Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Please find the updated information sheet below and attached that summarizes the events from Update-46 on 5/25.

For your reference, JAIF (Japan Atomic Industrial Forum) has been posting the translation of news reports on their website. http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/

Please direct any questions regarding this document to me, Ishida@denjiren.com or Samuel Lederer, Researcher of FEPC at lederer@denjiren.com.

Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake

The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office

As of June 1, 2011

All times listed below are Japan Standard Time (JST) unless otherwise noted.

Operation of Circulating Cooling System for Spent Fuel Pool at Unit 2

On May 31, TEPCO began to operate a circulating cooling system at the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 to remove decay heat of the spent fuel continuously in order to maintain the water level and ensure the cooling of water in the pool.
TEPCO plans to decrease the current temperature of approximately 158 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit one month later.
As of 11:00AM on June 1, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Press Release of Pictures of Tsunami and Damages

On May 25, TEPCO released a report which contains pictures of tsunami and damage, events and plant status etc. This report is available at:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_110525_01-e.pdf

Major Activities

On May 27, TEPCO began to disperse dust suppressant over the reactor and turbine buildings in order to prevent diffusion of radioactive materials. (In the past, TEPCO dispersed dust suppressant over the ground around the buildings.)
On May 28, TEPCO discovered that the temporary RHRS (Residual Heat Removal System) pumps of Unit 5 had malfunctioned. On May29, TEPCO replaced these pumps and restored their cooling function.
On May 31, an explosion was heard near the south side of Unit 4 secondary containment building. TEPCO believes that the sound was caused by the accidental explosion of an Oxygen container in debris that was in the process of being removed by a remote controlled excavation machine. No injuries or changes of radiation level have been reported as a result of the explosion.
Other countermeasures such as injecting water into reactor cores, injecting Nitrogen gas into primary containment vessels, shooting water aimed at spent fuel pools, transferring accumulated water, and dispersing dust inhibitor over the ground continue to be implemented.

Radiation Levels

The concentration of radioactive nuclides from the groundwater sampled at sub-drain pits at Unit 1 to 6 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station were as follows:

	Unit 1	Unit 2	Unit 3	Unit 4	Unit 5	Unit 6
Samples taken at	5/30 12:00PM	5/30 12:10PM	5/30 12:15PM	5/30 11:48AM	5/30 11:50AM	5/30 11:40AM
Nuclides (half-life)	Concentration (Unit : Bq/cm³)
I-131 (8 days)	4.1 x 10⁰	6.0 x 10⁰	Not Detectable	2.3 x 10^-1	Not Detectable	Not Detectable
Cs-134 (2 years)	7.4 x 10¹	1.6 x 10¹	1.6 x 10^-1	1.5 x 10^-1	Not Detectable	1.3 x 10^-2
Cs-137 (30 years)	8.8 x 10¹	1.9 x 10¹	1.4 x 10^-1	1.6 x 10^-1	Not Detectable	2.0 x 10^-2

The concentration of radioactive nuclides from the seawater sampled at the screen device (installed to remove waste before the intake of seawater) of Unit 2 and sampled near the seawater discharge point (south side) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station were as follows:

Nuclides (half-life)	Concentration (Unit : Bq/cm³)				Ratio
	Sampled inside the silt fence at the screen of Unit 2	Sampled outside the silt fence at the screen of Unit 2	Sampled at south side discharge point	Maximum Permissible Water Concentration (d)	a / d	b / d	c / d
	5/31 6:51AM (a)	5/31 6:55AM (b)	5/29 1:10PM (c)	Maximum Permissible Water Concentration (d)	a / d	b / d	c / d
I-131 (8 days)	1.2 x 10⁰	9.6 x 10^-1	Not Detectable	4.0 x 10^-2	30	24	-
Cs-134 (2 years)	7.4 x 10⁰	1.7 x 10⁰	6.2 x 10^-2	6.0 x 10^-2	120	28	1.0
Cs-137 (30 years)	7.8 x 10⁰	1.9 x 10⁰	6.9 x 10^-2	9.0 x 10^-2	87	21	0.77

At 9:00PM on June 1, radiation level at west gate (approximately 3,609 feet from Unit 2 reactor building) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 14.7 micro Sv/hour. Other monitoring data at the site are available at:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/index-e.html

