The nuclear power sky is falling...

TEPCO: Just 60cm of water in Fukushima reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has found that the cooling water
in one of the damaged reactors at Fukushima is only 60 centimeters
deep, far lower than previously thought.

The utility confirmed the water level by inserting an endoscope into
the No.2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on
Monday.

TEPCO had thought that the water level was about 3 meters. It has been
injecting nearly 9 tons of water per hour into the reactor to cool the
melted fuel that has fallen to the bottom of the containment vessel.

But the shallow level indicates that the water continues to leak into
the reactor building through the suppression chambers under the
vessel.

The utility argues that the fuel is still being cooled, as the water
temperature remains at around 48 degrees Celsius.

But the low level suggests that decommissioning the reactor could be
much more difficult. The operator may need to repair more parts of the
containment vessel so it can be filled with water to block the strong
radiation.

The No. 2 reactor's containment vessel is believed to have been
damaged on March 15th with the sudden loss of pressure inside the
reactor.

Monday's survey was the second look inside the No.2 reactor since
January. During the first survey, an endoscope was unable to confirm
the water level in the containment vessel. This time, TEPCO used a
scope that is 10 meters longer.

Monday, March 26, 2012 21:40 +0900 (JST)