I was asked to weigh in on the matter. A portion of the the discussion is below.
1) I think that just "nationalizing" Fukushima is not enough. TEPCO is effectively now a government organization, albeit a still for profit Corportation. I have always thought that an international imperitive, including and especially USA would take over all operations related to Fukushima . however with the Hillary Clinton debacle of "Hey Japan, just roll out the BP playbook, lie about everything, cover it up, and protect the nuclear industry....and we will buy your contaminated foods and sell it in USA without testing"....well, I just see no likely scenario in which any meaningful international efforts are going to come about.
2) Yes, Japan army in charge would be better than "for profit corporation in charge". I don't think Tokyo needs to be evacuated at this time. They are screwed, but moving 200 miles away will not make the overall scenario much less screwed, if at all.
3) Yes, find the corium. I think with Muon technologies and with fracking imaging technologies, the coriums can be adequately located for the next game plan to go into place. I would be amazed if TPTB don't not already know the corium locations, but the truth is just too awful to publicize. 80% of the corium is deep underground.
4) No harm in doing the "impenetrable underground wall" but nothing is impenetrable, especially on the ring of Fire. And doing so would be a considerable cost, a cost that I would probably devote to the "lift and separate" approach to the Coria. However, this would be predicated based on information gained in locating the Coria.
5) Well said, we are so preoccupied with the ongoing tragedy that we forget the basics of risk mitigation using fully current and accessible technologies and methods. Cask the Trash and get it offsite! Some of the spent fuel is melted down, burned, aerosolized, or highly damaged, but at least cask all the trash that can be casked.
6) Not sure of this purpose, especially in relation to item 4
7) Pending location of Coria and viability of the "lift and separate" and said implementation, this is probably a good plan. Note the Coria will be leaving bits and pieces of itself along it's travel path.
8) First lift and separate all Coria fragments and groupings, then agreed that filling with grout will reduce mobility of remaining nastiness. Then just wait a few dozen millennium.
9) Because of the ocean front location, and being on Ring of Fire, Fukushima is not like Chernobyl, which will require a new sarcophagus every 50 years or so. Fukushima sarcophagus will not last long and a big earthquake could negate it all. The salt air is also a big problem in longevity. I would more likely pursue a "dismantle" the structure down to the torus, and cover all in big rounded heaping blob of borated concrete with a few flexible membranes at the cover for salt water protection, prevention of water entry (so freezing effects won't accelerate the concrete damage), and for just in case gas release.
10) See 9
11) Yes, close off entry to the harbor, and fill it in completely.
12) Barges---I think there is too much contaminated water, that would fill 500,000 barges. Instead, actually decontaminate the water as they are bumbling through.
Regular readers of ENEnews will recognize the following as my proposed plan to remediate Fukushima.
It is not so much that this Fukushima Plan SHOULD be accomplished.
But, rather, there is a certain inevitability about this Fukushima Plan.
This is "The Fukushima Plan" because this is what will eventually be done.
An adequate response to a disaster of this magnitude will consist of the following:
1. Nationalizing the Fukushima Diiachi Nuclear Power Plant.
2. Japanese Army in charge, and evacuate greater Tokyo.
3. Locate and map 3 missing melted cores, wherever they are to be found.
4. Completion of a 100' deep underground Impermeable Wall Enclosure around Units 1 to 4.
5. Empty spent fuel pools from units 1 through 6, and common spent fuel pool into dry cask storage.
6. Construction of a 100' deep foundation around Units 1 to 4.
7. Filling corium lava tubes with sand or grout, lead, and boron mixture.
8. Filling torus, torus basements, containments, and reactors with sand or grout mixture.
9. Construction of a reinforced concrete sarcophagus over Units 1 to 4.
10. Cover sarcophagus with a flexable membrane roof to trap gasses and seal cracks caused by future earthquakes.
11. Seal off harbor with locks, and concrete the harbor floor.
12. Load contaminated water into barges, salinate, and sink them at sea, over trench.
Japan needs a revolution.
