Inside Fukushima Reactor 2: ‘Too hot and humid to work for more than 15 minutes’
By arevamirpal::laprimavera
19 May 2011 40 degrees Celsius, humidity over 90 percent (in the previous survey by the robots). 50 millisieverts/hour radiation, and the Spent Fuel Pool is apparently very warm. At one spot, the steam (highly radioactive) from the Spent Fuel Pool was condensing and falling like raindrops. But TEPCO says it will be easier to work in the Reactor 2 than in the Reactor 1, because the radiation is lower. 50 millisieverts/hour sure seems infinitely lower than 1,000 or 2,000 millisieverts/hour in the Reactor 1. (Take a look at the photos that the workers took, in my previous post. Link opens new window.) From Nikkei Shinbun (5/19/2011):東京電力は 19日、福島第１原子力発電所２号機の内部を調べた詳細を発表した。原子炉建屋内は温度と湿度が高く「体力の面から15分以上の作業は困難」と説明した。 放射線量も最大で毎時50ミリシーベルトだった。新しい工程表では１～３号機の原子炉を「循環注水冷却」の新方式で冷やすとしたが、作業が難航する可能性 が出てきた。 TEPCO disclosed the details of the survey of the interior of the Reactor 2 reactor building [done on May 18]. According to TEPCO, the temperature and humidity were too high for the workers “to work for more than 15 minutes”. The radiation level was also high, at 50 millisieverts/hour at the maximum. In the revised “roadmap”, the reactors 1, 2, and 3 are to be cooled with the external water cooling systems, but the condition inside the reactor buildings may jeopardize the work [outlined in the “roadmap”]. 18日午前に作業員が中に入り調査した。建屋内には水たまりが３カ所あった。東電は「使用済み核燃料プールからの蒸気が建屋内で冷え、小雨のようにしたたり落ちているところがあった」としている。 Workers entered the Reactor 2 reactor building in the morning of May 18. There were three water puddles inside the building. According to TEPCO, “there was one spot where the steam from the Spent Fuel Pool condensed inside the building and was falling like small raindrops.” …
Mainichi Shinbun (link is in Japanese) says one worker in his 40s fell ill after the work inside the Reactor 2 reactor building, and was treated for heat exhaustion.
