NRC, TEPCO Release Information on Damaged Fuel at Fukushima Daiichi

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently working alongside several different organizations including Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo) at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. NRC has recently submitted its assessment of the situation to TEPCO in which it postulates that fragments of damaged nuclear fuel are collecting at the bottom of the pressure chambers of the reactors of units 1, 2 and 3. The fuel rods within the reactors have become encased in a crystallized layer of salt derived from the seawater used in emergency cooling efforts.

The salt collecting on the fuels rods is acting as an insulator and is hindering both heat escape and freshwater cooling efforts. Unit 1's pressure is still high and this could be due to the fact that it has collected more salt than either units 2 or 3. The presence of salt in water is also facilitating the creation of hydrogen gas, which TEPCO is currently combating with nitrogen gas injection in order to prevent explosions. Seawater was used as a "lesser of two evils," as allowing the reactors to become too hot before freshwater could be introduced could have led to greater problems.

TEPCO announced on Friday, April 8, that Unit 1's fuel had been exposed to air as early as March 12. It has been determined that 70% of Unit 1's 400 rods have suffered damage. Of the 548 rods in Unit 2's reactor, 30% have been damaged, while 25% of Unit 3's 548 rods have been damaged. Units 4, 5 and 6 were offline at the time of March 11's earthquake and fuel was not present in the reactors.

The United States has announced that it will be sending two large-scale pumps typically used for pouring cement for skyscrapers and bridges. Manufacturer Putzmeister (Aichtal, Germany) has stated that the pumps will be effective in direct targeting of the reactors in order to cool them more sufficiently with freshwater. The pumps are scheduled to depart the United States on Friday, April 8.

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