Fukushima Nuclear Plant

The Japanese nuclear reactor hit by the tsunami went into 'meltdown' today, as officials admitted that fuel rods appear to be melting inside three damaged reactors.
There is a risk that molten nuclear fuel can melt through the reactor's safety barriers and cause a serious radiation leak.
There have already been explosions inside two over-heating reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, and the fuel rods inside a third were partially exposed as engineers desperately fight to keep them cool after the tsunami knocked out systems.
Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said it was 'highly likely' that the fuel rods inside all three stricken reactors are melting.
Some experts class that a partial meltdown of the reactor, but others would only use that term for when molten nuclear fuel melts through a reactor's inner chamber - but not through the outer containment shell. 
As fuel rods melt, they form an extremely hot molten pool at the bottom of the reactor that can melt through even the toughest of containment barriers.
Japan is fighting to avoid a nuclear catastrophe after the tsunami. There was a hydrogen explosion at the reactor in Unit Three of the power station earlier today, in which eleven workers were hurt by the blast that was felt 25 miles away.
The reactor at Unit One of Fukushima exploded on Saturday, blowing several walls away but engineers said the core was still contained. The fuel rods in the reactor in Unit Two of the plant were partially exposed from their coolant today - which also increases the risk of meltdown.
Engineers have been fighting to keep the reactors under control after the tsunami knocked out emergency coolant systems on Friday.
Earlier engineers were frantically trying to cool radioactive materials at all the reactors with seawater but had halted the process, which resulted in a rise in radiation levels and pressure.
Plant managers knew an explosion was a possibility as they struggled to reduce pressure inside the reactor containment vessel in Unit Three, but apparently felt they had no choice if they wanted to avoid a complete meltdown.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Residents close to Fukushima nuclear plant face food and fuel shortages

TOKYO, Mar 17, 2011 (IPS) - For the past three days Hiroko Oogusa, 62 - following orders from the local authorities - has remained in her tightly shuttered home located 40 kilometres from the badly damaged Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

"The local town council officials who drove past my house announced through loudspeakers that we must not go outside and not let air in to protect ourselves from radiation," Oogusa told IPS over an intermittent phone line. "I am trying hard not to lose hope for I am running out of food and wonder what is going to happen next."

Oogusa, who lives in Iwachiku village, weathered the massive quake that hit on 11 March. It shook her house badly, cutting off the water supply and heat, but never did she expect to be faced with what she describes as a kind of "imprisonment."

"I am angry and sad at the same time over the horror we are facing. I have always been unhappy over the nuclear power plants in our area but I could do nothing about it," she said.

One week after the quake and gigantic tsunami that pounded the northern Tohoku region and coastline, Japan, an earthquake prone country boasting the most advanced disaster management technology, is grappling with huge problems.

More than 350,000 people are in evacuation centres, thousands are still reported missing, and hydrogen explosions have left one of the largest nuclear power plants in the country vulnerable to serious meltdown.

Japan Self-Defence Forces are now spraying water from a helicopter over the Unit 3 reactor of Fukushima Daiichi power plant to cool the smouldering spent fuel in the reactor core that is producing dangerous levels of radioactive energy.

The emergency cooling systems including diesel generators and large water containers are not available because the tsunami, which produced waves as high as 10 metres, hit the facilities.

The government ordered a 30-kilometre exclusion zone around the plant to prevent radiation poisoning, and the zone was extended, says Oogusa, to her village as a precaution by the local authorities two days ago.

She describes the cordoned-off area as an "eerie ghost town made worse in the night because of the lack of electricity."

Others who have taken refuge in evacuation centres also express similar sentiments. Hundreds of people are still waiting for food and blankets - with many centres reporting that one or two stoves had to be shared making life miserable and stressful for the very young and aged in the freezing weather.

Due to broken roads making access difficult, the affected areas have no gasoline, which is hampering rescue operations. The death toll has climbed to 5,500, with more than 10,000 still missing.

For Professor Yasuo Kawawaki, head of the International Recovery Platform, that is well-known for its work on global disaster reduction, the current tragic pictures illustrates not only the enormity of the crisis that has hit the country but also an important lesson-learning experience.

"The crisis is multiple and we were not prepared sufficiently," Kawawaki explained. "It is not only the quake that has hit the area but also an unprecedented high tsunami and also the worst nuclear power accident."

Commentators say the current situation vividly exposes the vulnerability of the country - a sobering evaluation for the public that had gotten used to being a world economic power, boasting state-of-the-art infrastructure and almost fool-proof efficiency.

