#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Another Day, Another Leak (20 Tonnes)

The water was from Reactor 6 turbine building basement - underground water seeping into the turbine building. The contamination level is low, according to TEPCO's handout on February 18, 2013. After desalination treatment, this water is being sprinkled throughout the compound. It's also the same water that Goshi Hosono's sidekick drank, back in October 2011, to prove how safe it was.

From TEPCO's photos and videos page, 2/18/2013:

Date and time: At around 7:36 PM on February 16, 2013
Location: Water intake tank which is a part of the desalination
system installed outside of Units 5-6

Outline
A cooperative company worker found water overflowing from
the water intake tank which is a part of the desalination system
installed outside of Units 5-6. Though the leaked water has
absorbed into the ground (gravel), it has not flowed out to the
ocean considering that there is no side ditch, etc. in the
surrounding area. The amount of leaked water is evaluated to
be approx. 19.8m3.

Radioactivity analysis results
Cesium 134: 6.8×10-2Bq/cm3
Cesium 137: 1.3×10-1Bq/cm3
All γ: 2.0×10-1Bq/cm3

A small photo that the workers took of the water intake tower shows tubes and pipes reinforced by what looks like duct tape. The location of the leak is circled in red.

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Photos of Minor Leak at Reverse Osmosis (Desalination) Facility in #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Defective Pipe Joint?

The Reverse Osmosis (RO) system at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant treats water already treated by Toshiba's SARRY (cesium absorption towers) in order to remove salt before the water is fed back to the Reactor Pressure Vessels in Reactors 1, 2 and 3.

I believe the RO system was also built by Toshiba, and it started operation in August in 2011.

Looking at the photographs of the leak that TEPCO released on August 17, now we know it doesn't matter whether the pipes are Kanaflex or metal. They fail no matter what, at Fukushima I Nuke Plant. In this case, one of the metal pipe joints cracked and fell off, and the water leaked from there.

Gamma radiation was low in the leaked water but since SARRY (or for that matter, Kurion or AREVA, both of which have not been used) does not remove any beta nuclides (including strontium), beta radiation was rather high at 3 millisieverts/hour on the water.

From TEPCO's Photos and Videos Library (8/17/2012):

The system still uses Kanaflex:

How bad is the leak? About 0.2 tonnes, or 200 liters.

(Defective cast, poor workmanship (installation) either from lack of training/apprenticeship or from lack of stake in the project, or all, was the comment from a person with experience in chemical plants, when I showed these photos.)

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Leak from Reverse Osmosis Apparatus (Desalination), Probably High Tritium and Beta Contamination

Another leak at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, and no one cares. Not even TEPCO cares, as the leak was first found at 8:30AM on March 26, but there will be no press conference (now it's once a day) until 6PM.

From TEPCO's email on March 26, 2012 sent out to reporters who have signed up for email notices (from Ryuichi Kino's tweets):

本日（３月26日）午前８時30分頃、福島第一原子力発電所の淡水化装置（逆浸透膜式）の濃縮水貯槽があるタンクエリアにおいて、淡水化装置から濃縮水を濃縮水貯槽に送る配管（耐圧ホース）より水が漏えいしていることを、協力企業作業員が発見しました

Today (March 26) at 8:30AM, an affiliate company worker discovered a leak from the pipe (pressure hose) that transports concentrated water from the reverse osmosis apparatus to the storage tank.

水の漏えいを停止するために、淡水化装置（逆浸透膜式）を停止したことで、午前９時頃、配管（耐圧ホース）からの水の漏えいはほぼ停止しております。漏れた水の一部は付近の排水溝に流れ込んでおり、現在、発電所敷地外への放出の有無について確認を行っております

To stop the leak, we stopped the operation of the reverse osmosis apparatus. The leak from the pipe has stopped almost completely. Part of the leaked water has gone into the nearby drain. We are investigating whether the water leaked outside the plant.

Kino's comments:

淡水化装置は、サリーやキュリオンといったセシウムの吸着塔から出てきた汚染水から塩分を取り除き、原子炉に戻せるようにする部分。メールを見ると、逆浸透膜で処理した濃縮塩水が漏れてるので、セシウム以外の放射性物質、とくに全ベータが濃い部分ではないかと。

The reverse osmosis apparatus is to desalinate the water from the cesium absorption towers like SARRY and Kurion so that the water could be injected back into the reactors. According to TEPCO's email, the concentrated salt water after the reverse osmosis is leaking. Probably high concentration of radioactive materials except for cesium, particularly all beta radioactivity.

漏れに気がついた時間は朝の８時半。以前なら、午前１１時の会見で少しは状況が説明されていたけども、今は夕方しか会見がないので、各紙、テレビ等は広報に個別確認。う〜ん、ほんとは公式に説明したほうがいいんだけど。。。

The leak was discovered at 8:30 in the morning. When there was a TEPCO press conference at 11AM a new development like this was explained in the press conference. Now there is only one press conference in the evening, so the newspapers and TV will separately ask TEPCO's PR department. I think it would be better for TEPCO to make an official announcement...

