Holiday break for Reactor 3's Spent Fuel Pool. (Or rather, for workers who have to tend to the cooling system.)
From Mainichi Shinbun (12/30/2011):
東京電力は３０日、福島第１原発３号機の使用済み核燃料プールの冷却を同日から１月４日まで停止すると発表した。冷却装置のフィルターが詰まりやすくなったため。東電は「プールの温度は約１３度と低く作業員をすぐ招集するほど緊急性は高くない」として４日以降にフィルターの清掃作業を実施するという。
TEPCO announced on December 30 that the cooling of the Spent Fuel Pool in Reactor 3 will stop until January 4 because of the clogged filter. According to TEPCO, the temperature of the pool is about 13 degrees Celsius, and there is no immediate need to call in workers [to clean the filter]. The cleaning of the filter will be carried out after January 4.
プールは３０日午後１時４２分現在の水温が１３．１度で、冷却を停止すると１日当たり５～６度ずつ上昇。保安規定は６５度以下に保つよう定めている。東電は、水温は４０度前後にとどまるとみているが、必要があれば随時、冷却を開始する。
As of 1:42PM on December 30, the temperature of the pool is 13.1 degrees Celsius. If the cooling stops, the temperature rises by 5 to 6 degrees Celsius per day. The safety regulation specifies that the pool is kept at 65 degrees Celsius and below. TEPCO expects the temperature to rise to about 40 degrees Celsius, but the cooling will be resumed at any time if necessary.
The first week of a new year is always filled with mind-numbingly silly shows on TV in Japan. I wonder how it will be in 2012.
30-Day free trial by following the link.
Tokyo Time
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/gold/t24_au_en_usoz_2.gif)
18 comments:
I hope your sciatic nerve is getting better or at least you found an answer.
Tepco has not only acieved a "cold shutdown" but they have also figured out how to cool SF in the SFP within a year!! Either they are geniuses and need to share this tech with everyone or I will just read between lines.
Dear Ultraman -ArevaMirpal,
May I wish you a good year 2012 without sciatic pain ?
A woman reader of my blog (where I talked yesturday of your sciatic) gave a way she experienced personnally to reduce pain (it's called derivative bath, but without direct water): you sit down on an ice pack (put at the level of perineum) during half an hour at least, you must be hot on the rest of your body. You do it twice a day and after you rest. It seems to be very efficient...
Have a nice day.
Hélios
Thank you anon and Helios. Sharp pain has subsided, now it's just my back extremely stiff and I can't stay in one position for very long. Helios, I'll put your remedy on my growing list of advice from my readers.
Thanks again.
This is anon from 8:24
I sincerely hope you find a remedy that works for you. II am glad the sharp pain has subsided somewhat. My only advice would be to have someone stand on your back. I am that simple and just have my kids or wife walk on my back. Probably worst advice you could receive.
Anyway, I live in Chiba and today is New Years Eve so we thought we would have 焼肉. Usually we go to Joyful Honda to buy our meat as they import a lot but today we stopped by マルエイ. Why in the world are they selling 90% of their beef as 福島産? I am tired of the slogan 頑張ろう日本。 I am staring to fell like this slogan actually means from the government 「放射性物質の内部被曝にどれだけ耐えられるか」。 The same goes for 絆。
Long story short, if you have any idea why マルエイ would be selling this in Chiba while knowing that people will not but it would insightful. Most people just read the labels and put it back.
With regard to the SFP in reactor #3 bldg., perhaps a break is possible because there is so little fuel left after the explosion there? Photos earlier in the year (can be seen on the Fairewinds site) seem to show only a small number of fuel racks remaining in the SFP. With the bulk of the fuel scattered across the compound and countryside, there's less residual heat?
As for sciatica, you have my complete sympathy. Ibuprofen! And lots of it. But you need to get more exercise. I suggest relaxing swimming in a warm pool, followed by a whirlpool and gentle stretching. All the best in 2012.
@anon, just because Maruei got that Fukushima beef so cheap and couldn't resist the fat margin? No idea why the grocer is that demented.
Did you hear about the new party made up of runaway DPJ members? They named their party Kizuna. DOA.
I hope you're in the somewhat cleaner side of Chiba.
@anon 8:24
yes, not very difficult to read between the lines. SFP exploded, so what is left there that needs cooling?
Many thanks to Ultraman/Ex-SKF! I hope you have millions of readers! Get well soon.
@arevamirpal::laprimavera,
I am again the one from Chiba at 8:24. I have been reading this blog since April if I recall correctly. I thank you sincerely for you independent reporting and commentary. You have said nothing that contradicts what I witness.
