New protective gear, lower reactor temperatures and a camera-mounted balloon were among the items in the news recently regarding Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi.

Developments over the last several days at the nuclear plant damaged following last year's earthquake and tsunami include:

Fukushima Daiichi unit 4. Source: TEPCOTEPCO Floats Balloon Camera Idea

At a meeting with government officials Monday, TEPCO representatives said they are planning to use a balloon to inspect hard-to-reach parts of unit 1's top floor. A hydrogen explosion ripped the roof from its reactor building on the second day of the crisis, leaving debris in lower levels. A weather-resistant cover was placed over the building in October. The Asahi Shimbun reported that, as early as this month, the utility plans to float a balloon with four cameras into the top level through an opening in the floor. Information gathered will inform plans for spent fuel removal.

Dosimeter Shielding Prompts Suit Redesign

TEPCO announced Tuesday that it will redesign protective suits after the Asahi newspaper interviewed Fukushima subcontractors last week who said they were instructed to shield their dosimeters with lead in an effort to increase the number of hours they'd be allowed to work. In a follow-up story, the Asahi reported that starting in October the new suits will have a transparent pouch on the chest where dosimeters will be visible. Suits containing tungsten that offer more robust radiation protection for work in high-dose areas will be exempt.

Water Chiller Reduces RPV Temps

A cooling apparatus recently incorporated into the system feeding water into the three damaged reactor pressure vessels at the plant is working as planned, reducing both the RPV temperatures and the volume of water required to keep them cool. In a release, Tepco said RPV temperature reductions from the buffer tank chiller had stabilized, allowing crews to reduce the amount of water injected into RPVs on July 27. At unit 1, rpv water injection was reduced from 3.7m3/h to 3.0m3/h, with the top spray volume reduced from 2.0m3/h to 2.1m3/h. At unit 2, rpv water injection was reduced from 3.1m3/h to 2.0m3/h, with the top spray volume reduced from 5.8m3/h to 5.5m3/h. At unit 3, rpv water injection was reduced from 3.6m3/h to 2.5m3/h, with the top spray volume reduced from 5.4m3/h to 5.0m3/h.