Pictorial: An Elementary Mistake in Water Leak at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

(UPDATE) There's now a new leak with HIGH BETA, due to egregious worker error. See my latest post.

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This self-explanatory pictorial by Mainichi Shinbun (10/4/2013) shows the kindergarten-level idiocracy (or kindergarteners-would-be-offended level) at TEPCO.

It shows how one of the recent (while I was gone) leaks from the storage tanks at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant happened.

1. 5 linked tanks are placed on a slope (30cm x 55m);

2. Judging by the amount of beta-nuclides in the water stored as reported by Mainichi (580,000Bq/L, or 580Bq/cm3), the tanks contain water that has been treated by SARRY (cesium removed) and RO (desalination);

3. The tanks were already close to full;

4. The only water gauge installed was on the tank located at the top of the slope; the water gauge showed there was still some room to pour rainwater that accumulated inside the dam that surrounds the tanks;

5. Workers started pumping the rain water into the top tank;

6. There was a gap between the lid on top of the bottom tank and the side panel of the tank; thus

Out went the water slightly mixed with rainwater.

The beta-nuclide content, though much lower than that in the waste water after RO, is still way above the legal limit for discharge (30Bq/L). Part of the leaked water may have reached the ocean, TEPCO admits.

I sense an acute shortage of competent workers at the plant.

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