Robot starts 2nd mission to retrieve debris at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant
A remote-controlled robot on Tuesday embarked on its second mission to retrieve tiny bits of melted fuel debris from inside a damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant that was wrecked by a tsunami 14 years ago.
The mission, which follows the first such debris retrieval in November, is aimed at eventually developing the technology and robots needed for a larger scale cleanup of the plant, destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The extendable 'Telesco' robot carries cameras and a tong to grip tiny nuggets of radioactive debris. It entered the No. 2 reactor's primary containment vessel Tuesday, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company.
This time, the company aims to send the robot further into the containment vessel to get a sample from an area closer to the center where more melted fuel is believed to have fallen.
It is expected to take several days before the front tip of the robot reaches the targeted area, where it will lower a device carrying a tong and camera in a fishing-rod style.
That first sample retrieval in November, despite a number of mishaps, was a crucial step in what will be a daunting, decades-long decommissioning that must deal with at least 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel that has mixed with broken parts of internal structures and other debris inside the three reactors ruined in 2011.
After a series of small missions by robots to gather samples, experts will determine a larger-scale method for removing melted fuel, first at the No. 3 reactor, beginning in the 2030s.
Experts say the huge challenge of decommissioning the plant is just beginning, and that the work could take more than a century.
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The Independent
16-04-2025
- The Independent
Fukushima robot begins second attempt to retrieve melted nuclear fuel
A robot has begun its second attempt to extract melted nuclear fuel from one of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, as part of a long and complex decommissioning effort following the 2011 nuclear disaster. On Tuesday, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) launched the latest mission at the plant's No 2 reactor, aiming to retrieve a fresh sample of radioactive debris from closer to the core. The effort builds on a first trial run conducted in November last year, which successfully extracted a tiny amount of debris–less than a gram–for analysis. The robotic system, known as 'Telesco', is equipped with extendable arms, cameras, and a gripping tool designed to function in high-radiation zones. Inserted through a narrow passage, the device will manoeuvre up to 22m inside the reactor's primary containment vessel. It is expected to take up to 12 days for the robot's tip to reach the new target location. This second operation is focused on retrieving material from one to two metres closer to the reactor's centre, where more of the molten fuel is believed to have accumulated during the triple meltdown caused by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The disaster triggered one of the worst nuclear accidents in history, leaving around 880 tonnes of radioactive fuel debris across three reactors. The sample from the previous mission, which was roughly the size of a raisin, revealed traces of uranium, zirconium and other materials used in nuclear fuel. However, scientists say further sampling is required to gain a fuller understanding of the debris composition and distribution inside the damaged reactors. The ultimate aim is to develop the technology and techniques needed for large-scale fuel removal, set to begin in the 2030s at the No 3 reactor. Tepco says it may revert to collecting a sample from the previous location if the robot is unable to reach the deeper site due to obstructions. Tepco last year confirmed that the telescopic retrieval system is being upgraded since its first use, with a new camera to improve visibility and increased stability for the tip section. Preparatory work in March included intensive worker training to check the order of the pipes and camera issues that delayed the earlier mission by several months. The decommissioning process is expected to last decades, with some experts warning it could take more than a century due to the extreme radiation levels and technical complexity involved. Robots, last month also began removing radiation-soaked sandbags from underground areas of two reactor buildings. In 2023, Japan started releasing treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean —equivalent to the volume of 540 Olympic-sized swimming pools. While the International Atomic Energy Agency backed the move, it prompted China and Russia to ban Japanese seafood imports. China has since reported no abnormalities in seawater or marine life near Fukushima, though it continues to enforce the ban pending further tests.
The Independent
15-04-2025
- The Independent
Robot starts 2nd mission to retrieve debris at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant
A remote-controlled robot on Tuesday embarked on its second mission to retrieve tiny bits of melted fuel debris from inside a damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant that was wrecked by a tsunami 14 years ago. The mission, which follows the first such debris retrieval in November, is aimed at eventually developing the technology and robots needed for a larger scale cleanup of the plant, destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The extendable 'Telesco' robot carries cameras and a tong to grip tiny nuggets of radioactive debris. It entered the No. 2 reactor's primary containment vessel Tuesday, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company. This time, the company aims to send the robot further into the containment vessel to get a sample from an area closer to the center where more melted fuel is believed to have fallen. It is expected to take several days before the front tip of the robot reaches the targeted area, where it will lower a device carrying a tong and camera in a fishing-rod style. That first sample retrieval in November, despite a number of mishaps, was a crucial step in what will be a daunting, decades-long decommissioning that must deal with at least 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel that has mixed with broken parts of internal structures and other debris inside the three reactors ruined in 2011. After a series of small missions by robots to gather samples, experts will determine a larger-scale method for removing melted fuel, first at the No. 3 reactor, beginning in the 2030s. Experts say the huge challenge of decommissioning the plant is just beginning, and that the work could take more than a century.
NBC News
07-11-2024
- NBC News
Tiny grain of nuclear fuel pulled from ruined Japanese nuclear plant in a step toward cleanup
A robot that has spent months inside the ruins of a nuclear reactor at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant delivered a tiny sample of melted nuclear fuel on Thursday, in what plant officials said was a step toward beginning the cleanup of hundreds of tons of melted fuel debris. The sample, the size of a grain of rice, was placed into a secure container, marking the end of the mission, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which manages the plant. It is being transported to a glove box for size and weight measurements before being sent to outside laboratories for detailed analyses over the coming months. Plant chief Akira Ono has said it will provide key data to plan a decommissioning strategy, develop necessary technology and robots and learn how the accident had developed. Despite multiple probes in the years since the 2011 disaster that wrecked the plant and forced thousands of nearby residents to leave their homes, much about the site's highly radioactive interior remains a mystery. The sample, the first to be retrieved from inside a reactor, was significantly less radioactive than expected. Officials had been concerned that it might be too radioactive to be safely tested even with heavy protective gear, and set an upper limit for removal out of the reactor. The sample came in well under the limit. That's led some to question whether the robot extracted the nuclear fuel it was looking for from an area in which previous probes have detected much higher levels of radioactive contamination, but TEPCO officials insist they believe the sample is melted fuel. The extendable robot, nicknamed Telesco, first began its mission August with a plan for a two-week round trip, after previous missions had been delayed since 2021. But progress was suspended twice due to mishaps — the first involving an assembly error that took nearly three weeks to fix, and the second a camera failure. On Oct. 30, it clipped a sample weighting less than .01 ounces from the surface of a mound of melted fuel debris sitting on the bottom of the primary containment vessel of the Unit 2 reactor, TEPCO said. Three days later, the robot returned to an enclosed container, as workers in full hazmat gear slowly pulled it out. On Thursday, the gravel, whose radioactivity earlier this week recorded far below the upper limit set for its environmental and health safety, was placed into a safe container for removal out of the compartment. The sample return marks the first time the melted fuel is retrieved out of the containment vessel. Fukushima Daiichi lost its key cooling systems during a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, causing meltdowns in its three reactors. An estimated 880 tons of fatally radioactive melted fuel remains in them. The government and TEPCO have set a 30-to-40-year target to finish the cleanup by 2051, which experts say is overly optimistic and should be updated. Some say it would take for a century or longer. No specific plans for the full removal of the fuel debris or its final disposal have been decided.
