*Updates are underlined.
All 6 units of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station have been shut down.
Unit 1 (Shut down)
- Explosive sound and white smoke were confirmed after the big quake
occurred at 3:36 pm on March 12. It was assumed to be hydrogen explosion.
- At 3:37 pm on March 25, we started injecting freshwater to the reactor
and are now injecting fresh water by a motor driven pump powered by the
off-site transmission line.
The current water injection volume is approx 4.2m3/h from the reactor
feed water system.
- We commenced injection of nitrogen gas into Primary Containment Vessel
at 1:31 am on April 7.
- At 11:22 am on August 10, we started cyclic cooling for the water in the
spent fuel pool by an alternative cooling equipment of the Fuel Pool
Cooling and Filtering System.
- On October 28, we completed installation of the cover for the Reactor
Building in order to contain dispersion of radioactive substances.
- At 4:04 pm on November 30, we started operation to inject nitrogen into
the reactor pressure vessel.
- At 10:44 am on December 5 we started increasing nitrogen injection to
the reactor , from which we started on November 30 from approx. 5Nm3/h
to 10Nm3/h, due to stabilized parameters of the facilities of the power
plants such as the Reactor Pressure Vessel and the Primary Containment
Vessel.
Unit 2 (Shut down)
- At approximately 6:00 am on March 15, an abnormal noise began emanating
from nearby Pressure Suppression Chamber and the pressure within the
chamber decreased.
- At 10:10 am on March 26, we started injecting freshwater to the reactor
and are now injecting fresh water by a motor driven pump powered by the
off-site transmission line.
- At 2:59 pm on September 14, we started injecting water to the reactor
through core spray system water injection piping arrangement in addition
to the water injection through reactor feed water system piping
arrangement.
Water is currently injected at approx. 3.1m3/h through reactor feed
water system piping arrangement, and at approx. 4.3 m3/h through core
spray system water injection piping arrangement.
- At 5:21 pm on May 31, we started cyclic cooling for the water in the
spent fuel pool by an alternative cooling equipment of the Fuel Pool
Cooling and Filtering System.
- At 8:06 pm on June 28, we started injecting nitrogen gas into the
Primary Containment Vessel.
- From 6:00 pm on October 28, we put the gas management system of the
reactor containment vessel in operation.
- At 11:04 am on November 6, we started operation of radioactive material
decontamination instrument of spent fuel pool.
- At 10:46 am on December 1, we started the nitrogen injection to the
Reactor Pressure Vessel.
Unit 3 (Shut down)
- Explosive sound and white smoke were confirmed at approximately 11:01 am
on March 14. It was assumed to be hydrogen explosion.
- At 6:02 pm on March 25, we started injecting fresh water to the reactor
and are now injecting fresh water by a motor driven pump powered by the
off-site transmission line.
- At 2:58 pm on September 1, we started water injection by core spray
system in addition to water injection by the reactor feed water system
piping arrangement.
Water is currently injected at approx. 2 m3/h through reactor feed water
system piping arrangement, and at approx. 6.1 m3/h through core spray
system water injection piping arrangement.
- At 7:47 pm on June 30, we started cyclic cooling for the water in the
spent fuel pool by an alternative cooling equipment of the Fuel Pool
Cooling and Filtering System.
- At 8:01 pm on July 14, injection of nitrogen gas into the Primary
Containment Vessel started.
- At 4:26 pm on November 30, we started operation to inject nitrogen into
the reactor pressure vessel.
- At 10:25 am on December 5 we started increasing nitrogen injection to
the reactor , from which we started on November 30 from approx. 5Nm3/h
to 10Nm3/h, due to stabilized parameters of the facilities of the power
plants such as the Reactor Pressure Vessel and the Primary Containment
Vessel.
Unit 4 (Outage due to regular inspection)
- At around 6 am on March 15, we confirmed the explosive sound and the
sustained damage around the 5th floor rooftop area of Reactor Building.
- At 12:44 pm on July 31, we started cyclic cooling for the water in the
spent fuel pool by an alternative cooling equipment of the Fuel Pool
Cooling and Filtering System.
- Regarding spent fuel pool for unit 4, from August 20 to November 8, we
had decreased salinity by using the desalting facility. In order to
decrease more salinity, we installed Ion exchange equipment and started
the equipment at 10:58 am on November 29.
- At this moment, we don't think there is any reactor coolant leakage
inside the primary containment vessel.
