[Column] Summary of Fukushima nuclear plant situation -past, present and future

It has been over 2 years since 311.
We are slowly slipping down on the muddy slope.
Here I would like to summarize the Fukushima plant situation in the past, present, and future.

 

So far -4 reactors were crippled

4 reactors are crippled in Fukushima. Nuclear fuel are in 3 of them, but can’t get taken out because they are molten and scattered.
Tepco doesn’t even know where they are, and there is even no technology to know it. Just give it water. This is all they could do.

Chernobyl nuclear plant was packed in the sarcophagus. However, they can’t do it to Fukushima because they still need to give water to those 3 reactors and 4 spent fuel pools, where they stock used nuclear fuel under water.

Tepco is preparing to remove the spent fuel from reactor1. Reactor2 is very radioactive but they don’t even know what happened there. Reactor2 is very mysterious.
Reactor3 is completely crippled. Now they are picking up the steel beams on the top, which is the only thing they could do, but still nobody can even stand on there. Reactor4 is empty but there is a spent fuel pool “hung” in the crippled building. They are installing the crane to pick up the fuel.

 

Now -Contaminated water is getting out of control

Because they need to keep giving water, they must treat more and more contaminated water. They circulate it but still it’s rapidly increasing.
The reason is because they must let groundwater in otherwise the coolant water goes out backward.
The plant area is limited, they are running out of the storage capacity. Tepco tried to purify and discharge it to the sea, but the purifying system deteriorated due to the contaminated water. It already started leaking on the test operation. Also, it can’t remove all kinds of radiation. Fishery’s agency doesn’t give Tepco their approval to discharge it.

However, the bottom line is the plant is entirely crippled. Water comes out from somewhere, and the water is severely contaminated.
Last month, Tepco admitted the contamination is traveling to the Pacific. In order to stop it, they built a wall on the coastal line.
and it’s turning out to be worst countermeasures. It doesn’t stop the water, plus it’s making the land literally swamped. The groundwater level, which is surely contaminated, is rapidly rising.
It will come up to the ground by mid August. Tepco is planning to pump up the water but they may end up losing the coastal area of Fukushima nuclear plant.

 

In a few years from now -Contaminated water will be the tyrant of the plant

Tepco may end up having to spend all the resource on controlling the water.
There are 4 sources of contaminated water -reactors, tanks, underground tunnels, and natural groundwater.

Reactor water – This is the most contaminated. Tepco doesn’t want to admit it’s leaking to the sea, but it’s highly likely to contain the worst nuclide “Plutonium”.

Tanks – The storage facility of the mixture of the coolant water and the ground water. Most of the tanks were not welded. Contaminated water deteriorates steel. It’s only the mater of time to scatter the stocked water all over the plant area, but it keeps increasing by over 400 tones a day.

Underground tunnels – Just after 311, extremely radioactive water accumulated in there and still retained. Tepco doesn’t even know the volume or the radioactive density. It doesn’t have the water shielding properties. The retained water is assumed to be leaking to the sea. Tepco plans to pump it up but because it’s connected to the buildings, contaminated water keeps coming in if they don’t shut them out. To cut it out from the buildings, they are trying to build the wall by freezing water but it hasn’t been actually examined in human history. It’s an attempt without any example.

Natural groundwater – Naturally 800~900 tones of groundwater travels from the mountain to the sea via Fukushima nuclear plant every single day. After 311, they are contaminated. Tepco is planning to stop it by installing underground wall but they are being defeated and the land is becoming a swamp.

 

Contaminated water will be the primary issue of Fukushima nuclear plant. Foreign media would “drop out” if they don’t check this point out.

 

 

Truth is not truth because everyone believes in it. It’s the truth because it’s consistent and can’t be rebutted.

_____

Français :

[Édito] Point de situation de la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima – passé, présent et futur

 

On est à plus de 2 ans depuis le 11-3.
On glisse doucement le long de la pente boueuse.
Je voudrais ici résumer la situation de la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima sur ses passé, présent et futur.

Passé – 4 réacteurs ont été ravagés

Il y a 4 réacteurs de la centrale de Fukushima qui sont totalement dévastés. Il reste du combustible nucléaire dans 3 d’entre eux mais il ne peut être retiré parce qu’il est fondu et éparpillé. Tepco ne sait même pas où il est dedans et il n’existe aucune technique pour le savoir. Ils les arrosent. C’est tout ce qu’ils peuvent faire.

La centrale nucléaire de Tchernobyl a été enveloppée dans un sarcophage. Ils ne peuvent pas en faire autant à Fukushima parce qu’ils doivent sans arrêt alimenter en eau ces 3 réacteurs et les 4 piscines à combustibles usagés où ils les gardent sous eau.