Kawawaki notes that the recovery process will be daunting given the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their loved ones, homes, and jobs in the area. Tokyo, the capital, is also affected by power shortages that are forcing shorter workdays and the closure of offices and shops.

"Research on disaster planning and emergencies is advanced in Japan but we now realise that what we have is still not sufficient," said Kawawaki.

Still, points out Koichi Ishiyama, who works in international finance, Japan is a rich economy with an affluent population, large trade surplus, technical expertise and liquidity that provides a stable platform as the country enters the recovery phase. "The process will take several decades given the huge setback. But at least I believe we have a solid foundation," he said.

For the moment, though, Japan is engulfed in the huge emergency stage of the crisis. As Masaru Shigemoto got on the bus this afternoon to leave for Tochigi - 100 kilometres out of Fukushima - he told television crews he is leaving with a heavy heart. "I was born and reared in this city which is now devastated by the nuclear explosion. I want to return but I am not sure whether it will be during my lifetime."

Read more:http://www.guardian.co.uk

Japan withdraws workers from Fukushima nuclear plant after radiation surge

Japan ordered emergency workers to withdraw from its stricken nuclear plant today amid a surge in radiation, temporarily suspending efforts to cool the overheating reactors.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the workers, who have been dousing the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant with seawater in a frantic effort to stabilise their temperatures, had no choice but to pull back from the most dangerous areas.
"The workers cannot carry out even minimal work at the plant now," Mr Edano said, as smoke billowed above the crippled complex. "Because of the radiation risk we are on stand-by."
The nuclear crisis has triggered international alarm and partly overshadowed the human tragedy caused by Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, a blast of black seawater which pulverised Japan's north-eastern coastline. The quake was one of the strongest recorded in history.
Officials said today that they were considering using helicopters to dump water on to the most troubled reactors in a desperate effort to cool them down.
But Mr Edano has already warned that may not work.
"It's not so simple that everything will be resolved by pouring in water. We are trying to avoid creating other problems," he said.
"We are actually supplying water from the ground, but supplying water from above involves pumping lots of water and that involves risk. We also have to consider the safety of the helicopters above," he said.
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Radiation levels later subsided but it was not immediately clear if the workers had been allowed back in, or how far away they had withdrawn. The workers at the forefront of the fight - a core team of 70 - had been regularly rotated in and out of the danger zone to minimise their radiation exposure.
Meanwhile, officials in Ibaraki prefecture, just south of Fukushima, said radiation levels were about 300 times normal levels by late morning. While those levels are unhealthy for prolonged periods, they are far from fatal.
Days after Friday's twin disasters, millions of people were struggling along the coast with little food, water or heat, and already chilly temperatures dropped further as a cold front moved in.
Up to 450,000 people are staying in temporary shelters, often sleeping on the floor of school gymnasiums.
More than 11,000 people are officially listed as dead or missing, but most officials believe the final death toll will be well over 10,000 people.
Since the quake and wave hit, authorities have been struggling to avert an environmental catastrophe at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex, 140 miles (220km) north of Tokyo. The tsunami knocked out the back-up diesel generators needed to keep nuclear fuel cool, setting off the atomic crisis.
In the city of Fukushima, about 40 miles (60km) inland from the nuclear complex, hundreds of harried government workers, police officers and others struggled to stay on top of the situation in a makeshift command centre.
An entire floor of one of the prefecture's office buildings had been taken over by people tracking evacuations, power needs, death tolls and food supplies.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk


Canhão d'água tenta resfriar reatores em Fukushima.

