TEPCO: Temperature rises at Number 3 reactor
Baku, May 6 (AZERTAC). The Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, says it has increased the cooling water flowing into the Number 3 reactor after an increase in temperature occurred over the past week.
On Wednesday, TEPCO increased the flow of cooling water from 7 tons to 9 tons per hour for the Number 3 reactor. The temperature at the bottom of the reactor was 143.5 degrees Celsius at 11 AM on Thursday, about 33 degrees higher than Wednesday last week.TEPCO has been using temporary pumps to inject cooling water into reactors Number 1, 2 and 3. Their fuel rods are believed to have partially melted down after the tsunami disrupted normal cooling functions.
The operator says the temperature rise was apparently caused by a temporary decline in the amount of cooling water flowing into the Number 3 reactor.
TEPCO increased the amount of water of flowing into the Number 1 reactor for 2 days starting on Wednesday last week, the day when the temperature of the Number 3 reactor began to rise. The company says it continues to carefully monitor temperature changes.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will be able to safely conduct an operation to cool the number one reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. TEPCO is planning on filling the reactor’s containment vessel with enough water to bring the temperature below 100 degrees Celsius.
It reported its assessment on Thursday to Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. The company says it hopes to start the work as soon as the agency approves the plan.
TEPCO says about 7,400 tons of water will have to be pumped into the containment vessel for the cooling process. It says the vessel and the reactor building will both be able to withstand the weight of the water.
TEPCO says the purifiers are now working, and it will take about 3 days to vent the air, filter it, and return clean air.
It hopes to lower radiation levels enough to allow workers to remain inside for longer periods of time.
If everything goes according to plan, workers will enter the building as early as Sunday to check for damage to the pipes and valves. About a week later, in mid-May, TEPCO hopes to start building an external system to circulate cooling water into the reactor.
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