– Tepco se prépare à retirer les combustibles usagés du réacteur 1.
– Le réacteur 2 est très radioactif mais ils ne savent même pas ce qui lui est arrivé. Le réacteur 2 est très mystérieux.
– Le réacteur 3 est complètement ravagé. En ce moment, ils retirent les poutrelles qu’il y a en haut du bâtiment, la seule chose qu’ils puissent faire, personne ne peut même s’y rendre.
– Le réacteur 4 est vide mais sa piscine à combustibles usagés est “suspendue” au bâtiment ravagé. Ils sont en train d’installer la grue pour attraper le combustible et le retirer.

Présent – Les eaux extrêmement radioactives deviennent incontrôlables

Ils doivent traiter de plus en plus d’eaux contaminées parce qu’ils doivent continuer l’arrosage. Ils la font tourner mais les quantités augmentent toujours rapidement.
La raison en est qu’ils doivent garder les eaux souterraines à l’intérieur sinon les eaux de refroidissement sortent par l’arrière.
Le domaine de la centrale n’est pas illimité, ils manquent d’espace de stockage. Tepco a essayé de les purifier pour les déverser en mer mais le système de purification a été détériore par les eaux extrêmement radioactives. Il commençait déjà à fuir pendant les opérations de test de son lancement. En outre, il ne peut pas filtrer toutes les formes de radioactivité. L’agence des pêches ne donne pas son accord à Tepco pour qu’ils les déversent en mer.

Le résultat est cependant que la centrale est entièrement dévastée. L’eau sort de quelque part et cette eau est extrêmement radioactive.
Le mois dernier, Tepco a reconnu que la contamination diffusait jusque dans le Pacifique. Ils ont construit le mur le long du rivage pour l’arrêter et ça se révèle être la pire des contre-mesures. Il ne bloque pas l’eau, en plus il transforme le terrain littéralement en marécage. Le niveau des eaux souterraines, qui sont certainement radioactives, monte rapidement. Il arrivera en surface à la mi-août. Tepco prévoit de pomper cette eau mais ils vont finir par perdre tout accès au rivage de la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima.

Futur : Dans quelques années les eaux extrêmement radioactives seront le dictateur de la centrale

Tepco finira par devoir épuiser toutes ses ressources dans le contrôle de l’eau.
Il y a 4 sources d’eaux radioactives : les réacteurs, les citernes, les tunnels et les eaux souterraines naturelles.

* Eau des réacteurs : C’est la plus contaminée. Tepco ne veut pas reconnaître qu’elles fuient en mer et elles doivent contenir le pire des nucléides, le “Plutonium”.

* Citernes : L’équipement de stockage du mélange des eaux de refroidissement et des eaux souterraines. La plupart des citernes n’ont pas été soudées. La radioactivité détériore l’acier. Ce n’est plus qu’une question de temps avant que ces eaux stockées se répandent dans tout le domaine de la centrale et elles continuent d’augmenter à 400 tonnes par jour. (ndt: 4 000 Hl/j)

* Tunnels : Juste après le 11-3, des eaux extrêmement radioactives s’y sont accumulées et y sont toujours. Tepco n’en connaît même pas ni le volume, ni le niveau de radioactivité. Ils n’ont pas les propriétés d’isolation de l’eau. Les eaux retenues sont supposées diffuser en mer. Tepco prévoie de les pomper parce que comme ils sont reliés aux bâtiments, des eaux extrêmement radioactives continuent d’y aller s’ils ne les ferment pas. Ils essayent de geler l’eau pour les déconnecter des bâtiments mais, de mémoire humaine, personne ne l’a jamais tenté. C’est une tentative sans aucun exemple précédent.

* Eaux souterraines naturelles : 800 à 900 tonnes d’eaux souterraines descendent naturellement de la montagne vers la mer chaque jour à travers la centrale nucléaire. Elles sont contaminées depuis le 11-3. Tepco prévoit de les bloquer avec des murs souterrains mais ils vont échouer et le terrain se transforme en marais.

Les eaux extrêmement radioactives vont être le premier grand problème de la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima. La presse étrangère va décrocher si elle se désintéresse de ça.

 

Ce n’est pas la vérité parce que tout le monde y croit. C’est la vérité parce que c’est cohérent et irréfutable.

  1. Very good to summarize once in a while!

    I have a little correction to say. Reactor 4 must have been 2 third full because only one third is being changed at once. I remember Arnie Gundersen spoke about it about 15 months ago or more. And the one third of spent fuel that was taken off is somewhere over there. So the forth reactor was in a shut down state, but was two third full.

    I appreciate you point out essential facts.

    It does look worsening.

  2. if u want to make a correction lets hear more about Fukushima Daini+2 reactors. those will be the experimental reactors to see if japanese can even dismantle a reactor as to my knowledge it has never been done yet, since Fukushima Daiichi contained one of the nations oldest reactor. but aghast we still dont have a 100% reassurance that Daini will be terminated as its still in the works.. money money money.. happy now?!

    meanwhile.. Japan still shooting rockets into the sky & there was the local fireworks festival here in Tokyo as if nobody cares.. although during that recent post of 80+ female concert goers being possibly radiation poisioned, the biggest firework festival of Tokyo was canceled on the same evening, which apparently means they have to dispose of some milliyens of color-bombs. idk about today but i recently realized the color in fireworks, such as the pretty ‘red-lights’ require such radioactive substance as Strontium to create.. so those are just Hiroshima & Nagasaki on a sparkler stick isnt it. a few years ago in Tokyo a ‘dud’ firework was launched & it landed on a little girl decapitating her.. but alas ‘the show must go on’.. the one grand mentality of the human collective conscience.

    value of one human life? = less than nothing.

    until they are tax exempt.

    Freeing Oneself From Words Is Liberation.
    -Bodhidharma
    人間言霊から自由開放

    Tsuruga plant operator says spent fuel in storage pool absolutely safe

    Previous ArticleExtremely high tritium level found in water in pit at Fukushima plant
    Next ArticleTEPCO took no action about radioactive water leak for 2 years

    August 01, 2013

    THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

    The operator of the Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture insists that spent nuclear fuel in the storage pool of the No. 2 reactor will not melt down even if the pool cooling water is lost due to an accident.

    That possibility is much in the minds of nuclear experts these days because of fears the plant is situated on an active earthquake fault.

    Japan Atomic Power Co. was responding to a request from the Nuclear Regulation Authority to study the safety of nuclear fuel stored in the pool in the event of an earthquake caused by the fault.

    The NRA, the government’s nuclear industry watchdog, contends the plant would be a ticking time bomb if it goes back online. But Japan Atomic Power, which released its report July 31, has disputed the finding.

    The NRA in May concluded that an active fault runs directly underneath the No. 2 reactor building. Japan Atomic Power was forced to evaluate what risks that might pose to spent fuel stored in a pool if an accident occurred.

    Currently, no fuel is stored in the No. 2 reactor, which has been offline since May 2011. However, around 1,700 fuel assemblies, each comprising a number of fuel rods, have been stored in the pool in the building.

    According to Japan Atomic Power, even if the cooling water is lost, there is no likelihood of a fuel meltdown. It said that scenario is avoidable because air flowing between the fuel assemblies would serve as a cooling agent. However, it acknowledged that the temperature of the metal pipes that cover the fuel would rise to 420 degrees.

    It reasoned that no new measures are warranted.

    Japan Atomic Power did not address a scenario in which the fuel assemblies could be displaced due to shaking from an earthquake.

    That leaves the door open for the NRA to order Japan Atomic Power to make an entirely new evaluation.

    On July 16, Japan Atomic Power took issue with the NRA on its judgment regarding the active fault and formally expressed its opposition to the finding.

    The latest report was submitted to avoid being slapped with punitive steps for not following the NRA’s instructions.

    THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

    1. Though i may not be qualified to speak, i do not believe Japan Atomic Power’s assertions.

      Nuclear power’s infamous propaganda slogan updated:

      Life. Too cheap to meter.

      There are no words to describe how i feel.

  3. It has been two and a half years now and I can’t help but wonder what the situation in Fukushima Daiichi would be if nothing was done and everyone had simply abandoned the whole mess from the get-go.

    I dare say it would be worse. Much, much worse.

    Sure, the situation is still an issue but for once, I’d like to read about the hypothetical future, i.e. what would the world be like if everyone in Japan had simply evacuated and begun anew?

Comments are closed.

About this site

This website updates the latest news about the Fukushima nuclear plant and also archives the past news from 2011. Because it's always updated and added live, articles, categories and the tags are not necessarily fitted in the latest format.
I am the writer of this website. About page remains in 2014. This is because my memory about 311 was clearer than now, 2023, and I think it can have a historical value. Now I'm living in Romania with 3 cats as an independent data scientist.
Actually, nothing has progressed in the plant since 2011. We still don't even know what is going on inside. They must keep cooling the crippled reactors by water, but additionally groundwater keeps flowing into the reactor buildings from the broken parts. This is why highly contaminated water is always produced more than it can circulate. Tepco is planning to officially discharge this water to the Pacific but Tritium is still remaining in it. They dilute this with seawater so that it is legally safe, but scientifically the same amount of radioactive tritium is contained. They say it is safe to discharge, but none of them have drunk it.

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