GE Reports

The events have been tragic and I hope that the effort continues to progress positively. I am very happy that a 40 year old nuclear reactor was able to withstand this tremendous event, an event much worse than what the reactor was designed for. Being a friend of an employee, I appreciate the engineers at GE for creating a product that withstood much more than anticipated. I’m glad they didn’t just “meet the minimum requirements.” Would you be upset at Honda if your car withstood a 200mph crash and you came away with only scrapes? No way! That’s why you might pay a little more for a Honda and it’s worth it. The track record for nuclear far surpasses all other forms of energy generation. It is also our only viable option for “clean” power. This event will hopefully just further support that track record. I hope the ignorance dissipates in the weeks to come, but I’m not convinced it will. Of course it is all doom-and-gloom on the news. Also, thank you for all the support you’re providing overseas. I hope everyone can do their part too.

The design is good and reliable… but the stupid plant operator is worsing the situation during the emergency

What I keep on wondering, is why these emergency turbine electric generators were not shipped on day one of the emergency? As they became available? I am really embarrassed by the world’s woeful response to this tragic emergency.

why couldnt they shoot a sream of liquid nitrogen on the problem nuclear fuel rods . deter than water to me . why not please tell me anyone

Clearly, it is the responsibility of Tepco to ensure backup power and generators are designed in a way that don’t cascade fail. Any reactor, designed by GE or not, will have serious problems if the emergency generators are not providing power to systems. Armchair pundits, like Stephanie, should get out from behind their computers and consider that GE is doing far more for this situation than you know or are doing comparably.

The chief question that is going to have to be asked is whether the risk assessment for these reactors was carried out correctly or unduly influenced by short term financial issues. Following the 2004 tsaunmi following a similar magnitude earthquake it was evident that very powerful tsunamis could be generated. Following that event I would have hoped a very urgent review was performed on all coastal nuclear facilities, and this is especially important with BWR of this age which rely on active cooling after an emergency shutdown.

Personally I am highly suspicious that an expedient decision was made. In any event, it appears that the assumptions made for the prospective height of tsunamis were optimistic – one has to suspect that short term financial considerations played a part. In any case, the Japanese are now faced with costs and potential enviornmental costs far beyond what I suspect it would have cost to design this plant with a higher safety margin. Serious questions need to be answered once the dust settles, literally and metaphorically on this situation.

Help Japan…
Can the coolant be changed to oxidize the rods to disable the radioactivity? or Can the coolant be switched to an acidic solution to disolve the cores, and allow trucking out of the waste for burying as deep as humanly possible?
Don

This is wake up call…..this is what happens when you play around with stuff that should be kept in the ground
how many more must die,,,,,,,,?????????????????
THE ANSWER IS CLEAR NO NUCLEAR SAY NO TO NUCLEAR ENERGY.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Print this if you dare G.E..”LIFE isn’t so GOOD around in japans reactors is it?

People stop the blame game…..

whom you plan to blame if an asteroid hits earth tommorrow????

does ever human effort counts against natures wrath ????

All we can do and should do is help those who suffered.

Is GE capable of making suggestions to TEPCO to use thermal image equipment in helicopter “fly by” to identify hot spots in the damaged reactor roof areas?

What are the thoughts of using RC helicopters, with video capabilities, to make inspections in the penthouse areas?

Restoring power is critical, but as many know, this can be very time consuming. Power for protective relays and breaker controls wiill be needed. This may require DC systems.

Can crossties with fire protection water headers be made to provide make up to reactor rod storage areas?

Concerning floor loading of all fuel pools if loaded with sand and water,how much per square foot can it safely hold.

my idea to cool the reactors would be to put dry ice generators onsite and pump this into the area needing cooling.along with this liquid nirogen piped toaid cooling. this would also create an inert atmosphere to prevent any chance of fire.if a supression system of this type was mandatory equipment on a reactor it would override the water cooling system in a failure.if they can drop water from a ‘copter which i think is like putting out a forest fire with a teardrop and think that is going to help perhaps they should think out of the box and try something different.japan should have all the equipment to implement this plan and though it would risk the lives of these brave people who are trying to use conventional it may actually work i hope this gets past along to someone in authority that has some common sense trying to out think a problem does not always work simplicity may be better thank you good luck

“My experience on procurement, construction and operation of No.1 Unit at Fukushima Daiichi some 40-45 years ago”

Fukashi Moriya

As an emeritus member of American Nuclear Society and the person involved with procurement, construction and operation of No.1 Unit of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant for Tokyo Electric Power Company, I am very glad to tell you about the truth and background information on the first TEPCO NPP project some 40 to 45 years ago.

