It Seems It Will Take About One Year Until the Analysis Results Are Announced
The weight of the nuclear fuel debris first removed from Reactor No. 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was found to be approximately 0.7g.
Debris of nuclear fuel being removed from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Kyodo News, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) took out the nuclear fuel debris from a sealed device and measured its weight around 9:30 a.m. on the 8th. This is the first time since the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 that TEPCO has recovered nuclear fuel debris from the accident reactor.
During transportation for analysis, hydrogen concentration was also checked considering the possibility of explosion, but it was below the detection limit.
The removal of nuclear fuel debris is one of the most difficult tasks in the decommissioning process of the accident nuclear power plant. It was originally supposed to start in 2021 but was postponed for about three years due to equipment issues and other reasons.
TEPCO plans to transport the removed nuclear fuel debris to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) research institute in Ibaraki Prefecture for component analysis.
The Atomic Energy Agency will first investigate the elemental distribution on the surface of the nuclear fuel debris using electron microscopy and other methods. Then, the nuclear fuel debris will be cut or fragmented for further component analysis. Finally, the cut nuclear fuel debris will be placed in nitric acid for chemical analysis.
JAEA plans to summarize the results before March next year, but it is expected to take about a year until the final results are announced.
It is estimated that there are about 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris in the reactors of Units 1 to 3 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This debris was generated by a core meltdown accident in which the nuclear fuel melted and fell due to high temperatures during the Great East Japan Earthquake.
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