Sorry, by the way, Japan for the destruction of your civilization.
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what does this study suggest?
it is concluded that the radioactive material transported on March 15 was the major contributor to contamination in Fukushima prefecture, whereas the radioactive material transported on March 21 was the major source in Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, and Chiba prefectures and in Tokyo.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22084070/
march 15 was the explosion of Unit4. March 21 was some smoky emissions from unit 3, 7 days after it exploded
Lucky those fuel assemblies remained in perfect condition, thats all I got to say
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CodeShutdown, Many thanks for your input.
First, I'm willing to let go of lead shielding, as a bad idea.
Provided that Stock or Majia confirm that the foundation and sarcophagus, topped with a membrane roof, per my design, provides sufficient mass and protection to contain most gamma and neutron emissions. Even if the corium is found inside or immediately under the reactor buildings. Please weigh in, Stock and Majia.
Second, the water dumping issue.
The Plan calls for all contaminated water be offloaded into barges. Contaminated water comes from the tank farm, torus basements, torus water, generator building basements, trenches, water pumped out of the foundation excavations, and groundwater pumped out of the interior of the completed sarcophagus foundation.
This water would be decontaminated, either on land, or in a decon ship at sea.
Except for tritium, of course.
Second, the water is salinated, so that even when the barges in the Trench begin leaking, several hundred years from now, the contaminated water is salty, and cold, and will stay put, at the bottom of the Trench.
Third, the remaining nuclides in the water and barges will eventually be mitigated by decay.
Fourth, the depth of the ocean, and the ocean's water, itself, will mitigate the radiation.
Fifth, the primary damage to the Pacific Ocean Ecosystem has already occurred. Three cores in the ground have been continuously washed into the sea by an underground river flowing under the reactors.
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Of course, the Tepco Plan calls for decontaminated water to be drained right into the sea, at the FDNPP, into the sea surface.
So, into the Pacific Ocean, one way or another, the water will go.
My take is that now, since it is quite clear that there is…
NO NUCKEAR CORIUM IN THE REACTORS OR CONTAINMENTS TO COOL…
Tepco has quietly discontinued pumping 300 tonnes of "cooling water" per day into, and through, Reactors 1-3.
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thanks PUN. I could be wrong, but I think I was the first to suggest EPDM membranes as earthquaqe proof containment. No concrete required, just a big mountain of appropriate dirt covered with rubber. Excavatable, renewable, earthquake proof. But until the location of corium is determined, no plan is specific. Thats to say that truth is the first important thing.
Truth about the explosions, the spent fuel pools and the corium. Truth about the international nuke cabal and government involvement.
"THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES CHAMPIONS INDEPENDENT SCIENCE;
We have been brought to the brink of destruction by allowing a few nations and their conglomerates (no more than a few thousand people) not only to determine public policy but,
most dangerously, to determine the very evidence base on which this policy is formulated, through control of research itself and dissemination of the “results” through the IAEA and then through the WHO."
Lets not be enablers of pervasive international nuclear fascism. Get the truth out. Bring down the corrupt
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Until we KNOW where the corium is, its much too rosy to think its safely subducting on a continental plate. MIGHT BE, but that would be GOOD NEWS for Tepco and the nuke cartel
Until we KNOW the state of the spent fuel pools, its TOO ROSY to ASSUME they will all be safely unloaded. But thats a happy story for TEPCO anyway
IF you dump all the contaminated water in the ocean…well thats it, no more possibility of decontamination or anything. Thats a happy solution for TEPCO but is it good for the ocean? I grant you its a CONCEPT but theres every reason to think that poisoning the ocean is not a good idea and that the stuff could spread and cause god knows what kind of damage. Why not pump it inland and figure out how to decontaminate it?
Lead…pretty poisonous. Dump poison on hot corium…what could go wrong?
In sum…yes its THE PLAN…probably TEPCO/international nuke cartel happy least cost plan. That doesnt mean its the BEST plan.
Get the lead out and stop polluting the ocean
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