Internal TEPCO documents which report the state of the ECCS units in the Fukushima Diiachi reactors were released. These documents have been placed on Scribe by Fukushima Diary here: scribd/doc/88568685/%E7%A6%8F%E5%B3%B6%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E5%8E%9F%E7%99%BA%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%85%E7%9B%B4%E5%BE%8C%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E3%81%AE%E7%8F%BE%E5%A0%B4%E3%81%A8%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E3%81%AE%E3%82%84%E3%82%8A%E5%8F%96%E3%82%8AFAX1-8 One media account (NHK) is referenced by the Wikipedia Fukushima Diiachi disaster timeline here: jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1306229916P.pdf The NRC technical manual for the Mk1 – Mk3 Boiling Water reactor (Fukushima Diiachi type) is here: google.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=nrc+technical+manual+boiling+water+reactor&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnrc.gov%2Freading-rm%2Fbasic-ref%2Fteachers%2F03.pdf&ei=uithUOGUOo-kiAeKwoGACA&usg=AFQjCNEW-LKzczHbUs9S8iz2NBxH9sbSnw&sig2=0nc2nu3maQDLv5UGrDroPQ The TEPCO internal document is of course written in Japanese. I cannot read it. However, a Japanese person has given a translation of some of the document to me. Here is the salient part of the Wikipedia Fukushima Diiachi disaster timeline: Friday, 11 March 14:46: A 9.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Honshu Island at a depth of about 24 kilometres (15 mi). The Fukushima I power plant’s nuclear reactors 1, 2, and 3 are automatically shut down by the tremor. Nuclear reactors 4, 5, and 6 were undergoing routine maintenance and were not operating, (reactor 4 was defueled in November 2010). The tremor has the additional effect of causing the power plant to be cut off from the Japanese electricity grid, however, backup diesel generators kick in to continue cooling. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant’s operator, finds that units 1 and 2 are not operating correctly and notifies the proper officials.[3] 14:52: Reactor 1’s emergency cooling system, which is capable of running without external power, turns on automatically.[4] 15:03: Reactor 1’s emergency cooling system is manually shut down.[4] 15:27: The first tsunami strikes the plant.[5 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents Reference 4 is Earthquake Report No. 91″. JAIF. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011. The link is jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1306229916P.pdf The information reported in this report is from NHK and is repeated by other sources. It is similar to threported by the World Nuclear Organisation here: world-nuclear.org/info/fukushima_accident_inf129.html The NHK report as recorded by the jaif at jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1306229916P.pdf reads as follows: “The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is still unable to determine how long an emergency cooling system at the Number 1 reactor remained off after the March 11 earthquake. Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Company spoke to reporters on Tuesday about the system, which can function without external sources of power. Operating records at the plant show that the system turned on automatically 6 minutes after the earthquake, at 2:52 PM, and halted 11 minutes later, at 3:03 PM. The system was back on more than 3 hours later, at 6:18 PM. TEPCO says that based on hearing from workers, it has confirmed that the system was manually shut down at 3:03 PM. It said this step was made based on a manual, in order to prevent damage to the reactor, because the temperature of the water to cool the No.1 reactor had dropped sharply. TEPCO says the system may have been turned on in the 3 hours until 6:18, but that it cannot clearly determine the course of events based on studies of circuits and interviews with workers. The utility firm says at this point it cannot determine to what extent the emergency system was functioning, and that it will continue investigating. The firm also said that data taken in the 30 minutes after the earthquake show no irregularities in all safety features of the Number 1 to 3 reactors such as emergency power sources and in major facilities of the plant. On May 16th, TEPCO disclosed the plant’s operating records from immediately after the earthquake. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has instructed the firm to submit a report after analyzing them further and assessing their effects on nuclear safety. Tuesday, May 24, 2011 14:00 +0900 (JST) end quote The first thing noticed is the claim that the ECCS can “function without external sources of power.” Well it cannot. The ECCS steam turbine can, the ECCS pumps can, as far as the High Pressure system goes, but the electrically operated pipe valves which open the ECCS circuit water pipes cannot. The fact is the ECCS systems in those reactors can ALMOST operate without external power. The valves are NOT connected to the ECCS self contained power source – the ECCS turbines. (these are not the main turbines located in the turbine halls but smaller turbines located immediately adjacent to each reactor)The valves are electrically operated. The valves are connected to batteries according to information given to Lawrence Berkely National Laboratories . SOURCE: WHAT HAPPENED IN FUKUSHIMA – A TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, EETD noon Seminar -April 5, 2011 The Nuclear Accidents at the Mark 1 Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) at Fukishima Daiichi Units 1 -4 and Implications