#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Leak from Reverse Osmosis Apparatus (Desalination), Probably High Tritium and Beta Contamination

Another leak at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, and no one cares. Not even TEPCO cares, as the leak was first found at 8:30AM on March 26, but there will be no press conference (now it's once a day) until 6PM.

From TEPCO's email on March 26, 2012 sent out to reporters who have signed up for email notices (from Ryuichi Kino's tweets):

本日（３月26日）午前８時30分頃、福島第一原子力発電所の淡水化装置（逆浸透膜式）の濃縮水貯槽があるタンクエリアにおいて、淡水化装置から濃縮水を濃縮水貯槽に送る配管（耐圧ホース）より水が漏えいしていることを、協力企業作業員が発見しました

Today (March 26) at 8:30AM, an affiliate company worker discovered a leak from the pipe (pressure hose) that transports concentrated water from the reverse osmosis apparatus to the storage tank.

水の漏えいを停止するために、淡水化装置（逆浸透膜式）を停止したことで、午前９時頃、配管（耐圧ホース）からの水の漏えいはほぼ停止しております。漏れた水の一部は付近の排水溝に流れ込んでおり、現在、発電所敷地外への放出の有無について確認を行っております

To stop the leak, we stopped the operation of the reverse osmosis apparatus. The leak from the pipe has stopped almost completely. Part of the leaked water has gone into the nearby drain. We are investigating whether the water leaked outside the plant.

Kino's comments:

淡水化装置は、サリーやキュリオンといったセシウムの吸着塔から出てきた汚染水から塩分を取り除き、原子炉に戻せるようにする部分。メールを見ると、逆浸透膜で処理した濃縮塩水が漏れてるので、セシウム以外の放射性物質、とくに全ベータが濃い部分ではないかと。

The reverse osmosis apparatus is to desalinate the water from the cesium absorption towers like SARRY and Kurion so that the water could be injected back into the reactors. According to TEPCO's email, the concentrated salt water after the reverse osmosis is leaking. Probably high concentration of radioactive materials except for cesium, particularly all beta radioactivity.

漏れに気がついた時間は朝の８時半。以前なら、午前１１時の会見で少しは状況が説明されていたけども、今は夕方しか会見がないので、各紙、テレビ等は広報に個別確認。う〜ん、ほんとは公式に説明したほうがいいんだけど。。。

The leak was discovered at 8:30 in the morning. When there was a TEPCO press conference at 11AM a new development like this was explained in the press conference. Now there is only one press conference in the evening, so the newspapers and TV will separately ask TEPCO's PR department. I think it would be better for TEPCO to make an official announcement...

Well, let's see from TEPCO's own information what kind of radioactive materials exist in what concentration in the water after being treated in the reverse osmosis apparatus.

From TEPCO's handout for the press on February 29, 2012, the water after being treated by the reverse osmosis (desalination) had:

• H-3 (tritium): 2,900 becquerels/cubic centimeter (or 2,900,000 becquerels/liter)

• All beta: 36 becquerels/cubic centimeter (or 36,000 becquerels/liter)

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