TEPCO mulls deploying robot into damaged reactor www3.nhk.or.jp
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is examining if it can go ahead with a plan to deploy a robot into one of the damaged reactors at the facility.
Finding out the actual condition of the melted fuel inside is regarded as an important step towards decommissioning the reactors that melted down.
Tokyo Electric Power Company conducted an inspection inside the containment vessel of the No.2 reactor last month, using a remote-controlled camera.
An analysis of the images found that the radiation level inside the vessel was up to 530 sieverts per hour.
Officials speculate that fuel debris--a mixture of nuclear fuel and melted parts of the reactor's facility--may be emitting strong radiation inside the vessel.
They were planning to conduct closer examinations as early as next week by deploying a robot that is capable of measuring the temperature and radiation levels.
But some experts warn that a camera attached to the robot may not function properly given the high radiation. They say more preparations are needed.
Last week's probe found that part of a metal grating just beneath the reactor was missing. The robot was supposed to move around on the grating. The image analysis also found that an around one square-meter section near the missing segment is about to collapse.
Published Date:2017-02-03