The leak of highly radioactive water that leaked into the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in the ocean was blocked, announcement, Wednesday, April 6, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO). "The workers have confirmed that at 5 h 38 Water flowing from the pit stopped," said TEPCO said in a statement. The technicians had discovered last week, a gap of 20 cm in the wall of a pit near the shore technique and connected to the reactor 2.
A large volume of highly contaminated water flowed continuously from the pit and the technicians did not arrive until Wednesday to block the crack, despite several attempts at patching cement, then using a mixture of polymers, newsprint and sawdust. Tuesday, they had decided to drill upstream to follow the flow of water and inject water glass (sodium silicate), a chemical which has the property of solidifying the ground.
This leak was behind a rise in the rate of radioactive iodine-131, detected in samples taken during the seawater near the plant. Tepco now plans to inject nitrogen into the reactor 1 of the plant to prevent an explosion caused by the accumulation of hydrogen, the operator warned Wednesday.
The experts present at the plant are concerned that the amount of hydrogen continues to increase until an explosion on contact with oxygen in the air. Explosions of hydrogen have already severely damaged the building exterior of two of the six reactors at Fukushima Dai-Ichi, without prejudice to the heart of the plant after the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March.
Inert gas, nitrogen is commonly used in storage areas susceptible to falling oxygen levels in air and thus replace a portion of the atmosphere. This operation "inerting" could be conducted on Wednesday, the company added. It should last several days. Due to lack of storage, Tepco remains obligated to discharge into the Pacific Ocean some radioactive water used to cool the heart of the reactors and prevent worsening of the situation.
An initial "shedding" of 11,500 tons on 60,000 stored on the site is current and the operation should continue until Friday, April 8. It will have no health consequences for people, assured Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director of the Agency's Nuclear and Industrial Safety. However, experts fear that the food is contaminated upstream, through the plankton is eaten by fish.
The government plans to more closely monitor the sale of fish products after the discovery of contaminated fish. India is, in turn, became the first country to prohibit totally the importation of food products from Japan. Iodine-131, whose life is reduced by half every eight days, less worried experts as cesium 137, also present in the radioactive water, which he, has lost half of its radioactivity in thirty years. 
A large volume of highly contaminated water flowed continuously from the pit and the technicians did not arrive until Wednesday to block the crack, despite several attempts at patching cement, then using a mixture of polymers, newsprint and sawdust. Tuesday, they had decided to drill upstream to follow the flow of water and inject water glass (sodium silicate), a chemical which has the property of solidifying the ground.
This leak was behind a rise in the rate of radioactive iodine-131, detected in samples taken during the seawater near the plant. Tepco now plans to inject nitrogen into the reactor 1 of the plant to prevent an explosion caused by the accumulation of hydrogen, the operator warned Wednesday.
The experts present at the plant are concerned that the amount of hydrogen continues to increase until an explosion on contact with oxygen in the air. Explosions of hydrogen have already severely damaged the building exterior of two of the six reactors at Fukushima Dai-Ichi, without prejudice to the heart of the plant after the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March.
Inert gas, nitrogen is commonly used in storage areas susceptible to falling oxygen levels in air and thus replace a portion of the atmosphere. This operation "inerting" could be conducted on Wednesday, the company added. It should last several days. Due to lack of storage, Tepco remains obligated to discharge into the Pacific Ocean some radioactive water used to cool the heart of the reactors and prevent worsening of the situation.
An initial "shedding" of 11,500 tons on 60,000 stored on the site is current and the operation should continue until Friday, April 8. It will have no health consequences for people, assured Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director of the Agency's Nuclear and Industrial Safety. However, experts fear that the food is contaminated upstream, through the plankton is eaten by fish.
The government plans to more closely monitor the sale of fish products after the discovery of contaminated fish. India is, in turn, became the first country to prohibit totally the importation of food products from Japan. Iodine-131, whose life is reduced by half every eight days, less worried experts as cesium 137, also present in the radioactive water, which he, has lost half of its radioactivity in thirty years.
- Tepco succeeds in plugging leak (06/04/2011)
- Tepco stems leak of highly radioactive water (06/04/2011)
- 11,500 Tons Of Radioactive Water Are About To Be Released Into The Pacific Ocean At Fukushima (04/04/2011)
- Fukushima leak is plugged, TEPCO in more hot water (06/04/2011)
- New fears of explosion at Fukushima plant (06/04/2011)
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