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Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Battle For Tokyo Continues

It's not like Tokyo is going to vanish in a radioactive cloud, even under the worst scenario (barring Mothra, comet strikes, and sudden volcano emergence under Daiichi).

But the Japanese are mounting a massive effort to control emissions, especially while winds veer towards Tokyo. They had been going to vent the pressure vessel on 3, but decided not to right now because of the emissions.

So far the Tokyo area has received very little radiation exposure, and they are trying to keep it that way. Also they are spraying on 4's pool today. There isn't any fuel in the reactor - it's in the pool.

Review of current progress at WNN.

Kyodo News (power into 2, now they try to get stuff working); Reactor status summary.

They're planning to use two tanks for rubble removal to clear better paths for the trucks. They are achieving great things under the circumstances.

What has already been sown.

Update: I have been listening to NHK, and they are reporting a rising death rate among survivors. This is the hardest stage.
Radiation levels at the Daiichi plant as measured by TEPCO.

HUH? Look at reactor 3's suppression chamber pressures?

Again, they are preparing tanks to use for moving radioactive rubble close to the reactor buildings.

A construction company from MIE volunteered two special water spraying vehicles for use at 3 and 4. The last total I saw for 3 was 3,700 tons of water - about 3 times the total pool capacity. They have dumped at least 160 tons of water on 4, probably a lot more by now. Note: the construction company is sending the vehicles with operators.

Kyodo News is reporting 1 worker at Daiichi was heavily exposed (150 milliS/hr) without details. I hope it is not the one who was injecting seawater yesterday into No 2's spent fuel pond per this TEPCO update.

Comments:
Will any long term stigma be attached to Tokyo by
tourists ? Would you work there if assigned by your
boss ?

Sporkfed
 
Thanks for continuing to follow the story. The hysteria in this country is shameful. People who might normally be rational in a disaster are running around looking for potassium iodine pills. I just hope that we never, ever have a similar earthquake/tsunami on the West Coast.
 
Spork - not only that, but I'd bow to half the people I met.

They're showing greatness.
 
http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/03/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-nuclear-disaster-looms-large/

hi res photo's number 31 in the series Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant reactor no. 4 (center) and no. 3, very interesting.
 
Ron - "interesting" is not quite the word I'd use.

The original explosion almost looked two-phase. The way that looks is that pieces of 4's structure blew almost sideways and whaled into 3, which makes me think it was two-phase.

Now if I knew more, I'd know what that run of pipe was for.

The stills of the explosion are interesting too - I had thought I saw junks of solid debris falling sideways out of the cloud, and they do show up.
 
The building detail was interesting but the entire photo series pointed to a grave situation. Working on,around,near a structure that has experienced such destruction would be very dangerous so adding radiation makes it surreal and beyond my ability to imagine. This situation is evidently beyond what can be reported in small clips but I would like to say, hats off to you for keeping up with various updates.
 
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