– #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: TEPCO Stopped Water Treatment System (EX-SKF, June 17, 2011)
– #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Contaminated Water Treatment System May Not Re-Start for Another Week, as Trench Water Rises (EX-SKF, June 17, 2011):
More on the news that TEPCO halted the system due to higher than expected radiation level in the cesium absorption subsystem by Kurion:
The radiation limit of 4 millisieverts/hour was reached in 5 hours, instead of one month as anticipated.
New information from Jiji News Japanese (12:47PM JST 6/18/2011):
- The radiation level on the cesium absorption towers (cylinders) reached the limit [4 millisievert/hour] in 5 hours.
- The limit was supposed to be reached in a month.
- There is a possibility that the contaminated water contained the sludge with extremely high level of radioactive materials.
- TEPCO hopes to investigate the cause and re-start the operation within a week.
TEPCO had better hurry. The water levels in the trenches leading from the Reactors 2 and 3 are rising again, even as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has stopped disclosing the information on water levels.
TEPCO discloses the water levels in the daily press conference handouts, and these are the numbers for the trench water levels measured from the top of the grating of the trench pit:
Reactor 2 trench pit:
6/17: 292 millimeters from the top of the grating
6/16: 337 millimeters
6/15: 321 millimeters
6/14: 304 millimeters
:
6/1: 332 millimeters
5/1: 840 millimetersReactor 3 trench pit:
6/17: 159 millimeters
6/16: 178 millimeters
6/15: 165 millimeters
6/14: 155 millimeters
:
6/1: 265 millimeters
5/1: 900 millimetersThe Reactor 2 pit water is about 30 centimeters from the top of the pit, the Reactor 3 pit water about 15 centimeters from the top of the pit.