Toshiba Corp. unveiled a new fuel-removal system (FRS) this week that will be used at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan.
The company said the system will
enter into service at Unit 3 of Fukushima in 2017. The FRS is a remote-controlled system that consists of a fuel-handling machine and cranes to transport the transfer vessel (TV) that is designed to house fuel and other radioactive material to be sealed away. The testing process and training operations were taking place up until December 2015.
At Fukushima 3, a hydrogen explosion resulted in debris that is now located on the plant’s operational floor. To initiate decontamination efforts at the site, debris,fuel and other materials located in the site’s spent-fuel pool must be removed to stabilize the area. With the FRS, these materials will be placed in a TV and sent off to a storage facility.
The company said it is committed to the development of technology that will serve the decontamination and decommissioning efforts related to the Fukushima Plant.
The Fukushima nuclear disaster took place in March 2011 after earthquake- and tsunami-related damage to reactor components, resulting in meltdowns at the site and the release of radioactive material.
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