Cooling system operating at No. 2 reactor

Well, at least some positive news. To be honest, with the
radiation levels being what they are, I'm surprised they
can get any work done in the reactor buildings.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/31_42.html

Cooling system operating at No. 2 reactor

The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has started operating a system to effectively cool water in a spent fuel pool in the plant's No.2 reactor building.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company on Tuesday set up at the building the first circulatory cooling system to be installed at the plant since the accident in March.

The utility has been pumping about 50 tons of water into the pool every few days.

The pool's temperature is around 70 degrees Celsius, apparently producing steam that has filled the building and resulted in a humidity level of 99.9 percent.

The humidity and high radiation levels have been hampering repair work at the site.

The new system is to pump water out of the pool to a heat exchanger and return the water to the pool as coolant.

The firm says it plans to lower the pool's temperature to around 40 degrees Celsius in a month and hopes to reduce the humidity level before installing equipment to remove radioactive substances in the building.

The firm says it will start operating similar systems at the plant's No.1 and 3 reactors in June, and at the No.4 reactor in July.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 20:57 +0900 (JST)