Liveblog 3 is now up: Liveblog, v3.0 - Fukushima Nuclear Incident
CNN is now reporting that a meltdown may have occurred at one or more reactors in Japan and the caption on their screen is: "meltdown may be occurring at nuclear reactor."
This is at the top of their web site:
"We are assuming that a meltdown has occurred" at a quake-damaged nuclear reactor, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary says.
http://www.cnn.com/
Other news sources are reporting that it there may be meltdowns in two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Update: Govt. spokesman Edano warned that there is a danger of another hydrogen explosion at Fukushima I, Reactor 3. The previous explosion occurred at Fukushima I, Reactor 1.
Update:There are six reactors with cooling failures at the Fukushima I and Fukushima II plants. We know some specifics about the problems with Fukushima I, Reactor #1 and #3 but we don't know specifics about the other four.
* More updates below *
What is a meltdown?
Meltdown has a fairly broad definition.
A nuclear meltdown is an informal term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating. The term is not officially defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency[1] nor by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.[2]
A meltdown occurs when a severe failure of a nuclear power plant system prevents proper cooling of the reactor core, to the extent that the nuclear fuel assemblies overheat and melt. A meltdown is considered very serious because of the potential that radioactive materials could be released into the environment. A core meltdown will also render the reactor unstable until it is repaired. The scrapping and disposal of the reactor core will incur substantial costs for the operator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Conflicting Information
To make matters worse, they are reporting that a meltdown may have occurred at not only one but at two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. And to make matters even worse than that, there are conflicting reports. Wolf Blitzer has now said that Japanese ambassador to the US has denied that a meltdown is occurring.
A gentleman named Prof Sjoden was interviewed on CNN shortly after they began reporting a meltdown and he is said that this is probably not a meltdown, technically, because he believes that they are keeping the core covered. CNN has reported that radioactive cesium and radioactive iodine has been detected outside of the reactor. Is this a result of a core meltdown or a result of the venting of steam?
Earlier today there was a lot of reporting reassuring that the nuclear reactor casing was intact after the Reactor #1 explosion and that a meltdown had not occurred. It was reported that sea water infused with boron was being used to try to keep the core cooled.
But then we heard today that cooling system for Reactor #3 had failed too. Now there is a question about whether a meltdown occurred there too. Reuters reported earlier that they were preparing to release steam there too in order to relieve pressure.
* Update *
Edano warned, however, that a hydrogen explosion similar to one that occurred at the No. 1 reactor at the same facility nearby on Saturday could occur at the No. 3 reactor because large amounts of hydrogen were created when the water injection procedure briefly ran into trouble.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/...
Most reports refer to Reactor #1 and Reactor #3, but I am also seeing references to Reactor #2. I don't know whether they are referring to Reactor #2 at Plant Number One (Fukushima I) or whether they are referring to Plant Number Two (Fukushima II,) a different power plant entirely, in Fukushima prefecture, where there are further problems. It's also possible that they just mean (relatively) a second reactor.
* Update *
It was the sixth reactor overall at the Fukushima No. 1 plant and the Fukushima No. 2 plant, which is located just south of the No. 1 plant, to undergo cooling failure since the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck Japan on Friday.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/...
To clarify, we know about the cooling problems with Fukushima I, reactors #1 and #3 but we don't know specifics about the other four reactors which are in both Fukuchima I and II.
* Update *
Just to clarify, these are the two power plants that we are talking about:
Two Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) power plants in Fukushima Prefecture:
Fukushima Daiichi = Fukushima I
6 boiling water reactors (BWR)
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Fukushima Daini = Fukushima II
4 boiling water reactors (BWR)
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
The last report that I heard about people in emergency shelters was that 160 people had tested positive for radiation poisoning. So I have to question whether earlier reports about containment were accurate and/or honest. In fact, personally, I have been very skeptical about the reporting coming out of Japan regarding these nuclear incidents for many hours now. I have had a hard time believing that the problems were entirely an issue of losing power.
