Detecting a molten nuclear fuel at Fukushima

At the end of the three days of the nuclear reactor inspection of the Fukushima Japan nuclear plant after the 2011 disaster, remote control robots discovered lava-like stones thought to be due to the fact. whether the molten nucleus creates.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on July 23 said that a large number of hardened plaques and deposits were found for the first time at the bottom of the primary protection chamber under the core of the No. 3 reactor.

According to TEPCO, the ability to harden solidified objects is a mixture made of fuel and molten metal. TEPCO will continue to analyze these income images.

TEPCO used a 30cm x 13 cm robot to the No. 3 reactor and conducted tests on 3 days 19, 21 and 22/7.

The image returned at Fukushima's reactor.(Source: AFP / Getty Images / TheGuardian).

The July 19 test showed that the metal scaffold located inside the high pressure furnace before the disaster had disappeared.

On July 21, the robot found black stalactite-like objects clinging to the bottom of the damaged high-pressure furnace of the No. 3 reactor.

On March 11, 2011, an undersea earthquake caused waves to surge into the northeastern coast of Japan, leaving more than 18,500 people dead and three reactors of the Fukushima No.1 plant melting. This is considered the worst disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

In December 2016, the Government of Japan estimated that the cost of compensation, active and radioactive reduction will be about 21,500 billion yen (equivalent to 192.5 billion USD) in the roadmap that will take at least 4 decades. Due to high levels of radiation, this activity slows down.

Although TEPCO is responsible for covering, but because this number is expected to exceed initial estimates, the Government of Japan on February 10 decided to allow the use of state funds in case of elimination. poison was delayed from TEPCO.

In addition, the government also plans to use state funds to build roads, water sources and other infrastructure.