The leak of highly radioactive water through the crack in a cement wall has been stopped with the resin injection into the gravel. TEPCO is monitoring for new leaks which may be caused by changing the flow path. They are unable to isolate the pipe from which the water is flowing because of the high levels of radioactivity in the reactor building and they are not sure of how the water is entering into the pipe. Monitoring of radiation levels in the ocean are ongoing so it is expected the measurements will begin to drop. The leak was measured at 7 tons per hr which is 1850 gallons per hour.
In the last week Japan has been engaging experts to assist in addressing the problems at Fukushima Daiichi. Experts are concerned about salt deposits which may have formed from the sea water cooling. The salt deposits could be restricting the flow of water in some areas of the reactor reducing the cooling effectiveness of the water. Hydrogen is being produced from a reaction between the high energy radiation and water. One of the actions about to take place is the injection of nitrogen into the Unit 1 reactor containment to address concerns about the hydrogen concentration reaching explosive levels.
There is a recognition that the continuous injection of freshwater for cooling is producing too much highly contaminated water, but without another method for cooling it will continue.
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