Measurement results of environmental radioactivity level around Fukushima Nuclear Power Station announced at 7:00PM on June 1 are shown in the attached PDF file. Previous data are available at: http://www.mext.go.jp/english/incident/1304082.htm

Plant Parameters (As of 7:00AM on June 1)

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/11060107_table_summary-e.pdf

Plant Status (As of May 31)

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/images/f12np-gaiyou_e_2.pdf

Our official sources are:

Office of The Prime Minister of Japan
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA)
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Press Releases
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Ministry of Defense (MOD)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Taro Ishida

The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan
1901 L Street, NW Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036

Mobile (202) 253-2579

Phone (202) 530-0769 (Direct)
Phone (202) 466-6781
Fax (202) 466-6758

email: ishida@denjiren.com

NRC to Hold Public Meeting on June 8th in Seabrook, N.H., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Seabrook Nuclear Power Plantb

NRC to Hold Public Meeting on June 8^th in Seabrook, N.H., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant

A Regulator’s Perspective on the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow

A Regulator’s Perspective on the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow Prepared Remarks for The Honorable Gregory B. Jaczko Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at Nuclear Energy Assembly Washington, D.C. May 11, 2011

House spending bill thwarts Obama on Yucca nuke waste site

UPDATE 1-NRC delays renewal process for PG&E Calif. reactors

TEPCO Starts Spent-Fuel Cooling System at Fukushima Unit, Reports Oil Leak

from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team

Japanese Nuclear Crisis Seen Dragging Into 2012

from GSN Daily News

The operator of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is moving toward the conclusion that it will not be able to bring the damaged facility under control in 2011, Kyodo News reported on Monday (see GSN, May 27).

Pakistan Seen Readying to Cross Nuclear Threshold

from GSN Daily News

Pakistan's test launch last month of a new short-range ballistic missile, when added to its quickly growing arsenal of lower-power nuclear weapons, indicates the South Asian country is seriously readying to use its nuclear deterrent should war break out again with India, the Times of India reported on Sunday (see GSN, April 21).

Japan Pressed for Reforms Over Nuclear Crisis

from GSN Daily News

Japan "underestimated" the danger posed to its nuclear facilities by tsunamis and should implement significant safety reforms in light of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an initial review of the disaster handed over to Japan's prime minister on Wednesday (see GSN, May 31).

Nuclear Waste: Disposal Challenges and Lessons Learned from Yucca Mountain -- GAO

from PEN by Pace Law School Library

This Government Accountability Office report (GAO-11-731T), dated June 1, 2011, finds that uncertainties exist about the direction of the nation’s policy for nuclear waste disposal. Under NWPA, DOE investigated Yucca Mountain as a site for a repository. In 2002, DOE recommended the site to the President and in 2008 submitted a license application to NRC.

DOE is now seeking to withdraw the application from NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. DOE did not cite technical or safety issues but stated that Yucca Mountain is not a workable option because of a lack of public acceptance by the people of Nevada. On June 29, 2010, the board denied DOE’s motion, ruling that NWPA requires DOE to continue the licensing effort.

The NRC commissioners announced they might consider reviewing the board’s decision, but as of May 26, 2011, no review had been announced. Separately, state and local governments and a private party filed suit in federal court against DOE and NRC in an effort to stop the repository termination. The court has not yet ruled. Amid this uncertainty, DOE took steps to shut down Yucca Mountain by September 30, 2010. DOE also established a Blue Ribbon Commission to evaluate alternatives for nuclear waste disposal, which plans to report by January 2012.

Three primary waste storage options offer benefits but also face challenges, including high costs. Two options are for interim storage—continued on-site or centralized storage—which could allow time for research into new approaches that might have wider public acceptance than the Yucca Mountain permanent repository. Continued on-site storage would require less effort to implement since it is the current method of waste storage.

The sixth fuel: Nuclear energy for Malaysia

from It is 6 Minutes to Midnight | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists by Md. Nasrudin Md. Akhir

Should Malaysia go nuclear to meet its future energy demands? That question has been the focus of heated political debate in Malaysia for the past eight years. Mahathir Mohamad, who served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, was firmly committed to a non-nuclear Malaysia. But since his departure, his successors have made some moves toward nuclear energy production. In December 2010, for example, Peter C

Article Highlights

Even after the Fukushima accident, Malaysia's current government leaders are much more receptive to nuclear energy than their predecessors were.
There is no question that Malaysia needs new sources of energy to meet future demands without relying heavily on imports.
We believe that Malaysia can meet its future energy needs with renewable energy sources instead of nuclear power.

