Sunday, April 3, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Neutron Measured Only at the West Gate?

I just noticed a peculiar thing, after watching the video by Arnie Gunderson from Fairewinds and Associates at Zero Hedge. Gunderson is the one who said his previous video that there was no water in the Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool. (For that video, go to my post here.)

In the new video, he is talking about on-and-off "inadvertent re-criticality" in the Reactor 1 possibly happening, and pointed to the neutron ray detection at the plant as one of the evidence (the other one being tellurium-129).

Now, about the peculiar thing I noticed. I went to TEPCO's site and looked up their monitoring data. Neutron ray is being monitored, but the only data that TEPCO is willing to show is the neutron ray at the West Gate. There is no other neutron measurement data at other monitoring posts in the compound.

Either TEPCO measures neutron at the West Gate only, or it is not sharing the data from other points.

Here's the latest monitoring data from TEPCO. Go to page two for neutron ray. It is measured at the West Gate, and it's below detection range. That's all we need to know. No need to ask questions about other monitoring posts.

By the way they still don't post the data from their regular 8 radiation monitoring systems on the perimeter of the plant, even though the power was finally restored to them on April 1. So they are not working? Or...?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is always wonderful how inadequate and haphazard radiation surveys are during a nuclear accident. They had to actually guess at the releases they had at Three Mile Island because the power company claimed the radiation detection system went down before the pressure blow down when the majority of the radiation was release. It has been three weeks and TEPCO is still using radiation survey equipment they know is under reporting the actual levels with the government blessing. This is going to work in the nuclear industry’s favor when they write the “official” history of the Fukushima “incident” they will claim the radiation levels were never measured above 1,000 milli-sieverts when in actuality they could be many times higher than the officially vague "above 1,000". It isn’t like Japan doesn’t have access to proper high range equipment they run nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities and research centers. If they were really concerned about the health of their workforce they could have been issued small pieces of X-Ray film to measure their dose instead of having to rely on somebody else’s numbers. Radiation is very similar to light the guy with the dosimeter can be standing in a radiation “shadow” while the guy right next to him is bathed directly in the source’s deadly rays at a much higher level. You can bet none of the top officials would be willing to work without individual dosimetry … too bad it isn’t a law that they have to be the first responders regardless of the danger I bet safety would become paramount then. Nuclear power supporters around the world should make a point of buying all the radioactive food that has been turning up and eating it to prove how “safe” it is their kids can show the world just how harmless a few “sunshine units” can be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_unit

Here is a perfect example of the survey meter they should be using to measure the regular flavors of radiation found around the plant. The CD-V718 can measure fields of 10,000 Röntgens intensity The CD V-718 is a variation of the US military-issue AN/VDR-2 RADIAC made by Nuclear Research Corporation. FEMA purchased a quantity of CD V-718s in the 1990s as a supplement to and partial replacement for the older meters in the inventory. The CD V-718 differs from the military AN/VDR-2 primarily by being painted bright "civil defense" yellow instead of olive green and being graduated in Röntgens rather than Grays. A much more modern and sophisticated device than earlier CD meters and equipped with a probe containing two Geiger-Meller tubes of differing sensitivities, the CD V-718 can cover a much wider range of radiation levels than the earlier Geiger counters and ion-chamber survey meters combined (from .001mR/hr to 10,000 R/hr). As a result of its military heritage, the CD-V-718 is far more rugged than earlier CD meters, and can easily be mounted in vehicles.

The poor on-site neutron detection is especially troubling because neutrons can be up to 20x as damaging as gamma rays and unlike gamma emissions heavy shielding isn't very good at stop neutrons. IIRC neutrons are slowed and blocked by hydrogen rich materials like water, paraffin and some plastics and certain chemicals like boron and I think xenon. Since neutrons are moderated by water and humans are mostly water fast neutrons can be slowed into the thermal range where they have a greater chance of interacting with the atoms in your body and causing a problem.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

They didn't even disclose fully that their regular monitoring systems were down. It's everybody's interest in Japan to under-report.

Extend and pretend.

Anonymous said...

Radioactive Pearls of Nuclear Wisdom.

Extend and pretend .... (Our will can't bend)

Dilution is the solution..... (As long as you don't mind pollution)

Power Too cheap to meter .... (As long as you don't count the full cost)

An incident like Fukushima is so unlikely to ever happen again you have a better chance winning the lottery every day for the rest of your life..... (Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha.. stop you're killing me.. No really you're killing me. Stop it.)

Fukushima was an old, tired, badly designed facility..... (That we just certified for another decade of "safe" operation)

Everything is fine the nuclear "experts" told the radiation to stay in a nice neat circle near the plant it isn't like the wind and rain or ocean currents have any power over "safe" radioactive emissions.... (The answer my friend is blowing in the wind)

That reminds me of a song

How many roads must a man run down
Before you can call him again?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must become milky white
Before you check contamination in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the "hot" steam fly
Before it's forever canned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind. (so hold you breath)

How many years can a waste pile exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed some reprieve?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

a female Faust said...

pardon...

does anyone know if they actually use simatic plc software at fukushima? Either to control turbines or valves, or to measure pressure/temp? any way i can find out? any help would be appreciated.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@female Faust, you're thinking about Stuxnet? I'm not sure if any of the reactors at Fukushima I uses programmable logic controllers, as they were built in 1970s and 80s. I will try to look that up.

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