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The term “cold shutdown” is not appropriate to the Fukushima nuclear reactors

Japanese Government speeds rezoning of contaminated areas. Paul Langley’s nuclear history blog 18 Dec 11  The appropriateness of the use of the term “cold shutdown” in relation to the Fukushima reactors in meltdown has been discussed in an editorial by the Mainichi Daily News, Japan, 17 Dec 2011. It is term applicable to a reactor in normal mode, not disaster failure meltdown mode.

The pressure vessels are essentially in a vastly abnormal state, and although the Japanese  Government  states venting of radionuclides has “significantly” stopped, things are still very abnormal in the Fukushima reactors. Neither TEPCO nor the Japanese  Government understands the true state of the escaped fuel, nor how much the reactor vessels have been eroded.

 Daily Yomiuri online

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111217003401.htm

Yoshihiro Kiyonaga and Koichi Yasuda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

After declaring that the fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant’s reactors were in a state of cold shutdown, the government is expediting a review of the zoning of radiation-contaminated areas.

The government has set a rough guideline to allow residents to return home to places where radiation levels are under 20 millisieverts a year.

However, the government is expected to continue restricting entry into areas where radiation levels are higher.

Many difficult tasks remain, including how to decommission the damaged reactors–a problem that may take 30 years or longer to complete.

http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/

December 19, 2011 - Posted by | - Fukushima 2011, Japan, spinbuster

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