Greece has political turmoil with Golden Dawn political party decimated , Italy has seen its Coalition Government smashed as PDL has withdrawn its Ministers from the Government ( and the Five Star Movement is unlikely to form a Coalition Government , US shutdown essentially assured - now all we need is to see the Fukushima debacle get stepped up !
Fukushima Diary ......
![[ALPS stopped] Tepco "A rubber pad for ladder was stuck in the drain of a tank"](http://fukushima-diary.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/130929_02-450x332.jpg "[ALPS stopped] Tepco \"A rubber pad for ladder was stuck in the drain of a tank\"")
Fukushima Diary ......
[Give up?] Tepco can’t make new tank construction plan after October
Posted by Mochizuki on September 30th, 2013 · No Comments
Following up this article.. Tepco “Tank construction can’t catch up with increasing contaminated water” / “Trying to think of the solution” [URL]
On 9/30/2013, Tepco announced they can’t make the new tank construction plan after this October.
Having contaminated water rapidly increasing, they were supposed to publish the tank construction plan by the end of September. They asked Nuclear Regulation Authority for the permission to postpone it.
They are trying to publish it by the end of October.
They need to construct the tanks faster than contaminated water increase. This announcement revealed the contaminated water problem is going beyond their control.
Tepco dropped water level gauge into groundwater observation hole / “Can’t measure the water level there anymore”
Posted by Mochizuki on September 30th, 2013 · No Comments
The contaminated water meets groundwater in Fukushima plant area, and it’s leaking to the sea.
In order to stop the flow, Tepco is building the impervious wall on the seaside of reactor3 like other reactors.
Because the groundwater level rises by stopped flowing to the sea, they measure the groundwater level in two observation holes.
However they announced they dropped one of the two groundwater level gauges into the hole, so they can’t publish the rising groundwater level data anymore in the press conference of 9/30/2013.
The cause of “dropping the gauge into the hole” wasn’t explained. They didn’t mentioned alternative measuring way either.
Tepco needs 3km long hose to evacuate contaminated “rainwater” to notch tank
Posted by Mochizuki on September 30th, 2013 · 1 Comment
Following up this article.. [Next typhoon approaching Fukushima] Tepco plans to transfer contaminated water back to reactor buildings [URL]
The contaminated water tanks are surrounded by the local “dams” in order to stop the leaked water. It retains rainwater in case of Typhoon, and Tepco had to discharge it due to the heavy rain when the last Typhoon hit. The discharged “rainwater” was also contaminated.
On 9/25/2013, they stated they would drain the “rainwater” to a notch tank (4,000 m3) when the next Typhoon hits Fukushima plant area.
However, from their report published on 9/30/2013, they would need the extremely long “hose” to drain the water, which is 3km.
Actually the hose hasn’t even been purchased yet. Tepco comments they are going to prepare it by October.
Tepco “We don’t watch Tokyo bay contamination”
Posted by Mochizuki on September 29th, 2013 · No Comments
Having the tanks, trenches and the plant buildings leaking, the contaminated water is flowing to the Pacific.
However from the spokesman of Tepco, they don’t watch nor evaluate the contamination of Tokyo bay or lakes in Kanto area.
It was stated in the press conference of 9/27/2013.
High level of Cesium-134/137 is measured from the sediment of Tokyo bay and the major lakes of Kanto area by Japanese government.
Tepco stated they evaluate the sea contamination of offshore Fukushima plant, but the contamination in Kanto area is not what they should follow up.
Tepco doesn’t measure radiation accumulated on the bottom of the sea
Posted by Mochizuki on September 29th, 2013 · No Comments
Following up this article.. Tepco “We don’t see Tokyo bay contamination” [URL]
Regarding the Pacific contamination, Tepco stated they analyze seawater but they take the samples only from the surface of the sea on 9/27/2013.
They commented when they collect seawater samples outside of Fukushima nuclear plant port, the samples are not taken from near the bottom of the sea.