Well, let's see from TEPCO's own information what kind of radioactive materials exist in what concentration in the water after being treated in the reverse osmosis apparatus.

From TEPCO's handout for the press on February 29, 2012, the water after being treated by the reverse osmosis (desalination) had:

• H-3 (tritium): 2,900 becquerels/cubic centimeter (or 2,900,000 becquerels/liter)

• All beta: 36 becquerels/cubic centimeter (or 36,000 becquerels/liter)

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: 2 Sieverts/Hr Beta Radiation from Leaked Concentrated Water After Desalination

Gamma radiation was 20 millisieverts/hour. The leak stopped when they tighten the bolt of the tank.

(Ummm... So they are not welded?)

From Nikkei Shinbun (2/3/2012):

東京電力は３日、福島第１原子力発電所の汚染水貯蔵タンクから水漏れし、毎時２千ミリシーベルトの高いベータ線を検出したと発表した。微量で水たまりはできておらず、海への流出もないという。ボルトを増し締めし、漏水は止まった。アクリル板などで遮蔽し、ベータ線は毎時15ミリシーベルトまで下がった。

TEPCO announced on February 3 that the water leaked from one of the contaminated water storage tanks at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. 2,000 millisieverts/hour beta radiation was detected. The amount of the leak was small, and there was no leak into the ocean. The leak stopped when the bolt was further tightened. The radiation was then shielded with acrylic plates, and the beta radiation dropped to 15 millisieverts/hour.

　淡水化装置で濃縮した汚染水の貯蔵タンクの継ぎ手部分の締め付けが緩み、漏水したとみている。水にはストロンチウムが多く含まれるという。直下のコンクリート周辺で、ベータ線のほかにガンマ線も毎時22ミリシーベルトを検出した。遮蔽によって１ミリシーベルトに低下した。

The bolt may have gotten loose at the joint of a storage tank that stores the contaminated water that was condensed by the desalination apparatus (Reverse Osmosis), letting the water leak. TEPCO said a large amount of radioactive strontium might be in the water. On the concrete where the leaked water was, 22 millisieverts/hour gamma ray was also detected in addition to the beta radiation. It dropped to 1 millisievert/hour after shielding.

　経済産業省原子力安全・保安院は３日、水漏れが相次ぎ見つかっていることを重視し、原因究明と再発防止策を報告するよう東電に指示した。

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency instructed TEPCO on February 3 to submit a report on the causes of the leaks at the plant and on the measures to be taken to prevent the leaks from occurring again.

Here's the tank that leaked, and there are 100 more such tanks, from TEPCO (2/3/2012):

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#Fukushima Contaminated Water Treatment System: Hitachi's Desalination Unit Leak was from PVC Hose

Probably the same ubiquitous orange PVC hose at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. The PVC hose is used to transport highly-concentrated saltwater from the desalination unit to the temporary storage tank, and the leak is considered to be due to the deterioration of the hose, after 1 month of use.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (7/31/2011):

東京電力は３１日、福島第一原子力発電所の汚染水処理システムから、放射性物質を除去処理した後の塩水が、推定で約５０リットル漏出したと発表した。

TEPCO announced on July 31 that about 50 liters of saltwater leaked from the contaminated water treatment system. Radioactive materials had already been removed from the water.

　塩化ビニール製の配管の劣化が原因とみられ、未明の地震による影響は考えにくいという。

According to TEPCO, the leak was probably due to the deterioration of the PVC hose used, and not the earthquake that hit the area in early morning.

　水漏れが起きたのは、処理後の水から塩分を取り除く「淡水化装置」から、副産物としてできる高濃度の塩水をタンクへ送る配管。同日午前１０時５０分ごろ作業員が発見し、３０分後に装置を停止。配管を交換後、午後３時すぎに復旧した。原子炉への注水には支障はなかったという。

The leak was found at the hose that transports the highly-concentrated saltwater from the desalination unit to the storage tank. A worker found the leak at 10:50AM on July 31, and stopped the unit 30 minutes later. The PVC hose was exchanged, and the unit was back online at 3PM. The company said there was no interruption to water injection in the reactors.

　また午前８時１３分ごろには、４号機の使用済み燃料一時貯蔵プールに水を送るホースから真水が霧状に漏れているのが見つかり、ホースを交換した。

Also, at 8:13AM, [a worker found] the hose that sends water to the Spent Fuel Pool of Reactor 4 was leaking, spraying water in fine mist. The hose was replaced.

These hoses are probably Kanaflex, which the manufacturer rushes to make and deliver to TEPCO as fast as possible.

So how salty is this water coming out of the desalination unit by Hitachi that made the hose deteriorate badly in slightly over a month?

From TEPCO's information on July 15, before the desalination (by reverse osmosis) the chlorine concentration is 8,000 ppm. After the desalination, this number drops to 19 ppm.

So, the saltwater that goes through the PVC pipe has 7,981 ppm chlorine.

Another one to file under the "things don't add up" category. Initially, TEPCO had blamed just about every leak to the sloppy job by the workers. Now the company hints at the poor quality of the PVC hose. Is it really the case, or is there still some information to be forthcoming later?

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