Monday, October 10, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Hydrogen-Filled Pipe: TEPCO Cut the Pipe, TIG Welded

and everything is dandy now. The whole work took about 5.5 hours on October 9, according to Yomiuri. No information of the radiation exposure for the workers who had to work in the high-radiation Reactor 1 building.

TEPCO, which has caused the worst nuclear disaster in the world since Chernobyl (if not ever), is not at all interested in finding out WHY hydrogen gas was in the pipe.

The information that it was TIG welding came from the independent journalist Ryuichi Kino, who attends almost all TEPCO press conferences.

From TEPCO's handouts for the press on October 10:

(Pipe cutting operation)




(After the pipe was cut: the bottom part was welded shut, but I see duct tape on the top part...)




Good weld, I think. But my understanding is that TIG welding takes more time than other types of welding. I wonder what the radiation exposure for the welder was. I hope he was paid extremely well.

This bottom part of the pipe connects to the Suppression Chamber. The top part is where TEPCO will attach the "gas management" system.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

msot likely the valves between the CV and the Pipe were damaged.
the reactor has taken some pretty big whacks from Earthquakes,
explosions and extended periods of pressure rise in the CV, i wouldn't doubt the butterfly valves are a little bent and allowing hydrogen in.

Anonymous said...

Hydrogen's a tiny molecule. It leaks through regular valves quite readily.

Atomfritz said...

The upper part of the pipe appears to have been fastened somehow very temporarily.

Let's hope that the pipe won't crack or even fall of at the next earthquake. I doubt this hotfix' earthquake safety has been verified.

And, let's hope that the duct-taped connection to the drywell remains tight and does not blow hydrogen into the rest of the reactor building.

Maybe else we'll hear new ominous "strange sounds" from the buildings soon.

Anonymous said...

i heard when they collect pay, they get the regular 80-100/day rate. yakuza guy says things like "winning" "good luck with that"

Anonymous said...

Anon 2

hydrogen does even leak through solid iron, but the molecular diffusion rate is really low. we saw the rate rise from 1-100% in a day so, that says cracked seat, or valve leak to me.

Anonymous said...

Probably Machine TIG welded. Automated TIG Pipe welders are fairly common. Although since TEPCO is running the show its possible they did use a human instead.

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