ID :
169129
Fri, 03/18/2011 - 07:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/169129
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Japan SDF Sprays Water to Cool Overheating Reactor
Tokyo (Jiji Press) - The Self-Defense Forces on Thursday afternoon sprayed water on an overheating reactor at a quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant, which has been closely watched from both at home and abroad amid spreading worries about radioactive fallout.
To cool possibly exposed fuel rods, five high-performance SDF fire engines poured a total of 30 tons of water into the building for the No. 3 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 plant for about 30 minutes from about 7:30 p.m. (10 a.m. GMT).
The water is believed to have reached inside the building. But it remains to be seen if the operation produced intended effects, said officials of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
At the No. 3 reactor, the cooling system for the spent fuel rod pool has stopped working after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the Tohoku northeastern region including Fukushima Prefecture last Friday.
Water in the pool has evaporated and may have exposed the fuel rods, a situation that could lead to the release of radiation into the atmosphere.
Also on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department of Tokyo, using a water cannon truck, poured water into the No. 3 reactor building from around 7 p.m. But the operation was suspended because high levels of radiation were detected in the area.
Officials of the National Police Agency said that the water appears to have reached the reactor building.
But the Tokyo police decided not to use the water cannon on Friday because the vehicle is designed to release water horizontally and is thus not suited for the reactor mission.
The operations by the SDF and the metropolitan police department came after the Ground Self-Defense Force dropped water on the No. 3 reactor using CH-47 helicopters on Thursday morning.
No marked change in radiation levels was seen after the chopper operation.
But officials of Tokyo Electric Power said that the operation had a certain effect in cooling the reactor, noting that steam rose from the reactor building after the water was splashed.
According to the Defense Ministry, the SDF is ready to carry out the operations to cool the reactor using the fire engines and helicopters on Friday.
At the Fukushima plant, some water has evaporated in the fuel rod pool at the No. 4 reactor. But Tokyo Electric Power confirmed that the fuel rods remain fully submerged although the water level is not sufficiently high, meaning that there is no imminent danger that radiation is leaked from the reactor.
Meanwhile, the company continued work to restore power at the nuclear plant in an effort to revive the facility's reactor cooling systems damaged by the earthquake.
Tokyo Electric Power is first focusing on restoring power at the No. 2 reactor because quake damage to the building for the reactor was relatively small. Electricity supply may be resumed on Saturday at the earliest, according to the company officials.
To cool possibly exposed fuel rods, five high-performance SDF fire engines poured a total of 30 tons of water into the building for the No. 3 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 plant for about 30 minutes from about 7:30 p.m. (10 a.m. GMT).
The water is believed to have reached inside the building. But it remains to be seen if the operation produced intended effects, said officials of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
At the No. 3 reactor, the cooling system for the spent fuel rod pool has stopped working after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the Tohoku northeastern region including Fukushima Prefecture last Friday.
Water in the pool has evaporated and may have exposed the fuel rods, a situation that could lead to the release of radiation into the atmosphere.
Also on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department of Tokyo, using a water cannon truck, poured water into the No. 3 reactor building from around 7 p.m. But the operation was suspended because high levels of radiation were detected in the area.
Officials of the National Police Agency said that the water appears to have reached the reactor building.
But the Tokyo police decided not to use the water cannon on Friday because the vehicle is designed to release water horizontally and is thus not suited for the reactor mission.
The operations by the SDF and the metropolitan police department came after the Ground Self-Defense Force dropped water on the No. 3 reactor using CH-47 helicopters on Thursday morning.
No marked change in radiation levels was seen after the chopper operation.
But officials of Tokyo Electric Power said that the operation had a certain effect in cooling the reactor, noting that steam rose from the reactor building after the water was splashed.
According to the Defense Ministry, the SDF is ready to carry out the operations to cool the reactor using the fire engines and helicopters on Friday.
At the Fukushima plant, some water has evaporated in the fuel rod pool at the No. 4 reactor. But Tokyo Electric Power confirmed that the fuel rods remain fully submerged although the water level is not sufficiently high, meaning that there is no imminent danger that radiation is leaked from the reactor.
Meanwhile, the company continued work to restore power at the nuclear plant in an effort to revive the facility's reactor cooling systems damaged by the earthquake.
Tokyo Electric Power is first focusing on restoring power at the No. 2 reactor because quake damage to the building for the reactor was relatively small. Electricity supply may be resumed on Saturday at the earliest, according to the company officials.
