nuclear-news

Chain cutting device breaks off this time, and no progress in removing contaminated piping at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

March 3, 2022
TEPCO announced on February 3 that its cutting equipment failed for the second day in a row in cutting pipes contaminated with highly radioactive materials between Units 1 and 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Okuma and Futaba, Fukushima Pref.) One week after work began on February 24, the cutting of 26 separate sections has not progressed at all, and the procedure will be reviewed.

　The radiation level at the site is extremely high due to the contaminated pipes being near the ground, and people continue to be unable to approach the site. TEPCO planned to remove the pipes because they would be an obstacle to the planned work to cover the Unit 1 reactor building with a cover.
　The work was carried out by remotely operating a cutting device attached to a large crane, and on the 1st, one of the two chain-like cutting devices came off, and on the 2nd, the same device broke.
　According to TEPCO, before the failure on the 1st, an alarm was triggered indicating an increase in the concentration of radioactive materials contained in the chips from the cut section of the pipe, and on the 2nd, the alarm sounded again, so the speed of the cutting device was reduced to prevent the production of many chips, but the device broke after cutting about one third of the pipe. The cause is believed to be premature wear of the device.
　The pipes, each about 30 centimeters in diameter and measuring about 65 meters on the Unit 1 side and about 70 meters on the Unit 2 side, were cut into 26 sections and removed. （The plant was used to vent contaminated steam from inside the reactor to prevent the containment vessel from rupturing in March 2011.)
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/163463?fbclid=IwAR0W4Rv8sxOLCLhbCzOqq6x8OgRxXGMIjDyAYH0BpNXIf9x2p4HZf4Xaac8

March 7, 2022 - Posted by dunrenard | Fuk 2022 | Fukushima Daiichi, Pipes removal