FUKUSHIMA: TEPCO, helped by the U.S., to remove nuclear fuel rods

[Bennyboy]

Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has agreed to accept the help of the U.S. Department of Energy with the fuel rod removal, a process considered to be one of the most dangerous in the decommissioning of the nuclear facility. If it is not done properly, the process could lead to a whole new nuclear accident.

Naomi Hirose, president of TEPCO, has decided to accept the help after discussing with U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz when they visited Fukushima No. 1 on Friday to inspect preparations to remove fuel rods from the reactor 4 storage pool.

After Japan received huge public critics regarding its refuse to accept foreign help, the country has recently begun to show more willingness to do so.

“As Japan continues to chart its sovereign path forward on the cleanup at the Fukushima site and works to determine the future of energy economy, the United States stands ready to continue assisting our partners in this daunting yet indispensable task,” Moniz said.

Hirose also said that, “We will work together to tackle many challenges toward decommissioning. I have high hopes that we will be able to benefit from U.S. experience and expertise at Fukushima No. 1.”

A long series of recent breakdowns have revealed grave vulnerabilities at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that was hit by a violent earthquake and tsunami in 2011.


http://www.tokyotimes.com/2013/tepco-helped-by-the-u-s-to-remove-nuclear-fuel-rods/

[Turbineguy]

1. It's the smart play.

[1000words]

2. I understand culturally, Japan is all about saving face, but this was needed.

It also indicates the enormity of the problem.


Thanks for the Fukushima threads, Benny.

[Bennyboy]

3. Does that mean that they are not, at this very moment,

removing fuel rods? I thought today was the day to begin the actual operation. They moved things into place this week in preparation and I thought today was the day to being actually doing it.

I cannot find ANYTHING at all in the Japan Times about FUKU other than raises....

if things go badly does this mean the US is on the hook for damages and cleanup as well?

[RobertEarl]

4. US asked them to wait

That's why we are reading this now about the US 'helping'.

Our experts were just now included and when they looked at the plans they said: "whoa!"

So now plans are on hold. Or they could be moving rods and not telling us? Who knows... they have been proving to have been telling lies all along.

Too bad they can't afford decent cameras for us to see what's going on there. The only one they have has seen its better days and it is becoming even more blurry. Or are they messing up the picture on purpose to hide smoke? Heh, with the US now involved they may turn the cameras off for good.

Here's a link to the Fuku webcam. The big white structure on the right is where the fuel pool of #4 is. Middle of screen is, from front to back, #3, #2 and #1 reactor buildings.

http://mfile.akamai.com/127380/live/reflector:52045.asx

Windows media player may be needed

The best source of Fukushima news? Website enenews.com

[RobertEarl]

5. Hey Benny

Did you ever notice that the big time OPers on GD DU hardly ever reply to any of your Fukushima posts?

The world's biggest problem and they seemingly do their best to ignore it.

Heh, we all wish it would go away, but it just keeps getting worse every day.

[Bennyboy]

7. Yeah, but i think it is partially my fault as well

some stuff is pretty sensational and I think they are turned off by that. I don't really know how to disseminate between sources so I post everything in hopes someone will come in and add to the thread. So I gotta imagine I have a number of ignore people....

I'm not trying to inflame, but at the same time what is truth here? Who knows. Should a scientist who said that the fuel rods are damaged be kept out of the loop because of the source that got it from a source?

My job, believe it or not, is not a job nor a responsibility at all, is not to vet everything that comes down the pike, that I will leave to the "real news" outlets like MSNBC (parent company GE) to provide me with all the news I need to know....

[RobertEarl]

8. So.... what's happening at Fukushima?

Everyday at least 300 tonnes of radiated water from the destruction flows into the Pacific. That's about 100,000 gallons a day. Times 900+ days.

Reactor #3 is so badly radiated that humans can't get near it and robots die in minutes when set there. It has at times seen to be smoking away, releasing more and more radiation into the air.

Reactor #2 is similar. They keep dumping water into it to keep it cool and that water drains away into the Pacific. Same with #1.

There are fields of tanks holding highly radiated water sitting on the hill above the complex and there have been many reports of those tanks leaking into a ditch that flows into, yep, you guessed it, the Pacific. Every time it rains, that ditch gets more water.

The fuel pools of all 4 reactors are pretty much the same: Sitting at least 50 feet from the ground. #4 tho, has some very hot nuclear waste in it that was, 3 years ago, going critical and boiling water. That waste can still boil water and after 3/11 it has been said that waste caused pool #4 to boil away all its water. Those waste rods are believed to have melted somewhat and that is why removing that mess has become such a problem that the US was called in to help.

Also, # 3 and #4 has what they call MOX. Mixed OXide fuel. A Uranium and Plutonium mixture making the waste far more deadly than just Uranium by itself.

Indeed, some experts have said that is why #3 blew up like it did, and why #4 burned like it did: Because of the presence of highly volatile Plutonium. Duke power in the US tried some MOX in its plants and those plants almost blew up. So they stopped doing that. The Japanese thought they were smarter and could handle that MOX fuel. Well, they can't, so they called in the US.

Have a nice day.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. Well, I guess the fact that they're accepting assistance is a good thing.

[PCIntern]

9. Oh come on, this is no big deal:

one fuel rod = one banana

one pile of radioactive waste = one day in a basement man-cave

one nuclear meltdown = one transcontinental airline flight

At least that is more or less what I was told directly following the accident...or maybe...it was God's Will...

It all depends on perspective, I suppose.

for the doubtful