Latest NEI Updates
**NOTE: Refresh your Web browser periodically to ensure you receive the latest updates appearing on this page.**
UPDATE AS OF 1:30 P.M. EDT, THURSDAY, MARCH 17:
Radiation readings at the Fukushima Daiichi site boundary were measured today at a lower level, between 2 and 3 millirem per hour.
UPDATE AS OF 11:35 A.M. EDT, THURSDAY, MARCH 17:
Fukushima DaiichiThe reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant are in stable condition and are being cooled with seawater, but workers at the plant continue efforts to add cooling water to fuel pools at reactors 3 and 4.
The status of the reactors at the site is as follows:
Reactor 1's primary containment is believed to be intact and the reactor is in a stable condition. Seawater injection into the reactor is continuing.
Reactor 2 is in stable condition with seawater injection continuing. The reactor's primary containment may not have been breached, Tokyo Electric Power Co. and World Association of Nuclear Operators officials said on Thursday.
Access problems at the site have delayed connection of a temporary cable to restore off-site electricity. The connection will provide power to the control rod drive pump, instrumentation, batteries and the control room. Power has not been available at the site since the earthquake on March 11.
Reactor 3 is in stable condition with seawater injection continuing. The primary containment is believed to be intact. Pressure in the containment has fluctuated due to venting of the reactor containment structure.
TEPCO officials say that although one side of the concrete wall of the reactor 4 fuel pool structure has collapsed, the steel liner of the pool remains intact, based on aerial photos of the reactor taken on March 17. The pool still has water providing some cooling for the fuel; however, helicopters dropped water on the reactor four times during the morning (Japan time) on March 17. Water also was sprayed at reactor 4 using high-pressure water cannons.
Reactors 5 and 6 were both shut down before the quake occurred. Primary and secondary containments are intact at both reactors. Temperature instruments in the spent fuel pools at reactors 5 and 6 are operational, and temperatures are being maintained at about 62 degrees Celsius. TEPCO is continuing efforts to restore power at reactor 5.
Fukushima DainiAll four reactors at the Fukushima Daini plant have reached cold shutdown conditions with normal cooling being maintained using residual heat removal systems.
UPDATE AS OF 11:30 A.M. EDT, THURSDAY, MARCH 17:
NEI has posted a new fact sheet, Perspective on Radiation Releases and Emergency Planning at U.S. Nuclear Power Plants.
UPDATE AS OF 9:30 P.M. EDT, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16:
NEI has updated its YouTube channel with two more videos. The first addresses the U.S. industry's response to the events in Japan and the second discusses natural, safe forms of radiation.
UPDATE AS OF 9:00 P.M. EDT, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16:
Crews began aerial water spraying operations from helicopters to cool reactor 3 at Fukushima Daiichi shortly before 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 16. The operation was planned for the previous day, but was postponed because of high radiation levels at the plant. News sources said temperatures at reactor 3 were rising. Each helicopter is capable of releasing 7.5 tons of water.
Spokesmen for TEPCO and Japan's regulatory agency, Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, on March 17 Japan time refuted reports that there was a complete loss of cooling water in the used fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi reactor 4.
The spokesmen said the situation at reactor 4 has changed little during the day today and water remained in the fuel pool. However, both officials said that the reactor had not been inspected in recent hours.
"We can't get inside to check, but we've been carefully watching the building's environs, and there has not been any particular problem," said TEPCO spokesman Hajime Motojuku.
At about 7 p.m. EDT, NISA spokesman Takumi Koyamada said the temperature reading from the used fuel pool on Wednesday was 84 degrees Celsius and that no change had been reported since then. Typically, used uranium fuel rods are stored in deep water pools at temperatures of about 30 degrees Celsius.
Recent radiation levels measured at the boundary of the Fukushima Daiichi plant have been dropping steadily over the past 12 hours, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said on Wednesday night (U.S. time).
At 4 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, a radiation level of 75 millirem per hour was recorded at the plant's main gate. At 4 p.m. EDT, the reading at one plant site gate was 34 millirem per hour. By comparison, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual radiation dose limit for the public is 100 millirem. Radiation readings are being taken every 30 minutes.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, said earlier today a radiation level of 33 millirem per hour was measured about 20 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi plant earlier this morning. He said that level does not pose an immediate health risk.
Edano said that TEPCO has resumed efforts to spray water into the used fuel pool at the damaged reactor 4.
TEPCO also continues efforts to restore offsite power to the plant, with up to 40 workers seeking to restore electricity to essential plant systems by Thursday morning, March 17.
UPDATE AS OF 7:30 P.M. EDT, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16:
NEI has added a new video to its YouTube page "NEI Offers Support to Japan." Also available is an updated schematic of the reactor design at Fukushima Daiichi.
**CLICK HERE FOR EARLIER NEI UPDATES**
News
Below are select news articles on the Japanese earthquake and reactors in the region. These links are being regularly updated, with the newest links on top. NEI has also set up a new Twitter feed (@neiupdates) that offers updated information on Japan's nuclear plants. NEI will also be updating its blog.Thursday, March 17, 2011
- Fox Business Network: Jeff Merrifield on "America's Nightly Scoreboard" (.wmv file) - added 3/17/11 @ 12:45 p.m. EST
- Kyodo News: Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants - added 3/17/11 @ 10:30 a.m. EDT
- Tennessee Valley Authority: Understanding Events in Japan (March 16) - added 3/17/11 @ 10:30 a.m. EDT
**CLICK HERE FOR EARLIER NEWS UPDATES**
No comments:
Post a Comment