#Contaminated Water Treatment: AREVA's Unit is Back, Kurion Is Still Down

First, about AREVA's pump that feeds chemicals:

According to NHK Japanese (8/7/2011) who cannot mention names of the companies as a public broadcaster,

福島第一原発では、７日午前８時すぎに汚染水の浄化設備のうち、フランス製の装置で汚染水に処理用の薬剤を流し込むポンプが停止したうえに予備のポンプも動かず、浄化設備全体の運転が停止しました。

The pump for the chemicals for the treatment for the contaminated water stopped in the French-made system [AREVA] stopped at 8AM on August 7. The backup pump failed to start, and the entire treatment system shut down.

東京電力では、薬剤の粘りけが強いためにポンプに負荷がかかって停止したものとみて、薬剤を流す力を調整したうえで午後３時半すぎに運転を再開しましたが、予備のポンプが動かなかった理由は分かっていません。

According to TEPCO, the viscosity of the chemicals were too strong, putting too much pressure on the pump. TEPCO adjusted the flow of the chemicals and restarted the pump at 3:30PM. The reason why the backup pump didn't work is still unknown.

And Kurion's pumps are still offline, according to NHK.

With Toshiba's SARRY not even in the test run yet and Kurion offline, the contaminated water treatment is done by Toshiba's oil separation unit - AREVA's co-precipitation decontamination unit - Hitachi's desalination by reverse osmosis - AREVA and Toshiba's evaporative concentration unit (new). Decontamination is totally dependent on AREVA's unit for now.

Snippets that I pick up from Twitter and some Japanese magazine articles interviewing anonymous high-level managers at Fukushima I Nuke Plant indicate that the workers have almost given up on having Kurion and AREVA units run without frequent problems, and are pinning their hope on Toshiba's SARRY. But they do say they are impressed with AREVA's unit's ability to decontaminate. When it is working, that is.

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