Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Updates

Shareholders slam TEPCO at heated general meeting

2011-06-28T17:41:00.001-07:00

http://www.japantoday.com/smartphone/view/national/shareholders-slam-tepco-at-heated-general-meeting

Looming power crisis could cost electric firms 2 trillion yen

2011-06-07T06:24:00.001-07:00

Efforts to overcome Japan's looming power crisis may cost the country's nine major electricity companies as much as 2 trillion yen in total a year, it has been learned.

With Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO)'s Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant knocked out by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the temporary shuttering of Chubu Electric Power Co.'s Hamaoka nuclear power plant, electric companies across Japan are facing the need to boost generating capacity as well as switch to non-nuclear power sources, heaping staggering new costs onto their balance sheets.

Seven of the nine firms fear they will not have a reasonable level of backup generating capacity for Japan's steamy summer months, while rising oil prices are pushing up the cost of non-nuclear power generation. Meanwhile, the possibility of rising electricity charges coupled with an uncertain power supply presents a serious threat to Japan's economic performance.

According to the nine power firms, a combination of regular inspections, the March 11 disaster and other causes have put 37 of Japan's 54 commercial nuclear reactors out of operation. Seventeen are now supplying power to the grid, but five of those must also be shut down for regular inspections by the end of August. The power companies are considering firing up reactors that are now under inspection to meet summertime demand, but local governments have stated that the central government must come up with new nuclear safety standards before they will let any reactors go back into commission.

Japan doubles Fukushima radiation leak estimate

2011-06-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

The amount of radiation released by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the days after the 11 March tsunami could have been more than double that originally estimated by its operator, Japan's nuclear safety agency has said.

The revelation has raised fears that the situation at the plant, where fuel in three reactors suffered meltdown, was more serious than government officials have acknowledged.

In another development that is expected to add to criticism of Japan's handling of the crisis, the agency said molten nuclear fuel dropped to the bottom of the pressure vessel in the No 1 reactor within five hours of the accident, 10 hours earlier than previously thought.

By the end of last week, radiation levels inside the reactor had risen to 4,000 millisieverts per hour, the highest atmospheric reading inside the plant since the disaster.

The agency also speculated that the meltdown in another reactor had been faster than initially estimated by the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco).

It is not clear whether the revised account of the accident, the world's worst since Chernobyl in 1986, would have prompted Tepco to respond differently at the time.

IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Fact Finding Preliminary Report is out now.

2011-06-01T20:34:00.001-07:00

IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Fact Finding Preliminary Report is out now.

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/fukushima/missionsummary010611.pdf

Radioactive contamination has been found in tea leaves in Chiba and Gunma prefectures,

2011-05-25T20:07:00.001-07:00

Radioactive contamination has been found in tea leaves in Chiba and Gunma prefectures, about 200 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Similar contamination has been found over a wide area around Tokyo including Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama and Shizuoka prefectures.

Chiba authorities say up to 763 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium were detected in tea leaves picked on Tuesday in Narita and 3 other cities.

The provisional state limit is 500 becquerels per kilogram.

The Chiba government on Wednesday requested tea growers in the 4 cities to voluntarily halt shipments, and asked dealers not to sell the tea produced in the areas.

But 2 tea growers in Narita City reportedly shipped their tea leaves, and dealers sold some processed tea to local consumers.

Radioactive materials in tea leaves exceeding the legal limit was earlier detected in other areas in the prefecture.

In Gunma Prefecture, 780 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium were detected in tea leaves picked on Tuesday in Shibukawa City.

The Gunma government on Wednesday asked farm cooperatives to halt shipment of tea leaves.

This is the first tea contamination case reported in Gunma Prefecture

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/26_06.html

Japan sets up independent panel probing Fukushima crisis

2011-05-24T01:16:00.001-07:00

Originally published here http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/05/92946.html

The Cabinet approved a plan Tuesday to create a third-party expert panel to investigate the ongoing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Yotaro Hatamura, a veteran researcher on human errors, will head the panel which has power to access accident-related documents and question people concerned including officials of the plant operator, Cabinet members and bureaucrats, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told a news conference.

Hatamura, 70, an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, and the other members, mostly academics, plan to compile a mid-term report on the matters in December and a final report will be due by summer 2012, government officials said.

