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Removal
of nuclear fuel begins at Fukushima
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun removing nuclear fuel from a storage pool at a damaged reactor building.
NHK,
18
November, 2013
Workers
placed a special fuel transport container in the storage pool of the
Number 4 reactor building.
The
pool holds 1,533 units of nuclear fuel, of which 1,331 are highly
radioactive spent fuel. The rest are unused.
At
around 3PM on Monday, the workers started to hoist the unused fuel
units into the steel container, which can store 22 units of fuel. The
utility decided to remove these units first as they do not release
high levels of radiation and heat. A TEPCO official said that the
first fuel unit was moved into the container by 4PM, and that the
workers had encountered no problems.
The
first 22 units will be transferred into the container through Monday
night.
Workers
will then use a crane to lift the container out, and they will then
move it to another storage pool 100 meters away.
But
bits of debris in the pool of the Number 4 reactor building could
obstruct the work. The building was damaged by a hydrogen explosion
in March, 2011. Workers may also find undetected damage to the fuel
units.
The
removal work requires extreme caution, as any damage to the units
could release high-level radiation.
The
start of the work is the first step in an unprecedented
decommissioning process that is expected to take 40 years.
Tokyo
Electric Power Company plans to finish removing all nuclear fuel from
the Number 4 reactor building by the end of next year.
To
see video GO HERE
BBC:
Concern casks not watertight, rods would contact air — WSJ:
Exposure to air can cause sustained nuclear reaction — AFP: Tokyo
evacuations if uncontrolled nuclear conflagration? AP: Rods contain
plutonium, experts concerned quake to hit during process
18
November, 2013
WSJ,
Nov. 18, 2013: “We plan to begin the removal process from around 3
pm today, and work until around 7 pm,” said Tepco spokesman
Tsuyoshi Numajiri. [...] The units are kept in a pool of cool water
to prevent exposure to air, which can cause the radioactive material
to heat up and could trigger a sustained nuclear reaction.
BBC,
Nov. 18, 2013: [It's a critical issue] whether the casks remain
watertight so the rods have no contact with air.
AFP,
Nov. 18, 2013: Each rod contains uranium and a small amount of
plutonium. If they are exposed to the air [...] they would start to
heat up, a process that, left unchecked, could lead to a
self-sustaining nuclear reaction – known as “criticality”.
[...] Sceptics say with so many unknowables in an operation that has
never been attempted under these conditions, there is potential for a
catastrophe. Government modelling in the immediate aftermath of the
Fukushima disaster [...] suggested that an uncontrolled nuclear
conflagration at Fukushima could start a chain reaction in other
nearby nuclear plants. That worst-case scenario said a huge
evacuation area could encompass a large part of greater Tokyo [...]
AP,
Nov.18, 2013: [...] [Experts] raised concern about a major earthquake
hitting during the removal work.
Japanese
nuclear engineers were on Monday preparing to move uranium and
plutonium fuel rods at Fukushima [...] Experts have warned that
slip-ups could quickly cause the situation to deteriorate. [...]
Kyodo
News,
Nov. 18, 2013: Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka
has said the work requires “great prudence” because the pools are
strewn with small pieces of rubble [...] “The fuel has to be
handled very carefully. There is a need to make sure that a fuel
assembly is not pulled out (from the fuel rack) by force when it gets
stuck because of the rubble,” he said.
Other headlines -
Fukushima
News 11/16/13:Spent Fuel Removal Starts 11/18/13; LDP Hints at New
Nuke Plants
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