Japanese officials are in a terrible situation and I sympathize with them with my whole heart. But they need to come out and give a clear report about exactly what is going on.
Recent News Reports
This is a developing story. Below, I'll provide a collection of excerpts from some very recent news reports.
Washington Post:
Japanese authorities said Sunday that efforts to restart the cooling system at one of the nuclear reactors damaged by Friday's earthquake had failed, even as officials struggled to bring several other damaged reactors under control.
In an effort to relieve pressure at the failing reactor, Fukushima Daiichi's unit 3, the utility said it released "air containing radioactive materials." Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said radiation at the reactor exceeded legal limits and that it was "highly possible" a partial meltdown was underway.
"Because it's inside the reactor, we cannot directly check it, but we are taking measures on the assumption of the possible partial meltdown," he told reporters, according to the Associated Press.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Globe and Mail (Canada):
Japan's top government spokesman says a partial meltdown is likely under way at second reactor affected by Friday's massive earthquake.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/...
A partial meltdown was likely underway at a second nuclear reactor, a top Japanese official said Sunday, as authorities frantically tried to prevent a similar threat from nearby unit following a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/...
BBC / AFP:
#
0426: Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano says radioactive meltdowns may have occurred in two reactors at the plant - AFP.
#
0419: Possible fusion in two reactors - AFP, quoting government
http://www.bbc.co.uk/...
( Note: 0426 is GMT time, 11:26 PM EST)
Boing Boing:
Documents from Tokyo Electric, the operator of the Japanese nuclear plants in crisis after Friday's devastating quake and tsunami, reveal that the company tested the Fukushima plant to withstand a quake up to magnitude 7.9. That threshold is well below the force of Friday's quake, recently upgraded to 9.0.
http://www.boingboing.net/...
Gather.com:
There is a partial nuclear meltdown in Japan at a second reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, according to the Japanese government. This has occurred as a result of the 2011 Japan earthquake and resulting tsunami that caused multiple nuclear reactor cooling systems to fail.
Fuel rods were briefly exposed, which caused the levels of radiation to rise above the legal limit. The core of Unit 1 partially melted, and now there are additional meltdown concerns for Unit 3, as well.
...
Tokyo Electric Co. has taken the absolutely unusual measure of using seawater, in an effort to cool the nuclear cores. It is likely that this will result in the reactor being decommissioned because of contamination. Many feel that this is a desperate measure, which shows how serious the threat is.
http://news.gather.com/...
Voice of America:
Japanese officials have reassured the public, saying there is no danger of a meltdown of the reactor core. But US nuclear experts say they are worried about the possibility.
http://www.voanews.com/...
Sydney Morning Herald:
Update: Japanese authorities are operating on the presumption that possible meltdowns are under way at two nuclear reactors, according to latest news reports. However, authorities added there were indications at this stage of hazardous emissions of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
Radiation has leaked from the plant but the government has moved to calm fears of a meltdown saying the blast didn’t rupture the container surrounding the reactor.
Teams are working to prevent cooling liquid from evaporating and exposing the fuel rods to the air, which could trigger a major radiation leak.
There are now concerns for a second facility after its cooling system also failed.
http://www.smh.com.au/...
Al Jazeera English:
(All times are local in Japan GMT+9)
Timestamp:
11:06am
The Associated Press agency reports that the Japanese authorities have said another reactor at the quake-hit nuclear plant was in trouble after its cooling system also failed.
"All the functions to keep cooling water levels in No. 3 reactor have failed at the Fukushima No. 1 plant," plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said, adding that pressure was rising slightly.
#
Timestamp:
7:15am
More on the danger posed by that second developing problem at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. A Tokyo Electric Power Co spokesman said:
All the functions to keep cooling water levels in No.3 reactor have failed at the Fukushima No.1 plant.
As of 5:30am, water injection stopped and inside pressure is rising slightly.
An emergency report on the plant's condition has been filed with the government, he added.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/...
