Monday, September 24, 2012

Video of Steel Frame Sliding into Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant


In the video below, released by TEPCO on September 24, 2012, the accident happens toward the end, at about 3:30. The crane grabber couldn't get a good grip on a relatively small piece of metal right on the edge of the pool, and the metal piece slid into the pool with a small splash. Oops.

There are two video cameras fitted on the boom of the crane.


Looking at the other short video below and the photographs that TEPCO also released on September 24, I can't fault those Kajima workers who are operating these machines and tools by remote control. It looks extremely awkward and difficult to do.

The remote-controlled hydraulic shears cut the metal held by the remote-controlled grabber, both dangling from the crane by wire.


Hydraulic shears (cutter):


Hydraulic grabber:


Before-and-after photos of Reactor 3 SFP:

Before (11/10/2011):


After (9/21/2012):


The worker who's been tweeting from Fuku-I since March last year said in his tweet that the workers wearing tungsten vests were braving the extremely high radiation and high heat of the summer to clear the debris enough to do the final assemble of the platforms. And he says, "...but no one reported it."

Instead, TEPCO gets comments like "They don't have a shred of credibility", for which I feel sorry for the workers, TEPCO and subcontractors alike.

TEPCO also released the videos of inside the Spent Fuel Pool. See my next post.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excuse me, ExSKF feels sorry for Tepco? Say what? But the photo comparison is impressive. If they have cleared that much debris that does look like a great deal of progress. We do need to get an objective picture of the situation but that is darned near impossible, and I agree with most people, Tepco does not have any credibility, that is earned. Maybe they will earn it back if they fix the site before millions of more people are poisoned.

Anonymous said...

Anon above, why don't you join these workers and earn yourself some credibility, instead of trashing those who are doing the work?

Anonymous said...

@First Anon

I think the blogger was saying he felt sorry for both the on-site workers working for TEPCO and those working for the subcontractors, not that he felt sorry for the TEPCO management.

Anonymous said...

To the dumb second commenter: Since when did I CAUSE THE DISASTER? Tepco did. Of course I feel sorry for the workers, that is entirely different from feeling sorry for Tepco, which is exactly what ExSKF said. I find it a bit odd that ExSKF has nothing to say about the dangers of these fuel pools, as if they have been shored up and the rest is "sensasionalism" , her word.

Anonymous said...

To the dumber commenter above at 3:30PM, when did these workers cause the disaster? Looks like you are one of those who want to peddle disaster, alongside the august names like Gundersen and Alvarez. Why don't you scoot to other wonderful sites for that endeavor?

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of nonsense and lies. Why is ExSKF feeling sorry for the criminals at Tepco instead of wishing them to be in prison, where they belong. Such comments are ignorant beyond comprehension. Of course it is not the workers who are to blame. Sounds like this blog has gone over to the dark side by covering trivial side issues and acting as a cover for the Nuclear Mafia.

Anonymous said...

I feel sorry for you anon at 1:03AM. You can only read what you want to read, and that's the sign of diminished mental capacity. Maybe Fuku's fallout got into your brain too quickly.

Anonymous said...

All I can say is that this is a world class disaster- the biggest catastrophe of modern times, that no one single nation should have to deal with alone. the Japanese have operated heroically and against all odds. I leave the criticism of them to others. MY issue is with the UN, IAEA, EU and all of those various international bodies that are so quick to scream about proliferation, nuclear risk etc when it can help them in targeting or controlling a country they deem 'out of line' in some way. WHERE ARE THEY? 6 nuke reactors (maybe more) is something the WORLD COMMUNITY must help with, and who are being affected and killed by this rad scandal- the entire northern hemisphere.

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