for American BWR, Christian Lobscheid, PE Senior Mechanical Engineer Advent Engineering Services, San Ramon, CA.” at eetd-seminars.lbl.gov/sites/eetdseminars.lbl.gov/files/Fukushima1_Technical_Perspective_LBL_EEDT_04052011-1.pdf Which states on pdf page 5: “•Steam-driven Emergency Core Cooling System(ECCS) directly operated by steam produced after a reactor shutdown (but valves are controlled by battery power)” Page 5, ibid, section “Key Advantages of Boiling Water Reactors: (Besides generating CO 2-free electricity) “ and which further states on page 11 (Timeline of Events Between March 11 and 14, 2011): “In succession, beginning in Unit 1, then 3 and then 2: •Batteries run out / Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) failure •TOTAL STATION BLACKOUT(“Beyond Design Basis Accident”) “ The TEPCO internal report, released to the public and made available for download by Fukushima Diary at scribd/doc/88568685/%E7%A6%8F%E5%B3%B6%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E5%8E%9F%E7%99%BA%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%85%E7%9B%B4%E5%BE%8C%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E3%81%AE%E7%8F%BE%E5%A0%B4%E3%81%A8%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E3%81%AE%E3%82%84%E3%82%8A%E5%8F%96%E3%82%8AFAX1-8 seems to contradict the idea that the ECCS systems started and ran without difficulty immediately after the earthquake. NHK and other news agencies are very clear in their statements that the ECCS started automatically at time of quake. That a worker manually switched off the ECCS in one reactor because the coolant was “too cold”. From NHK as recorded by Jaif: “Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Company spoke to reporters on Tuesday about the system, which can function without external sources of power.Operating records at the plant show that the system turned on automatically 6 minutes after the earthquake, at 2:52 PM, and halted 11 minutes later, at 3:03 PM. The system was back on more than 3 hours later, at 6:18 PM. TEPCO says that based on hearing from workers, it has confirmed that the system was manually shut down at 3:03 PM. It said this step was made based on a manual, in order to prevent damage to the reactor, because the temperature of the water to cool the No.1 reactor had dropped sharply. TEPCO says the system may have been turned on in the 3 hours until 6:18A translation has been provided of part of the TEPCO document.” Jaif via wikipedia, as link to above. A part of the translation of the TEPCO document follows: “P.1 3/11/2011 16:00TEPCO meeting room The time was occurred 3/11/2011 15;42 The electricity lost by the earthquakes reactors are working with all controlled rods, no working ECCS checking monitoring posts now nothing any change #1~5 D/G no possible to use #6 6B D/G only working P.2 3/11/2011 16: 59 TEPCO accept The time was occurred 3/11 2011 16:36 emergency occurred #1 and #2 no working emergency cooling core system now checking the concern we can not check the reactor’s water levels of #1, #2 , so I judged this is article no.15 of nuclear law P.3 4/24/2011 10:02 TEPCO emergency room Correction- the event occurring place were #1~3 not #1~5 4/24/1011 9:55 The cooling water lost by tsunami after earthquakes because the cooling system was sinking into the water and D/G was tripped. (except for above, same as p.1 The electricity lost by the earthquakes reactors are working with all controlled rods no working ECCS In relation to page 16 of the document: #2 expecting TAF time will be 21:40 core damage started 22:20 PRVT broken 23:50 #1 is checking now 1u water injection working but wait for electricity , pressure don’t know after 20:30, M/c is in the water, looking for lights 2u RCIU worked then dripped L8 after that no working as no electricity stopping RCIC, HPCI is waiting for electricity, don’t know pressure and water level , 2A trip, 2B trip 2u priority high to get electricity waiting for electricity car is coming to the plants D/D working on the fire off pump so if the reactor pressure off it can be useful. 3U RCIC working reactor pressure 7,2MPa water level +900 D/W pressure 155kPaabs 4,5,6unit no working RCIC is injecting condition They really worried TAF,,, is top of fuel 3/11 21:00 They worried #2 has expected TAF end quote. The partial translation is provided by a person from Japan. The TEPCO document is at scribd/doc/88568685/%E7%A6%8F%E5%B3%B6%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E5%8E%9F%E7%99%BA%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%85%E7%9B%B4%E5%BE%8C%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E3%81%AE%E7%8F%BE%E5%A0%B4%E3%81%A8%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E3%81%AE%E3%82%84%E3%82%8A%E5%8F%96%E3%82%8AFAX1-8 The information in this TEPCO document must be checked against the press releases supplied to and reported by the media. The more people who are able to read the TEPCO document in Japanese and compare with the media and other reports, the better. Did the ECCS start up straight away after the quake? If not, when did they start? Was the ECCS turned off in one reactor because the coolant was too cold as NHK reports, or was in fact the core of that reactor overheating due to being exposed above the water level? Are the times and dates at variance or do they in fact match? As the translator reads it. What is the truth of the matter? What do other people who can read Japanese find? Did core overheating commence prior to the arrival of the tsunamis? Or not?
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 10:29:06 +0000
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