“Recriticality? Possibility of recriticality?! IAEA report: a meltdown at Fukushima unit 3?”JAPAN TV

[FourScore]

A video has surfaced from Japan TV that appears to be uncharacteristically alarming. There seem to be some issues with the transalation.

VIDEO LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PF82zcJAi0&feature=player_embedded

If I am understanding this correctly, the title to the video has been translated exactly as it stands in the OP. The following quote is one of the translation attempts from the source website:

Rod Fuel
May 19, 2011 at 1:49 pm · Reply

“From last month, the temperature in reactor #3 has frequently risen. From some analysts via the JNN news coverage it appears as though a meltdown has occurred in reactor #3. Tepco said that they have discovered more waste water has leaked from inside #3 (?). There is a high possibility that the water pumped into in the pressure vessel has not reached the reactor core. And according to specialists, there is a possibility that very hot fuel has melted through the bottom of the pressure vessel and it has now become a very serious situation. Tepco is concentrating on pumping more water into #3. This morning workers entered into rector #2 for the first time. For 14 minutes they worked in high temperature and humidity.”

Another translation:

FanJapan
May 19, 2011 at 2:50 pm · Reply

The translation
(please forgive the English mistakes)

福島第一原発の三号機については先月からたびたび炉心温度が上がっていますが、複数の政府関係者はJNNの収賄に「三号機でもmeltdownが起きているとみられる」としています。
Concerning the unit 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the temperature of the core has risen repeatedly from last month. Several persons related to the Japanese government have reported to JNN that it is thought that a meltdown has occurred at unit 3.

東京電力は注水量を増やしたり別の配管も使ったりして炉心に水を送り続けていますが、まだ不安定な状態が続いています。
Tepco continues has increased the amount of injected water and continues injected water by using other pipes. However, the situation remains unstable.

現在原子炉にはシュラウドと呼ばれる壁と圧力容器と隙間を通して水が注がれていますが、この隙間が詰まり底に溶け落ちた燃料に十分に水が届いていない可能性が高いことが新たには分かりました。専門家はこの状態が続いた場合燃料が発する高い熱で圧力容器の底が抜ける可能性がある「深刻な事態」だとして言っています。
Now, in the nuclear reactor, water is poured through a gap between the pressure vessel and and a wall called a “shroud”. But it has been newly understood that this gap is blocked and the possibility that not enough water reaches the fuel, which has melted end fallen down, is high. If this state continues, specialists say that due to the high temperature of fuel, it is possible that the bottom of the pressure vessel may fall out and they call it “a very serious situation”.

東京電力では当面三号機への注水量を増やして監視を続ける方針です。
Tepco has for objective to raise urgently the amount of injected water in unit 3 and to continue monitoring the situation.

一方、二号機の原子炉建屋に、今日午前、三月の爆発以来、初めて作業員が入りました。ロボットでの調査の同様、温度と湿度が高く内部で作業したのは14分間でした。
On the other hand, this morning, for the first time since the March explosion, workers could enter in the reactor building of unit 2. In accordance with inspection by robots, both temperature and humidity are high and work has been performed for 14 minutes inside the building.

If there are any Japanese speaking DU'ers who could help out with this, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

http://enenews.com/recriticality-possibility-of-re-criticality-japan-tv

[leveymg]

1. They'll "continue monitoring the situation . . ." That makes me feel so much better.

Thanks a Giga!

[xchrom]

2. Perhaps some of our DU Japanese speakers will check in? Nt

[Poll_Blind]

3. Given the situation and from what I've read, there already have been rolling criticalities...

...and there is no guarantee that they have stopped or slowed.

High neutron bursts are indicators of criticality and there have been a number of them reported since the disaster. Normally, I have read that an uncontrolled criticality will explode (NOT nuclear bomb style) to pieces, thus making a criticality (which requires the fuel be reasonably concentrated) usually a temporary affair. However, this is mostly guesswork. There is every reason to believe that water being pumped in could be causing the fuel to move and temporarily form pools which allow it to reach criticality. This could go on indefinitely, until the fuel (in whatever state it is in) is unable to coalesce in such a fashion.

PB

[truebrit71]

4. Well they finally fessed up to the meltdown in #1 earlier this week right?

So if we look at things using TEPCO-Time sometimes this weekend we should get confirmation that #2 and #3 are totally out of control and had meltdowns as well..