#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: TEPCO Says Reactor 1's Pressure Not Rising Enough After Nitrogen Injection

Uh oh.. Nigrogen and radioactive steams escaping from the Containment Vessel (which they call "Primary Containment"; "Secondary Containment" being the building itself, which is already badly damaged in the case of the Reactor 1).

From Yomiuri Shinbun (1:37PM JST 4/11/2011):

　東京電力は１１日、水素爆発を防ぐため窒素を注入している福島第一原子力発電所１号機の格納容器で、圧力が１・９５気圧から上昇しなくなり、放射性物質を含む蒸気や窒素が外部に相当量漏れていると発表した。

TEPCO announced today that the pressure of the Containment Vessel of the Reactor 1 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant has stopped rising above 1.95 atmospheric pressure; TEPCO has been injecting nitrogen in order to prevent a hydrogen explosion. TEPCO thinks that a significant amount of radioactive steam and nitrogen is escaping the Containment Vessel and into the surrounding area.

　東電によれば、７日未明から毎時２８立方メートルの窒素を注入している。容器内の圧力は、７日の１・５６気圧から９日の１・９気圧まで徐々に上昇が続いたが、１０日頃から圧力が１・９５気圧のまま上がらなくなった。

TEPCO has been injecting 28 cubic meters of nitrogen per hour since early hours of April 7. The pressure inside the Containment Vessel rose gradually from 1.56 atmospheric pressure on April 7 to 1.9 atmospheric pressure on April 9, but the pressure stopped rising at 1.95 atmospheric pressure on April 10.

　計算上は１０００立方メートル前後の蒸気や窒素が外部に漏れ出したことになる。ただ、今のところ原発周辺の放射線量に大きな変化は見られない。

About 1,000 cubic meters of steam and nitrogen may have been escaped, but there has been no significant change in radiation levels around the Plant.

　１号機には、６日間で約６０００立方メートルの窒素を注入し、１・５気圧を２・５気圧にする予定だった。東電では「格納容器の密閉性が損なわれ、相当量が漏れている」とみている。東電では、水素爆発を回避するため、当面、現在の注入を継続、対応策を検討する。

The plan was to inject 6,000 cubic meters of nitrogen into the Reactor 1's Containment Vessel over 6 days, and raise the pressure from 1.5 atmospheric pressure to 2.5 atmospheric pressure. TEPCO thinks "the containment vessel's seal is compromised, and significant amount [of steam and nitrogen] is escaping." TEPCO will continue to inject nitrogen while trying to figure out what to do in order to avoid a hydrogen explosion.

The US's NRC didn't think the Containment Vessel of the Reactor 1 was broken, but that was March 26.

Earlier today, I was watching the separate press conferences of Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and TEPCO (which they did it roughly at the same time). What was interesting was a "doom and gloom" among the Internet audience of these press conferences that were presented live by independent journalists (yes there are such people now in Japan). Many of them were saying (tweeting) that there was something amiss in both press conferences, as if some huge SHTF event was coming soon.

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