15 February, 2019
TEPCO Makes Contact with Debris at Fukushima Daiichi-2
On February 14, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) released a video showing a device with two “fingers” at the end lifting pebble-shaped deposits suspected of being melted nuclear fuel (debris) at the bottom of a reactor primary containment vessel (PCV). The recording was made during an investigation undertaken on the 13th at the Fukushima Daiichi-2 Nuclear Power Plant (BWR, 784MWe). The pebble deposits, shown clearly, were of different shapes and sizes. Of the ten locations where the device made contact with them, they could not be moved at three.
The deposits that could not be moved appeared to be in a state like lava. The limited range of the investigation showed them to most likely be debris that had become affixed and hardened. It is now deemed necessary to develop a new device that can scape or cut them off for removal.
On February 13, TEPCO announced that it had moved deposits at five out of six locations at the PCV bottom. It also succeeded in touching deposits at four spots on the grid of the working scaffold approximately four meters above the PCV bottom, and at two of those spots the pebble-shaped deposits were moved, it said.
The fingers of the device can be opened and closed like a tongs, up to about eight centimeters, and lift an object of up to about two kilograms. This time, the device picked up pebble-shape...more
- 30 January, 2019 In Anticipation of Next Year’s Olympics, Reception Held to Expand Sales of Fukushima Products
- 26 December, 2018 Students Battle in Contest of Robots to Remove Fuel Debris
- 12 December, 2018 Fukushima Governor to Visit Hong Kong in January to Dispel Fears and Misinformation
- 10 October, 2018 The Implications of Removing the “Sun Child” Statue in Fukushima
- 10 September, 2018 NRA Chairman Worried that Tritium Water Storage Would Complicate Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning
- 10 September, 2018 Explanatory Meetings and Public Hearings Held on Handling of Tritium Water in Tomioka, Koriyama and Tokyo
- 30 August, 2018 Preparations Continue to Remove Spent Nuclear Fuel from Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi
- 16 August, 2018 International Forum on Decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi Highlights Remotely-Operated Systems
- 26 July, 2018 J-Village Stadium to Revert to Original Role as Soccer Training Center, Having Contributed to the Stabilization of Fukushima Daiichi
- 20 July, 2018 ANRE to Hold Explanatory Meetings and Public Hearings on Handling of Tritium Water
- 15 June, 2018 Fukushima Daini NPPs to Be Decommissioned as Well
- 4 June, 2018 TEPCO Opens Up Space in Common Pool at Fukushima Daiichi to Receive Spent Fuel from Unit 3
- 9 May, 2018 [51st JAIF Annual Conference] Fukushima Session: Current State of Restoration in Fukushima
12 February, 2019
Dismantling of Exhaust Stack at Fukushima Daiichi-1 and -2 to Start in May
On January 31, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) released a progress report on the decommissioning of its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants.
TEPCO had planned to begin dismantling the joint exhaust stack for the Fukushima Daiichi-1 and -2 (BWRs) in March in anticipation of removing nuclear fuel from the spent fuel pool. Given the need for additional safety measures and drills to be conducted in readiness for any problems during operation, however, the beginning of dismantling has now been rescheduled for mid-May.
The stack’s pillars are fractured and deformed at about the 66-meter mark, and the power company plans to remove the upper portion of the 120-meter-tall pillars—starting at a height of about 60 meters—to ensure seismic margins.
In order to reduce the radiation exposure of workers, also, a series of mock-up tests have been conducted off-site, in Hirono Town, since August of last year.
At a press conference on J...more
