Radioactive Japan: People Invited to Eat Cesium Beef from Iwate (Fukushima)

Ex-SKF.blogspot.com ^ | April 26, 2012 | ex-skf.blogspot.com

[chimera]

The problem as I see it, is that if high radiation is causing the temperature sensors failures in unit #2, why are the temperature sensors not failing in #1 and #3 at the same failure rate ?

Probably a difference in exposure rates because of the variable geometry in the damaged cores. Also, radiation damage effects can be somewhat stochastic in nature. I've had thermocouples fail after a few years of service near the core, but in the reactor I work with we have one thermocouple below the core that is going on 20 years of service with very little drift, it calibrates within a degree of the standard every time.

What concerns me is that they found the water level in the CV of #2 to be much lower then they had predicted. Now that points to additional possible leakage and/or the possibility that the #2 RPV and CV are more damaged then thought.

The answer will require further inspections.

There was an explosion in the lower Torus area of #2. People heard it and reported it. Tepco claims it was really the explosion in #4, and that the workers were confused. These workers have reported that there was no explosion in #4. They have reported that building #4 just disintegrated before their eyes without an explosion.

The article says they reported "loud sounds" which regulators confirmed as "coming from the building". The pressure spike and subsequent decay was thought to have indicated a rupture in the torus, but the pictures taken seem to show that the torus is intact as far as they can see at this point. So I'd say the early conclusions may be somewhat speculative and the situation is somewhat ambiguous.

... they are one significant earthquake away from dealing with major nuclear fallout from Japan, is also irresponsible.

I don't think so. You can't change the laws of physics, and radioactive decay over the last year has greatly reduced the potential source term. A lot of what was released early has either been dispersed or collected and contained. There is no longer active fission producing stored energy which is necessary to drive the materials out into the environment. Without the stored energy, you will very likely have only local effects. The West Coast is far enough away to avoid those. Spreading FUD is what is really irresponsible.