Posts Tagged Fukushima

Tech group helping Fukushima farmers fight radiation

Haven’t written about Fukushima for a very long time. People there are still living in “temporary” housing, the nuclear power plant is still being dismantled, the sunken radioactive cores have still not been salvaged, much land is still irradiated and closed to the public (and that includes the original inhabitants).

Here’s a short video by a tech group promoting their solution to one of the problems. I can’t comment on its efficacy, but I liked being updated about what’s happening there. It’s in Japanese with English subtitles. METER seems to be a US company. Some commenters are sceptical, but I see no contradiction in using technology to help clean up a technological disaster. Technology itself, like money, is neither good nor bad. It depends on how it is used: intelligently, with respect for the dignity and freedom of human beings? Or stupidly, in ignorance and without respect or understanding of what people really are? This video seems to me to document the former use.

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Decommissioning news from Fukushima

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Right on schedule and just in time for Christmas, TEPCO succeeded in transferring all the fuel out of the spent-fuel pool of Reactor 4. Much still remains to be done, but this is good news.

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Decommissioning news from Fukushima

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*The removal of the spent fuel assemblies was completed on November 5th,201The removal operation will continue to be performed in a safe and measured manner until the last fuel assembly has been removed and transferred to the common pool.

The new fuel removal has not progressed since Nov. 5th.

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Decommissioning news from Fukushima

Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool over 87% cleared.
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TEPCO Decommissioning news

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  • Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind
    Spent fuel   1276   assemblies/1,331 assemblies
    Unirradiated (New) fuel     22 assemblies/ 202 assemblies
  • Number of times of cask transportation:
    59 times

The fuel removal work was resumed on September 4, 2014, which had been suspended
since July 1, 2014 due to the annual inspection of ceiling crane.

*The radiation dose from new (unirradiated) fuel is small enough to handle by hand.

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Transfer of Reactor 4’s SFP content 75% complete

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Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind

  • Spent fuel
    • 1166 assemblies/1,331 assemblies
  • Unirradiated
    • New fuel22 assemblies/ 202 assemblies
  • Number of times of cask transportation: 54 timesas of June.30,2014

*The fuel removal work is stopped from July 1 to earlySeptember of 2014 due to annual ceiling crane checkup

via TEPCO : Decommissioning Plan of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power.

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TEPCO : Decommissioning Plan of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power

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Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind

  • Spent fuel                                 1100 assemblies/1,331 assemblies
  • Unirradiated New fuel         22 assemblies/ 202 assemblies
  • Number of times of cask transportation: 51 times  as of June 23, 2014

via TEPCO : Decommissioning Plan of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power.

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TEPCO : Decommissioning Plan of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power

TEPCO’S Fuel Removal from Unit 4 website has at long last been updated (mouse-tip to the ever-alert EX-SKF). EX-SKF blogs about SFP for reactor #3: they have begun to clear away debris, including the Fuel Handling Machine which was wrecked in the earthquake/tsunami.

814 out of 1533 fuel assemblies moved is now over half-way (53%, with another update due tomorrow).

EX-SKF also has a post about a local citizens group (called Umi-Labo) in Fukushima who recently hired a boat and approached the #1 and #2 NPPs from the sea and took samples of sea-water and the sea-bed and tested them for radiation. There is a  YouTube video report  and an article on the English-language Mainichi newspaper website.

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  • Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind
    • Spent fuel     792 assemblies/1,331 assemblies
    • Unirradiated New fuel22 assemblies/ 202 assemblies
  • Number of times of cask transportation:  37 times as of May.7,2014

Completion status of transfer will be updated every Monday.If the holiday falls on a Monday, it will be updated on the next working day

via TEPCO : Decommissioning Plan of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power.

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Successful removal of rods from #4 SFP now up to 48%

R4_FuelTransfer_748jSuccessful removal of rods from Fukushima’s #4 SFP now up to 48%. Spent fuel rods 726 (out of 1331); new (unused) fuel rods 22/202. 34 trips.

This is a crucial and tricky operation. A lot of things have to work properly for it to be successful, despite the fact that under normal situations it is a routine operation that has been conducted many times before. But this situation is not normal. Every week that goes by with the goal of complete transfer coming closer without a hitch is something to celebrate.  Another big earthquake before this operation is completed could have serious consequences. I breathe a sigh of relief for every day that passes with more fuel rods successfuly transferred, and no serious earthquake or other problem.

So far, they’ve taken out all the easy ones. I understand there are fuel rods in there which are twisted. How the hell TEPCO will get those out I have no idea.

BTW, EX-SKF, my first stop for reliable information about what is happening at Fukushima’s NPP, has a very good article about Reactor #3 and the Main Steam IsolationValve.

 

移送燃料の種類(使用済:726体/1331体、新燃料:22体/202体) キャスクの輸送回数 34回更新日:2014年4月28日

via 福島第一原子力発電所4号機からの燃料取り出しの進捗状況|東京電力.

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Successful removal of rods from #4 SFP coming up to halfway

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via 福島第一原子力発電所4号機からの燃料取り出しの進捗状況|東京電力.

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