Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Another Alarm at Ooi Nuke Plant, But Power Generation Continues Uninterrupted


I doubt that anything will ever interrupt the operation of any nuclear power plant in Japan at this point, short of what has happened in Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

From NHK News (link to a backup site, part; 7/25/2012):

大飯原発では、今月9日の3号機に続き、4号機で、25日午前1時、中央制御室で牧野経済産業副大臣らが立ち会うなか、「フル稼働」に達したことが確認されました。

At Ooi Nuclear Power Plant, following Reactor 3 on July 9, Reactor 4 reached the full operation at 1AM on July 25 with officials including Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Makino attending in the central control room.

4号機では、その後、25日朝5時半ごろ、原子炉内の1次冷却水の温度を監視する温度計の1つで警報が作動しました。

In Reactor 4 however, an alarm was triggered at 5:30AM on July 25. It was one of the thermometers that triggered the alarm which are used to monitor the temperature of the primary coolant inside the reactor.

この温度計は、1次冷却水の温度が上昇しすぎていないかを監視するため、336度に達すると警報が鳴る設定になっていて、25日朝は瞬間的にこの値を超えたということです。

This thermometer monitors the temperature of the primary coolant, and if the temperature reaches 336 degrees Celsius it sets off an alarm. In the morning of July 25, this temperature was momentarily exceeded [according to KEPCO].

1次冷却水を監視しているほかの温度計は通常の値を示し、原子炉の圧力などのデータに異常がないことから、関西電力は、温度計の警報は、水の流れなどの影響で温度が一時的に上がったためとみて、一次冷却水を下げるなどの対応はとらずに、監視を続けるとしています。

The other thermometers monitoring the primary coolant show normal temperatures, and there is no abnormal data such as the pressure of the reactor. KEPCO believes the alarm at the thermometer was due to a temporary rise in temperature due to water flow, and says the company continues to monitor the situation but without lowering the output.

関西電力の原発で最も出力の大きい、大飯原発の3号機と4号機がフル稼働したことを受けて、政府は、北陸電力や中部電力、それに中国電力の管内の節電の数値目標を解除する方針です。

With Reactors 3 and 4 at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant, which have the largest output capacities among the reactors operated by KEPCO, in full operation, the national government will remove the numerical targets for power saving in the areas served by Hokuriku Electric, Chubu Electric, and Chugoku Electric [who were required to deliver power to KEPCO in case of power shortage in KEPCO area].


Ooi's Reactors 3 and 4 are pressurized-water reactors.

By the way, the organizers who have been organizing the Friday protest at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo says they are not doing it this week in order to focus their effort on the big July 29 event to surround the National Diet Building. They don't seem particularly worried about Ooi Nuke Plant any more, and one of the organizers continues to trash "the old left" who either come to the protest with labor union flags or argue with the police.

(I heard rumors that people are doing the "Kantei (PM Official Residence) demo" on Friday anyway. That would be interesting...)

7 comments:

JAnonymous said...

Alarms sounding, blind (and deaf!) operator pushing ahead at full steam (not even figuratively speaking)...

This sounds like a recipe for disaster, and ominously reminds me of something. I can't remember it though. When was that... was it 86 ? ... nevermind, we forgot.

m a x l i said...

"KEPCO....says the company continues to monitor the situation...."

Exactly that is what TEPCO did in Fukushima-Daiichi before 3/11 and on 3/11 and the days following 3/11 and still does 16 month later: "monitor the situation".

That means everything is normal, nothing to worry about!?!?

If there was some old man somewhere high up in the sky who created us in the beginning and is "monitoring" us ever since, he would be scratching his head and ripping his hair out by now.

I am looking forward to friday. There may be something to "monitor".

m a x l i said...

I forgot to mention:
...and still does 16 month later and will be doing in 16 years - if we are very lucky!

Anonymous said...

I have a problem I hope someone may be able to help with. On Tuesday afternoon there was a downpour of rain in Kyoto. Usually the Kyoto reading is 0.12~0.2 microsevierates per hour between 5cm and a metre.
But on 24th July, I got readings at the time of rain at up to 0.6561μSv per hour as an average of readings over 3 minutes. Max reading was 0.808μSv.
Can anybody suggest why(sunspot, Fukushima activity, etc), why such a radical change? Did they vent a reactor in Ohi, Tsuruga or Obama???

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@anon 9:17AM, probably natural radiation. There was a "scare" last year and earlier this year when some people posted the reading of rain or snow that seemed to show huge spikes in iodine and cesium. They turned out to be nuclides that are present in rain/snow (I remember one of them is radioactive lead), and they decayed very quickly (within 24 hours).

Anonymous said...

How long is it going to be before one of the operators decides to turn off the annoying alarms and just totally go with their gut feeling on how the reactor is operating? This is like ignoring the "check engine" light on you car and hoping it doesn't breakdown.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the Friday protests, it is essential that these continue. With the nuclear news as bad as it has been this week, it is even more important this week.

Further, the prior efforts seem finally to have put the politicians on the run. We should pursue them and finish them off. We should not stand down while they regroup. It would be a huge mistake to relieve the pressure on the enemy at this time.

Organizer is making a HUGE mistake. If the usual organizer is not there, then someone else is going to take over. Who? What might this new organizer do that will affect the reputation of the entire crowd that has gathered each week?

In any case, with this development, it is more important than ever that everyone come out for this week's Friday 6PM demonstration.

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