TEPCO Press Release—Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (as of 0:00 pm, April 6)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/11040605-e.html

Press Release (Apr 06,2011)
Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (as of 0:00 pm, April 6)

---

*Updates are underlined

All 6 units of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station have been shut down.

Unit 1(Shut down)
-Explosive sound and white smoke were confirmed after the big quake 
 occurred at 3:36 pm on March 12th. It was assumed to be hydrogen 
 explosion.
-At approximately 2:30 am on March 23rd, seawater injection to the nuclear 
 reactor through the feed water system was initiated.
-We had been injecting seawater into the reactor, but from 3:37 pm on 
 March 25th, we started injecting freshwater.
-Some of turbine building lights were turned on April 2nd. 
-We injected fresh water to the reactor by a temporary motor driven pump, 
 but, from 10:42am to 11:52am on April 3rd we temporarily switched the 
 pump to the fire fighting pump to inject fresh water to use power through 
 off-site transmission line. We're now injecting fresh water to the 
 reactor by a motor driven pump powered by off-site transmission line.
-As it is suspected that hydrogen gas is accumulated inside reactor 
 containment vessel, we are considering injection of nitrogen gas inside
 the vessel.

Unit 2(Shut down)
-At approximately 6:00 am on March 15th, an abnormal noise began emanating 
 from nearby Pressure Suppression Chamber and the pressure within the 
 chamber decreased. 
-We have been injecting seawater into the reactor, but from 10:10 am on 
 March 26th, we started injecting freshwater (with boric acid).
-Some of turbine building lights were turned on April 2nd. 
-We injected fresh water to the reactor by a temporary motor driven pump, 
 but, from 10:22am to 0:06pm on April 3rd, we temporarily switched the 
 pump to the fire fighting pump to inject fresh water to use power through 
 off-site transmission line. We're now injecting fresh water to the 
 reactor by a motor driven pump powered by off-site transmission line.

Unit 3(Shut down)
-Explosive sound and white smoke were confirmed at 11:01am March 14th. It 
 was assumed to be hydrogen explosion.
-We had been injecting seawater into the reactor pressure vessel, but from 
 6:02 pm on March 25th, we started injecting freshwater.
-Some of turbine building lights were turned on April 2nd. 
-We injected fresh water to the reactor by a temporary motor driven pump, 
 but, from 10:03am to 0:16pm on April 3rd, we temporarily switched the 
 pump to the fire fighting pump to inject fresh water to use power through 
 off-site transmission line. We're now injecting fresh water to the 
 reactor by a motor driven pump powered by off-site transmission line.

Unit 4(outage due to regular inspection)
-At approximately 6 am on March 15th, we confirmed the explosive sound and 
 the sustained damage around the 5th floor rooftop area of the Nuclear 
 Reactor Building.
-Some of turbine building lights were turned on March 31st.
-At this moment, we do not consider any reactor coolant leakage inside the 
 reactor happened.

Unit 5(outage due to regular inspection)
-Sufficient level of reactor coolant to ensure safety is maintained.
-At 5 am, March 19th, we started the Residual Heat Removal System Pump (C) 
 in order to cool the spent fuel pool.
-At 2:30 pm, March 20th, the reactor achieved reactor cold shutdown. At 
 around 5:24 pm on March 23rd, when we switched the temporary Residual 
 Heat Removal System Seawater Pump, it has stopped automatically. At 
 around 4:14 pm, March 24th we replaced the pump, and restarted cooling of 
 reactor at around 4:35 pm.
-At this moment, we do not consider any reactor coolant leakage inside the 
 reactor happened.

Unit 6(outage due to regular inspection)
-Sufficient level of reactor coolant to ensure safety is maintained.
-At 10:14 pm, March 19th, we started the Residual Heat Removal System Pump 
 (B) of Unit 6 in order to cool the spent fuel pool.
-At 7:27 pm, March 20th, the reactor achieved reactor cold shutdown.
-In relation to the two seawater side pumps of the Residual Heat Removal 
 System, we switched the power source from temporary to permanent at 3:38 
 PM and 3:42PM, Mar 25 respectively.
-At this moment, we do not consider any reactor coolant leakage inside 
 the reactor happened.

Operation for cooling the spent fuel pools
-We will conduct further water spray depending on the conditions of spent 
 fuel pools.

Draining water from underground floor of turbine buildings

-At 1:55 pm April 3rd, in Unit 1, water transfer from a condensate storage 
 tank to a suppression pool water surge-tank was initiated.
-At 5:10 pm, April 2nd, in Unit 2, water transfer from a condensate 
 storage tank was to a suppression pool water surge-tank was initiated.

Others
-We measured radioactive materials (iodine etc.) inside of the nuclear 
 power station area (outdoor) by monitoring car and confirmed that 
 radioactive materials level is getting higher than ordinary level. As 
 listed below, we have determined that specific incidents stipulated in 
 article 15, clause 1 of Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear 
 Emergency Preparedness (Abnormal increase in radiation dose measured at 
 site boundary) have occurred.
 ·Determined at 4:17 pm Mar 12th (Around Monitoring Post 4 )
 ·Determined at 8:56 am Mar 13th (Around Monitoring Post 4 )
 ·Determined at 2:15 pm Mar 13th (Around Monitoring Post 4 )
 ·Determined at 3:50 am Mar 14th (Around Monitoring Post 6 )
 ·Determined at 4:15 am Mar 14th (Around Monitoring Post 2 ) 
 ·Determined at 9:27 am Mar 14th (Around Monitoring Post 3 ) 
 ·Determined at 9:37 pm Mar 14th (Around main entrance ) 
 ·Determined at 6:51 am Mar 15th (Around main entrance ) 
 ·Determined at 8:11 am Mar 15th (Around main entrance ) 
 ·Determined at 4:17 pm Mar 15th (Around main entrance ) 
 ·Determined at 11:05 pm Mar 15th (Around main entrance )
 ·Determined at 8:58 am Mar 19th (Around MP5)
 From now on, if the measured figure fluctuates and goes above and below 
 500 micro Sv/h, we deem that as the continuous same event and will not 
 regard that as a new specific incidents stipulated in article 15, clause 
 1 of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency 
 Preparedness (Abnormal increase in radiation dose measured at site 
 boundary) has occurred. In the interim, if we measure a manifestly 
 abnormal figure and it is evident that the event is not the continuous 
 same event, we will determine and notify.

