Cooling systems restored at Fukushima reactors: Tepco

[xchrom]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/20/national/cooling-systems-restored-at-fukushima-reactors-tepco/#.UUmOT-1qP8s

Technicians have restored power to all cooling systems at the reactors of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, operator Tepco said Wednesday after a blackout sparked a new crisis.

Equipment in pools used to cool used fuel became fully operational 12 minutes after midnight, some 30 hours after the blackout, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

Used nuclear fuel becomes dangerous if its temperature is allowed to rise uncontrollably to the point where a self-sustaining critical reaction begins, causing a meltdown.

The incident did not affect the injection of water into the reactors 1, 2 and 3 that suffered core meltdowns, but indicated that the situation remains vulnerable more than two years after the plant was ravaged by the quake-triggered tsunami on March 11, 2011.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. 30 hrs. I read that the pools would've boiled off in 96 hours...

Too damn close for comfort.

[FBaggins]

2. You read wrong.

The pool with the highest activity level would have reached the regulatory limit of 65 degrees in four or five days.

It would have taken an additional four or five days to reach the boiling point... and additional days (several) to "boil off" - if they didn't add more water. But since the roads aren't blocked due to an earthquake/tsunami/evacuation... and access to the pools isn't impossible due to explosions/fires/radiation/rubble... adding water really wouldn't be much of a challenge.

So there was never any real danger.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. okay... how about a link?

I will stand corrected if you can provide a link. Thanks!

[FBaggins]

4. Sure

http://www.nileinternational.net/full_story.php?ID=79527

"The used fuel pool at reactor 4 could reach 65 degrees in four days if it continued at its present rate and if power is not restored, Tanabe said."

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Awesome - thanks!

I stand corrected! Thanks for the info!

[Nihil]

6. Good new in the update but still worrying ...

A "brief power outage" of 30 hours?

And they still don't know why it happened?

Hmmm.