Very useful information about radiation level

2011-05-19T22:01:00.001-07:00

Find below some very useful information. Information in Japanese.

1.Radiation

Radiation level for all prefectures in Japan, Unit = μGy/h

http://atmc.jp/

Radiation level in the Tokyo running water supply, Unit = Bq/kg

http://atmc.jp/water_tokyo/

Radiation level in the running water supply for all prefectures, Unit = Bq/kg

http://atmc.jp/water/

Radiation level in the rain for all prefectures, Unit = Bq/kg

Only when it rains, the value will be up.

http://atmc.jp/ame/

compiled list of fishery products which were inspected for radioactive materials

2011-05-19T22:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/e/inspection/pdf/110517_data_en.pdf

This is a compiled list of fishery products which were inspected for radioactive materials by the prefectural governments posted in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website as of May 17, 2011.

Witness. Disaster in Japan (2011) - must watch video

2011-04-21T01:33:00.001-07:00

Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cpXZa6U8lo&feature=player_embedded#at=1350

Nuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork: doctor

2011-04-19T23:49:00.001-07:00

Tokyo Electric Power Co workers engaged in efforts to stabilize the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are at risk of depression or death from overwork, a doctor who recently saw them said Wednesday.

Procedure in case of an earthquake disaster - Household memo for emergencies

2011-04-17T21:29:00.001-07:00

Procedure in case of an earthquake disaster Household memo for emergencies

http://www.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp/eng/living/pdf/Survival_Map/eng2.pdf

TEPCo's Roadmap to stabilization and restoration of Fukushima plants.

2011-04-17T21:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11041707-e.html

Nuclear Radiation and Health Effects

2011-04-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=486

Massive cargo plane transports $2m remote-controlled concrete pump to stricken Japanese nuclear plant

2011-04-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Month after quake, Japan homeless move into houses

2011-04-11T06:56:00.001-07:00

http://bajansunonline.com/category/news/internationalnews/japan/

Tsunami Videos

2011-03-23T10:54:00.001-07:00

Click here to View more Tsunami Videos

Embassy of India Advisory - Latest

2011-03-21T22:49:00.001-07:00

Latest Embassy of India Advisory can be viewed at below link

http://www.nihonkairali.com/docs/Advisory_20_March.pdf

Current state of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant - by IAEA

2011-03-21T22:48:00.001-07:00

Current state of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant - by IAEA

Click below link to view

http://www.nihonkairali.com/docs/Fukushima_20110321.pdf

Radiation Dose Chart

2011-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

http://xkcd.com/radiation/

Japanese RED CROSS SOCIETY - Japan／Earthquake Donation

2011-03-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Construction of prefab housing gets under way

2011-03-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

Kyodo News This news is published originally at http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110320a3.html

Builders on Saturday started erecting temporary housing for those displaced by the killer earthquake and tsunami on March 11, with 200 units alone destined for the devastated coastal city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture.

The 30-sq.-meter prefabricated houses can accommodate two to three people and will be built on the grounds of a junior high school. No completion date has been set for the project.

"We need to go forward," Mayor Futoshi Toba told construction workers.

In the wrecked city of Kamaishi, also in Iwate, plans to build temporary housing at a baseball field were postponed because of gasoline shortages that are hampering the delivery of building materials, local authorities said.

The Iwate Prefectural Government plans to build a total of 8,800 houses for evacuees.

The National Police Agency, meanwhile, said the number of dead and missing in the disaster passed 18,000 as of noon Saturday, comprising 7,197 dead and 10,905 who remain unaccounted for.

The NPA also said that 3,090 bodies had been identified, with around 1,550 returned to families.

More than a week has passed since the killer quake and tsunami struck, and while the search for the missing and recovery of bodies continues, the focus of relief activities has shifted to rebuilding the livelihoods of the survivors. In total, about 387,000 evacuees from the disaster are staying at 2,200 shelters.

Miyagi has received offers from Kochi and other prefectures to put up evacuees in public housing after Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai called on survivors to move to other prefectures due to the difficulty of providing short-term housing.

Iwate Prefecture is also planning to transfer survivors from coastal areas to less-damaged public and private accommodations inland.