O Japão anunciou nesta quinta-feira (24) a intensificação dos esforços para resfriar os reatores da usina nuclear de Fukushima, atingida pelo tsunami da semana passada. Um canhão d'água já começou a atirar água sobre reator nuclear 3 da usina, que está superaquecido. Além disso, a pressão no reator 3, que tem plutônio e urânio em sua combinação de combustíveis, voltou a subir.
Helicópteros da Marinha japonesa despejaram um grande volume de água nesta quinta-feira sobre os reatores 3 e 4, os mais comprometidos. Os aparelhos, do tipo CH-47 Chinook, sobrevoaram a central e jogaram, em quatro passadas, 7.500 litros de água sobre eles. O nível de radioatividade em torno da usina, porém, permaneceu inalterado.
Ontem, os helicópteros haviam sido forçados a abortar uma operação semelhante por conta das preocupações sobre os altos níveis de radiação. Os fortes ventos na região dificultaram a operação.
Em outra frente, a Tepco, operadora de Fukushima, "concentra seus esforços" em restaurar o fornecimento de energia para reativar as bombas d’água dos sistemas de resfriamento dos reatores.
Segundo a agência nuclear japonesa, a energia pode ser parcialmente restabelecida em Fukushima 1 por volta do meio-dia (local).
A crise nuclear no Japão teve origem no corte de energia após o tsunami de sexta-feira passada, que paralisou, inclusive, os geradores de emergência da usina de Fukushima 1, derrubando o sistema de refrigeração dos reatores atômicos.
A queda no sistema de resfriamento provocou a evaporação da água e o risco de exposição do material radioativo nos reatores, onde já ocorreram quatro explosões de hidrogênio e dois incêndios, em meio a crescentes níveis de radiação.
A Tepco está reparando as linhas de energia da Tohoku Electric Power Co., que abastecem a região, para ligá-las ao sistema de transmissão elétrica em Fukushima.
"Com o trabalho completo, teremos a capacidade de ativar várias bombas elétricas e jogar água nos reatores e nas piscinas de combustível nuclear usado", destacou um porta-voz da Tepco.
No momento, cerca de 70 homens utilizam bombas de baixa capacidade para atacar o incêndio e resfriar os reatores de Fukushima, com eletricidade de caminhões geradores.
O tsunami que danificou a usina foi gerado após um terremoto de magnitude 9 que atingiu o nordeste do Japão na sexta-feira. A polícia japonesa confirmou nesta quinta 5.178 mortes em consequência do tremor e do tsunami. Outras 8.606 pessoas continuam desaparecidas.

Veja mais em: noticias.uol.com.br

Operação em usina nuclear do Japão deixa ao menos 19 feridos

Pelo menos 19 trabalhadores que tentam reparar os estragos causados pelo terremoto que atingiu o Japão na usina nuclear de Fukushima sofreram ferimentos leves e outros 20 foram expostos à radiação, segundo informações divulgadas nesta quinta-feira (17) pelas autoridades japonesas.
Com base nas informações oficiais, a Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica (AIEA), disse que um funcionário da usina havia quebrado as duas pernas, e dois empregados da companhia elétrica Tepco tinham sofrido ferimentos leves. Ainda há informações de que outro funcionário estaria internado em um hospital, em condição desconhecida.
Além destes, dois estão desaparecidos e outros dois adoeceram após o terremoto. Ao todo, 15 pessoas ficaram feridas pelas explosões na usina, quatro no dia do terremoto e 11 em uma explosão no dia 14.
Com relação à radiação, segundo a AIEA, 17 trabalhadores apresentaram baixo nível de radiação, mas não foram encaminhados a hospitais.
Apesar dos perigos, a agência de notícias "France Press" informou que funcionários da Tepco e de outras indústrias continuam se voluntariando para participar dos esforços de estabilização dos reatores.
Especialistas alertam que os trabalhadores podem receber uma "dose letal" de radiação "em um espaço muito curto de tempo", enquanto um perito japonês descreveu-os como “combatentes suicidas em uma guerra”.
Canhão d'água tenta resfriar reatores em Fukushima
O Japão anunciou nesta quinta-feira (24) a intensificação dos esforços para resfriar os reatores da usina nuclear de Fukushima, atingida pelo tsunami da semana passada. Um canhão d'água já começou a atirar água sobre reator nuclear 3 da usina, que está superaquecido.
Segundo o ministro da Defesa japonês, Toshimi Kitazawa, as operações na usina serão reforçadas hoje porque o governo considera o dia como a data limite para que se contenha, de vez, a crise em Fukushima.
Helicópteros da Marinha japonesa despejaram um grande volume de água nesta quinta-feira sobre os reatores 3 e 4, os mais comprometidos. Os aparelhos, do tipo CH-47 Chinook, sobrevoaram a central e jogaram, em quatro passadas, 7.500 litros de água sobre eles. O nível de radioatividade em torno da usina, porém, permaneceu inalterado. Tentativas anteriores também fracassaram.
“Nossa maior prioridade agora é verter uma quantidade adequada de água aos reatores 3 e 4, especialmente nas suas piscinas de combustível usado. O próximo passo deverá ser recuperar o fornecimento de energia elétrica”, afirmou Hidehiko Nishiyama, porta-voz da Agência de Segurança Nuclear e Industrial.
Outros países também estão enviando ajuda ao país. Hoje, um avião carregado de material e produtos químicos para deter o processo de fusão nuclear dos reatores do complexo atômico, enviado pela França, deve chegar ao Japão.

Veja mais em: noticias.uol.com.br