The first point I had to stress is that all of the reactor buildings and turbine buildings of six units had endured and surpassed the unprecedented 10 meter high huge tsunami and remained safe without damage. In other words, the construction was made exceeding all standards at the time they were built. This should be astonishing, compared with other disaster site video images all along 500km Pacific coastal areas. The buildings at Fukushima Daiichi and Daini NPPs have been the most rigid and safest structures along 500km disaster zone throughout Japan islands this time. This should first be praised and should be respected, instead of blaming TEPCO and the engineers involved with construction and operation works at Fukushima Daiichi NPPs.

Neither media, nor reporters ever reported on this point by March 18 morning JST. That is unfair.　TEPCO engineers and civil construction people designed and built using extra-forced pre-stressed large-diameter steel bars and used ultra-heavy concrete material keeping strictly controlled quality by slump tests, and keeping density more than 2.4g/cc instead of normal 2.0-2.2g/cc concrete. I had watched the faithful construction work procedures in detail as a deputy manager of Technical Department of TEPCO during the construction and pre-operation period of No.1 Unit at Fukushima Daiichi.

The second point.
Fukushima Daiichi was the first Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) built by TEPCO, succeeding the Calder Hall Reactor (now in the decommissioning stage) of Tokai Daiichi by Japan Nuclear Power Company, and the first Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) of Mihama Daiichi by Kansai Electric Power Company. To provide sufficient electric power sources within Tokyo metropolitan area, Kazutaka Kigawata, chair of TEPCO, decided to introduce a NPP from the world No.1 electric power machinery manufacturing company, that is General Electric, founded by Thomas Edison. Therefore, the basic design, manufacturing and construction were proposed and performed under guidance of GE, on the turn-key basis.

I wrote and prepared in English the Purchaser Specification on this project from TEPCO to GE around 1965, when I was an engineer of Nuclear Power Department (less than 20 engineers in all) in TEPCO main office. I am very proud to tell you that we adopted some 30cm thick reinforcing steel concrete structure for the turbine buildings, first in the world (not normal metal siding structure). Therefore, the turbine buildings could sustain the recent 10 meter high tsunami waves and successfully isolated the main steam piping lines from the turbine to reactor buildings (Only reinforcing steel concrete buildings remained safe at this tsunami hazards along 500km long disaster zones of Honshu). Otherwise, the radioactive primary steam might be released to the atmosphere at the time of reactor scram, which might invite more serious accidents or malfunctions at Fukushima Daiichi.

If we could propose to GE in the Purchaser specification the usage of suppression pool as the primary sources of Emergency Core Cooling System injection water, the cooling water failure for the emergency diesels of 3 units at Fukushima Daiichi could be avoided for the first few hours at least. Our diesels were designed to use sea water as the cooling water sources, however all of the sea water pumps, installed outdoors in front of turbine buildings, were overflowed and failed by the recent tsunami attacks and became useless as the emergency apparatuses. No scientists and engineers throughout the world at that time had knowledge and information on the effects of huge tsunamis we have now.

The third point.
I studied at the GE operating simulator at Morris, Ill. and got the senior reactor operator license at the Dresden NPPs of Commonwealth Edison Company from US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and worked as a deputy manger of the Technical Department and a shift supervisor of Fukushima
Daiichi around 1970 for about 3 years.
I prepared the TEPCO’s first Japanese Reactor Operation Manuals based on the GE’s Technical Specifications. I am also proud to tell you that we could overcome the recent Richer scale 9.0 seismic earthquake and 10 meter high tsunami, since we performed the strict dynamic aseismic design at that time. As you know, all three operating units at Fukushima Daiichi successfully could scram, shutting all of the operating reactors and isolation valves from the main steam lines this time. It was reported by Yomiuri newspaper March 19, that the values recorded at Fukushima Daiichi were; (1) seismic acceleration: some 450 gal (design value of 600 gal) and (2) tsunami height: more than 10 meter (expected value of 6 meter).