Saitama Super Arena in the city of Saitama, a huge event hall, will eventually accommodate some 5,000 evacuees, including those displaced by the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

A Maritime Self-Defense Force transport ship, the Osumi, arrived at Shiogama port in Miyagi Prefecture on Saturday morning carrying relief materials, including food, heating oil and outdoor bathtubs.

The port reopened partially Friday, and trucks will transport the relief goods to evacuation centers.

In Sendai, the well-known Fujisaki department store reopened Saturday for the first time since the disaster, saying it wants to lift spirits in the region by resuming business.

"We hope we can help restore calm and help people get back to their normal lives little by little," a department store official said.

Now Reuters Saying Radiation Fears may be greatly exaggerated!!!!

2011-03-19T06:56:00.001-07:00

Now Reuters saying Radiation Fears may be greatly exaggerated...After creating lot of panic!!!!!!...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/18/us-japan-quake-radiation-health-idUSTRE72H6IZ20110318

Special Report: Radiation fears may be greatly exaggerated

(Reuters) - As workers struggle to contain the fallout from the crippled nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, people as far away as Illinois are calling public health officials in a state of panic.

They are hoping to get their hands on potassium iodide pills to protect them from radiation -- despite warnings that, in the absence of a real nuclear threat, taking the medicine is riskier than doing nothing.

Sixty-six years after the first atomic bomb exploded over the city of Hiroshima, radiation spooks people everywhere. But the anxiety is largely disproportionate to the actual danger.

"People in general have an exaggerated fear of radiation. That is true in the United States, and it is probably even more so in Japan," said Jerrold Bushberg, director of health physics programs and clinical professor of radiology and radiation oncology at the University of California Davis.

Despite the Japanese government's assurances that the risk so far is minimal, residents of Tokyo have flooded out of the city and foreigners have fled the country, hoping to escape a threat they cannot see.

The fact is that everyone is exposed to small amounts of radiation every day just from living on earth or flying in an airplane. That all adds up to about 2.4 units, known as millisieverts, a year. This can vary widely, ranging from 1 to 10 millisieverts, depending on where you live.

Background radiation will cause 1 out of 100 people to die of cancer in their lifetimes, said Dr. Donald Bucklin, who spent 10 years as medical director for the Palo Verde nuclear plant in Arizona, the largest nuclear plant in the United States. Additional exposure increases this risk.

In Tokyo, 150 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, people grew fearful when readings rose about 10 times above the normal reading. At that level, residents were exposed to 0.809 microsieverts per hour -- 1,000 times less than a millisievert, or about 10 times less than a chest X-ray.

"The levels of radiation experienced by the public at present should be no cause for concern," said Dr. Richard Wakeford, visiting professor of epidemiology at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at University of Manchester in Britain.

"To put radiation doses into context, many Japanese undergo CT scans for cancer screening purposes, and these scans produce radiation doses of about 10 millisieverts (10,000 microsieverts) -- much more than they are receiving from the Fukushima reactors."

Excerpts:Cabinet Secretary Edano's press conference at 11:30 AM today

2011-03-18T03:42:00.000-07:00

Cabinet Secretary Edano's press conference at 11:30 AM today

Nuclear reactor status report.

Yesterday we sprayed reactor 3 with water from the ground and air. There is steam and we think that some of it got to the pool. We do not know exactly how much. This will be done again in the afternoon.

Before noon the work will concentrate on getting power to reactor 2

Tokyo metropolitan fire brigade is getting close to the site, Reactor 1 pool is our next target. we need to keep all pools replenished.

Radiation levels are being monitored in the plant area. Some places fluctuate, but so far there are no areas that people can't enter. We are increasing perimeter monitoring efforts.

Question / Answer session

Why concentrating on power before noon and water spraying afternoon?

We hope to do some things in parallel, but some thing require use of the whole area. power is getting to the site. Reactor 3 need to be cooled.

Power to site will have a lot of good effects

We basically use water to cool the site. We have an abundance of sea water so we are using US military fire trucks

Why power being not connected to reactor 3,4 but only to 1,2?

We have to use the space efficiently even if there is an abundance of it. I belive the people on location made this based on the options available.

Radiation fluctuations?

100 micro Sv/h for a few moments

Not something immediately damaging to life

We are also confirming that there is no one there

What about reactor 5,6?

