Just for the record, here's the English (unofficial) version of TEPCO's progress report on the "Roadmap":
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11071905-e.html
And the official Japanese version:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/cc/press/11071902-j.html
Did someone ask what the "Step 1" was? It was supposed to be "stable cooling of the reactors", and which TEPCO and the government (from PM Kan on down) claim to have been achieved by the full operation (at 70% operating rate) of the contaminated water treatment system and the injection of nitrogen gas into the Containment Vessels of Reactors 1, 2 and 3.
Particularly the latter looks like an effort to just tick off the box in the "roadmap", not necessarily out of real concern of recriticality. For this effort carbon workers were exposed to very high radiation levels inside the reactor buildings of Reactors 2 and 3, not to mention the bots who had to vacuum clean the floor or go measure the radiation.
Just wait for the government's declaration that now it's safe for the residents in 20-30 kilometer radius to go home to the highly contaminated soil that no one will decontaminate and high air radiation, now that the plant is "stable".
To make sure the residents have little choice but to go home, the Fukushima prefectural government is shutting down the evacuation shelters within Fukushima. Temporary housing arrangements in other prefectures for the evacuees from Fukushima are expiring, and are not likely to be renewed because of the cost.
Dr. Shunichi "100 millisieverts are safe" Yamashita is now installed as the vice president of Fukushima Medical University, and must be anxious to help Fukushima residents in any way he can. Fukushima Prefecture is so ready to receive all the residents back inside the prefecture, and the successful completion of the "step 1" is just the news they want to hear.
30-Day free trial by following the link.
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9 comments:
Dr. Yamashita, rubbing his hands together in his office, says to himself, "Now we can really get down to work.".
The Grand Experiment of defining themselves against something, done their way.
This nitrogen injection, how long until the cladding is entirely consumed by water's oxygen? There has to be point where the zirconium is saturated? Tell me it's not like burning graphite, can't be extinguished.
This is one of those areas where the nuclear experts should be informing people why the nitrogen is necessary at this late stage. For them to offer only silence generates suspicion.
I would have thought the zirconium was consumed by now, as we were told the only way hydrogen was produced was by hot zirconium stripping oxygen from water molecules.
A feel-good measure, as the owner of this blog has said.
Super hot zirconium would probably be detectable in an air sample, as well, and of course the dearth of info from TEPCO on samplings.
Robbie001 sez:
Zirconium oxygen capture isn't the only mechanism for excess Hydrogn productions. Water can also undergo "thermal decomposition" catalytic interaction can lower the temperature needed for disassociation considerably.
"Thermal decomposition, also called thermolysis, is defined as a chemical reaction whereby a chemical substance breaks up into at least two chemical substances when heated. At elevated temperatures water molecules split into their atomic components hydrogen and oxygen. For example at 2200 °C about three percent of all H2O molecules are dissociated into various combinations of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, mostly H, H2, O, O2, and OH. Other reaction products like H2O2 or HO2 remain minor. At the very high temperature of 3000 °C more than half of the water molecules are decomposed, but at ambient temperatures only one molecule in 100 trillion dissociates by the effect of heat. However, catalysts can accelerate the dissociation of the water molecules at lower temperatures.
Thermal water splitting has been investigated for hydrogen production since the 1960s.[12] The high temperatures needed to obtain substantial amounts of hydrogen impose severe requirements on the materials used in any thermal water splitting device. For industrial or commercial application, the material constraints have limited the success of applications for hydrogen production from direct thermal water splitting and with few exceptions most recent developments are in the area of catalytic and two step processes."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting#Thermal_decomposition_of_water
Robbie001 sez:
Water can also be disassociated by radiation through a process known as radiolysis.
"Hydrogen production
The current interest in nontraditional methods for the generation of hydrogen has prompted a revisit of radiolytic splitting of water, where the interaction of various types of ionizing radiation (α, β, and γ) with water produces molecular hydrogen. This reevaluation was further prompted by the current availability of large amounts of radiation sources contained in the fuel discharged from nuclear reactors. This spent fuel is usually stored in water pools, awaiting permanent disposal or reprocessing. The yield of hydrogen resulting from the irradiation of water with β and γ radiation is low (G-values = <1 molecule per 100 electronvolts of absorbed energy) but this is largely due to the rapid reassociation of the species arising during the initial radiolysis. If impurities are present or if physical conditions are created that prevent the establishment of a chemical equilibrium, the net production of hydrogen can be greatly enhanced.
"Another approach uses radioactive waste as an energy source for regeneration of spent fuel by converting sodium borate to sodium borohydride. By applying the proper combination of controls, stable borohydride compounds may be produced and used as hydrogen fuel storage medium."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiolysis#Hydrogen_production
yamashita has now full power to start his experiments with humans. he will great you with a beautiful smile.
So now TEPCO has us stuck on the fence wondering if they would spend the money on nitrogen injection if it wasn't necessary to avoid hydrogen explosions, and if it is necessary why aren't they reporting the temperatures necessary for thermal decomposition.
There is much to not like about TEPCO, understatement of the day.
For someone not to note by now that TEPCO likes to do that to those who attend to its activities ..
Robbie001 sez:
The temperature reported may not reflect the actual temperature of the fuel in addition Radiolysis also generates hydrogen. Impurities enhance radiolytic reactions and the reactor are chock full of impurities.
"The current interest in nontraditional methods for the generation of hydrogen has prompted a revisit of radiolytic splitting of water, where the interaction of various types of ionizing radiation (α, β, and γ) with water produces molecular hydrogen. This reevaluation was further prompted by the current availability of large amounts of radiation sources contained in the fuel discharged from nuclear reactors. This spent fuel is usually stored in water pools, awaiting permanent disposal or reprocessing. The yield of hydrogen resulting from the irradiation of water with β and γ radiation is low (G-values = <1 molecule per 100 electronvolts of absorbed energy) but this is largely due to the rapid reassociation of the species arising during the initial radiolysis. If impurities are present or if physical conditions are created that prevent the establishment of a chemical equilibrium, the net production of hydrogen can be greatly enhanced."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiolysis#Hydrogen_production
"Efforts to continue work at Unit 2 have also run into trouble because of extremely high humidity (99.9%) inside the reactor building that makes working in the building virtually impossible. Tepco had thought the source was the heat from the fuel pool, but now that the pool is cooling, it has realized the source is heat from the molten reactor core in the suppression pool under the building — .."
UPDATE, Tuesday, June 14, 2011
http://www.nirs.org/fukushima/crisis.htm
Results of ACRO's monitoring in Japan
http://www.acro.eu.org/OCJ_en.html#12
zoomable map
Radiation dose measured by MEXT and local governments at 1 or 0.5 meter height.
http://www.nnistar.com/gmap/fukushima.html
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