Former plant engineer talks Tepco is taking a chance for reactor 4

Following up this article http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/01/m7-hit-japan-and-water-leakage-at-reactor4/

Tepco officially admitted the decreasing water level of the tank at reactor 4 was caused by the earthquake on 1/1/2012.(Source)

Tepco states the water did not flow into the tank from water cooling system but flew into the container vessel instead.

However they still have not announced they managed to fixed the broken part of the reactor.

Currently, Tepco is trying to remove the broken parts (wall) of reactor 4.

A former plant engineer tweets like below:

@cmk2wl
cmk2wl
4号機まずいな。東電HPにある写真だけど、筋交いの役割をする壁を撤去している。このタイミングで地震が来たら、横方向の力には耐えられない。(Source

<Translation>

From the picture of Tepco, they are removing the brace of reactor 4. If another earthquake hits the plant now it can’t stand the horizontal oscillation.

<End>

He also points out the pillar for the pool may weaken the building itself.

@cmk2wl
cmk2wl
4号機。こんな補強では、プールの底面を支える事はできるかもしれないけど、建家全体には重さが負担になるのでは。(Source)

<Translation>

About reactor 4. The pillar might help to support the spent fuel pool but might add too much weight to the building.

<End>

@cmk2wl
cmk2wl
4号機。屋根トラスを撤去するのは理解できるけど、横方向の梁まで撤去してないか? ろくな補強もしないで、これをやるのは一か八かの賭けだぞ。地震は必ず来るのに。(Source)

<Translation>

It’s rational for them to take away the ceiling truss ,but they look like they are taking out even the horizontal joist. Without a proper reinforcement – it is almost like a gamble. If another earthquake hits the reactor 4 it could collapse the building.

<End>

@cmk2wl
cmk2wl
@Portirland 爆発と放射能と高温と湿度とで酸化して、構造材だって相当に弱くなっている筈なんです。しかも傾いている。土建屋にまかせているんだとすれば、そういった変数まで計算に入れてないかも。(Source)

<Translate>

Considering the explosion, radiation, heat and humidity, the constructional material must have been so weaken because of oxidation. and it’s leaning. If Tepco outsource it all to a construction company, they might not take those risks into consideration.

<End>

About this site

This website updates the latest news about the Fukushima nuclear plant and also archives the past news from 2011. Because it's always updated and added live, articles, categories and the tags are not necessarily fitted in the latest format.
I am the writer of this website. About page remains in 2014. This is because my memory about 311 was clearer than now, 2023, and I think it can have a historical value. Now I'm living in Romania with 3 cats as an independent data scientist.
Actually, nothing has progressed in the plant since 2011. We still don't even know what is going on inside. They must keep cooling the crippled reactors by water, but additionally groundwater keeps flowing into the reactor buildings from the broken parts. This is why highly contaminated water is always produced more than it can circulate. Tepco is planning to officially discharge this water to the Pacific but Tritium is still remaining in it. They dilute this with seawater so that it is legally safe, but scientifically the same amount of radioactive tritium is contained. They say it is safe to discharge, but none of them have drunk it.

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