Right now the temperature is rising but not something that requires immediate attention.

we will decide what is necessary as we go

Reactor 3 needs most attention. SDF

Reactor 1 will be tended to by the fire brigade

but this is not fixed.

US advsiory on 80km, is there any plans for similar advisory in japan?

not now

It will depend on situation at reactor. I can understand foreign countries taking the conservative stand point. I would too.

New power lines being planned for cooling system

2011-03-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

The operator of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it is trying to install new power lines to reactivate its cooling systems in a desperate effort to stop the ongoing radioactive leakage.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it wants to start the work to install the new lines as early as Thursday morning.

Emergency diesel power generators in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant failed to work because of a power blackout following the earthquake. They were also damaged by the ensuing tsunami.

The troubled diesel power generators caused the cooling systems to fail, which then affected the Number-1, -2 and -3 reactors. All the spent fuel rods housed in the 6 reactor buildings were also affected.

As a result, the rods remained hot and exposed above the surface of the coolant water. Damage and melting may have occurred.

The top priority at the moment is restoring the functions of the cooling systems now that radiation is continuing to leak from the plant.

Tokyo Power Electric Company says it is considering laying new power lines into the plant directly from cables of another power company. The company says it hopes to reactivate the cooling systems by connecting the cables to a makeshift switchboard and using them as an emergency power source for the systems.

But the company says it was unable to carry out the work on Wednesday because of high readings of radiation in the compound.

The company says it will try to complete the installation as soon as possible after reviewing the procedures in order to keep the workers' radiation exposure to a minimum.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 05:35 +0900 (JST) originally published at http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_02.html

Some information about Fukushima Nuclear power plant

2011-03-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

This is the document circulated among the Top executives of Different International companies in Japan to explain about the current Nuclear power plant emergency .

JAPAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT EMERGENCY

What is going on here?

In the aftermath of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, two nuclear power stations on the east coast of Japan have been experiencing problems. They are the Fukushima Daiichi ("daiichi" means "number one") and Fukushima Daini ("number two") sites, operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (or TEPCO). Site one has six reactors, and site two has four. The problematic reactors are #1, #2, and #3 at site one, which are the oldest of the ten and were due to be decommissioned this year.

In short, the earthquake combined with the tsunami have impaired the cooling systems at these reactors, which has made it difficult for TEPCO to shut them down completely. Reactor #1 is now considered safe after crew flooded the reactor with sea water. Reactor #3 was starting this process as this was originally written (6:00PM CST/11:00PM GST on March 13th). Site crew began preparing to add sea water to reactor #2 around 7:30AM GMT on March 14th, if a cooling procedure does not work.

The four reactors at site two did not have their systems impaired and have shut down normally.

Can this cause a nuclear explosion?

No. It is physically impossible for a nuclear power station to explode like a nuclear weapon.

Nuclear bombs work by causing a supercritical fission reaction in a very small space in an unbelievably small amount of time. They do this by using precisely-designed explosive charges to combine two subcritical masses of nuclear material so quickly that they bypass the critical stage and go directly to supercritical, and with enough force that the resulting supercritical mass cannot melt or blow itself apart before all of the material is fissioned.

Current nuclear power plants are designed around subcritical masses of radioactive material, which are manipulated into achieving sustained fission through the use of neutron moderators. The heat from this fission is used to convert water to steam, which drives electric generator turbines. (This is a drastic simplification.) They are not capable of achieving supercritical levels; the nuclear fuel would melt before this could occur, and a supercritical reaction is required for an explosion to occur.

Making a nuclear bomb is very difficult, and it is completely impossible for a nuclear reactor to accidentally become a bomb. Secondary systems, like cooling or turbines, can explode due to pressure and stress problems, but these are not nuclear explosions.

Is this a meltdown?

Technically, yes, but not in the way that most people think.

The term "meltdown" is not used within the nuclear industry, because it is insufficiently specific. The popular image of a meltdown is when a nuclear reactor's fuel core goes out of control and melts its way out of the containment facility. This has not happened and is unlikely to happen.

What has happened in reactor #1 and #3 is a "partial fuel melt". This means that the fuel core has suffered damage from heat but is still largely intact. No fuel has escaped containment. Core #2 may have experienced heat damage as well, but the details are not known yet. It is confirmed that reactor #2's containment has not been breached.

