TEPCO looking into radioactive water leak
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is trying to identify where highly radioactive water from the No.1 reactor’s containment vessel is flowing to, as the reactor is believed to have suffered a meltdown.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says the meltdown at the No.1 unit created holes in the reactor and damaged the containment vessel.
A large amount of highly radioactive water is believed to be leaking out, but it is not known where it is flowing.
TEPCO says the water could be flowing into the basement of the reactor building, but that workers cannot enter the site due to fear of high levels of radiation.
The company is examining footage from Friday’s survey conducted by a remote-controlled robot of the first floor of the building, while analyzing data on radiation intensity.
TEPCO also began installing air-cooled heat exchangers on Friday so that water collected from the containment vessel can be reused for cooling the reactor.
The company plans to bring in 10 heat exchangers by Tuesday and connect them to pipes.
Water can be sent to heat exchangers only when the containment vessel holds a certain level of water. Uncertainty regarding the current level of the water is another challenge facing TEPCO.
Saturday, May 14, 2011 13:04 +0900 (JST)
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