Japan to Head Off Hydrogen Blast

[FourScore]

Japan to Head Off Hydrogen Blast
APRIL 7, 2011
By MITSURU OBE And GEORGE NISHIYAMA

TOKYO—Tokyo Electric Power Co. launched efforts to stem the possibility of a hydrogen explosion at its damaged nuclear power complex, highlighting new dangers that are arising even as others recede.

Early Thursday morning, workers at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex began injecting nitrogen into the containment vessel of Reactor No. 1. The effort was a bid to head off the potential that hydrogen gas in the reactor could mix with oxygen and explode, damaging the reactor's containment vessel and leaking large quantities of radioactive material.

Hidehiko Nishiyama, spokesman for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, said the measure is being taken "as a precautionary step." He added: "There is no immediate risk of a hydrogen explosion occurring."

The move follows news that the U.S. nuclear regulator had reached an assessment more than a week and a half ago that operations to gain control of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant faced challenges more dire than those the Japanese government was conceding at the time. These included the possibility of a hydrogen blast and extreme difficulties in cooling the plant's No. 1 reactor...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013604576246031636413412.html

[Raschel]

1. Operations to gain control faced more dire challenges than the Japanese gov't was conceding.

Can ya believe it? :eyes: :nuke:

[Mnemosyne]

2. K&R n/t