Fukushima Daiichi... Sunday 5/29

Some updates from Fukushima Daiichi...

-TEPCO does not at this time believe that the rain and wind from the approaching tropical storm will cause any severe problems at the site. TEPCO had sandbagged a number of electrical distribution panels, and has taken other measures to ensure continuity of AC power during the heavy weather.

-Cooling injection at No. 3 plant is now solely through the feed system at about 13.5 cubic meters per hour.

-Feed system cooling injection has begun at No. 2 plant, at a rate of 5 cubic meters per hour. This supplements the 7 cubic meters per hour from the fire extinguishing line in use previously.

-It would appear that further outflow.. from source or sources not yet determined.. is driving up contamination rates again inside the near breakwater. TEPCO is investigating the exact source.

-There is some press about the temporary loss of circulating system (seawater) at No. 5 plant driving up plant and spent fuel pool temperatures. There was no serious effect, and plant temperature and spent fuel pool temperature are back on the way down. It appears that no pump was running for as long as 15 hours. The loss of the pump was first detected at 21:24 on May 28th, according to TEPCO, and work on replacement began at 8:12 the morning of the 29th. At 12:31 the newly installed, spare pumps were started and at 12:49 the normal cooldown lineup was re-established, and cooling of the reactor plant began again.

-All four plants, No. 1 through No. 4 now have their spent fuel pool cooling systems restored. These are being used to inject cooling water as needed at the moment, with no recirc cooling capability yet. Recirc cooling (as designed) is expected to be operational for all four plants sometime in July. This removes the need for the long arm concrete spray trucks on a continuous basis, although they remain on site (moved to a safe location due to the impending storm) as backups to the installed (original) systems for spent fuel pool cooling.

-For reference.. and because we have not mentioned it lately.. with only a couple brief interludes due to equipment malfunction, TEPCO continues to pump nitrogen into the dry well of No. 1 plant. At this time, the total injected volume of nitrogen to this plant stands at about 34,300 cubic meters (total from April 7 until May 29.)

9:00 PM Eastern Sunday 5/29
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW