Water likely leaking from No.1 reactor
Tokyo Electric sent workers inside the building to adjust the water gauge of the reactor.
The utility had suspected the gauge wasn't working properly because the water level hasn't been rising despite pumping in 150 tons of water daily to cool the reactor.
On Thursday morning, it was found that the water level was more than one meter below the bottom of the fuel rods, suggesting a large volume of water is leaking into the containment vessel.
The utility company also believes that the water is leaking from the containment vessel into the reactor building. This is because the estimated volume of water inside the containment vessel appears to be less than what leaked into it from the reactor.
Tokyo Electric says temperatures at the bottom of the reactor are between 100 and 120 degrees Celsius, suggesting that the fuel has fallen and is being cooled in the water below.
The utility says it does not believe the fuel has completely melted and spilled through the bottom of the reactor. It adds that instead, the fuel appears to be being cooled inside the reactor.
Tokyo Electric says the company will now have to review its ongoing procedure of filling the containment vessel with water to cool the reactor.
It says it will reveal a new plan on Tuesday next week when it is set to announce a revised schedule for containing the emergency.
Work to cool the reactors had made the most progress in the No.1 reactor, with the volume of injected water being increased. The cooling of the reactors is the most important step in the containment process.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters that the reactor appears to be stable because it's been steadily cooled for a long period. But he said the condition of the reactor must be reassessed as some figures from the gauge are contradictory.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that if the latest data is accurate, it seems parts of the fuel have melted and accumulated at the bottom of the reactor. But it added that it believes the fuel rods are being cooled.
Via NHKworld
