TEPCO press conference

---TEPCO holds elaborate press conference in Tokyo with many plans. Here are some of the most important technical details, briefly.

TEPCO will enclose the reactor buildings, as stated with new concrete walls, and we would imagine that will include a roof. Fuel removal would then later take place inside these structures. No time for fuel removal has been established since this is a part of long term goals.

TEPCO will fill the primary containment vessels with water. On No. 2 unit, integrity will need to be restored. This will assist with cooling.

TEPCO will ensure that the reactor pressure vessels are filled above the level of the fuel rods.

TEPCO will install external cooling systems (already mentioned on this blog) and there are a number of flowpaths under consideration at the moment.

TEPCO will construct a permanent water treatment facility on site.

TEPCO is not comfortable with structural strength of No. 4 reactor building below the spent fuel pool and will reinforce the building, or insert extra support, or both.

These seem to be the most significant relative to reactor operation and fuel pool cooling. Many more items were covered concerning release of radioactivity and evacuation zones.

More analysis later...

3:38 AM Eastern Sunday 4/17
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW