FEPC has released another update.
This statements includes an announcement that Japan has increased the level of seriousness of the accident at Units 1,2 and 3 to 5 on the INES scale. A lot of folks thought a 6 was more appropriate (it seems worse than Three Mile Island after all), but I’ve spent a couple of days reading and am pleased to pronounce myself unfit to pass INES judgments. The scale baffles me.
Full text after the jump.
Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake
The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office
As of 11:00AM (EST), March 18, 2011
- Radiation Levels
o At 7:30PM on March 18, radiation level outside main office building (approximately 1,640 feet from Unit 2 reactor building) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 3,699 micro Sv/h.
o Measurement results of ambient dose rate around Fukushima Nuclear Power Station at 4:00PM and 7:00PM on March 18 are shown in the attached two PDF files respectively. [pdf1|pdf2]
o At 1:00PM on March 18, MEXT decided to carry out thorough radiation monitoring nationwide.
o For comparison, a human receives 2,400 micro Sv per year from natural radiation in the form of sunlight, radon, and other sources. One chest CT scan generates 6,900 micro Sv per scan.
- Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 reactor
o Since 10:30AM on March 14, the pressure within the primary containment vessel cannot be measured.
o At 4:00PM on March 18, pressure inside the reactor core: 0.191MPa.
o At 4:00PM on March 18, water level inside the reactor core: 1.7 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o As of 3:00PM on March 18, the injection of seawater continues into the reactor core.
o Activities for connecting the commercial electricity grid are underway.
- Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 reactor
o At 4:00PM on March 18, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.139MPaabs.
o At 4:00PM on March 18, pressure inside the reactor core: -0.002MPa.
o At 4:00PM on March 18, water level inside the reactor core: 1.4 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o As of 3:00PM on March 18, the injection of seawater continues into the reactor core.
o Activities for connecting the commercial electricity grid are underway.
- Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 reactor
o At 2:00PM on March 18, six Self Defense emergency fire vehicles began to shoot water aimed at the spent fuel pool, until 2:38PM (39 tones of water in total).
o At 2:42PM on March 18, TEPCO began to shoot water aimed at the spent fuel pool, until 2:45PM, by one US Army high pressure water cannon.
o At 3:55PM on March 18, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.160MPaabs.
o At 3:55PM on March 18, pressure inside the reactor core: -0.016MPa.
o At 3:55PM on March 18, water level inside the reactor core: 2.0 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o As of 3:00PM on March 18, the injection of seawater continues into the reactor core.
- Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 reactor
o No official updates to the information in our March 18 update have been provided.
- Fukushima Daiichi Unit 5 reactor
o At 4:00PM on March 18, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 152.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fukushima Daiichi Unit 6 reactor
o At 4:00PM on March 18, the temperature of the spent fuel pool was measured at 148.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fukushima Daiichi Common Spent Fuel Pool
o At 10:00AM on March 18, it was confirmed that water level in the pool was secured.
- Fukushima Daiichi Dry Cask Storage Building
o At 10:00AM on March 18, it was confirmed that there was no damage by visual checking of external appearance.
At 5:50PM on March 18, Japanese Safety Authority (NISA: Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency) announced provisional INES (International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale) rating to the incidents due to the earthquake.
Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1, 2 and 3 Unit = 5 (Accident with wider consequences)
Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 = 3 (Serious incident)
Fukushima Daini Unit 1, 2 and 4 Unit = 3 (Serious incident)
(No official provisional rating for Fukushima Daini Unit 3 has been provided.)