Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the operator of the earthquake-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan, announced Thursday that a large part of the nuclear fuel inside one of its reactors most likely melted down.
After its workers were finally able to enter the No. 1 reactor’s main building, TEPCO said that it has found multiple holes that had been created by melted nuclear fuel rods at the bottom of the reactor’s pressure vessel, according to Kyodo News.
In turn, the holes and cracks probably allowed radioactive water inside the pressure vessel to leak. The fuel rods are meant to be immerse in the water to prevent them from overheating or melting.
As the water inside the vessel apparently lowered to an unexpected level, the fuel rods probably melted and fell to the bottom of the vessel after they had been fully exposed to air.
Nevertheless, TEPCO confirmed that the temperature in the pressure vessel has been kept at about 212 to 248 degrees Fahrenheit (100 to 120 degrees Celsius), which is cool enough to ensure the reactor’s safety at this time, The Japan Times reported.
Upon entering the building, workers were able to finally check and fix water-level indicators that were damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Yet with the newly discovered holes and cracks in the pressure and containment vessels, the repair work will be more difficult than previously thought. TEPCO had drafted a plan to bring its reactors to a stable condition known as a “cold shutdown” in six to nine months.
TEPCO has been pressured by the federal government to compensate for all damages caused by the nuclear crisis. On Friday, the Japanese government agreed on a plan to help TEPCO bear its enormous compensation burden. The government is expected to introduce necessary bills to create a new body to facilitate payments and monitor the company’s progress, Kyodo News reported.
After its workers were finally able to enter the No. 1 reactor’s main building, TEPCO said that it has found multiple holes that had been created by melted nuclear fuel rods at the bottom of the reactor’s pressure vessel, according to Kyodo News.
In turn, the holes and cracks probably allowed radioactive water inside the pressure vessel to leak. The fuel rods are meant to be immerse in the water to prevent them from overheating or melting.
As the water inside the vessel apparently lowered to an unexpected level, the fuel rods probably melted and fell to the bottom of the vessel after they had been fully exposed to air.
Nevertheless, TEPCO confirmed that the temperature in the pressure vessel has been kept at about 212 to 248 degrees Fahrenheit (100 to 120 degrees Celsius), which is cool enough to ensure the reactor’s safety at this time, The Japan Times reported.
Upon entering the building, workers were able to finally check and fix water-level indicators that were damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Yet with the newly discovered holes and cracks in the pressure and containment vessels, the repair work will be more difficult than previously thought. TEPCO had drafted a plan to bring its reactors to a stable condition known as a “cold shutdown” in six to nine months.
TEPCO has been pressured by the federal government to compensate for all damages caused by the nuclear crisis. On Friday, the Japanese government agreed on a plan to help TEPCO bear its enormous compensation burden. The government is expected to introduce necessary bills to create a new body to facilitate payments and monitor the company’s progress, Kyodo News reported.
