Tag Archives: economy

Reactor 1 will be entombed in water, robots to check on progress

Reactor 1, at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, will be filled with water, in an attempt to create a temporary water tomb.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has decided it is the best way to bring the reactor under control.  Robots will be used to check for possible leaks inside the building.  TEPCo wants to fill the reactor core, and then its surrounding containment vessel with water.  It could take until the end of July to accomplish. Currently they are injecting water at a rate of 6 tons per hour, but will increase it to 14 tons per hour.

Toyota on its way down to number 3, Volkswagen up, blame “just in time” house of cards

Toyota has already lost its number 1 ranking, no thanks to the March 11 disasters in Japan.  Now its heading down to number 3.

General Motors is now the number 1 world producer of cars, not just because of what happened in Japan, but because GM’s sales are taking off in China.  Who’s about to become number 2?  Volkswagen.

VW is expected to produce 7 million cars by the end of 2011, right behind GM.

Japan is now rethinking its “just in time” supply system.  The March 11 disasters reveled the inherent flaw in the system, especially without any back up systems in place.  A “just in time” system is a house of cards, just pull one or two, and the whole house comes down.

 

European scientists saying Nuclear explosion did take place at Fukushima, worse than Chernobyl, “Can’t seal a fissioning reactor”!

Several European scientists are saying there is evidence that a nuclear reaction explosion did indeed take place at Fukushima Daiichi.  They are even saying that Chernobyl was better controlled than what is happening at Fukushima Daiichi.

Professor Tom Burke, founder of E3G, says Fukushima Daiichi is still ongoing, after five weeks, while Chernobyl was “over with” after about two weeks.

Another scientist, Professor Christopher Busby, thinks there was a fission reaction in Reactor 3 spent fuel pool, causing a nuclear explosion. That’s because Reactor 3 has MOX fuel rods, using uranium.  Some evidence of nuke explosion, scientists point to, is the ever increasing radiation levels, and the types of isotopes being found around Fukushima, like plutonium and strontium.

French nuclear officials are concerned about Reactor 4 fuel pool.  That pool had active fuel rods in it.  They were put there after Reactor 4 was shut down for routine maintenance, just before the 11 March disasters.  Tokyo Electric Power Company has admitted, in recent days, that they are having major problems with Reactor 4 fuel pool, as well as Reactor 1 overheating and active fuel rods exposed.

Professor Busby believes there is still fission taking place.  He said it would explain why they haven’t started pouring concrete on the reactors, because: “You can’t seal a fissioning reactor…”.

Japanese health officials admit faulty system to monitor radiation levels!

Officials from the health ministry say Japan needs a better way to predict radiation contamination, especially in tap water.

One example is that experts failed to take into account wind, and rainfall, coming from the direction of the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant.  The officials think their discussion, to find ways to improve their system, will last until the end of June.

Japanese officials finally searching Radiation zone for victims!

For the first time since the 11 March disasters, police will begin searching for victims inside the original 20km (12.4 miles) radiation evac zone.

They are searching Futaba Town in Fukushima Prefecture, near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  Earlier this month search crews began to slowly work in towards the 20km zone.

Police say Futaba is a ghost town.  So far there are no signs of people.  Every now and then they see a dog, or cat.  They say there is evidence that people left in a hurry, like laundry still hanging on clothes lines.

 

Fukushima to euthanize abandoned livestock and pets!

The state government of Fukushima has responded to its resident’s calls to humanely put down animals abandoned in the 20km radiation evac zone.   Many have already died of starvation, after being left alone for several weeks.

The operation began today, 25 April.  Veterinarians will put down weakened animals, move animals that still look healthy into barns, and begin decontamination of dead animals.

Officials think it will take until the end of May to complete the operation.  They also say no animal will be put down without the owner’s knowledge.  NHK video

JAPANESE BREAK INTO 20KM EVACUATION ZONE TO BRING YOU VIDEO OF LIVESTOCK & PETS LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES!

U.S. nuke plant shut down because of failed electronics, another nuke plant down because of grass

Last week reactor 1 of Plant Vogtle nuclear plant, near Waynesboro, Georgia, shut down, on 20 April 2011, without explanation.  Company officials say they are replacing a breaker and other electronic equipment.  They don’t know why the equipment failed.

In Delaware, on 21 April 2011, the Salem 1 nuclear reactor was shut down because of grass.  The Salem plant is along the Delaware river, and plants periodically grow over the water intakes of the nuke plant.  Salem 1 had to be shut down because the plant growth was blocking cooling water from coming into the reactor.  Officials say it’s back on line now.

Surprisingly, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says unexpected shutdowns of nuclear reactors happen every year.

 

Reactor 4 overheating, losing water, 70% of fuel rods in Reactor 1 damaged!

Tokyo Electric Power Company says temperatures in Reactor 4 fuel pool shot up again,  this after they injected almost 200 tons of water before the weekend.  TEPCo will try injecting more water on 25 April.  Reactor 4 fuel pool seems to be losing water faster than they can put it in.  They are concerned the building is too damaged to inject anymore water.

TEPCo also says that Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 1 is more damaged than thought.  They believe that 70% of  Reactor 1’s fuel rods are damaged, and they are having trouble maintaining water levels.  They have been injecting water at a rate of 6 tons per hour.  TEPCo wants to try building a new heat exchanger building, to cool the water they are injecting.  In fact TEPCo is having major problems keeping all the reactors cool.

 

Japanese bank president resigns, because they weren’t prepared for 9.0 quake

Remember the stories about Japanese who couldn’t get their money out of the banks, after the March 11 disasters?  The president of one of those banks has just resigned, because they weren’t prepared.

Satoru Nishibori, president of Mizuho Bank, will leave in June.  He failed to authorize a proposed computer update. The result was that all the ATMs in Japan shut down after the 9.0 quake.

This is not the first time Mizuho Bank had computer problems.  Back in 2002 when three banks merged under Mizuho Bank, there were problems caused by failing to integrate the three banks computer systems.  Two executives resigned over that.

But even after that officials with the bank did not see any reason to update their computer programs, which are 20 years old!  It took 10 days to restore the computer system, after the March 11 disasters.  It still does not run smoothly, because they have no manual, or personnel, to address such a problem!

There is word that action could be taken against the bank’s parent company, Mizuho Financial Group.  This is another example of how the Japanese are not prepared for disasters.