen with every 'aftershock' of the great earthquake that initiated the disaster nearly a year ago. In the last couple of days a new danger has reared its head with the release of a new study from the European Geosciences Union which issues the warning that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reservation is at increased risk of suffering a big earthquake epicentered essentially right underneath it, and that rising groundwater is an ominous sign that it could come very soon...

SNIP

...In the Iwaki area ~25 miles south of Fukushima Daiichi, where a magnitude 7 'aftershock' last April 11 occurred, Japan's seismic monitoring network recorded more than 24,000 tremors in the seven and a half months after March 11. There were a mere 1,300 quakes in the same area over the nine previous years. The research paper notes that Daiichi sits atop fractured crust with the same traits as Iwaki's, and that the fault under the plants can be weakened and "lubricated" by the same rising fluids. The conclusion of these geophysicist?

"Therefore, much attention should be paid to the FNPP (Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant) seismic safety in the near future..."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/15/1065089/-Scientists-Big-One-Building-Beneath-Fukushima?via=siderec

February 15, 2012

Slowpoke: Fallopitarians protest health care law

Wed Feb 15, 2012 at 06:50 AM PST
Fallopitarians protest health care law
by Jen SorensenFollow for Comics



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/15/1064698/-Fallopitarians-protest-health-care-law?via=blog_1

February 14, 2012

Gundersen: 1/3 of Fukushima kids tested positive for lumps on thyroid — Forebodes some real issues

http://enenews.com/gundersen-13-fukushima-kids-tested-positive-lumps-thyroid-forebodes-real-issues-future-only-10-months-accident-audio
Gundersen: 1/3 of Fukushima kids tested positive for lumps on thyroid — Forebodes some real issues in future — We’re only 10 months into the accident here (AUDIO)
Published: February 14th, 2012 at 11:34 am ET
By ENENews


Title: Nuclear expert Arnold Gundersen with the first 2012 Fukushima update
Source: If You Love This Planet Radio with Dr. Helen Caldicott
Date: Feb. 11, 2012

At 20:30 in



AUDIO: http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=5620

February 13, 2012

Reactor No. 2 temp exceeded 400°C —Tepco: "device broken" — Fallout INCREASE measured

Monday, February 13, 2012
TEPCO Evening Press Conference 2/13/2012: Reactor 2 RPV Thermocouple Is Broken, Matsumoto Says



...Q: Who decided that the thermocouple was broken? Was the manufacturer consulted?
A: TEPCO decided. We have experience in maintenance of the thermocouple. (Matsumoto sounds very testy.)

Q: Is there a possibility of a thermocouple showing temperature lower than what really is and therefore it is broken?
A: If this thermocouple were correct, there would be other thermocouples that would show higher temperature. The other temperatures are trending down. So we think this particular thermocouple is broken.

Q: The temperature rise in early February - was it related to the instrument failure now?
A: We think so. But we didn't know at that time whether it was actually a rise in temperature or the instrument failure. The temperature did go down after increasing the water injection.

Q: How reliable is it to judge "recriticality" by xenon-135?
A: We think it is a reliable indicator.

Q: When was 342.2 degrees Celsius recorded?
A: We finished the testing at 2:54PM. So it must be between that time and 3PM. We'll have to check.

Q: How high did the temperature go? (looking at the graph that was provided)
A: It went overscale, so the graph shows temperatures like that [over 400 degrees Celsius].

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2012/02/tepco-evening-press-conference-2132012.html



MEANWHILE...



Fall-out intensively increased in Fukushima
Posted by Mochizuki on February 13th, 2012 · 4 Comments

While reactor2 was being heated, fall-out level in Fukushima intensively increased.

Until 9:00 AM of 2/11/2012,

Cesium 134 : 4.45 MBq/km2

Cesium 137 : 6.46 MBq/km2


However, 9:00 AM 2/11/2012 ~ 9:00 AM 2/12/2012,

Cesium 134 : 98.2 MBq/km2

Cesium 137 : 139 MBq/km2



http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/02/fall-out-intensively-increased-in-fukushima/

February 10, 2012

WOOHOO!!! THE GREATEST PAGE IS BACK!!!