To tell the truth of my own experience, what we could apply the tsunami forces practically at the building design was in the year of 1999, when we constructed our new home at Isumi, Chiba. Our house is standing on some 10 meter level seaside area facing to the Pacific, where sustained and overcame the tsunami hazards more than 308 years ago at Genroku Huge Tsunami (December 31, 1903), when there were more than 10,000 victims at the Kanto area, including some 100 victims at Isumi. We had 5 meter high tsunami here this time, fortunately without severe accidents .

These were the fundamental evidences of procurement, construction and operation on No.1 unit of Fukushima Daiichi. For the first 4 days after tsunami attack of March 11, 2011, the shutdown procedure and core cooling for the operating 3 units at Fukushima Daiichi performed fairly well. The amount of tsunami damage by this time could be understood as stage 5 of IAEA accident classification, similar to be Three Mile Island No.2 accident. Due to coolant loss, both of Nos. 1 and 3 units at Fukushima Daiichi were exploded by hydrogen caused from zirconium-water reaction. As to No.2 unit, the suppression torus seemed to be damaged by mechanical failure, since the system was not designed to sustain such heavy load of water filling.
Construction and repairs in the future should take these factors into consideration.

Corresponding author:
Fukashi Moriya
[address redacted]

What the hell is GE ceo Jeff Immelt (a friend and associate of Obama) doing in India? The same thing GE does everywhere! Why isn’t this sleazy ceo in Fukushima NOW!?

We, the people, are organizing to, among other things, shut down the worst criminal organizations on Earth and GE is right at the top.

Why would Jeff Immelt go to Fukushima?

About GE 20 workers escaped the Fuku site as the shroud repair project on unit#4 was just completed.

That’s why the unit#4 spent fuel pool contained all the fuel from the core.

Immelt should allow the workers to tell the world what it was like escaping the scene.

As the Leuren Moret stated in the Japan Times in May of 2004 mixing nuclear power plants and earthquakes is a Japanese Roulette…Bingo she hit it right on the nose!

The more I read in the media, it appears that TEPCO has its own maintainence and possibly falsification of records issues. If this is true, its a terrible loss of faith to all the Japanese people and the world in general.
Issues of pumps not maintained, not repaired, not tested. The list goes on and on. Who knows if these pumps would work even if there was no earth quake and tsunami. Now the company is relegated to having its CEO’s visit emergency shelters and apologize. Now we are reading that the drinking supply is slowly becoming more and more radio active.

why not use snow ? long conveyor

Deborah, the largest corporations do not pay taxes to the Federal Government. They receive tax CREDITS. This is as it should be.

The tax credits paid by the Federal Government to a multinational mega-corporation with large amounts of government and defense business are important for a number of reasons..

They compensate The Company for providing employment to regulators and lobbyists when they are periodically recycled through the revolving door from Government to Company employment.

These credits also provide a means of reimbursing the cost, plus a reasonable rate of return, to The Company for lobbying and campaign contribution expenses. These expenses are therefore ultimately borne by the individual and small business taxpayers, as is proper..

Foucault
Murmur on Fukushima-Daiichi

March 26, 2011 was the 40th anniversary since the initial commercial operation of No. Unit 1 at Fukushima Daiichi. Let me review on Fukashi’s saying of March 20 and add a comment on core cooling.

(1) Turbine building design requirement (the first point)
TEPCO at that time was building the succeeding units neighboring to No.1 unit; therefore, it was imperative to build the succeeding units without being effected by operation of the previous unit. TEPCO engineers by themselves calculated and analyzed the radiation shielding design of No.1 unit turbine building sidewall, assuming the nuclide source of No.1 main turbine. The result was some 30-40cm heavy reinforcing concrete wall. It was very lucky for TEPCO to keep this guideline, since all turbine buildings of Fukushima Daiichi and Daini had been rigid and secured at the huge tsunami of March 11, 2011. If they adopted the normal metal siding of fossil power plants, the main steam pipings and supports could not have sustained such huge tsunami.

(2) Cooling water for emergency diesels (the second point)
Emergency diesels could start at the time of initiation on March 11, 2001; however, the cooling water source was sea water of the circulation pumps and not filtered or raw water. On March 11, tsunami height was reported some 16m at Fukushima Daichi, and all outdoor pumps and motors were dipped in waves and sea, and stopped operation by losing electric insulation after tsunami attack.

