Posted on 05/26/2012 7:52:30 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Japan minister visits nuke plant amid safety worry
TOKYO – Japan's environment and nuclear minister visited the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant on Saturday to inspect a spent fuel pool at the center of safety concerns and said it appeared to have been properly reinforced.
The visit by Goshi Hosono, apparently aimed at demonstrating the safety of the facility, came amid renewed concerns about conditions at the plant's No. 4 reactor after its operator reported a bulging of the building's wall. Nuclear regulators ordered a new investigation and seismic tests of the building and its pool.
The building was damaged by an explosion and fire soon after the Fukushima plant was hit by a massive magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. The pool, located at the top of the building above the reactor, remains one of the plant's biggest risks due to its vulnerability to earthquakes.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., has reinforced the structure and says it now can withstand temblors as strong as last year's quake.
A small group of journalists was allowed to enter the reactor building for the first time with Hosono. Inside there were piles of broken wall panels, pieces of cement and mangled equipment, showing the magnitude of the explosion.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
P!
I may be an average joe, but a bulging wall indicates pressure. This may not be a good thing. Bulges usually blow out.
you’re not from Muskogee, by any chance?
” Bulges usually blow out.”
Oh oh! I have a bulge! Look out! I’m gonna blow out!
Sounds like a high school prom night, gone bad.
bfl - Thanks!
Sounds like it’s fixin’ to go BOOM!
I’ve heard of Japan contracting Americans to go over and help with the situation. One woman was all giddy about her husband going and taking her and their little kids on a once in a lifetime adventure. I tried to disuade her and especially from taking the kids but she kept saying it was perfectly safe and they were making such a fantastic financial package to them. Uh, hello, the bigger the $$$, the bigger the risk. Another clue would be why are they recruiting foreigners rather than using their own employees who should know more than outsiders.
If it’s bulging concrete they’ve got a massive problem....
If it’s bulging concrete - caused by pressure - they’ve got a massive problem....
The bigger the $$$ the bigger the risk and recruiting foreigners instead of Japanese.
Yeah........that would tell me something’s wrong, too.
I can’t help but think that this problem is very likely far, far worse than they’re letting on. It may be considered by some as a cultural stereotype, but “saving face” is quite important in East Asian cultures.
Would the Japanese, for example, let a million people die of radiation poisoning rather than admit some horrible truth? Personally, and I’ve lived in Japan, yes, I think they would. The Japanese government insisted from the get-go that this was not going to be a big problem, more or less, and that it was all contained and handled. To admit otherwise now would make them look like fools.
And that’s something they simply won’t allow.
Facts are tricky things...
rector $4 should read reactor #4
THAT is worse than I expected when I cued up the video. This evenings New York Times arcticle on this topic ups the ‘concern’ ante but still, I wasn’t prepared for the condition of the wall. According to the NYT, TEPCO doesn’t plan to start removing fuel until late 21013. I don’t see that building lasting that long. Thanks for posting this, ‘Hairy-Ape.
PS: The NYT take on this, dated May 26, 2012, is titled:
Spent Fuel Rods Drive Growing Fear Over Plant in Japan
(I don’t recall if we can link directly from FR)
Thanks for posting this, TLR.
From the article, TEPCO has reinforced the building and “...says it now can withstand temblors as strong as last year’s quake.”
Do they mean it can withstand a quake as well as those three other reactors ‘withstood’ last year’s quake?
What has been going on is that Rector Building #4 has been collapsing and deforming. They have tried to cover up that fact, with demolition work. The proof is how they ignored the collaped north wall, while proclaiming only one small wall bulge on another wall. The building collapse has been very quick this week. The video below shows a much better closeup. Stop the video at 0:42. North wall collapsed onto the main green crane assembly. The giant green crane itself seems to be sitting on the top of the reactor, but that is hard to tell. Right at the end of this video you will see what appears to be the #3 roof resting onto a leaning #3 spent fuel pool.
Also note this image closeup. Shows what the north wall collapsed onto.
Well, I am stunned.
Of course I knew it was worse than they say, and that they’ve had seismic activity shaking a shattered building. But I thought this precarious situation would go on longer than it has before walls started collapsing.
Thank you so much for posting this info, ‘Hairy-ape.
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