Robot retrieves first fuel sample from Fukushima reactor since 2011 disaster”

For the first time since the 2011 nuclear disaster, a robot has taken a sample of molten fuel from the Fukushima reactor: a historic turning point for the future of nuclear cleanup and safety in Japan

It was a major step toward cleaning up the site of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster: a remotely operated robot retrieved a sample of melted fuel from reactor number 2 at the Japanese power plant. An unprecedented achievement made by the advanced technology of Telesco represents an important milestone in the journey of Japan through history’s most severe nuclear crisis.

The Telesco robot pulled out the five-millimeter piece of fuel from the bottom of the reactor. Although small-sized, the weight of the sample was 0.1 ounces or 3 grams, this piece of fuel is extremely valued. The extraction procedure was really complex and awkward: reaching with a rod-like arm, the robot fished the fragment out, which automatically went under seal into a container handled by operators in HAZMAT suits. It is the fruit of months of training and testing, solving technical problems, and several delays, as well as cameras that failed and had to be replaced.

A new view on nuclear energy

The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings began collecting the fuel in August. Working with Telesco, TEPCO hopes to collect vital data on the decomposition of melted fuel, estimated to weigh 1.9 million pounds (880 tons), buried deep in the plant. “Even this limited sample could provide important information on how the fuel has behaved since the accident,” said Akira Ono, the chief of the plant.

Whereas the Japanese government has set an ambitious goal to fully decommission the Fukushima plant within the next 30 to 40 years-a timescale that many experts view as optimistic given the extent of the damage and the complexity of cleanup-other modern and safer alternatives for nuclear energy, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), have also been opened for new discussion by the work in progress.

Smaller such reactors have been attracting some venture interest among large companies, possibly for a sustainable supply of power to data centers. Equally noteworthy are microreactors, such as those being developed by Oklo Inc., that offer less environmental impact and are designed for seamless integration with surroundings, with proposals to provide autonomous power supplies to remote communities.

Source: SCMP