#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 3's Basement Water Likely from Pressure Vessel

"Let's Release the Bad News at Midnight" Series No. N (plug in any number you want).

In this case, it was the media that withheld the information during the day. (They must have hired PR people that the US government uses. Or highly paid consultants from big consulting firms, educated in the US, a bunch of MBAs.)

Yomiuri Shinbun reports at 3:03AM JST on March 26, 2011:

Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and TEPCO said in press conferences on March 25 the water in the Reactor No.3 turbine building that irradiated two workers may probably have come from the Reactor Pressure Vessel itself, not from the Spent Fuel Pool overflow.

The water puddles on the floor of the turbine building for Reactor No.3 contained cesium-137 and other radioactive materials that usually exist inside the nuclear fuel but not in the cooling water.

Hidehiko Nishiyama of NISA said in the afternoon press conference on March 25 that "it is very likely that the water from the Pressure Vessel leaked", reversing his statement in the morning press conference that they didn't know where the water had come from.

The Reactor No.3's regular cooling system was broken, but TEPCO connected a temporary pump and has been pumping sea water into the Pressure Vessel. It is possible that the connection, as it was an emergency measure, may have been faulty, causing the water to leak.

Explosion on March 14 may also have damaged the pipe and other equipment.

It is also possible that the releasing of the steam inside the Container Vessel, which has been done 3 times since March 12, may have exerted too much pressure on the valve and the pipe, causing the steam to leak.

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