210 tons of water was pumped out of the Unit 2 tunnel at a rate of 10 tons/hr (2640 gal/hr). They will monitor the pumping for leaks and add more pumps over the next few weeks because there are 25,000 tons to pump from the Unit 2 structures and an estimated total of 67,500 tons has collected in the buildings and tunnels of Units 1 through 6. Areva has been contracted to build an onsite facility to cleanup the water with a target to begin operations in June. Below is a picture of the Mega-Float structure which will be docked offshore and be used for additional water storage. It was a public fishing park in Shimizu, Japan.
A remote controlled robot is being used for reconnaissance work inside the reactor buildings. The robot is outfitted with radiation, temperature, and oxygen sensors, a video camera, and lights. It has a mechanical arm which enables it to open doors and travels on treads. It has encountered debris blocking pathways and high humidity fogging up the camera lens. The information will be used for determining the equipment and precautions which will be needed for worker safety. In areas of high radiation levels using robots will be essential. On the plant site, they have been using remote controlled trucks outfitted with scoops to pick up and place debris into containers.
One area of concern for RGA Labs is the continued reporting of I-131 being found in food and water samples. The earthquake struck 40 days ago, the natural decay rate of I-131 has eliminated 97% of the isotope from the reactors. All of the I-131 should not have been released and what has been released is spread over a large area, so they should not be measuring any significant levels of I-131. If I-131 is still being produced and released into the atmosphere, then the nuclear fission of uranium is still taking place which would indicate the damaged fuel is in a configuration which is not responding to the water injection for cooling. This is contrary to the measured data which shows the reactors are being cooled and are stable.
photo credit: Kyodo News
No comments:
Post a Comment