最近更新日本地震新闻英文版.docx

最近更新日本地震新闻英文版.docx

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最近更新日本地震新闻英文版

Content

JapanSays2ndReactorMayHaveRupturedWithRadioactiveRelease1

LastDefenseatTroubledReactors:

50JapaneseWorkers6

InRemoteTowns,SurvivorsTellofaWave’sPower10

JapaneseStocksReboundAfterBigSell-Off13

CertaintiesofModernLifeUpendedinJapan15

PrecautionsShouldLimitHealthProblemsFromNuclearPlant’sRadiation19

JapanSays2ndReactorMayHaveRupturedWithRadioactiveRelease

TokyoElectricPower,viaKyodoNews,viaAssociatedPress

AttheFukushimaDaiichinuclearplant,reactorsNo.3,left,andNo.4,center,havebeendamaged.

By HIROKOTABUCHI and KEITHBRADSHER

Published:

March15,2011

TOKYO—Japan’snuclearcrisisintensifiedagainWednesday,withJapaneseauthoritiesannouncingthatacontainmentvesselinasecondreactorunitatthestrickenFukushimaDaiichiplantinnortheasternJapanmayhaverupturedandappearedtobereleasingradioactivesteam.Thatwouldbethesecondvesseltobecompromisedintwodays.

Thevesselhadappearedtobethelastfullyintactlineofdefenseagainstlarge-scalereleasesofradioactivematerials,butitwasnotclearhowseriousthepossiblebreachmightbe.

TheannouncementcameafterJapanesebroadcastersshowedlivefootageofthickplumesofsteamrisingabovetheplant.

YukioEdano,thechiefcabinetsecretary,saidthegovernmentbelievedthesteamwascomingfromtheNo.3reactor,whereanexplosiononMondayblewoutpartofthebuildingsurroundingthecontainmentvessel.

Thereactorhasthreelayersofprotection:

thatbuilding;thecontainmentvessel,andthemetalcladdingaroundfuelrods,whichareinsidethereactor.ThegovernmenthassaidthatthoserodsattheNo.3reactorwerelikelyalreadydamaged.

Earlierinthemorning,thecompanythatrunstheplantreportedthatafirewasburningatadifferentreactor,justhoursafterofficialssaidflamesthateruptedTuesdayhadbeendoused.

AgovernmentofficialatJapan’snuclearregulatoryagencysaidthatflamesandsmokewerenolongervisible,buthecautionedthatitwasunclearifthefire,attheReactorNo.4building,haddiedout.HealsowasnotclearifitwasanewfireorifthefireTuesdayhadnevergoneout.

Thereareatotalofsixreactorsattheplant.

Thedevelopmentsaretroublingremindersofthedifficultiesthecompanyishavinginbringingtheplant,whichhassufferedmultipleexplosionssinceSaturday,undercontrol.Andtheconfusionisemblematicofdaysofoftencontradictoryreportsaboutwhatishappeningattheplant.

Thecompany,TokyoElectricPower,saysitcannotknowforsurewhatishappeninginmanycasesbecauseitistoodangerousforworkerstogetclosetosomereactors.

ThesituationbecameespeciallydireonTuesday,whenreleasesofradiationledthecompanytopullmostofitsworkersfromtheplant.

Oneoftheauthorities’mainconcernsareoverpoolsforspentfuelrodsatseveralreactorsattheplant,includingReactorNo.4,wherethepoolhaslostsomeofthewaterneededtokeepthefuelrodsstable.Therodsarestillradioactiveandpotentiallyashotanddangerousasthefuelrodsinsidethereactors.

MinoruOgoda,theofficialwithJapan’snuclearregulatoryagency,saidaproposedplantousehelicopterstoputmorecoldwaterintothepoolwaslookingunlikely.

HesaidTokyoElectricwouldprobablytrytospraywaterintothereactorbuildingthroughagapingholeinthewallblastedopenbyanearlierexplosion.

Theholeorholesintheroofcausedbythatblastdidnotappearbigenoughtoallowsufficientamountsofwaterin,hesaid.

ThatexplosiononTuesdaywascausedbyhydrogengasbubblingupfromchemicalreactionssetoffbythefuelrodsinthepool,Japaneseofficialssaid.InspectorsfromtheUnitedStates NuclearRegulatoryCommission saidtheyhadbeentoldbyJapaneseauthoritiesthatwhatwasburningwaslubricating oil frommachinerynearthepool.

Concernremainedhighaboutthestoragepoolsattwootherreactors,Nos.5and6.Noneofthosethreereactorsattheplant,140milesnortheastofTokyo,wereoperatingonFridayafternoonwhenanoffshoreearthquakewithamagnitudenowestimatedat9.0shookthesite.AtsunamirolledintothenortheastJapanesecoastlineminuteslater,swampingtheplant.

Atleast750workerswereevacuatedonTuesdaymorningafteraseparateexplosionrupturedtheinnercontainmentbuildingatReactorNo.2attheDaiichiplant,whichwascrippledbyFriday’searthquakeandtsunami.ThecloselyspacedbutapparentlycoincidentalexplosionsatReactorsNos.2and4togetherreleasedasurgeofradiation800timesasintenseastherecommendedhourlyexposurelimitinJapan.

