Tuesday, July 12, 2011

#Contaminated Water System: Leak Was from the Same Joint

It turns out the July 12 leak in AREVA's coagulation/coprecipitation unit was from the same location where the July 10 leak had happened.

If you recall, the July 10 leak was from the cracked PVC coupler that connected the PVC hose and a small metal tube welded to the bigger metal pipe. TEPCO replaced the PVC coupler with a metal coupler.

Well, that metal coupler, made of cast iron, was corroded away by ferric sulfates in the chemical fed through the hose in less than 2 days, and started to leak again. So, the July 12 version of the leak fix was to replace this corroded cast iron coupler with the stainless steel one and hope for the best.

TEPCO's Matsumoto said in the press conference on July 12 that they didn't think the cast iron coupler would corrode because it had metal plating. About 10 liters of the contaminated water and the chemical had leaked before the system was stopped.

Here's before and after photos from TEPCO on July 12:

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Field of view is limited again, but at least now you don't see tension in the hose attached to the coupler. Basic.

Anonymous said...

LOL! I have higher standards than TEPCO! I only use stainless steel carriage bolts and hardware on my bicycles. One of them is on it's twentieth season with only minor tweaks to keep it on the road.

Shadowfax said...

I am shocked at how mickey mouse their solutions are.
PVC couplers,cast iron couplers!???I live on my sailboat and only use stainless steel.
Cast iron and PVC couplers in a Nuclear reactor that has melted down?It is a no brainer to chose stainless steel over cast iron....scary stuff.
Very indicative of the iron bound ;) Japanese company culture.

Anonymous said...

".. at least now you don't see tension in the hose attached to the coupler."

Then again, the picture is along the axis of the pipe so .. ?

Anonymous said...

Robbie001 sez:

If the "metal plating" on the cast iron coupler was zinc it was guaranteed to fail. Some versions of stainless steel can be pretty corrosion resistant but there are many grades and types of SS that will still corrode under adverse chemical conditions. Why this facility wasn't cobbled together with the best quality materials from the start boggles the mind. TEPCO's original road map to ruin absolutely depended on the water treatment plant operating at full output 24/7 for months on end to supply cooling and lower the volume of contaminated water. You don't get 24/7 "perfection" with inferior components. This is supposed to be a "national nuclear emergency" and they can't come up with something simple like proper fittings the first time around? This doesn't really fill me with hope for the future remediation endeavors at the facility.

PM Kan't has already said Japan needs to develop the technology to clean up the mess and so far it has been a rocky start. The main problem in nuclear remediation is money, that is why Chernobyl is still an oozing wound after 25 years of standing around whistling with their hand out. I have a feeling when the remediation bills start coming due corners will be cut so much that it will generate an unending circle of ignored and concealed problems. Since the expense is going to be ultimately passed on to the taxpayer/ratepayer it will be easy for TEPCO and the JGOV to control criticism over their shoddy remediation efforts.

Anonymous said...

maybe the level of water in the trenches decline, but this could be because of the evaporation from the warm season's heat. And not because of the water system. It could be infer that the concentration of radiation in the water in the trenches is possibly increasing.

Bruce Hayden said...

It seems to me that TEPCO and the Japanese government have wanted this situation to go on from day one. Perhaps this whole situation is japan's contribution to the overpopulation problem. If I were in the WH I would have invaded Japan by now and accepted help from the Russians.
This Mickey Mouse shit has got to stop!

Unknown said...

Quality information you have shared! Great work.
To know more on solutions for water leakage click here

Post a Comment