Fukushima Daiichi update June 1st

Atomic Power Review is a great blog - All should bookmark this blog for nuclear updates.

Fukushima Daiichi update June 1st

from atomic power review by Will Davis

There are a number of updates from the Fukushima Daiichi site to relate. None serious, but several noteworthy ... if only due to their being carried by major media outlets. We'll relate these things and put them in perspective.

-Radiation levels in the seawater outside the No. 1 through No. 4 plants have gone up somewhat in recent days, and water levels in the turbine buildings have been reported as rising faster. There is a typhoon in the vicinity which has been causing a lot of rain (as viewers of the Fukuichi camera and its predecessor can also assert) and it's speculated that this is one major cause for spikes in readings of some isotopes immediately offshore. As a response to this, and further as a hedge against the threat of running out of temporary contaminated water storage capacity, TEPCO is going to quickly install a filtration system for water in the area outside No. 1 through No. 4 plant seawater inlet gates, which is all inside the silt fences previously installed. Below is a TEPCO press release illustration showing one of the filtration tank units (supplied by Toshiba) and the general expected setup.

And just in, off the TEPCO wires.... this view taken today of one of the tanks actually installed and connected:

-Injection rates at the three reactor plants with cores installed continue to be decreased by TEPCO, as TEPCO both transitions over from the use of firefighting supply lines to the feedwater lines, and attempts to optimize injection rate to only that required for safe cooling to reduce water buildup in the reactor and turbine buildings. No. 1 plant is now at 5 cubic meters per hour, while No. 2 is at 4.9 cubic meters per hour; both are operating with injection only on the feed line. No. 3 plant is also only on the feed line and now is down to 11.5 cubic meters per hour. Temperatures at all three plants are slowly lowering as of now; readers are referred to the decay heat graph posted on this blog a few days back for comparison of the inferred heat generation decrease over time with the lowering cooling water injection rates.

-Remotely controlled construction equipment accidentally damaged an oxygen storage cylinder in the vicinity of No. 4 plant the day before yesterday. No one was injured; incredibly, there are still images floating around the net from the new Fukuichi 24-hour onsite camera that show the blast. Dramatic, if small, the blast caused no damage which has been reported by TEPCO or its contractors.

-There is a report circulating that while TEPCO told the Japanese Government that it had suspended seawater injection to the core of No. 1 plant at Fukushima Daiichi in the serious hours immediately after the typhoon, an on-site supervisor in fact made certain that seawater injection continued uninterrupted. (Government permission was required for this step, and there was uncertainty about it having been received, apparently.) While this caused a bit of a media stir in Japan, Prime Minister Naoto Kan has gone on the record as saying that this should not result in punishment of this particular supervisor. (He made the right call, by the way, in continuing injection with whatever water source he had available without outside non-expert interference.... APR opinion.)

-A brief oil spill outside No. 5 and No. 6 plants, found on the 31st, has resulted in the application of cleanup material (absorption) to the shore line, and the rapid installation of an oil fence. TEPCO is cleaning up this minor spill as this report is written. Below, TEPCO press photo showing the oil sheen on the water surface.

-TEPCO continues to experiment with the installed, recirculating cooling systems for the spent fuel pools at all three plants. Hydrazine addition (to prevent oxygen corrosion of the fuel elements) is being performed occasionally at the spent fuel pools as TEPCO deems necessary.

These appear to be the most important updates at the moment. There are a large number of projects underway right now at the site, and we'll report here on further developments as needed.

8:55 AM Eastern Wednesday June 1, 2011
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW

IAEA Initial Report - June 1

from atomic power review by Will Davis

A short while back, TEPCO released a press photo of the IAEA inspection team on site at Fukushima Daiichi. This team also visited Fukushima Daini, and the Japan Atomic Power Company's Tokai NPP site which includes the shut down gas-cooled No. 1 and BWR Tokai No. 2.

The IAEA has, today, released a preliminary report on the visit. It has been sufficiently long now after the initial earthquake, tsunami and accident initiation that valid reports covering areas of interest and concern will appear and this report is among the very first. Link to this report is below.

IAEA INITIAL REPORT FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI, DAINI (TEPCO) AND TOKAI (JAPCO)

11:00 AM Eastern Wednesday June 1
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW