[Column] Tepco’s contaminated water system started collapsing
Posted by Mochizuki on October 2nd, 2013 · 1 Comment
It’s been only 2 years and 6 months. However, Fukushima decommissioning is already falling apart.
It’s starting from the contaminated water storage. As long as they keep giving water to the reactors, it must increase. Now it’s already beyond Tepco’s capacity.
Having the third typhoon season after 311, the contaminated water system is starting to be collapsed.
I cannot even imagine what would happen, but I listed up the three potential results. All of them are likely.
1. Simultaneous leakages
The cause of 300m3 leakage hasn’t been identified yet. They have 350 tanks of the same type in the plant. According to the makers, some of them don’t even last for 5 years. However, there is no spare storage. All we could do is just to pray.
Even only for a Typhoon, Tepco required 2,100 workers. If those tanks (in Plural) start leaking at once, they are not capable to treat them. This is the water version of 311 Ⅱ.
2. Lack of the storage
At least 400m3 of contaminated groundwater flows to the plant. However, Tepco doesn’t have a plan to construct the new welded tanks after this October.
It takes 2 months to build the tank, but it is estimated they will run out of the storage this November ~ December. They can’t even find the land to build the new tanks.
3. Past radiation measurement readings might be all false
NRA (Nuclear Regulation Authority) has been pointing out Tepco’s radiation data doesn’t make sense. It shows no rational trends, and Tepco has no logical explanation for that. NRA plans to send inspectors to the analyzing site.
Whether Tepco was intentionally trying to downplay the contamination level, “a part of (I hope not ALL)” their past data may be thought to be false based on the wrong means of analysis.
Tepco “Treating rainwater retained in a dam” → “Found another tank leakage on-going”
Posted by Mochizuki on October 2nd, 2013 · No Comments
Another tank leakage was found.
Due to the Typhoon, the dams to surround the contaminated water tanks are becoming full of “rainwater”. Some of them have overflowed the dams.
(cf, [Collapsing contaminated water system] Two more tank areas overflowed “rainwater” due to the Typhoon [URL])
Around 20:00 of 10/2/2013, when a Tepco employee was treating the retained “rainwater”, he found contaminated water leaking from the top of the tank by chance. They described the dripping “as thick as a pencil”.
No details are reported yet.
[Notch tank overflow] Tepco “Mistook another hose made of the same material”
Posted by Mochizuki on October 2nd, 2013 · No Comments
Following up this article.. [Collapsing contaminated water system] All β nuclide level 13 times higher than safety limit in overflowed notch tank [URL]
According to Tepco, the primal cause of this accident was that they mistook another hose made of the same material.
Because they couldn’t prepare the water evacuation system before the Typhoon season comes, Tepco was requesting the sub-contract company to install the new pipes urgently. However, the sub-contract company misunderstood the order. Tepco stated “there was a mis-communication”.
Moreover, they missed the connection error by mistaking another hose made of the same material.
The competence of Tepco to decommission Fukushima nuclear plant is seriously deteriorating.
[Collapsing contaminated water system] All β nuclide level 13 times higher than safety limit in overflowed notch tank
Posted by Mochizuki on October 2nd, 2013 · No Comments
![[Collapsing contaminated water system] All β nuclide level was 13 times higher than safety limit in overflowed notch tank](http://fukushima-diary.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/20131001_011-450x337.jpg "[Collapsing contaminated water system] All β nuclide level was 13 times higher than safety limit in overflowed notch tank")
Following up this article.. Tepco “Transferred retained water to a backup tank before overflowing” → The backup tank overflowed [URL]
On 10/1/2013, Tepco announced all β nuclide (including Strontium-90) density of water that overflowed from the “backup” tank. It was 390,000 Bq/m3.
This is 13 times much as the safety limit (Strontium-90) as 30,000 Bq/m3.
[Collapsing contaminated water system] Two more tank areas overflowed “rainwater” due to the Typhoon
Posted by Mochizuki on October 2nd, 2013 · No Comments
Related to this article.. Tepco “It rains so heavily only once in ten years ” → (One month later) “Overflowed for too much rain” [URL]
Tepco is becoming entirely incapable to control the contaminated water system.
On 10/2/2013, Tepco announced they found “rainwater” retained in the local dam of a tank area overflowing due to the Typhoon.
They estimate 23 m3 of “rainwater” overflowed at the most. All β nuclide level (including Strontium-90) was 15,000 Bq/m3. Cs-134/137 density was lower than the detectable level according to Tepco.
After found the overflow, they found “rainwater” reaching the top of another dam as well. Tepco stated “they can’t deny the possibility the water overflowed the dam”.
Two tank areas had “rainwater” overflow only in a day.
and this is very important .....
[Photo] “Frozen water wall” can’t be frozen even though 40 days have passed since test started
Posted by Mochizuki on October 2nd, 2013 · 1 Comment
![[Photo] "Frozen water wall" can't be frozen even though 40 days have passed](http://fukushima-diary.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%EF%BC%882013-10-02-18.16.41%EF%BC%89.png "[Photo] \"Frozen water wall\" can't be frozen even though 40 days have passed")
![2 [Photo] "Frozen water wall" can't be frozen even though 40 days have passed](http://fukushima-diary.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%EF%BC%882013-10-02-18.17.40%EF%BC%89.png "2 [Photo] \"Frozen water wall\" can't be frozen even though 40 days have passed")
In order to shut out the contaminated water, Tepco is placing “frozen water wall” as the last hope.
However, this is the technology to freeze interstitial water of the ground. It hasn’t been used to freeze water directly. Also, the ground is full of underground pipes and other facilities around the plant buildings. The feasibility is unclear.
On 8/22/2013, Tepco started the feasibility study of the frozen water wall. 40 days have passed, but all of the 4 samples are not frozen.
Especially in the case that there are pipes to interrupt the freezing mixture, the temperature doesn’t even reach 0℃.
Related article.. ALPS and frozen ground wall are the last hope for contaminated water problem [URL]
Energy News....
Morning Fred,
ReplyDeleteWow I spoke to soon on Bitcoin, they have new inventory for manipulation now.
Israel and the Saudis can do whatever they want knowing that the US will be there to support them but I wonder if they were behind the Russian Embassy attack, that might piss the Russians off.
Fukushima gets worse everyday, I guess we are 4 years from it becoming the "open air super reactor"
Government still "closed", and I like it.
Morning Kev - you know my view on BitCoin - what happened with Silk Road was inevitable ( and anyone who lost their money there can't complain. Mt. Gox is a different type of clusterfark and should be more of a concern for BitCoin believers ! )
ReplyDeleteIsrael and Saudis are displeased with US policy - and we should expect they will keep " doing things " with Syria and Iran ! The Russian Embassy attack may have a personal basis ( as per the Libya Herald article .)
Fukushima consistently gets worse on a regular basis ! Government still closed - we can see the signaling for a TARPesque market crash to give cover for the politicians to abandon their principles and make a deal ! As no prgress has been made - expect all kinds of hysteria over the weekend , which will set up a crash at some point next week !