Cooling function operable at 2 reactors (NHKNews)

[jannyk]

Hooray!!!!

The government says parts of the cooling systems at 2 of the 6 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have been confirmed to be operable.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference on Saturday that an emergency diesel generator at the No. 6 reactor has resumed operation.

The agency also said that a cooling pump, at the No. 5 reactor, has been confirmed to be usable, and that workers started cooling the spent fuel storage pool there at 5 AM on Saturday.

The agency said the radiation level at the west gate of the plant, located about 1.1 kilometers west of the No. 3 reactor, was relatively high at 830.8 microsieverts per hour at 8:10 AM. But it said the figure fell to 364.5 microsieverts at 9:00 AM.

Saturday, March 19, 2011 14:07 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_15.html

[Hannah Bell]

1. also heard per yosoko that water spraying with the special

truck able to spray 3 tons per minute has resumed at plant 3. reportedly just announced on nhk japan.

[flamingdem]

2. That's a triumph, considering nt

[FedUpWithIt All]

3. It is wonderful to hear some good news.

Thank you for sharing this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. YEAH

[gauguin57]

5. Indeed. Thank God for some good news in a sea of s***

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :toast: :toast: :toast: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Codeine]

6. Put mildly,

FUCK YEAH!

[jannyk]

7. And Re-enforecements too -More Tokyo firefighters join the battle

A second group of 100 Tokyo firefighters is heading for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to join operations to cool down the reactors.

The second contingent will replace the first group of 139 members. Officials say the rotation is designed to ensure the safety of firefighters working in an environment in which high levels of radiation have been detected.

Using a special vehicle that can project water from a height of 22 meters, members of the first group sprayed seawater on the spent nuclear fuel storage pool inside the No. 3 reactor.

Officials say that a total of 60 tons of seawater was successfully sprayed into the building during a 20-minute operation early Saturday morning.

The second contingent, comprising 14 fire engines, is expected to arrive at a staging area near the power plant before noon on Saturday.

Saturday, March 19, 2011 11:11 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_11.html




150 in the first group - I hope these guys stay safe

[Electric Monk]

8. Those sacrificing themselves for the greater good here are heroes.

They know what they're risking and giving up. They deserve R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Very much like firefighters (etc) on 9/11/01 in New York.


I would like to suggest that the head of TEPCO pay them a personal visit on site to thank them.

[suffragette]

9. Good news!

K&R

[GliderGuider]

10. Not to rain on the parade, but reactors 5 and 6 weren't in any major trouble.

5 and 6 had problems with cooling in their spent fuel pools, but there was no fuel in the reactors themselves. Reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the ones with the nightmares, and it looks like the new power feed won't do anything for them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. update

BreakingNews Breaking News
Reactors 5 and 6 at quake-stricken Dai-ichi nuke plant being cooled by pumps powered by emergency diesel generators - NISA
51 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

BreakingNews Breaking News
Water spraying begins over Fukushima reactor No. 3 to prevent meltdown at Dai-ichi plant - Kyodo
1 hour ago

BreakingNews Breaking News
Backup power systems at Fukushima Dai-ichi plant were improperly protected, vulnerable to tsunami - nuke safety agency
39 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Electric Monk]

13. it's like a game of telephone. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. It is worst, at this pont it is a snow job

corexit is safe... really... milk with higher rads is not that dangerous for you, nor is contaminated spinach.

God help them

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x687425

[necso]

12. I've heard recently on NHK World

that 1,260 tons of water is planned to be sprayed ("pumped" in fire engine terms) into number-three's storage pool. I also heard earlier that the pool holds 1,000 tons of water (I've heard different figures; but even if the pool holds 2,000 tons, the planned spraying-volume is still relatively a large amount of water.)

So this operation could have significant effects. There did seem to be a lot of steam and smoke(?) when the operation started (the footage is from a considerable distance, so it's hard to be sure) -- like with previous spraying operations I've seen pictures of.

Obviously, I can't personally verify the numbers; but the previously claimed 60 tons in 20 minutes is consistent with 1,260 tons in 7 hours (420 minutes, or 21 times as long), and the pool size seems roughly consistent with previous statements (1,300, 2,000 tons) and the physical constraints.

[daleo]

15. I thought 5 and 6 weren't in any danger of meltdown anyway

I thought those two were offline before the tsunami hit.