Japanese Researcher: "Reactor 2 Suppression Chamber May Have Been Damaged in the Earthquake"

The researcher, Fumiya Tanabe, is the same one who also said back in August that the fuel of Reactor 3 had melted twice and dropped onto the Containment Vessel.

If what he says is true that the Reactor 2's Suppression Chamber broke during the earthquake, it may have grave implications for all the other nuclear reactors in Japan with the same earthquake specifications.

Reactor 2's building exterior is pretty much intact, with only one hole on the side of the building. Yet, the NISA's estimate shows this reactor may have released more radioactive materials than the other reactors (1 and 3). If the Suppression Chamber was broken as soon as the earthquake hit on March 11, that may explain it.

From Kyodo News Japanese (11/19/2011):

東京電力福島第１原発２号機で、原子炉格納容器下部の圧力抑制プールが地震の揺れで早期に損傷したか、劣化した可能性が高いとする解析結果を１９日までに、原子力安全の専門家がまとめた。

An expert in nuclear safety complied the result of the analysis by November 19 that shows the high possibility of the Suppression Chamber of Reactor 2 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant having been damaged or degraded by the earthquake.

　東電は、地震による原子炉の明らかな損傷はなく、津波による電源喪失が事故原因との立場。揺れで損傷していれば、福島第１と同様に従来の耐震基準が適用されている他の原発への影響も必至だ。東電や政府の事故調査・検証委員会の調査結果が注目される。

TEPCO still maintains its position that there was no visible damage to the reactors by the earthquake, and the cause of the accident was the loss of power because of tsunami. If the reactors were damaged by the earthquake, it would affect other nuclear power plants in Japan whose anti-earthquake standards are the same as those of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. A closer look at the result of investigation by TEPCO and the fact-finding committee of the national government would be warranted.

　解析したのは日本原子力研究開発機構の元研究者で、社会技術システム安全研究所（茨城県ひたちなか市）の田辺文也所長。

The researcher who did the analysis is Fumiya Tanabe, a former researcher at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and the current head of the Research Institute on Safety of Technology Systems (my translation, and not the formal name of the organization; 社会技術システム安全研究所) in Hitachinaka City in Ibaraki Prefecture.

I am trying to locate the details of his findings.

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