#Fukushima I NPP Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool Debris Removal Update: Fuel Handling Machine Set for Removal

Just as the start of fuel assembly removal from Reactor 4's Spent Fuel Pool was anticlimactic, so is the removal of debris from Reactor 3's Spent Fuel Pool. No one reports it (not even the independent journalists these days), and TEPCO does not publicize.

According to the progress report inside the updated Roadmap (4/24/2014; from page 222 to page 233), since December 17, 2013, TEPCO has so far removed from the Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool:

(from Page 224)

• 322 reinforcing bars (out of 330 total)

• 55 deck plates (out of 65)

• 6 roof trusses (out of 9)

• 1 Fuel Handling Machine mast (out of 1)

Having removed debris that was in the way of removing Fuel Handling Machine, TEPCO (and the main contractor Kajima) is now removing the Fuel Handling Machine itself, which weighs about 35 tonnes.

(from Page 225)

Photo (clearly composite) of Reactor 3 SFP as of March 11, 2014, top arrow showing one of the roof trusses, bottom arrow showing the Fuel Handling Machine mast (1.6 tonne) (click to enlarge):

Removal of the roof truss on March 28, 2014:

Removal of the FHM mast on March 27, 2014:

According to TEPCO's progress report, they are removing the debris that is in the way of removing the FHM, such as the main hoist pulley (which was removed on April 16, 2014), hoist frame, trolley frame, walkway, bridge, etc.

(From Pages 228, 229):

After several hiccups (such as dropping the debris into the pool in February 2013 when they braved the heavy snow - low visibility - to do the catch-up work of debris removal, or dropping the camera into the pool in November 2013), so far so good, without major incident, since the debris removal from the Spent Fuel Pool itself started in December 2013.

There has to be the videos of the debris removal from Reactor 3's SFP, but they are not posted at TEPCO's website for public view. From the description of the work, though, the videos would be extremely boring, with the slow (probably excruciatingly so) and deliberate remote-controlled heavy equipment taking eternity to grab one piece of debris.

All my posts about Reactor 3 are here.

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