Posted on 08/04/2011 6:57:34 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
TEPCO struggling to treat contaminated water at crippled nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) is struggling to treat a massive amount of water contaminated with radioactive substances at its crisis-stricken Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.
The problems stem from persistent instability in a system that went into full operation on July 2 to purify highly radioactive water and use it to cool down the plant's reactor cores. As a result, the amount of radioactive water in the reactor buildings and other areas of the plant grounds is in fact increasing.
The water purification and recycle system must be stabilized to bring the crippled power plant under control if the evacuation orders issued in areas around the plant are to be lifted anytime soon.
"The number of technical problems has decreased, but we still can't say operations have been stabilized," Junichi Matsumoto, deputy head of TEPCO's nuclear power division, told a news conference on Aug. 3.
(Excerpt) Read more at mdn.mainichi.jp ...
P!
Any truth to reports that there are some areas in the plant where the radiation is so high that one exposure is fatal?
I heard today that there has been a shake-up in the government for those who are working with TEPCO to resolve the problem. I pray new people and a new approach yields a solution.
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