But50workersstayedbehind,acrewnolargerthanwouldbestationedattheplantonaquietspringday.Takingshelterwhenpossibleinthereactor’scontrolroom,whichisheavilyshieldedfromradiation,theystruggledthroughthemorningandafternoontokeephundredsofgallonsofseawateraminuteflowingthroughtemporaryfirepumpsintothethreestrickenreactors,Nos.1,2and3,whereoverheatedfuelrodscontinuedtoboilawaythewateratabriskpace.

Byearlyafternoonradiationlevelshadplunged,accordingtothe InternationalAtomicEnergyAgency.Workershavereleasedsurgesofradiationeachtimetheybleedradioactivesteamfromthetroubledreactorsinanattempttomanagethepressureinsidethem,butthereactorsarenotyetreleasinghighlevelsofradiationonasustainedbasis,Japaneseofficialssaid.

  TheUnitedStatesmilitaryreviseditsplansasradiationfromtheplantworsened.SomeAmericanwarshipsthathadbeenexpectedtoarriveatthetsunami-shatterednortheastcoastofHonshuIslandweredivertedtothewestcoastinsteadbecauseofconcernsaboutradiation,theNavysaid.

TheNavyalsopromisedtocontinuereliefmissionseventhoughseveralmorehelicoptercrewsweretestingpositiveforlow-levelexposuretoradiation,andevenasAmericanmilitarypersonnelandtheirfamiliesattheYokosukaandAtsugibaseswereencouragedtotakeprecautionsagainstradiationexposure.

  LateTuesdaymorning,PrimeMinister NaotoKan warnedinanationallytelevisedaddressofrisingradiation.

Mr.Edano,thechiefcabinetsecretary,urgedpeoplewholivewithinabout18milesoftheplanttotakeprecautions.“Pleasedonotgooutside,pleasestayindoors,pleaseclosewindowsandmakeyourhomesairtight,”hesaid. YukiyaAmano,thedirectorgeneraloftheInternationalAtomicEnergyAgency,saidattheorganization’sViennaheadquartersthattherewasa“possibilityofcoredamage”atreactorNo.2,butthatthedamage“isestimatedtobelessthan5percentofthefuel.”

Thesuddenturnofevents,afteranexplosiononMondayatonereactorandthenanearly-morningexplosiononTuesdayatyetanother—thethirdinfourdaysattheplant—hadalreadymadethecrisisattheplanttheworstnuclearaccidentsincetheChernobylreactordisasteraquarter-centuryago.Ithadbecomeimpossibleforworkerstoremainatmanyareaswithintheplantforextendedperiods,theagencysaid.InTokyo,themetropolitangovernmentsaidTuesdaythatithaddetectedradiationlevels20timesabovenormaloverthecity,thoughitstressedthatsuchlevelsposednoimmediatehealththreatandthatreadingshaddroppedsincethen.TheexplosioninReactorNo.2,alittleafter6a.m.onTuesday,particularlyalarmedJapaneseofficialsandnuclearpowerexpertsaroundtheworldbecauseitwasthefirstdetonationattheplantthatappearedtooccurinsideoneoftheprimarycontainmentvessels.

Thosebuildingsarefortresslikestructuresofsteelandreinforcedconcrete,designedtoabsorbtheimpactofaplanecrashandminimizeradiationleaks.Afteraseriesofconflictingreportsabouthowmuchdamagethereactorhadsustainedafterthatblast,Mr.Edanosaid,“Thereisaveryhighprobabilitythataportionofthecontainmentvesselwasdamaged.”

Japaneseofficialssubsequentlysaidthattheexplosionhaddamagedadoughnut-shapedsteelcontainerofwater,knownasatorus,thatsurroundsthebaseofthereactorvesselinsidetheprimarycontainmentbuilding.

Rupturesinthetorusareserious,saidMichaelFriedlander,aseniornuclearpowerplantoperatorfor13yearsatthreeplantsintheUnitedStates,includingthreeyearsata GeneralElectric boilingwaterreactorverysimilartotheonesintroubleinJapan.Butthetorusisnotasimportantasthereactorvesselitself,whichhas6.7-inch-thicksteelwallsand8.4-inch-thicksteelforitsroofandfloor.Thevesselisdesignedtoholdveryhigh-pressuresteamaswellastheuraniumfuelrods.

Thereactorvesselhas20safetyvalvesthatduringashutdownofthereactorinjectsteamintoamillion-gallon“suppressionpool”ofwaterinasteeltorusimmediatelyunderneathit.

“Imagineifyouhadabigpressurecookerandyouhadatubeoffthepressurecookerintoabigtubofwater—thesuppressionpoolisthetubofwater,”saidMr.Friedlander,adefenderofnuclearpowerwhoisnowamoneymanagerinHongKong.

Steamventedintothesuppressionpoolfromthereactorvesselisnotsupposedtoberadioactive.Butitbecomesradioactive,andpotentiallyveryradioactive,ifthefuelrodsinthereactorvesselabovehavebeguntomelt.

Theatmosphereintheprimarycontainmentbuilding,aroundthereactorvesselandabovethesuppressionpool,issupposedtoconsistofinertnitrogen,withnooxygenatall.Aninertatmosphereisusedintheprimarycontainmentbuildingtoavoidtheriskofoxygenexplosionswithhydrogenifthereactorstartsproducingmuchlargerquantitiesofhydrogengasthanusual.Hydrogengasishighlycombustiblewithoxygen.

HirokoTabuchireportedfromTokyo,andKeithBradsherfromHongKong.Da