NHK: Cooling Systems Restored For Spent Fuel Pools Of Reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4 – Reuters: Cooling System Restored At Tepco’s No.5 Plant

Cooling systems restored for fuel pools (NHK, May 29, 2011):

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has now successfully restored cooling systems to the spent fuel pools of reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4.

On Saturday, TEPCO injected about 5 tons of water to the spent fuel pool of reactor 1 on a test basis. It was the last system to be restored.

The power company is also working to install new water-circulating systems that will more efficiently cool all the fuel pools. The new systems for reactors 1 through 4 are scheduled for completion by July.

Cooling system restored at Tepco’s No.5 plant (Reuters, May 29, 2011):

(Reuters) – Tokyo Electric Power has restored the cooling system of the nuclear reactor and fuel pool at the No. 5 unit of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant in northeastern Japan, an official of the plant operator said on Sunday.

Tokyo Electric, know as TEPCO, said the cooling facility restarted at 12:49 p.m. (0349 GMT) and was expected to lower temperatures which had risen at the reactor and fuel pool after the cooling system stopped working late on Saturday.

The temperature at the nuclear reactor at the No.5 unit was up to 87 degrees Celsius (188 degrees Fahrenheit) at 8:00 a.m. (2300 GMT) from about 68 degrees before the cooling system stopped operating, the official said.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant’s No. 1 to 4 reactors were severely damaged after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, while damages at the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors were less severe.

1 thought on “NHK: Cooling Systems Restored For Spent Fuel Pools Of Reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4 – Reuters: Cooling System Restored At Tepco’s No.5 Plant”

  1. Good to hear cooling has been restored! So why did #5 loose cooling in the first place? Yesterday was the first I heard of it! From a loss of power? Did they loose power because of the Typhoon? I thought it was reported they lost cooling before the Typhoon hit, if it did land in that area, as I have been without power and internet myself until now! Glad to hear cooling has been reestablished but wonder how with reactors 1-3 leaking like sieves.
    Also very confused about reactor 4 as I thought there was no fuel in it! So is there fuel in it? Also pool #4. Didn’t it blow up and scatter the fuel rods about the country side, or was it just a fire and a meltdown. In which case how are they cooling it if it keeps having local re-criticalities in the molten “waste” and lost its initial wate through cracks caused by the seismic action of March 11th? ? As you see I have not been able to glean enouogh information to answer some basic questions. Are there reports thatt can answer some of these questionsin the media, or by TEPCO? that tell it all, or at least what can be known to answers some of these questions?

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