January 25, 2022

Leakage of liquid from frozen soil wall caused by misalignment of pipe joints TEPCO

As part of the measures to deal with contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, liquid used to freeze the ground leaked from the “frozen earth wall” that was installed to prevent underground water from flowing into the buildings. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is investigating the cause of the damage and replacing the pipes.

On the 16th of this month at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, an estimated 4 tons of liquid at minus 30 degrees Celsius, which is used as a “refrigerant” to build a “frozen earth wall” to freeze the ground around the buildings, leaked. The leakage was estimated to be about 4 tons.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) investigated the leak and found that the joints between the pipes that feed the refrigerant and the underground pipes used to freeze the ground had shifted.

The parts of the joint were replaced by the 22nd of this month. The parts of other pipes will be replaced in the future and the cause of the shift of the joint is still being investigated.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/fukushima/20220125/6050017050.html?fbclid=IwAR2oxPXF79fFf2r3EpIMvW7CLRrpys6OdsKPbPJuOeGf0_344tVeP6VBaxo