TEPCO fears leaks after level of contaminated water in disposal facility drops
TEPCO fears leaks after level of contaminated water in disposal facility drops
The No. 3 reactor building of the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant is pictured in this photo courtesy of TEPCO.Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said on May 26 that it had discovered a drop in the level of contaminated water kept in the basement of a building near troubled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, but the utility said the possibility was low of the toxic water leaking out of the facility.
TEPCO, the operator of the crippled nuclear power plant, said the level of contaminated water kept in the basement of a building within the central waste disposal facility near the crippled nuclear reactors had dropped by about five centimeters in one day. The water was transported to the building from the No. 3 nuclear reactor. TEPCO said its analysis showed no change in ground water on the premises, and therefore it said, "The possibility is low of the water leaking out of the facility."
The contaminated water in the No. 3 reactor had been transported to the building in the waste disposal facility since May 17, but TEPCO stopped transferring the water to the building because the volume of the water approached the building's capacity soon after 9 a.m. on May 25.
The water level dropped about 48 millimeters during the period between 11 a.m. on May 25 and 7 a.m. on May 26. The quantity of the water is believed to be about 50 cubic meters.
TEPCO said, "It is possible that the water is leaking from part of the second basement of the building that is not fully watertight into the access way to another building."
If the water leaked of out the facility, TEPCO has to transport the contaminated water to another place. But another building within the central waste disposal facility is almost filled up with radioactive water from the No. 2 reactor, and therefore it is difficult to secure extra space for the water.
About 22,000 cubic meters of radioactive water was found in the turbine building of the No. 3 reactor. A facility to receive the water from the No. 3 reactor is capable of taking up to about 4,000 cubic meters of water, but it stopped accepting any more water after taking in a total of 3,660 cubic meters of radioactive water.
TEPCO's analysis released on May 25 showed the possibility of piping that is used to supply coolant water to the reactor core in emergencies being damaged. The cooling system involving the piping is called a "high pressure coolant injection" system. It is highly possible that tremblers caused damage to the piping because it is housed inside the reactor building, making it less vulnerable to tsunami.
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(Mainichi Japan) May 26, 2011
