October 19, 2012

Oct 19, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • A high-tech imaging system used for non-invasive internal scanning of large objects might be used to try and find the location of the melted fuel at Fukushima Daiichi. The system, called “Cosmic Ray Tomography”, uses cosmic rays (Muons) to perform internal imaging without actually going inside the object being scanned. The process has also been used to look inside the pyramids, scan lava beds beneath volcanoes and search for clandestine transport of nuclear weapon’s materials. A team from Los Alamos National Laboratory has visited F. Daiichi and believes they can use cosmic ray imaging to give us a picture inside the three damaged Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPV) and Primary Containments (PCV) that surround them. They feel they can pinpoint where the melted fuel is situated inside of each structure and estimate the volume of the material. Muons are particles from outer space moving at extremely high velocities. When they strike our atmosphere, some of them cause a cascade of light and smaller particles that invisibly rain down on us. Most of the muons, however, reach the Earth’s surface and collide with just about everything, including our bodies. Some of them cause a localized particle cascade, while others get deflected (along with the cascade particles) by the physical material they encounter. By placing detectors on either side of the object to be examined, the deflected cosmic rays and cascade particles display a “picture” similar to primitive x-ray photographs. The denser, heavier materials inside the scanned object deflect more Muons and cascade particles than the less dense, which shows up distinctly on the detector read-out. At F. Daiichi, the densest material inside the three damaged RPVs and their surrounding PCVs is the solidified melted fuel (corium). The location, or locations of the corium deposit(s) inside each PCV should be identifiable and the size of each deposit confidently estimated. During the team’s visit in May, they placed detectors at key locations inside reactor buildings #1 and #2. Haruo Miyadera, a member of the research team, said “If we find where the molten nuclear fuel is located, it will give us a clue to understand what happened inside the reactors and help accelerate the decommissioning work.” He added that using the system will keep from having to expose workers to high radiation fields in order to find out where the corium is actually located. (Japan Times; News on Japan) comment – It should also rather conclusively show whether or not there was a melt-through of the unit #1 RPV bottom head. I can’t wait! – end comment
  • The head of Japan’s Nuclear Accident Independent Investigative Commission (NAIIC) is in Washington to present his panel’s English-version of their report. Kiyoshi Kurokawa is doing this because he wants full international transparency and feels his country is in need of socio-political change. The NAIIC report says that much of the blame for the Fukushima accident is Japan’s cultural “reflexive obedience”, and ingrained collusion between industry and government bureaucrats. “Japan has been doing reasonably OK, but I think not really adapting to the changing, uncertain times of this global world,” Kurokawa said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “I think we need all of the pressure for the Japanese establishment to change and adapt. I think it will be very difficult for Japan to change.” He added that Japan has a historically-inadequate system of checks and balances needed in a democracy. In japan, bureaucrats resist change from outside. Kurokawa also said the NAIIC hopes to challenge the emphasis on nuclear safety-alone, but also develop strategies on managing risks. “The public is not stupid,” he said. “Accidents happen, machines break, and humans make errors. So we have to learn this and minimize risks, or at least become resilient.” (Japan Today; Japan Times)
  • The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) field study on the geologic anomaly relative to Oi NPS began today. They 5-person expert team plans on holding a public meeting on November 4th to assess the study results and discuss whether or not the anomaly is seismically active: i.e. having shifted within the past 130,000 years. They will compare their findings with those recently compiled by Kansai Electric Company to see whether or not full re-examination is warranted. If it is, the NRA will run its own drilling and testing program on the geology. NRA chair Shunichi Tanaka said if the anomaly is found to be a seismic fault they will call for shutdown or decommissioning of the four-unit station. The NRA plans on doing the same field study at the five nukes previously identified for analysis by the defunct NISA. The NRA will also consider whether or not to conduct a similar survey at the under-construction nuclear power plant site at Oma, Aomori Prefecture. (Yomiuri Shimbun)
  • With the moratorium on operating nukes, Japan’s Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) imports have sky-rocketed. In fact, the tiny middle-eastern country of Qatar has acquired the status of “lifeline” for Japan’s electric companies. Many old, moth-balled LNG-burning power plants were re-opened last Fall to replace the generating capacity lost to the nuclear moratorium. Despite numerous plant failures, enough of the LNG-fired plants stayed on line to avoid power shortages and rolling blackouts this past summer. Japan’s LNG import cost was 3.55 trillion yen in 2011, but has already surged to 5.4 trillion yen this year. When Japan’s utilities cried out for fuel, Qatar jumped at the opportunity and filled as much of the void as they could, which is about half of the increased imports since 3/11/11. Qatar is now the second biggest supplier of LNG to Japan, behind Malaysia. (Kyodo News)