(UPDATED) Just In from TEPCO: Whiff of Steam from Reactor 3 Operating Floor at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

(UPDATE-2) From Ryuichi Kino's tweets (here and here), who asked TEPCO's PR:

湯気が出ているのは機器ピット（定期点検時に原子炉内の構造物を収納しておくプール。使用済み燃料プールくらい大きい）と格納容器の間くらいだが、具体的にどこからというのは確認できていない。止まったらメールでお知らせする

The location of the steam is somewhere between the DSP and the Containment Vessel. Cannot pinpoint the exact location yet. TEPCO will notify if the stem stops.

機器ピットのプールは、定期点検の時に原子炉内の構造物を取り出して入れておくためのものなので、今はなにも入ってません。プールに水は張ってあったと思うのですが、東電本店は「水素爆発もあったので、わからない。どこまで見れているのか」と。

The DSP is empty. [Kino thinks] the pool was filled with water, but TEPCO HQ says "We don't know for sure, after the hydrogen explosion. We don't know how much we can see".

I wonder if TEPCO will make the video available.

(UPDATE-2) TEPCO says it is rainwater evaporated on the CV. See my latest post.

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(UPDATE-1) TEPCO says the steam is still being observed as of 1PM. No significant changes in plant parameters. The company says it has confirmed that there is no re-criticality happening.

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From TEPCO's email notice to the press (7/18/2013), via TEPCO's tweet about 15 minutes ago (at 9:51AM):

福島第一原子力発電所３号機原子炉建屋５階中央部近傍（機器貯蔵プール側）で湯気らしきものの確認について

Observation of what looked like steam near the center of the 5th floor of Reactor 3 (on the side of the Device Storage Pool) at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant

本日（７月18日）午前８時20分頃、瓦礫撤去作業前のカメラによる現場確認において、３号機原子炉建屋５階中央部近傍（機器貯蔵プール側）より、湯気らしきものが漂っていることを協力企業作業員が確認しました。

Today (July 18) at about 8:20AM, an affiliate company worker spotted what looked like steam floating near the center of the 5th floor of Reactor 3 (on the side of the Device Storage Pool) during video monitoring prior to the start of the debris removal work.

なお、主要プラント関連パラメータ（原子炉格納容器・圧力容器圧力の温度および圧力、キセノン濃度）に有意な変動はありません。

There is no significant change in the major plant parameters (temperature, pressure, xenon density).

また、モニタリングポストおよび連続ダストモニタの値に有意な変動はありません。

There is no significant change in the measurements at monitoring posts and continuous dust monitoring.

What could be in there steaming? I don't know if there is anything in the DSP of Reactor 3. There shouldn't, as Reactor 3 was in operation when the earthquake hit on March 11, 2011. Reactor 4's DSP is filled with water, and it has the removed core shroud and other equipments.

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