Monday, December 19, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant 230-Tonne Leak: TEPCO Admits It Is Highly Contaminated Water

TEPCO took the Kyodo News's line (see my post from yesterday) and announced that part of the highly contaminated, untreated water from the reactor basements stored in the nearby Process Main Building did leak into the trench, and got diluted by not-so-contaminated groundwater or dew condensation water dripping from an electrical duct.

Probably several tonnes of the highly contaminated water diluted with low contamination water resulting in 230 tonnes of water in the trench, hints TEPCO.

It sure looks like they waited until after the "cold shutdown/accident over" declaration on December 16 to tell you the bad news.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (12/19/2011):

東京電力は19日、福島第一原子力発電所の集中廃棄物処理施設の地下に貯蔵している高濃度汚染水の一部が、隣接するトレンチ(電線用地下トンネル)に流出したとみられると発表した。

TEPCO announced on December 9 that part of the highly contaminated water stored in the basement of the Process Main Building at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant may have leaked to the nearby trench (underground tunnel for the electrical wires).

 18日にトレンチに約230トンの水がたまっているのが見つかり、放射性物質の濃度の分析から、汚染水がトレンチに漏れだし、そこに地下水や雨水が流れ込んだと判断した。計算上、漏れた量は数トン程度の可能性が高い。同原発を巡っては、今月16日、野田首相が事故収束を宣言したばかり。

About 230 tonnes of water was found in the trench on December 18. After analyzing the density of radioactive materials in the water, TEPCO concluded that the highly contaminated water had leaked into the trench, and got diluted by the groundwater and rainwater. According to the company's calculation, it is likely that several tonnes of contaminated water had leaked. Prime Minister Noda declared the end of the nuclear accident on December 16.

 東電では、地下水の水位の方がトレンチ側より高いことから、トレンチ外へ流出する心配はないとしている。集中廃棄物処理施設とトレンチの接続部は、4月の止水工事でふさがれており、最後に点検が行われたのは6月だった。今後、トレンチの水位を監視しながら対応を検討する。

According to TEPCO, there is no danger of the water leaking outside the trench, as the groundwater level is higher than the trench. The connection between the Process Main Building and the trench had been sealed shut in April, and the last inspection was done in June. The company will monitor the level of water in the trench, and decide what to do.

From TEPCO's press release (12/19/2011)

The density of radioactive cesium turns out to be just what I reported yesterday

From TEPCO's information:

Trench water:

  • Cesium-134: 4,200 becquerels/cubic centimeter
  • Cesium-137: 5,400 becquerels/cubic centimeter

Water dripping from the duct:

  • Cesium-134: 0.13 becquerel/cubic centimeter
  • Cesium-137: 0.12 becquerel/cubic centimeter

Photo of the trench filled with water, from TEPCO's photo for the press, taken on December 18, 2011:

Photo of the duct for electrical cables:


4 comments:

Stock said...

I did some original material. It is pretty good, took about an hour, but I know most of the stuff off the top of my head.

Exposing one of the “Big Lies”

THE LIE: “A Little Radiation in Your Food Won’t Hurt”

The reality of analysis, a 3 page PDF, simple enough to follow, read it.
It's the first link near the top of the Page

http://oahutrading.blogspot.com/p/best-lies-of-nuclear.html

Atomfritz said...

I find it particularly interesting that this trench in immediate proximity to the reactors appears to not have been inspected for half a year.
They don't seem to have an oversight what is leaking where. Maybe they don't even want to know.

If I remember correctly, the buildings that are in focus now here are between reactor 3/4 and the steep hill on the landside. This could be a reason why the drawing provided by this Tepco press handout does not indicate any hint about where on the plant area this area of interest is located, as it is worryingly near to the ocean.

There is only a small distance to the cooling water outlet, which is not enclosed by the artificial bay. So the contaminated water needs to wander only a relatively short distance before seeping into the ocean.

We probably won't have to worry about unpleasant ocean water activity measurements in near time anyway.
The coastline water measuring samples are taken from the surface.
The ground water flows enter the ocean in a depth of a few meters, leaving the soil quite a distance off coast and quite deep. So the water currents in the depth (that are different from the surface water flow) will take care that the immediate surface water which is sampled will not be too radioactive.

So we don't have to worry, don't we?

Anonymous said...

I want to believe the pressure vessel head's bolts are strong enough to allow this,

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee289/oldjimh/fukushima/IWannaBelieve_moz-screenshot-5-1.png

but I know they're not.

Massive structural girders massively bent as a group and RPV bolts itact ?

As fritz and jimhardy have noted, the resolution of the pictures so poor in #3 in a country that makes some of the best optics in the world.
And the secrecy of the drone flights in the Atlantic article.

Anonymous said...

Massive structural girders massively bent as a group and RPV bolts intact ?

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