Unit 5 (Outage due to regular inspection)
- Sufficient level of reactor coolant to ensure safety is maintained.
- At 5:00 am on March 19, we started the Residual Heat Removal System Pump
in order to cool the spent fuel pool.
- At 2:30 pm on March 20, the reactor achieved cold shutdown.
- At 2:45 pm on July 15, we started the operation of the original Residual
Heat Removal System (System B) by its original seawater pump.
- From November 28, we started cleaning to avoid the performance
deterioration of pumps by sucking up sands etc. accumulated at the
bottom of the inlet canal pump room.
- At this moment, we don't think there is any reactor coolant leakage
inside the primary containment vessel.
Unit 6 (Outage due to regular inspection)
- Sufficient level of reactor coolant to ensure safety is maintained.
- At 10:14 pm on March 19, we started the Residual Heat Removal System
Pump of Unit 6 to cool down Spent Fuel Pool.
- At 7:27 pm on March 20, the reactor achieved cold shutdown.
- At 2:33 pm on September 15, we started separately cooling the reactor
through the Residual Heat Removal System and the spent fuel pool through
Equipment Cooling Water System and Fuel Pool Cooling System.
- At this moment, we do not think there is any reactor coolant leakage
inside PCV.
Others
- At around 10 am on June 13, we started the operation of the circulating
seawater purification facility installed at the screen area of Unit 2
and 3.
- At 8 pm on June 17, we started operation of Water Treatment Facility
against the accumulated water. At 6:00 pm on July 2, we started the
circulating injection cooling to inject the water, which was treated by
the accumulated water treatment system, to the reactors through the
buffer tank.
- At 7:41 pm on August 19, we started treatment of accumulated water by
parallel operation of one line from the cesium adsorption instrument to
the decontamination instrument and the other treatment line of the
cesium adsorption instrument No.2.
- At 2:06 pm on October 7, we started to spray purified accumulated water
brought from Unit 5 and 6 continually in order to prevent dust
scattering and potential fire outbreaks from the cut down trees.
- On October 28, we started installation of the water proof wall at the
sea side, in front of the existing shore protection, Units 1-4, in order
to contain marine pollution by underground water.
- From 9:25 am on November 15 to 10:31 am on December 5, we transferred
accumulated water from the basement of the turbine building of unit 3 to
the Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility Building.
- At 6:03 pm on November 30, we started transfer of the accumulated water
from the basement of Unit 2 turbine building to Centralized Radiation
Waste Treatment Facility High Temperature Incinerator Building.
- At 11:33 am on December 4, workers of cooperative company found that
there was puddle water inside the barrier around the evaporative
condensation apparatus (the estimated volume of water was approx. 45 m3).
At 11:52 am, we stopped the evaporative condensation apparatus 3A, and
at 12:14 pm, workers made visual inspection of the apparatus and the
leakage seemed stopped. After that, we conducted investigation and at
2:30 pm, we found that there is a crack in the barrier made of concrete,
that water was leaking to the gutter (surface dose rate of leaked water:
beta ray 110 mSv/h, gamma ray 1.8 mSv/h) and that leaked water was
distilled through the gap between the barrier and base concrete. We are
considering emergency response to stop leakage of water to the outside
of the barrier. In the meantime, the water desalination apparatus
(reverse osmosis membrane type) is continuing operation. As we have
sufficient volume of desalinated water, there is no impact on the
Reactor water injection. We piled sandbags around the gap and in the
gutter and, at 3:30 pm, we confirmed the leakage was stopped. In
addition, the accumulated water inside the barrier was transferred to
waste liquid RO tank by under water pump etc. from 6:10 pm to 10:20 pm.
Meanwhile, because the gutter is connected to general drainage canal in
the power station, water in general drainage canal around the
evaporative condensation apparatus and seawater around south discharge
channel, which is located the exit of general drainage canal, was
sampled. As a result of nuclide analysis, the result was similar extent
of or slightly higher than the latest one of published daily analysis.
On 5 December we again sampled the water of the channel near the water
desalination (evaporative concentration apparatus) and the south drain
(exit of the channel) and conducted a nuclide analysis, and the results
of the south drain showed the same level as the results we are
announcing daily.
- At 10:00 am on December 5, accumulated water in the turbine building of
Unit 6 was started to be transferred to a temporary tank.
- From 10:35 am to 12:05 pm on December 5, we implemented dust sampling
above the reactor building of Unit 3 using a large crane.