I live in Inzai city which was declared an area that needed "decontamination." Thus, finances from the national government. If I did not have three children I would not be so vocal even though my in-laws live in Sukagawa city in Fukushima.
Right after winter vacation started for my son in elementary school the school announced it was going to rid itself of all the contaminated soil in vinyl bags spread across the playground by the outer fences. I measured the bags and each one registers over 1 uSv/hr. I went to the school last Sunday and saw them digging a huge trench at the school next to the 1st grade class with vinyl bags in it. I took a picture and my wife sent it to a local government official asking what in the hell are there doing. He went to the school and asked questions and was dumbfounded how unscientific the answers were. They buried 150 bags of this contamination in the same spot and covered it with 10 cm of topsoil. Basically, the city is creating hotspots at each school. That is the plan. I wish I could provide you with a picture but do not know how to do that.
Inzai's local government is not so bad. At least they bought high tech geiger counters and are lending them out. They admit there is a problem but cannot do anything about it. Cities like Kashiwa and Matsudo are yet to admit the problem it seems.
Anyhow, I am "rooks" on HP screaming at people.
Have a happy New Year and thank you for your blog in so many ways!
On the cheap beef and food products Fukushima style. This is just going to create sick and radioactive citizens, who will eventually be forced separate from other Japanase as they will contaminate. Already one offical mentioned the people from Fukushima needed to go back because they were polluting other areas of Japan with their internal radiation(he used a very different and bad words..). Its just a matter of time..kind of like the Berlin Wall..to keep the radiation away from the OK citizens. Anyone want to bet on this theory?
On the burial of radioactive materials at the school. WELL..the government has been selling the story of ITS SAFE. So what do they think is going to happen. The school children will be the real victims of this media misinformation. Its criminal. The children need to wear badges/dosimenters (they are available in stores in Japan) to keep an account of the levels they are exposed to. Those kinds of badges are cheap..for example..a RADTriage type badge..
http://www.jplabs.com/html/radtriage.html
Now, I am not selling or involved with this company, but we sent out badges to sailboats heading back to the USA via the N. Pacific. Its a test and safety information attempt. But personal badges do work, have to be worn everywhere, but do add up the external radiation. All in any area of possible contamination should wear them. Please. Know your level of concern/danger.
Badge is better than no badge, but they will not detect most dangers... like internal exposure. The badge will only tell you if tou are in a very high radiation area. Badge won't catch contaminated food or water or small particles in the air.
@anon in Chiba, did you write to me in Japanese the other day? I was going to respond but I couldn't locate the message. You can follow me on Twitter and I'll send DM to you. If you already follow, post your Twitter ID here.
Philippe here,
have a happy and healthy new year, Laprimavera,
We are spending Shogatsu in Tokyo, and I just checked on the internet that the World outside is still there; it is.
Yes it is strange, we used to pick up food from the south (Kumamoto shops are great) or north Hokkaido only, but with the buying craze of New Year products from Tohoku popped up like crazy, as if nobody would care this week. Also fish and fish eggs from Alaska, N.-W. America, that make me wonder.
I did the year-end thourough cleaning of the sliding windows with a pro dust mask - and felt like an alien here...
Anyway, back to Europe soon.
If your long list of advices for your back give no relief, here is my experience: I finally went to a physical therapist specialized in sportsmen. He checked exactly how much I could move, and taught me how to relax the muscles that go stiff and cause pain.
That was enough for more than twelve years, until I caught weight and went to see him once again. He did'nt even made me pay the second time. May-be he spotted I had a hole in one of my socks, just like I did when I dressed up - with some shame.
@arevamirpal::laprimavera
Yes, I am the one that posted to you in Japanese. I will start to follow you on twitter. On some days I see some very unscientific measures and was just wondering how I can get this information out to people that care. I am going to Fukushima on Thursday. Let's see if my cell phone gets all the static it got last time near the station.
@Philippe
I agree, something very wrong is taking place at the supermarkets. Even my son looked and the label and was like "is this a joke?" The only major chain doing something seems to be Aeon. Even in Fukushima they are selling Kyushu produce.
SPF3 is not cool. It collapsed a month ago. And has been on fire since.
Anyone can compare the photos of the south wall of reactor 3 - which was relatively intact up to the top of the pool after the explosions in March.
Compare any view of that south wall to a view of the same wall today. The wall is probably 10 meters shorter today. And part of that wall was the outside wall of SPF3 - but could not possibly contain it today.
It's down, on fire, and Tepco lies again.
Good God, another troll.
LOL. Not from Finland this time, it seems.
Post a Comment