How did this happen? Aren't there safety systems?

When the earthquakes in Japan occurred on March 11th, all ten reactor cores "scrammed", which means that their control rods were inserted automatically. This shut down the active fission process, and the cores have remained shut down since then.

The problem is that even a scrammed reactor core generates "decay heat", which requires cooling. When the tsunami arrived shortly after the earthquake, it damaged the external power generators that the sites used to power their cooling systems. This meant that while the cores were shut down, they were still boiling off the water used as coolant.

This caused two further problems. First, the steam caused pressure to build up within the containment vessel. Second, once the water level subsided, parts of the fuel rods were exposed to air, causing the heat to build up more quickly, leading to core damage from the heat.

What are they doing about it?

From the very beginning, TEPCO has had the option to flood the reactor chambers with sea water, which would end the problems immediately. Unfortunately, this also destroys the reactors permanently. Doing so would not only cost TEPCO (and Japanese taxpayers) billions of dollars, but it would make that reactor unavailable for generating electricity during a nationwide disaster. The sea water method is a "last resort" in this sense, but it has always been an option.

To avoid this, TEPCO first took steps to bring the cooling systems back online and to reduce the pressure on the inside of the containment vessel. This involved bringing in external portable generators, repairing damaged systems, and venting steam and gases from inside the containment vessel. These methods worked for reactor #2 at site one, prior to complications; reactors four through six were shut down before for inspection before the earthquake hit.

In the end, TEPCO decided to avoid further risk and flooded reactor #1 with sea water. It is now considered safely under control. Reactor #3 is currently undergoing this process, and reactor #2 may undergo it if a venting procedure fails.

The four reactors at site two did not have their external power damaged by the tsunami, and are therefore operating normally, albeit in a post-scram shutdown state. They have not required any venting, and reactor #3 is already in full cold shutdown.

Is a "China Syndrome" meltdown possible?

No, any fuel melt situation at Fukushima will be limited, because the fuel is physically incapable of having a runaway fission reaction. This is due to their light water reactor design.

In a light water reactor, water is used as both a coolant for the fuel core and as a "neutron moderator". What a neutron moderator does is very technical (you can watch a lecture which includes this information here), but in short, when the neutron moderator is removed, the fission reaction will stop.

An LWR design limits the damage caused by a meltdown, because if all of the coolant is boiled away, the fission reaction will not keep going, because the coolant is also the moderator. The core will then only generate decay heat, which while dangerous and strong enough to melt the core, is not nearly as dangerous as an active fission reaction.

The containment vessel at Fukushima should be strong enough to resist breaching even during a decay heat meltdown. The amount of energy that could be produced by decay heat is easily calculated, and it is possible to design a container that will resist it. If it is not, and the core melts its way through the bottom of the vessel, it will end up in a large concrete barrier below the reactor. It is nearly impossible that a fuel melt caused by decay heat would penetrate this barrier. A containment vessel failure like this would result in a massive cleanup job but no leakage of nuclear material into the outside environment.

This is all moot, however, as flooding the reactor with sea water will prevent a fuel melt from progressing. TEPCO has already done this to reactor #1, and is in the process of doing it to #3. If any of the other reactors begin misbehaving, the sea water option will be available for those as well.

What was this about an explosion?

One of the byproducts of reactors like the ones at Fukushima is hydrogen. Normally this gas is vented and burned slowly. Due to the nature of the accident, the vented hydrogen gas was not properly burned as it was released. This led to a build up of hydrogen gas inside the reactor #1 building, but outside the containment vessel.

This gas ignited, causing the top of the largely cosmetic external shell to be blown off. This shell was made of sheet metal on a steel frame and did not require a great deal of force to be destroyed. The reactor itself was not damaged in this explosion, and there were only four minor injuries. This was a conventional chemical reaction and not a nuclear explosion.

You see what happened in the photo of the reactor housing. Note that other than losing the sheet metal covering on the top, the reactor building is intact. No containment breach has occurred.

At about 2:30AM GMT on March 14th, a similar explosion occurred at the reactor #3 building. This explosion was not unexpected, as TEPCO had warned that one might occur. The damage is still being assessed but it has been announced that the containment vessel was not breached and that the sea water process is continuing.

