For the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS), owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO), the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) has developed the boat-type submersible access devices and small-type remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to investigate the details of the Unit 1 primary containment vessel (PCV) at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS. Here, IRID introduces line-up of the devices.
These devices are the results of a subsidy project on decommissioning and contaminated water management in the fiscal year of 2017 of the Development of Technologies for Detailed Investigation inside PCV (onsite-demonstration of detailed investigation technologies considering management of deposits), which is granted by the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Fuel debris retrieval in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is planned to start with a small-scale retrieval. As the review of the retrieval work, conducted flexibly on the basis of fuel debris properties and new findings obtained from the work experience, progresses, the scale of retrieval will be increased.A robot arm and access rail have been developed as one of element technologies for retrieving fuel debris using a partial submersion side-access method. These have been created to be used as the scale of fuel debris retrieval expands.
A sampling device used for collecting small amounts of fuel debris was developed for decommissioning the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Holdings, Inc. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS). It was developed using an ultrafine metal wire brush method for the detailed investigation inside the Primary Containment Vessel (PCV) at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi NPS, The device was introduced to the public at the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) Symposium 2019, held on August 1, 2019.