Robots from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) are about to start work in the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Originally developed to assist with high-risk reconnaissance and the disposal of explosives and hazardous materials, The TALON has been modified for its new job.
The INL is also supplying Japan with radiation-sensing packages for Japanese robots, and a four person team to provide training and advice. NHK video
Larry Marek was trapped when 22.8 meters (75 feet) of the tunnel collapsed on him. Since then ten-member rescue squads, working 12-hour shifts, have cleared 9.7 meters (32 feet) of debris, trying to get to him.
It happened on Friday, April 15, at the Lucky Friday mine owned by Hecla Mining company. After digging about 7.6 meters (25 feet), rescuers had to focus on stabilizing the roof of the mine.
A robot digging machine arrived Sunday night, but they must assemble it inside the mine before they can use it.
The Lucky Friday mine has been operating since 1942. Watch AP video report
“We are doing every effort possible to expedite this in a safe manner. It is a rescue mission.”-Melanie Hennessey, Hecla Mining Compnay
The Lucky Friday Mine, in northern Idaho, collapsed Friday afternoon, trapping one employee. News of the collapse didn’t hit the media until Saturday.
There were two miners in the area when the tunnel caved in, one got out, the other is trapped. The trapped miner’s condition is not known. Equipment is being flown in to help with rescue efforts.
The collapse happened near the end of a 1,874 meter (6,150 feet) deep tunnel.
“This is something people are used to feeling, because when the rock burst happens, you can feel it all over town.”-Glen Gotcher, veteran miner
The mine is located near Mullan, Idaho, a town of about 840 residents. Hecla Mining is expanding its silver mining operation, thanks to the higher prices for silver. They have a good safety record at the mine, but did get fined for water contamination in 2009.
In a National Geographic article, researchers say the magma under Yellow National Park, is even bigger than before.
The latest scans of the super volcanic plume under Yellowstone, measured electrical conductivity, and is described as being like a giant medical CT scan.
Scientists now say the super volcanic plume extends 643km (400 miles), that’s increased from the 241km (150 miles) detected in 2009. Back then scientist predicted that the plume was actually larger, and the new scanning technique proved them correct.
They also discovered that hot, salty water surrounds and is mixed in with the plume.
The French company Areva SA is increasing the number of nuclear experts they’ve sent to Japan, to help deal with the Fukushima Daiichi crisis.
Areva SA now has 15 technicians in Japan. Some of the technicians specialize in removing contaminated water, and dismantling nuclear power plants.
France based Areva is also trying to get a uranium enrichment operation built in Idaho, U.S.A.
Text: AAron Hutchins
Photo by: Alex Hutchins
Across a cold windswept east Idaho desert, people say you can hear the nuke train haulin’ its contaminated cargo. The short track rails start nowhere, and end nowhere. You might even see the sickly yellow locomotive yourself, if your lucky and don’t miss the turn off (for directions see earlier posting “Ancient Nuclear Powered Jet…”).
Lead-lined train in the Arco desert in Eastern Idaho.
OK, so there’s no ghost train, but, in the middle of nowhere, along side the world’s first nuclear powered jet engine, sits an odd shaped yellow locomotive. It’s not nuclear powered, but it is lead lined, to protect the crew from radiation exposure when hauling the huge HTRE units that make up the nuclear jet engine.
General Electric, who ran the nuke jet project, had rail lines built to haul the huge engine from one test area to the next. In a 2005 document, the Department of Energy explained that “shielding” of various equipment from radiation, like the lead-lined locomotive, were based on 1950s understandings of radiation.
Two sets of tracks were laid for the program. The locomotive rode on the inner rails of the two tracks, pulling, or pushing the HTRE units. The HTRE units rode on both sets of tracks, they were that wide. (More pics in the “Galleries” section, click on the “INL Nuclear Power Site” pic. Click on the pics to make them bigger.).
The nuke train had a top speed of 3.5 miles per hour, but, for safety reasons traveled at 2.5 mph. For a detailed (and boring) explanation you can go to this website: www.inl.gov/technicalpublications/Documents/3028280.pdf Supposedly there are period photos in the document, but they didn’t show up for me.
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) used to be known as INEEL, before that INEL, before that ERDA and before that NRTS. The names changes coincide with changes in government agencies controlling the “site”, in the early days, and changes in contractors who now run the site.
I’ve been checking the Idaho RadNet web site and have gotten frustrated because it’s become clear Idaho DEQ is not updating the site. I checked it today, 08 April 2011, @ 11:00AM Mountain Time, and the RadNet posting is still for 06 April 2011.
Recently the Associated Press reported how the RadNet monitors are not reliable.
On top of the Idaho RadNet web site not being updated, the text portion seems to be the same as it was last week, or, Idaho is still getting hit with iodine-131 and xenon-133.
