Japan:TEPCO injecting more water into 2 reactors
Laaska News Sept. 16,2011
The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is injecting more water into 2 of the plant’s reactors in an attempt to lower their temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius.
As of 5 AM Friday, the bottom of No.2 reactor measured 114.1 degrees Celsius and that of the No.3 reactor 103.3 degrees. The temperature at the No.1 reactor was 85.3 degrees.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, has been injecting water continuously into the 3 reactors since the March accident. The utility is aiming at a cold shutdown of all reactors by January next year, with stable temperatures below 100 degrees.
Earlier this month, TEPCO began boosting injections of cooling water into the No.2 and No.3 reactors by using overhead pipes in addition to the pipes on the reactors’ sides, to see if this would help lower temperatures.
As the new method showed some benefits, TEPCO began on Friday afternoon to increase the water flow by one ton to a total of 7 tons per hour for the No.2 reactor, and by 5 tons to 12 tons per hour for the No.3 reactor.
The company says it will continue monitoring temperatures and make adjustments as necessary. It also indicated it may inject more water into the relatively stable No.1 reactor.
NHK.
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Laaska News.
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