nuclear-news

Leakage of 4 tons of liquid at minus 30 degrees Celsius at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

The frozen wall was a temporary solution for maximum 7 years and the time has run out anyway.

January 23, 2022

There was a problem at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant where about 4 tons of liquid leaked out of a pipe that was injected into the ground to freeze the ground as part of the “frozen earth wall” that forms an “ice wall” around the buildings to prevent the inflow of underground water. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) believes that a part of the pipe may have been damaged, and has decided to hurry to identify the location and repair it.

According to TEPCO, on January 16, the water level dropped in two of the four tanks that contain liquid at minus 30 degrees Celsius, which is used to freeze the ground around the buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and when they checked the area around the frost wall, they found a place where this liquid had accumulated.

The leaked liquid is a calcium chloride solution that acts as a “refrigerant” to freeze the ground, and it is estimated that about 4 tons of the liquid leaked from the water level of the tanks.

Even if the refrigerant leaks out, there is still a few months before the freezing wall itself starts to melt, so it is still functioning to prevent the inflow of groundwater, according to the report.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) believes that part of the pipe may have been damaged, and is hurrying to identify the location and repair it.

The freezing wall has been in operation since 2016, but last year some parts of the freezing wall experienced problems with the underground temperature remaining above 0 degrees Celsius, and TEPCO is investigating the cause and taking countermeasures.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220123/k10013445291000.html?fbclid=IwAR06soHF-koVniJxnYVyMeADSSul3AXZTrGbMAW7folqVBtmfgk93cS5TLs

January 24, 2022 - Posted by dunrenard | Fuk 2022 | Fukushima Daiichi, Ice wall, Leakage