Montreal Gazette:
"We don’t know enough about what the status of the fuel is in the reactor core," nuclear expert Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said. "The issue is whether the core is uncovered, whether the fuel is breaking up or being damaged, or whether the fuel is melting."
http://www.montrealgazette.com/...
Seattle Times:
TOKYO — Japanese officials announced Sunday the cooling system at a second nuclear reactor crippled by Japan's devastating earthquake had failed completely, even as they took the extraordinary step of flooding a separate reactor with seawater in a last-ditch effort to avoid a nuclear meltdown.
...
The cooling systems at three other reactors at a second nuclear plant also had failed, officials said. While backup systems might still be revived, if they could not, these reactors too could require emergency cooling, they said.
For now, the most pressing concern stemmed from a radiation leak and explosion at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Saturday, which prompted the government to expand an evacuation order to affect 170,000 people in the plant's vicinity, 170 miles northeast of Tokyo.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/...
Asahi.com
After the explosion, radioactive material was detected at a monitoring post near TEPCO's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, raising concerns about a possible nuclear meltdown.
...
The agency earlier said a fuel rod in the nuclear plant appeared to have partially melted. However, the agency said pressure in the core containment vessel at the plant started to decrease, lowering the possibility of its rupture.
...
The central government on Saturday declared a state of emergency at the No. 2 Fukushima nuclear power plant, located about 8 kilometers south of the No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant.
A state of emergency had been declared for the No. 1 plant the previous day.
http://www.asahi.com/...
kimatv.com:
YAKIMA-- Washington and Oregon health officials say the situation in Japan is not a radiation risk to us.
Both states are monitoring radiation levels here and say they have not changed.
Their response is due to concerns about wind blown radiation in the wake of the earthquake in Japan and then an explosion at a nuclear plant reactor.
...
A public health risk is not expected.
http://www.kimatv.com/...
* Update * Guardian:
Tepco said the No 1 reactor had partially melted – the first time this has happened in Japan – and was continuing efforts to cool the reactor with seawater, a procedure a British nuclear expert described as "an act of desperation".
The company notified the government on Sunday morning that the No 3 reactor had lost the ability to cool the reactor core, and that radiactive steam was being released. Kyodo News quoted Tepco as saying that up to 3 metres (10ft) of MOX fuel rods were exposed above water at the plant.
...
"Plutonium MOX fuel increases the risk of nuclear accident due the neutronic effects of plutonium on the reactor," Burnie told the Guardian. "In the event of an accident – in particular loss of coolant – the reactor core is more difficult to control due to both neutronics and higher risk of fuel cladding failure.
"In the event of the fuel melting and the release of plutonium fuel into the environment, the health hazards are greater, including higher levels of latent cancer"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
Reference Information
Many thanks to boatsie who provided this information from her diary on the same subject, 'we are assuming melt down has occurred" & upgraded to 9!
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* Update *
Other Sources
Scientific American:
Finally, Bergeron summed up the events so far: "Based on what we understand, the reactor has been shut down, in the sense that all of the control rods have been inserted. Which means there's no longer a nuclear reaction. But what you have to worry about is the decay heat that's still in the core, that will last for many days.
"And to keep that decay heat of the uranium from melting the core, you have to keep water on it. And the conventional sources of water, the electricity that provides the power for pumps, have failed. So they are using some very unusual methods of getting water into the core, they're using steam-driven turbines—they're operating off of the steam generated by the reactor itself.
"But even that system requires electricity in the form of batteries. And the batteries aren't designed to last this long, so they have failed by now. So we don't know exactly how they're getting water to the core, or if they're getting enough water to the core. We believe, because of the release of cesium, that the core has been exposed above the water level, at least for a portion of time, and has overheated. What we really need to know is how long can they keep that water flowing. And it needs to be days to keep the core from melting.
"The containment, I believe, is still intact. But if the core does melt, that insult will probably not be sustained, and the containment vessel will fail. All this, if it were to occur, would take a matter of days. What's crucial is restoring AC power. They've got to get AC power back to the plant to be able to control it. And I'm sure they're working on it."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/...