TEPCO at Atomic Energy Society of Japan: Reactor 2 May Have Leaked Radioactive Materials from Heat-Damaged Containment Vessel Seal

4 TEPCO researchers attending the Spring Conference of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan (AESJ) made their presentation on the first day of the Conference on March 19.

From Fukushima Minpo (3/25/2012; part):

ただ、東電が新たに示した事実もあった。事故発生から５日目の昨年３月１５日に原発周辺の放射線量が急上昇したことへの見解だった。東電は「２号機の原子炉格納容器の上部にあるシール（封印箇所）が熱で損傷し、放射性物質が漏れ出した可能性が高い」との見方を示した。

However, there was a new piece of information from TEPCO, which was TEPCO's opinion [hypothesis] about the rapid rise of radiation levels around Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on March 15, 2011, 5 days after the start of the nuclear accident. TEPCO said, "It is highly likely that the seal[s?] on the upper part of the Reactor 2 Containment Vessel was damaged by the heat, and radioactive materials leaked from there."

　ただ、発表終了後、報道陣の質問に対して、東電の担当者は「どう漏れたか、はっきりしたことはまだ分かっていない」と最終的な結論は出ていないことを説明した。

But after the presentation, one of the researchers answered the questions from the press and said "The detailed mechanism of the leak is still not known", and that there was no final conclusion reached yet.

　事故発生から１年が経過したが、東電や政府は原子炉の格納容器や圧力容器の内部を正確に把握できていない。東電の発表には「推定される」「思われる」などの語句がたびたび使われた。事故の原因や進展経過を十分に解明するには、依然として判断材料が乏しいことをうかがわせた。

It has been one year since the start of the accident, but TEPCO and the national government still haven't figured out what's been going on inside the Containment Vessels and Pressure Vessels of the reactors. TEPCO often used the words "to be presumed" or "to be considered" in the presentation. It seems there is still not enough information to fully understand the cause of the accident and how it progressed.

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