Saturday, October 1, 2011

TEPCO Now Says There Was No Hydrogen Explosion at Reactor 2

From Yomiuri Shinbun (3:03AM JST 10/2/2011):

福島第一原子力発電所の事故を巡り、東京電力が社内に設置した「福島原子力事故調査委員会」(委員長=山崎雅男副社長)の中間報告案の詳細が明らかになった。

Details of an interim report by TEPCO's internal "Fukushima nuclear accident investigation committee" (headed by Vice President Masao Yamazaki) were revealed.

 2号機で水素爆発があったとする従来の見解を覆し、爆発はなかったと結論付けた。事故を招いた津波について「想定できなかった」と釈明し、初期対応の遅れについても、「やむを得なかった」との見解を示すなど、自己弁護の姿勢が目立つ。東電は、社外有識者による検証委員会に報告案を諮った後、公表する方針だ。

The committee reversed the company's position that there had been a hydrogen explosion in Reactor 2, and now concluded there was no such explosion. As to the tsunami that triggered the accident, the committee says "it was beyond expectations"; of the delay in initial response to the accident, the committee concludes "it couldn't be helped". Overall, the report looks full of self-justification. TEPCO plans to run the report with the verification committee made of outside experts before it publishes the report.

 同原発では、1号機の原子炉建屋が3月12日午後に水素爆発を起こしたのに続き、14日午前に3号機が水素爆発した。さらに15日早朝、爆発音が響き、4号機の建屋の損傷が確認された。爆発音の直後に2号機の格納容器下部の圧力抑制室の圧力が急落したため、東電は2、4号機でほぼ同時に爆発が起きたとし、政府も6月、国際原子力機関(IAEA)に同様の報告をしていた。

At Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, the Reactor 1 reactor building blew up in a hydrogen explosion in the afternoon of March 12, followed by a hydrogen explosion of Reactor 3 in the morning of March 14. Further, in the early morning on March 15, there was an explosive sound, and the damage to the Reactor 4 reactor building was confirmed. Right after the explosive sound the pressure in the Suppression Chamber of Reactor 2 dropped sharply, which led TEPCO to conclude that there were near-simultaneous explosions in Reactors 2 and 4. The Japanese government reported the events as such in the report to IAEA in June.

So then what does TEPCO now think happened in Reactor 2 in the early morning on March 15? Yomiuri doesn't say in the article text, but at the bottom of the illustration that accompanies the article it says:

"There was no explosion, but a possibility of some kind of damage to the Containment Vessel."

So, before TEPCO completely changes story, here's what they say happened on Reactor 2 on March 15 (from the daily "Status of TEPCO's Facilities - past progress" report, page 6):

It says "abnormal sound was confirmed near the suppression chamber" at 6:14AM on March 15.

Now, this is what TEPCO says about Reactor 4 on the same day, about the same time, from Page 16:

It says "an explosive sound was heard" at 6AM on March 15. The Reactor 4 explosion occurred before the Reactor 2 "explosion" which TEPCO now says never happened.

The two sounds are 14 minutes apart, and TEPCO now claims they misheard the second one and there was no explosion in the Suppression Chamber of Reactor 2.

(By the way, the fire spotted at 9:38AM on March 15 on Reactor 4 was never reported to the local fire department or the local government, as I reported on March 15.)

Well I can't wait to read their report and see how they explain away how Reactor 2 is supposed to have spewed more radioactive materials far and wide than any other Reactors.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think this explanation could be correct. They say: they was propably no exlosion but (just)a melt through at no2. No need for hypersensationalism. This meltthrough let to the enormous outwash of radioactive substances through the turbine building.

Anonymous said...

with all the lies Tepco has been saying they have 0 integrity at this point with me. The same goes for their government.. after somebody lie's to me I really don't believe much of anything they say after the lies are apparent.

Anonymous said...

Until they come with a coherent narrative, has the damage at the suppression pool in No.2 been confirmed at all?

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@anon 7:01PM, no. There is no way to confirm any time soon, as the basement of Reactor 2 is flooded with water, like other basements. They can say whatever they want to say, because there's no way to verify what they say by a third party.

Anonymous said...

I guess the first quotation from TEPCO report "So, before TEPCO completely changes story, here's what they say happened on Reactor 4" means reactor 2, not 4. ==Elena==

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@Elena, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Thank YOU, Laprimavera, for you provide the most timely and reliable info on the subject. ==Elena==

Anonymous said...

Yours is the best web site to keep up to date on what is and has been happening posts!

Here is what Mr. Kan has to say about the events:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-19/kan-reveals-tokyo-evacuation-plans/2905474/?site=melbourne

Anonymous said...

Water hammer is essentially a pressure wave. While technically not an explosion, it is capable of rupturing piping.

Anonymous said...

And we all have the US and Israel to thank for the Stuxnet Virus.

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