Cesium-134/137 is assumed to be accumulated on the bottom of the sea, but Tepco doesn’t and is not planning to analyze it.
Even inside of the plant port, they collect the seawater samples mostly from the surface of the sea.
Tepco explained the measurement means was not decided by only Tepco, but also with the Fisheries Agency, Fukushima prefectural government and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Also, Strontium-90 is water-soluble, so even if they analyze only the surface water, they can detect the marine contamination level.
According to Tepco and Japanese government, they don’t measure high level of radiation in their sampling points of the Pacific.
New tank leakage outside of the plant port area / Location map is not published
Posted by Mochizuki on September 29th, 2013 · No Comments
On 9/28/2013, Tepco reported a new tank leakage was found.
Around 23:00 of 9/28/2013, a sub-contract worker found the leakage from the flange part of the tank for reactor5 and 6.
The tank is located in the North of reactor6, where is the outside of the plant port area. The leaked water directly goes out of the port, but Tepco doesn’t publish the location map.
At this moment, Tepco is reporting the radiation level is the same as the background, it’s not dripping to the floor.
[ALPS stopped] Tepco “A rubber pad for ladder was stuck in the drain of a tank”
Posted by Mochizuki on September 29th, 2013 · No Comments
Following up this article.. Multiple nuclide removing system ALPS stopped again 22 hours after test operation restarted [URL]
According to Tepco, they found one of the 6 rubber pads detached from the inside of a tank. They assume it was stuck in the drain to have caused the trouble.
The rubber pad was for a ladder to step into the tank. The cause of detachment is not verified.
Currently Tepco is investigating the other tank of the stopped multiple nuclide removing system ALPS as well.
Multiple nuclide removing system ALPS stopped again 22 hours after test operation restarted
Posted by Mochizuki on September 28th, 2013 · No Comments
Receiving the order of Japanese Prime Minister Abe, Tepco stated they are going to complete treating all the contaminated water by the end of the term of 2014. They commented it is possible with the multiple nuclide removing system ALPS.
As Fukushima Diary has been reporting, the multiple nuclide system stopped only 2 months after the test operation started this Spring. They found several parts severely deteriorated.
(cf, 4 more parts found severely deteriorated in multiple nuclide removing system ALPS only 2 months after test operation [URL])
At 0:04 of 9/27/2013, Tepco restarted the system (C line), but it stopped again at 22:37 of the same day. It was only 22 hours after the restart of test operation.
According to Tepco, the process to remove α nuclide had the problem to discharge the slurry. The cause is not verified yet.
Tepco places the system “ALPS” as the last hope with the frozen ground wall for the contaminated water problem, but they haven’t established the technology.
ALPS and frozen ground wall are the last hope for contaminated water problem
Posted by Mochizuki on September 28th, 2013 · No Comments
On 9/27/2013, Tepco held the contaminated water task force committee in Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
From the report of Tepco, Tepco is placing the multiple nuclide removing system (ALPS) and frozen ground wall as the last hope of settling contaminated water problem.
Tepco states they can reduce the risk of contaminated water by having the multiple nuclide removing system into operation but the system stopped in the first few months of the test operation. Also, radioactive Tritium can’t be filtered, and the technology to remove the remaining Tritium doesn’t exist.
The frozen ground wall is expected to stop groundwater flowing into the plant buildings but it’s an unprecedented case. They haven’t even started the feasibility test of it.
The report revealed Tepco has no back up plan in case none of them actually worked.
NRA doesn’t implement 100% inspection for contaminated water tanks
Posted by Mochizuki on September 28th, 2013 · No Comments
Related to this article.. NRA spokesman “We don’t know what our inspectors actually check about the contaminated water tanks” [URL]
On 9/28/2013, Nuclear Regulation Authority stated they don’t implement the inspection for all the contaminated water storage tanks in Fukushima nuclear plant.
They commented their work is to check the inspection quality of Tepco. Having several tanks leak highly contaminated water, they don’t plan to inspect all the tanks by themselves.
Energy News.....
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