The numbers that RadNet posts are in Beta counts per minute, which is how a Geiger counter reads. The problem, reveled by University of California Santa Cruz professor, Daniel Hirsch, is that there are no set universal standards regarding how much radiation exposure is “bad”.
One source says they consider 100 counts per minute as “bad”. Well, if you look at the Idaho RadNet web site, you’ll see counts as high as 300. However, if you try to use the RadNet web site explainer pages, to figure out if you’re safe or not, you only get more confused.
On 22 March 2011, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency reported rain water contamination numbers for Idaho. Do you understand them?
The EPA reported 242 pCi/L of I-131. Understand? pCi means Picocuries. I-131 means iodine-131. L means liters. 242 Picocuries per liter of iodine-131. Should you be worried? Yes!
The Federal government set safe levels of iodine-131, in drinking water, at 0.111 Becquerels per liter. Using a Picocurie to Becquerel conversion program I discovered that the March 22 readings worked out to 8.954 Becquerels per liter, more than the government’s safe limits.
The EPA levels were in rain water, but rain water is used for livestock, and ends up in many municipality’s water systems.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says they have found trace amounts of iodine-131 in drinking water in the states of Washington and Idaho.
The samples were taken last week, at Boise, Idaho and Richland, Washington. The results were just released.
The EPA also says they picked up trace amounts of radiation in rain water.
I checked the Idaho RadNet site and, so far, there is no mention of the water tests by the EPA. The information is in the most recent EPA press release.
Text: AAron Hutchins
Photos by: Alex Hutchins (click on the pics to make them bigger. More pics, including plaques that explain HTRE, in the Galleries section, click on the INL Nuclear Power Site)
Barely noticeable from the two lane highway, sitting literally in the middle of nowhere, a brick building with some strange caged objects next to it. Getting any closer doesn’t help you identify the metallic two story tall objects, behind locked fences with barbed wire on top. They seem extraterrestrial. Perhaps some ancient Alien visitors left behind their space vehicle?
HTRE-3
It’s like something out of X-Files. But this isn’t Area 51, in Nevada. It’s not Roswell, New Mexico. It’s eastern Idaho, and today is windy and cold. As my son Alex said, “It’s Big Wind.”
As far as ‘ancient’ goes, well, some people might think 1950s is ancient. That’s when the strange twisted metal craft first appeared. Extraterrestrial? Many people in the 1950s thought the scientists of the day were out of this world with their crazy ideas, like nuclear powered jet aircraft.
Taking Exit 93 off Interstate 15, turn west towards Arco. Stay on Highway 26 for about 40 miles. As you drive the lonely 40 miles you’ll pass the big “Welcome to the INL” sign. Then you’ll come to an intersection, make a left, just follow the arrows to Arco. You’ll see building complexes to your right, that’s part of the main Idaho National Laboratory complex.
INL Entrance
At that point pay attention to your left. You should see a lone building in the distance, EBR-1, the world’s first nuclear reactor. That’s where the strange alien vehicle looking things are. There should be a left turn lane coming up, with signs for EBR-1. Make the turn, then another left turn lane, again follow the sign for EBR-1.
It’s a desolate place, my son and I were the only ones there that windy, cold day. We passed a couple of parked cars on the roadside, with no one in them, out in the middle of nowhere, mmm.
EBR-1
There they are, like something left behind, and forgotten, by some advanced species, in the middle of the vast, windy East Idaho desert, HTRE-1, 2 & 3. The three huge Heat Transfer Reactor Experiments units making up world’s first nuclear powered turbine engine. Intentionally twisted metal, big pipes, gigantic turbos, and two little jet engine exhaust at the back. Don’t think these guys are safe, they’re radiation warning signs all over. Many of the openings and fittings are sealed off. Even the giant weld seams on the reactor have been recently coated with a white colored material.
Nuclear powered jet engines and the lead-lined train that pulled them.
Some people would say that only an evil scientist would come up with such a thing. Maybe they’re right? General Electric spent one billion taxpayer dollars on the project, before it was canceled by President Kennedy in 1961. And that’s 1950s dollars, whew!
There are several informational plaques that give the visitor more understandable, and more interesting, info than what I found on the internet. Like “Operation Wiener Roast”. They actually burned a nuclear turbine engine to see if dangerous levels of radiation would be spread if a nuclear powered aircraft crashed.
Operation Wiener Roast
Testing of the reactor turbine was successful, but an actual aircraft was never developed. The program was conducted in Idaho, in Test Area North, of what is now called the INL. The project was managed by the U.S. Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission. There’s lots more information on the signs, you need to go there to look for yourself.
One things for sure, this archeological find proves that the U.S. government spent taxpayer dollars on some really far out stuff in the 1950s.
Radiation signs next to jet engines.
Lead-lined train in the Arco desert in Eastern Idaho. Photo by Alexander Hutchins.
GHOSTLY NUKE TRAIN ROLLIN’ ‘CROSS IDAHO DESERT