after a three-year delay, tepco starts removing fuel debris from fukushima nuclear power plant
2024-09-11
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
source: cankaoxiaoxi.com
reference news reported on september 11according to a report by kyodo news on september 10, tokyo electric power company launched a trial operation to remove the melted nuclear fuel (fuel fragments) of unit 2 of the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant on the 10th, striving to remove a small amount of fuel fragments from the containment. although preparations were started on august 22, they were interrupted due to an error in the order of the pipeline arrangement. this is the first removal operation since the fukushima nuclear accident in march 2011. since the fuel fragments release extremely strong radiation, how to remove them is considered the biggest challenge in the decommissioning of the reactor.
according to the plan, a tubular device with a maximum extension of 22 meters will be inserted from the penetration of the reactor containment, and a claw-shaped device installed at the front end will grab and recover fuel fragments weighing less than 3 grams. it is expected that it will take a week for the device to reach the fuel fragments, and about two weeks to complete the recovery.
according to reports, tepco resumed the previously interrupted preparations on the morning of the 10th. after the 1.5-meter-long pipe was pushed through the device, it passed through the "isolation valve" in front of the penetration part to block the radioactive material and began to remove the fuel fragments.
it is estimated that 880 tons of fuel debris remain in units 1 to 3 of the daiichi nuclear power plant. to avoid radiation, the operation is basically remote. factors such as changes in operation methods have led to three delays, about three years later than originally planned. the method for removing all the fuel has not yet been finalized.
tepco started preparatory work on august 22, but when preparing to connect the first pipe of the pushing device, it was discovered that the sequence was wrong and the operation was interrupted after about an hour and a half.