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

February 10, 2012

Dear Mr. Matthews:

Thu Feb 09, 2012 at 08:38 PM PST
Dear Mr. Matthews:
by I love OCD

I'll make a deal with you. As soon as you let me spend 12 hours pulling a soccer ball through your penis (while encouraging you to breathe through the pain) I'll promise to try really hard to care what you think about my right to choose how often and when I get pregnant.

As soon as you let some tech squish your balls between 2 metal plates that are at a truly awkward height and shoot some radiation into them, I'll promise to try really really hard to believe you have a clue about women's health care in this country.

As soon as you invite a group of women on your program to discuss women's health care issues, and the day you let one of those women complete a sentence I'll promise to try really hard to think of you as a serious person with serious concerns.

As soon as you get it that this is a health issue not a religious issue, I'll start taking you seriously as an intelligent human being.

Here's some religious freedom for you to mull. I'm not Catholic. I find 0 Bible verses criticizing birth control use, and 0 Bible verses telling women it's imperative that they have as many babies as possible or God will be pissed. My religion is more concerned with providing for the needs of those already born and suffering, and with respecting the planet we're blessed to live on...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/09/1063395/-Dear-Mr-Matthews-?via=siderec

February 8, 2012

Areas in Reactor No. 2 may be over 100°C — Fuel probably as melted as mud

Kyoto Professor: Areas in Reactor No. 2 may be over 100°C — Fuel probably as melted as mud, increasing water injection may move it around — Can’t see inside for decades (VIDEO)
Published: February 8th, 2012 at 6:44 am ET
By ENENews

Title: Interview of Hiroaki Koide
Source: Tanemaki Journal
Date: Feb 8, 2012
Translation by Fukushima Diary

[...] Probably the fuel is as melted as mud. It’s attached to everywhere in the vessel, and the place that the mud is attached gets heated. If they increase the water amount, the mud may move and the new place may get heated again.

So some place may get cool but other place may get extremely hot. So other places where no heat gauge is near may be over 100°C.

Even robot can’t get into the vessel. We can not see inside of the vessel for longer than several decades.

http://enenews.com/kyoto-professor-areas-in-reactor-no-2-may-be-over-100%C2%B0c-probably-fuel-is-as-melted-as-mud-increasing-water-injection-may-be-moving-it-around-cant-see-inside-for-decades-video

February 7, 2012

BLOOMBERG: Tepco Injects Boric Acid Into Fukushima No. 2 Reactor to Prevent Criticality

This is an update to the thread found here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002276452

Tepco Injects Boric Acid Into Fukushima No. 2 Reactor
By Takehiko Kumakura - Feb 6, 2012 6:20 PM ET

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the temperature of the No. 2 reactor at its damaged Fukushima nuclear plant has risen and it injected boric acid into the unit early this morning to prevent criticality.

It took the step between 12:19 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. today, according to an e-mailed statement.

Tepco yesterday said it had been increasing the amount of coolant circulated into the reactor since Feb. 3 to counter the rising temperature.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-06/tepco-injects-boric-acid-into-fukushima-no-2-reactor.html

February 6, 2012

Fukushima Crisis Awakes After Reactor Heats Up Mysteriously

japan
By Jesus Diaz
Feb 6, 2012 3:35 PM

Fukushima Crisis Awakes After Reactor Heats Up Mysteriously

Just when you thought it was over, the temperature at reactor number 2 at Fukushima's nuclear plant has soared 26.7 degrees Celsius in the last few hours. Worse: they don't know why the temperature is increasing after being stabilized for so long.

The reactor reached 164 degrees Fahrenheit (73.3 degrees Celsius) after being stabilized at 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) since last December. Here's the latest official update by Tepco, the owner of the plant:

At this moment, temperature indicates approx. 71.0 °C (as of 11:00 am on February 6). We will monitor it continuously.

The reactors were finally shut down cold after ten months of dramatic struggle by company and emergency workers.

Tepco has admitted that they don't have a clue about what is going on. They have increased the amount of water pumped into the reactor ten percent, but their technicians don't know what is going on. The change was detected in one of the three thermometers at the base of the reactor...

SNIP

Helicopters have started to survey the area above the plant to gather information about the current radiation level in the air.

http://gizmodo.com/5882770/fukushima-crisis-awakes-after-reactor-heats-up-mysteriously

February 2, 2012

CHANGE HAPPENED -- MAKE IT GO VIRAL!!

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