-The national government has instructed evacuation for those local 
 residents within 20km radius of the periphery and evacuation to inside 
 for those residents from 20km to 30km radius of the periphery, because it 
 is possible that radioactive materials are discharged.
-In total 12 fire engines are lent for the water spraying to the spent 
 fuel pools and water injection to the nuclear reactors by various 
 regional fire departments* as well as Tokyo Fire Department. Also, 
 instruction regarding the setting and operation of large scale 
 decontamination system was provided by Niigata City Fire Headquarter and 
 Hamamatsu City Fire Headquarter.
 *: Koriyama Fire Department, Iwaki Fire Brigade Headquarters, Fire 
 Headquarters of Sukagawa District Wide Area Fire-fighting Association, 
 Yonezawa City Fire Headquarters, Utsunomiya City Fire Headquarters, Fire 
 Headquarters of Aizu-Wakamatsu wide area municipal association, Saitama 
 City Fire Bureau, and Niigata City Fire Bureau.
-By March 22nd, Units 1 through 6 started to be energized from the 
 external power source.
-At around 11:35 am April 1st, a worker fell into the sea when he got into 
 a barge of the U.S. Forces to repair a hose of the ship. The worker was 
 rescued immediately, and was not injured and not contaminated. The worker 
 will be checked using the whole-body counter to ensure his health.
-From April 2nd, we began to transfer the radioactive water we collected 
 from the Central Environmental Facility to the Unit 4 turbine building. 
 On April 4th, water level of the pit in the trench of Unit 3 increased by 
 15cm from previous day. Pathway of water flow is unknown. We can not deny 
 the possibility that water in the turbine building of Unit 4 flows into 
 the trench of Unit 3. So, we stopped transferring water to the Unit 4 
 turbine building to make assurance. Present water level of the pit in the 
 trench of Unit 3 is not changed from the time we stopped transferring, 
 and is being stable.
-As a countermeasure against outflow of radioactive water into the sea 
 near the cooling water intake at unit 2 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear 
 Power Station, we have injected coagulant into the pit from April 5th and 
 we have observed stoppage of spilling of water from the crack on the 
 concrete lateral of the pit at 5:38 am, April 6th.
-Continued work from yesterday, we have put 6,000 litters of coagulant 
 into the breakage and surrounding ground after investigation of the 
 leakage route by putting tracer into the 9 holes drilled around 
 electrical conduit and the pit. As at 9:30 am, we have been observing 
 there is no leakage of water into the sea from the pit.
-For the sake of completeness, we put further reinforcement for the 
 stoppage of leakage and consider countermeasure including continuous 
 injection of coagulant. We will also note the water level of turbine 
 building of unit 2 remain unchanged. We will further investigate if there 
 is any other leakage.

 (Previously announced on April 6th)
-There is plenty of radioactive wastewater in the turbine buildings. 
 Especially, Unit 2's wastewater is very highly radioactive. To store this 
 stably, it was decided that this needed to be transferred to the Central 
 Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility. However, within that facility, we 
 are storing ten thousand tons of low level radioactive wastewater. In 
 order to transfer more wastewater, we need to discharge the low level 
 radioactive wastewater. In addition, as low radioactive subsurface water 
 is piling up in sub-drain pits of Units 5 and 6 and a part of subsurface 
 water is running into buildings. We are concerned that important 
 equipment to secure the safety of reactors may be submerged. Based on the 
 Section 1 of the Article 64 of the Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law, we 
 have decided to discharge to the sea approximately ten thousand tons of 
 the accumulated low level radioactive water and a total of fifteen 
 hundred tons of the low level radioactive subsurface water stored in the 
 sub drain pits of Unit 5 and 6 as soon as we get ready.
-We evaluate the impact on the discharge of the low radioactive wastewater 
 to the sea as approximately 0.6 mSv per year per an adult if an adult 
 eats adjacent fish and seaweeds everyday. The amount (0.6 mSv of 
 effective radioactive doses per year) is one-forth of annual radioactive 
 dose to which the general public is exposed from nature.
 (Previously announced on April 4th)
-At 7:03 pm, April 4th, discharge of low radioactive wastewater 
 (approximately 10,000 ton in total) from Central Radioactive Waste 
 Disposal Facility to the sea was initiated. 
-At 9:00 pm, April 4th, discharge of low radioactive subsurface water 
 (1,500 ton in total) from sub-drain pits of Units 5 and 6 to the sea was 
 initiated.
-From 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, April 5th, in order to prevent diffusion of 
 radioactive contaminated water out from the site port facility to 
 breakwater area which is south to the power station, we began repair of 
 breakwater by founding the large sandbag around it to replace damaged 
 steel water bar. We will continue the operation to prevent diffusion.
-We will continue to take all measures to ensure the safety and to 
 continue monitoring the surrounding environment around the Power Station.