Around 7:30AM GMT on March 14th, it was announced that the explosion at reactor #2 has damaged the already limping cooling systems of reactor #2. It may also receive the sea water treatment if they are unable to use a venting procedure to restart the cooling systems.

Is there radiation leakage?

The radiation levels outside the plant are higher than usual due to the release of radioactive steam. These levels will go down and return to their normal levels, as no fuel has escaped containment.

For perspective, note that charts detailing detrimental radiation exposure start at 1 Gy, equivalent to 1 Sv; the radiation outside the problematic Fukushima reactors is being measured in micro-Svs per hour. The highest reported levels outside the Fukushima reactors has been around 1000 to 1500 micro-Svs per hour. This means that one would have to stay in this area for four to six weeks, 24 hours a day, without protection in order to experience the lowest level of radiation poisoning, which while unpleasant is not normally fatal. And this level will not stay where it is.

Also note the chart of normal radiation exposure levels from things like medical x-rays and airline flights.

There have also been very minor releases of radioactive reactor byproducts like iodine and cesium along with the steam. This material is less radioactive than the typical output of coal power plants. It is significant mainly as an indicator of the state of the reactor core.

I read that there's a plume of radioactive material heading across the Pacific.

In its current state, the steam blowing east from Japan across the pacific is less dangerous than living in Denver for a year. If it makes it across the ocean, it will be almost undetectable by the time it arrives, and completely harmless as the dangerous elements in the steam will have decayed by then.

What's this about fuel rods being exposed to the air?

When the coolant levels inside the reactor get low enough, the tops of the fuel rods will be exposed to the air inside the containment vessel. They have not been exposed to the external atmosphere and the containment vessels are all intact.

Can this end up like Chernobyl?

No, it cannot. for several reasons.

Chernobyl used graphite as a neutron moderator and water as a coolant. For complicated reasons, this meant that as the coolant heated up and converted to steam, the fission reaction intensified, converting even more water to steam, leading to a feedback effect. The Fukushima reactors use water as both the coolant and the neutron moderator, which means that as the water heats up and converts to steam, the reaction slows down instead. (The effect of the conversion of water coolant to steam on the performance of a nuclear reactor is known as the "void coefficient", and can be either positive or negative.)

Chernobyl was designed so that as the nuclear fuel heated up, the fission reaction intensified, heating the core even further, causing another feedback effect. In the Fukushima reactors, the fission reaction slows down as the fuel heats up. (The effect of heating of the nuclear fuel on the performance of a nuclear reactor is known as the "temperature coefficient", and can also be positive or negative.)

Chernobyl's graphite moderator was flammable, and when the reactor exploded, the radioactive graphite burned and ended up in the atmosphere. The Fukushima reactors use water as a neutron moderator, which is obviously not flammable.

Note that while Chernobyl used light water as a coolant (as distinct from heavy water), it was not a "light water reactor". The term LWR refers strictly to reactors that use light water for both cooling and neutron moderation.

The news said this was the worst nuclear power accident since Chernobyl, though.

It's the only nuclear power plant accident of its type since Chernobyl. It's easy to be the worst in a sample size of one.

Is this like Three Mile Island?

There are similarities. The final effect on the world is likely to be similar: no deaths, minimal external contamination, and a tremendous PR disaster for the nuclear industry due to bad reporting by the media.

How can I keep up with developments?

The western media has been very bad about reporting this event, due to a combination of sensationalist reporting, ignorance, and the use of inexact or unexplained terminology.

One of the safe sources of information is the TEPCO site, which has been posting press releases on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this site is often unresponsive due to the immense traffic it is receiving.

