Recent Criticalities at Fukushima June 2013

Japan finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima groundwater and levels are rising rapidly.

I think it isn’t just from leakage of contaminated water. Criticalities appear to be occurring at the plant, as evidenced by webcam observations.

What follows are excerpts from news stories describing the contamination.

Then I cite PhillipUpNorth’s comment at Enenews suggesting the higher strontium detections are at least partly stemming from criticalities.

I conclude with webcam evidence that suggests conditions at the plant are getting ‘hotter’ and more of the fuel appears to be in the steam, based on its dark color and dense composition now:

HIGHER STRONTIUM DETECTIONS (AND TRITIUM)   

Reuters. 'Japan finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima groundwater' (19 June, 2013 10:05), http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2013/06/19/japan-finds-highly-toxic-strontium-in-fukushima-groundwater

[Excerpted]  High levels of a toxic substance called strontium-90 have been found in groundwater at the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the utility that operates the facility said on Wednesday. Testing of groundwater outside the turbine building of reactor No. 2 had shown the level of strontium-90 had increased by more than 100 times between December 2012 and May this year, Toshihiko Fukuda, a general manager at TEPCO, told a news conference. [end]

Majia here: Rising strontium-90 levels are no doubt being partially driven by the accumulation of highly contaminated water as the water used to cool the melted fuel and the contaminated ground water at the site overwhelm efforts at capture and decontamination.

The ground water contamination level for tritium now exceeds the Japanese Government maximum allowable level, as illustrated in this article:

 TEPCO to increase groundwater testing NHK http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130619_31.html

[excerpted]...Workers took a sample of the groundwater on May 24th.Officials at the plant were aware by May 31st that tritium levels were higher than the government-set level.... [end] 

Majia here: Tepco recently admitted that the filtration system has leaks:

NHK 'Pinholes found in Fukushima filtering system' (June 19 2013) NHK http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130619_09.html 

MAJIA here: Water at the site is very radioactive because the water is in direct contact with melted fuel: 

Yoshida, R. (21 May 2013) Fukushima No. 1 can’t keep its head above tainted water', The Japan Times, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/fukushima-no-1-cant-keep-its-head-above-tainted-water/#.UZ2eRJwQNX9

Tepco must perpetually pour water over the melted cores of reactors 1, 2, and 3 via makeshift systems to prevent the fuel from melting and burning again.

Majia here: Some of the contaminated water in the buildings is being captured and held. Tepco is trying to de-contaminate this water. Their de-contamination system cannot filter tritium and other un-named radioisotopes. I’m not sure whether the system can filter strontium, but I’ve heard it argued that it cannot (I need a citation for that):

 Kyodo ‘Fukushima tank springs major leak’ (2013, April 7) http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/07/national/fukushima-tank-springs-major-leak/#.UWDtrFf4KSq

[Excerpted] Around 120 tons of contaminated water with an estimated 710 billion becquerels of radioactivity has probably leaked into the ground under the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. revealed Saturday.

…Although much of the cesium had been removed, the water was still tainted with other dangerous radioactive substances. According to the utility, around 710 billion becquerels of radioactive materials are estimated to have seeped out of the tank, which measures around 60 meters long, 53 meters wide and 6 meters deep and is covered by three layers of waterproof sheeting... [end]

Majia here: Levels of contamination appear to be RISING:

9 June 2013 Last updated at 05:32 ET Fukushima nuclear plant: Toxic isotope found in groundwater BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22964089

[Excerpted] Radioactive water was found to be leaking from a storage tank at the plant last month High levels of a toxic radioactive isotope have been found in groundwater at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator says. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said tests showed Strontium-90 was present at 30 times the legal rate. [end]

MAJIA Here: I also think criticalities are occurring. 

Over the last ten days the steam releases at the plant have become MORE VOLUMINOUS, LONGER, and appear to contain MORE PARTICULATES.

INTENSE HEAT has also been visible in the form of golden glows and rad patches.

Check the comment and evidence below.

COMMENT ABOUT POTENTIAL ROLE OF CRITICALITIES

PhillipUpNorth writes at Enenews: June 19, 2013 at 10:45 am

New criticalities at Unit2, and/or Corium2 are producing strontium-90.
Strontium-90 is produced by nuclear fission.

Since the amount of strontium-90 in ground water is way up over last year, we can tell that the rate of criticality is way up in 2013.

This big spike is from measurements of strontium-90 in ground water samples taken from wells.
TEPCO contends this is cooling water they pumped through Reactor 2, that leaked out through cracks.

But more probably, this is ground water that has flowed past Corium2. Or at least this is ground water that has flowed through the corium lava tube left after the underground departure of Corium2.

You figure it out.

All I know is that with a half life of 28.8 years, this strontium-90 will be contaminating the Pacific Ocean for many years to come.
"Cold Shutdown", you betcha!

CRITICALITY WEBCAM EVIDENCE:

VIDEO FROM 3/16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kadDNOVSdjs
 
SCREEN CAPTURES

Wideawake June 14, 2013 at 7:06 pm · Reply
I've not seen the amount of pink/red/green emissions before or this vivid, as in the first s/shot 03:32jst.. This is Not a cam anom. the red stuff' was coming out from the smoke… https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/77637499/june%2015%2003%2032jst%20enlg.PNG

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/77637499/june15%2003%2032jst.PNG

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/77637499/june15%2003%2033jst.PNG
 
COMMENTARY Heart of the Rose  June 14, 2013 at 6:05 pm · Reply
 
It seems to me that from about this time/event something has changed at Fukushima Npp.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/77637499/june7%20fl.png

RESOURCES

BBC
Water leak at Fukushima nuclear plant
IAEA urges Fukushima improvements
Fukushima radioactive water 'leak'