(UPDATE: Additional information from TEPCO's press conference on November 2 in a new post.)
TEPCO poured the water with boric acid into the reactor to prevent re-criticality.
From NHK News (6:38AM JST 11/2/2011):
東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の２号機の格納容器から、核分裂反応が起きた時にできる放射性物質のキセノンが検出され、東京電力は核分裂反応が起きている可能性が否定できないとして、原子炉に核分裂反応を抑えるホウ酸水を注入しました。
Xenon has been detected in the Containment Vessel of Reactor 2 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Xenon is created when there is nuclear fission.
福島第一原発の２号機では、先月２８日から格納容器の中から気体を吸い出し、フィルターを通して放射性物質を取り除く装置の運転を始めていて、この装置の出口付近で放射性物質の種類や濃度を測定して分析しています。その結果、１日に行った分析で、核燃料のウラン２３５が核分裂してできる放射性物質のキセノン１３３と、キセノン１３５が検出されたということです。
The gas management system has been operating since October 28 in Reactor 2 to suck out the gas from the Containment Vessel and filter out radioactive materials. TEPCO has been analyzing the gas to identify the nuclides and density. The analysis done on November 1 found xenon-133 and xenon-135, which are created when uranium-235 undergoes nuclear fission.
キセノン１３３は放射性物質の量が半分になる半減期が５日と短いため、東京電力は、再び核分裂反応が起きている可能性が否定できないとして、午前３時前から１時間にわたって原子炉に核分裂反応を抑えるホウ酸水の注入を行いました。
Xenon-133's half life is 5 days. TEPCO says it could not rule out the possibility of nuclear chain reaction happening again, so the company poured water with boric acid into the reactor to suppress the nuclear chain reaction for one hour starting 3AM [on November 2].
東京電力によりますと、原子炉の温度や圧力、それに敷地周辺の放射線量を計測しているモニタリングポストの値に大きな変動はないため、核分裂反応が起きていても規模は小さいとしています。経済産業省の原子力安全・保安院によりますと、検出されたキセノンの濃度は低く、原子炉の温度などに変化がないことから、今のところ燃料が再び溶融しているとは考えにくいとしていますが、ホウ酸水を注入したあともキセノンの検出が継続されないかどうか、状況を見極めるとしています。
According to TEPCO, there is not much change in the reactor temperature or pressure, or at the monitoring posts that measure radiation levels in and around the plant compound. Therefore, if the nuclear chain reaction is happening, it is small-scale, says the company. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says since the density of xenon detected is low and there is no change in the reactor temperature and other parameters, it is hard to imagine the fuel is melting again. But the Agency says it will monitor the situation to see if xenon continues to be detected after pouring in the water with boric acid.
Reactor 2 is where hydrogen gas concentration was rising the other day.
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7 comments:
That is not good at all.
Reactor in meltdown lose the careful fuel/water spacings that slow the neutrons just enough to sustain the fission.
Blobs of fuel do not do that, according to the book.
But if even TEPCO is suggesting that it is happening, even on a small scale, it seems an impossibility has again become real.
Well, it might also indicate, that the corium has long left the reactor vessel and is now far enough away from the temperature sensors to allow the measurement of temperatures below 100 degrees.
But that possibility is ruled out be TEPCO because of '?????' ? Yes, exactly that is the reason..... Whoops, sorry there is no reason.
Anyway, no need to worry, it is just 'small scale' -> meaning it is smaller than in March. Hahahaha
Enjoy your radiant life *sigh*
What ever happened to cold shut down ahead of schedule?
in a democracy where people love their children in a healthy way, the opposition party would call for an election to have normal and reasonable upper limit level maximum of radiation intake per year. The opposition party would win the election and these ridiculous "maximum" limits would be reduced. The population would vote for that opposition party and the government would be forced out.
@6:54 PM
I would like to believe that but following the reports, it seems like the majority of people in Japan will choose money/prosperity over "minor" dose of radiation which have not really been "proven" to cause deaths.
The human has this tendency to borrow into the future (atomic waste handling, global debt etc.). Some day, somebody other than us will solve problems created by us.
May be the Japanese have discovered "cold fission"! It is true that most inventions were discovered by accidents or failures.
@Anonymous, 7:38AM:
There is NO food, which protects your genom from radiation damage. Antioxydants might reduce the effects of ionizing radition creating chemical radicals, so your damaged body cells will die at a slower rate and cancer, heart attacks et al. will hit you a bit later.
But any genetical damage will accumulate and will be passed to and increase with each generation.
After some generations there will be no healty people in Japan at all.
Japanese people will extinct within the next 500 to 1000 years. Or turning into mutated animals living on the trees again.
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