The important thing to remember is that most of the "experts" appearing on the news are engaging in speculation. Very few of them are restricting themselves to what they can be sure about, and those that are have often been misrepresented.

eading:

Timeline and data sheets for the incident by the Nuclear Energy Institute : (nei.org)

The International Atomic Energy Agency is providing regular announcements

Wikipedia on light water reactors and nuclear weapon design

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Systems manual - the Fukushima reactors are BWRs, a subset of LWRs (nrc.gov)

Tokyo Electric Power Company site with press releases - currently hard to reach due to traffic (tepco.co.jp/en)

Video:

"Physics for Future Presidents" lecture ten, on nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors (Youtube search)

Footage of the hydrogen explosion at reactor #1

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Message to American Citizens from Ambassador John V. Roos

2011-03-15T18:37:00.001-07:00

Subject: Fwd: Message to American Citizens from Ambassador John V. Roos

ACCJ member,

Early this morning, the US Embassy distributed this message from Ambassador Roos. If you have any questions, we recommend visiting the Embassy website at http://japan.usembassy.gov/ . The ACCJ will continue to provide updates posted on http://go.accj.or.jp/facebook and http://go.accj.or.jp/twitter in addition to emailing our members.

ACCJ Communications

-------------------

March 15, 2011 02:30

Today our hearts remain with our Japanese friends who, after suffering this devastating tragedy just four days ago, have to undertake recovery and reconstruction and address the ongoing nuclear emergency.

We understand that many of you are anxious and have questions in the shadow of the Fukushima emergency, since we are in the midst of a complex, constantly changing, and unpredictable situation. In this fluid situation, our commitment to our citizens is to accumulate accurate information and assess it sufficiently in order to make important judgments.

Since the first reports of trouble with the reactors, American nuclear experts have worked around the clock to analyze data, monitor developments, and provide clear assessments on the potential dangers. While at times we have had only limited access to information, I am personally committed to assuring that our experts have as much access and information as possible, and the necessary resources to understand the situation. I have personally been deeply engaged in these efforts.

After a careful analysis of data, radiation levels, and damage assessments of all units at Fukushima, our experts are in agreement with the response and measures taken by Japanese technicians, including their recommended 20kms radius for evacuation and additional shelter-in-place recommendations out to 30kms.

Let me also address reports of very low levels of radiation outside the evacuation area detected by U.S. and Japanese sensitive instrumentation. This bears very careful monitoring, which we are doing. If we assess that the radiation poses a threat to public health, we will share that information and provide relevant guidance immediately.

The United States will continue to work around the clock to provide precise and up-to-date information supported by expert analysis to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and to help Japan in its time of great need. U.S. citizens in need of emergency assistance should send an e-mail to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov with detailed information about their location and contact information, and monitor the U.S. Department of State website at travel.state.gov .

2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami - Very useful information

2011-03-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

A massive 8.9/9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean nearby
Northeastern Japan at around 2:46pm on March 11 (JST) causing damage with
blackouts, fire and tsunami. On this page we are providing the information
regarding the disaster and damage with realtime updates.

The large earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for countries all around the
Pacific ocean.

Local Japan Emergency dials:
171 + 1 + line phone
number to leave a message
171 + 2 + line phone
number to listen to the message

Phone numbers to consult about missing persons: (Japanese
language)
Iwate: 0120-801-471
Miyagi:
022-221-2000
Fukushima: 0120-510-186 / 090-8424-4207 /
090-8424-4208

Blackout information and more details available at http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

You Can Stop Worrying About A Radiation Disaster In Japan -- Here's Why

2011-03-14T05:11:00.001-07:00

Please read below article

http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-reactors-pose-no-risk-2011-3

Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl

2011-03-14T03:53:00.000-07:00

The containment structures appear to be working, and the latest reactor designs aren't vulnerable to the coolant problem at issue here.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576198421680697248.html?mod=wsj_share_facebook

Contact Nihonkairali

2011-03-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

You can reach us at help@nihonkairali.com

Japan Meteorological Agency | Earthquake Information

2011-03-14T00:46:00.001-07:00

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/quake_local_index.html

NHK World in English

2011-03-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

Please watch NHK in English at the following links

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/r/movie/

Earth quake donation information

2011-03-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

***APPEAL**
These are Official Donation collection accounts that is announced by several NGOs and was telecast in NHK as well. I know that Japan Times newspaper also has charity accounts. Please feel free to contact them directly.

中央共同募金会/Central Community Chest of Japan
郵便振替口座/Post Office Account Number ; ００１７０-６-５１８

日本赤十字社/Japan Red Cross
郵便振替口座/Post Office Account Number :００１４０-８-５０７

Transaction fee is Free. Type "Tohoku Kanto Earthquake Charity" on comments section.