TOKYO — Workers entered a damaged reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Thursday for the first time since explosions crippled the Japanese power plant two months ago.
The plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, said the workers were trying to install a ventilator to help lower radiation levels in the reactor building.
If all goes according to plan, the reduced radiation should allow workers to enter the plant for short periods to begin the critical task of installing a new cooling system. It will also reduce the chance that radiation will be released into the environment, said Michael Friedlander, a former senior nuclear power plant operator in the United States.
“In general, it’s all positive,” he said.
The power company said a dozen workers in antiradiation suits entered the outer rooms of Unit 1 to begin installing the system for filtering out radioactive particles in the air. Last month, robots found dangerously high radiation levels in the building, which was damaged by a hydrogen explosion after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
The filter will act like a vacuum cleaner, absorbing radioactive particles from the building’s air.
Tokyo Electric officials said the ventilator should lower radiation levels enough that workers would be able to enter the rest of the building within three days.
The company can then begin replacing the cooling system to regain control of the overheated reactor, which has partly melted down.
Tokyo Electric must install cooling systems at three of the Fukushima plant’s six reactors to stay on its current timetable of stabilizing the plant within six to nine months.
The cooling systems were knocked out, and storage pools for spent fuel rods compromised, by the earthquake and tsunami.
The workers were sent into the plant after robots found that radiation levels in the building had dropped from last month, though they are still high.
To limit exposure, the workers were split into four groups of three. Each group entered in 10-minute shifts, the company said. The workers also carried their own oxygen tanks to reduce risk, the company said.
The workers are installing large ducts that will be used to filter the air inside the building.
If the air purification system is properly set up and running, it is reasonable to assume that workers can move to the next step of installing a cooling system by early next week, Mr. Friedlander said.
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。 Japan Still Struggling to Control Crippled Nuclear Plant | News | English/* Voice of America ?
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Inside VOA|Contact VOA News April 17, 2011 Latest News: Select Your LanguageAfan OromoAlbanianAmharicArmenianAzerbaijaniAzeriBanglaBosnianBurmeseCantoneseChineseCreoleCroatianDariEnglish WorldwideFrenchGeorgianGreekHausaIndonesianKhmerKhmer (English)KinyarwandaKirundiKoreanKurdiKurdishLaoLearning EnglishMacedonianMandarinNdebelePashtoPashto - DeewaPersian PortugueseRussian SerbianShonaSomaliSpanishSwahiliThaiTibetanTibetan (English)TigrignaTurkishUkrainian UrduUzbekVietnameseZimbabwe - EnglishNewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishLive Streams:Latest Newscast|Africa Live|Global LiveNews USA Africa Americas Asia Europe Middle East Arts and Entertainment EconomyMore TopicsEducationEnvironmentHealthNews AnalysisReligionScience and TechnologySports Web FeaturesSpecial ReportsPhoto GalleriesGoing Green Money In MotionNow You KnowOff the Beaten PathThe LinkInteractive YouTubeFacebookTwitter Web ServicesPodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsLinks About the USEditorialsRFE/RLRFAPronunciation Guide NewsNewsRSS FeedJapan Still Struggling to Control Crippled Nuclear Plant Steve Herman|Tokyo?April 16, 2011 Photo: VOA - S. HermanPolice herd marchers along the curb as the streets arenot blocked off for the demonstration in Tokyo, Japan, April 16, 2011 Share ThisFacebookYahoo! BuzzRelated ArticlesVOA Correspondent Reaches Crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear PlantJapan Nuclear Plant Operator to Pay Damages Japan's Kan Faces Calls to Quit Over Handling of Disasters
Small and peaceful anti-nuclear protests continue to be staged in Japan. The demonstrations are being held as troubles continue at and around the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in the northeastern part of the country. It has been leaking radiation into the air and sea since it was severely damaged by a magnitude 9.0 quake and resulting tsunami more than a month ago.
The operator of the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima has begun dropping into the Pacific Ocean sandbags filled with an absorbent to try to reduce the danger from radiation. The bags are filled with zeolite, better known as the active material sprinkled in cat litter boxes to absorb odors. In this case, zeolite is meant to take up cesium that has been detected at high levels along the Fukushima coast.
On shore, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, known as TEPCO, is still struggling, more than a month after the Fukushima-1 plant was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami, to restore automatic cooling facilities for several reactors.
In Tokyo on Saturday, several hundred demonstrators peacefully marched past a TEPCO building. Some were dressed as vegetables, others were adorned with or carried produce.
The protesters chant "vegetables are more important than nuclear power. We don't need nuclear plants, we don't need radiation."
One of the participants, Naomi Saito from neighboring Saitama prefecture, lamented the small number of people who have taken to the streets in protest since March 11.? But Saito said she understands why that is the case in a resource-poor country heavily reliant on atomic energy where more than 50 nuclear plants have been built in the past 45 years.
"We're all in a very dangerous situation because of atomic [power]. But other Japanese think nuclear [power] is very important, so I feel very sad," said Saito.
Japan's government on Saturday ordered 13 nuclear plant operators to inspect and reinforce outside power links to avoid earthquake-triggered outages similar to one on March 11 in Fukushima.
The urgency of that directive was highlighted when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted eastern Japan on Saturday.
Radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant has forced tens of thousands of people in the prefecture to flee their homes. It has also contaminated crops and fishing waters, and regenerated global concern about the safety of nuclear power plants.
Radiation leak crisis in not under firm control yet, the ground is still shaking due to aftershocks. But no new troubles reported on top of crisis. It looks like OK for everybody else except Japanese themself. Chinese and Korean can stop crying foul now.
16-04-2011Joe(USA)
Banning nuclear power in Japan is like banning electricity in Japan. With no electricity, Japan basically dies. So, don't be so quick to eliminate nuclear. For the future, an alternate safe, clean cheap and efficient source of energy should be used. For now, Japan must concentrate on fixing, securing and minimizing.
16-04-2011Bert Savage(Canada)
Containment seawalls should be immediately increased to the 45' ft. Level around all nuke plants that are vulnerable.
16-04-2011claudia(colombia)
I feel for the Japanese people. How could the world nuclear authorities allow such a small country on a big fault line have so many nuclear plants?
16-04-2011wizardteo(malaysia)
using zeolite, I call this as "mass vacuum" ,new word? means in mass quantity to vacuum the radioactive, so is safe for live to continue. At the same time, I would like every1 to pray together with me the restoration so situation an restore to before the radioactive crisis at japan and politic stabil at the west asia.
17-04-2011sue(england)
Japanese people, please try to find an alternative to nuclear energy there is NO safe nuclear energy! You of all nations understand the devastation of the nuclear devil. We in Britain don't want any more reactors built, (there is no where to put the waste products) Japan is amazing at inventing new technology, invent something that will save the world..please. We are thinking of you constantly.
17-04-2011Robin Davies(Japan)
I doubt Japan's economic success since the war would have been so great without nuclear power. So do you play with God or not? As man has learnt how, I still believe he may as long as he understands the overwhelming power of his opponent. No problem IF you are 120% sure you have been humble enough. Make reactors yes, but build them to stand earthquakes of magnitude 11 or 12 and tsunami of more than 35 or 40 metres. Then you can play with God.
17-04-2011Sugi pula(Romania)
Invest in solar stocks people !!
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