Therefore, those portions he wrote as;
“If we could propose to GE in the Purchaser specification the usage of suppression pool as the primary sources of Emergency Core Cooling System injection water, the cooling water failure for the emergency diesels of 3 units at Fukushima Daiichi“
should be corrected as;
“If we could propose to GE in the Purchaser specification the usage of suppression pool as the cooling water sources for emergence diesels, the cooling water failure for the emergency diesels of 3 units at Fukushima Daiichi may be avoided.“

Emergency diesels might be expected to operate as long as few to several days by using torus water. It is suggested that evaluation will be made on this point.

(3) Age of Genroku tsunami (third point)
Those portions he wrote as;
“Our house is standing on some 10 meter level seaside area facing to the Pacific,
where sustained and overcame the tsunami hazards more than 308 years ago at Genroku Huge Tsunami (December 31, 1903).”
should be corrected as;
“Our house is standing on some 10 meter level seaside area facing to the Pacific, an elevation which survived extensive tsunami hazards more than 308 years ago at Genroku Huge Tsunami (December 31, 1703).”

(4) Core cooling
The Reports in Japanese language updated every day by Nuclear and Industrial
Safety Agency (NISA) of Ministry of Economics Trade and Industry (METI) on the situation of 6 units at Fukushima Daiichi NPP. I noticed that the parameters on No.1, 2 and 3 units of water levels and inside pressure of reactor remain almost the same from March 16 to 28. Judging from the measured earthquake acceleration amplitude at the site was 450 gal compared to design value of 600 gal, the integrity of core spray sparger as well as reactor pressure vessel (RPV), core lattice and feedwater sparger would have been kept.
If the recovery team or workers utilized feedwater line medium size flange as the
injection point of sea water source to cool fuel assemblies at the critical time for units No. 1, 2 and 3, the water level would have been kept at or below the level of feedwater sparger, which coincides with NISA reports on these units and recent media reports on radiation levels within the turbine buildings.
It is reported by “nikkei.com” of March 27, 2011, that the recovery works for the reactor recirculation system at the site were interrupted by high level liquid at the reactor and turbine buildings. The alternative choice to cool the core from the top using core spray will still be effective. Since outside electricity power sources have been recovered for all units now, I hope that such approach will be made to operate the primary loop recirculation pump, core spray pump, or auxiliary pump. Only the problems remain are the background radiation levels inside of reactor buildings. Control of this radiation will be difficult to maintain within necessary safeguards in order to perform recovery work.

I built mock ups of reactor core and containment units in stockton ca. for G.E. Nuclear to practice with submersible robots to take care of problems with reactors. These robots could cut into the core,my question is why did these highly trained techs and they’re remote robots not used? Why not cut open and flood the containment vessel with concrete with Gadolinium Nitrate mixed in? It still boils down to money, whats more important , lives and saving the planet or the investment?

Since it is 3 weeks since this disaster happened, GE, I think the best way you can help at this point is with your products – maybe you are already doing this but I have not heard. For example, there have been reports of the workers at Fukushima having only crackers to eat and having to do hard work and not having enough clothes or protective products. I have erad that reactor operators can go to jail if they leave their plants during an accident but I might have done just that if I was just getting crummy crackers – I would probably get 3 meals a day in a jail!

Anyway, GE here is your time to shine. I notice a lot of portable buildings at construction sites from GE capital. Why not send some of them over there with beds and showers for the workers? For the food,set up these buildings with GE ranges and roasters to give them at least 1 good potlluck meal. Set another one up wtih GE washers and dryers so they will have some clothes. There must also be GE pumps they can use to pump out all that nasty water too. Get your buildings over there now!

I am looking for a web site that provides good updates on the progress at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. The IAEA site gives daily updates, but they don’t really explain what is going on or why. Some discussion on feedwater inlet temperature and temperature at the bottom of the RPV, but no discussion on why these are being monitored. Also, by what means is the heat being removed from each of the reactors? Is steam being vented? Or, is there a heat exchanger that is removing the heat.

I had hoped GE would have a web site that provided dialy updates and details of the progress.. I am starved for good technical information.

im sorry i didnt spell led correctly

put somthing heavy on the out side of the door imean crack

Instead of dumping it into the ocean couldn’t they use a lake, pump all the water out, line it, fill it with the 100,000′s of tons of radioactive water and top it with something like polyurethane foam then concrete over that? Something better than just dumping it all in the ocean. Get this thought to the engineers see what the think.