TOKYO, April. 13, 2015.- The operator of the Fukushima announced that it has lost the remote control robot sent last Friday to examine the inside of the containment vessel of reactor 1, one of the most affected by the tsunami in 2011.
The unit was no longer operating five hours after entering the vessel after completing only part of its mission to explore the interior of the reactor facing the future removal of melted fuel, said in a statement the owner the accidenta plant, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO).
It was expected that the articulated robot scour about 20 meters on top of the containment vessel, but got stuck with some obstacle after covering approximately half this.
Still, the device could collect and transmit data on the level of radiation and temperature in 14 of the 18 points that should be analyzed, explained the operator.
Unable to retrieve the device, TEPCO decided to cut the cable connection and leave within the reactor vessel, detailed Mainichi newspaper today.
The operator of the plant planned to introduce today one second robot to continue the exploration of nuclear facilities but has suspended this measure to determine the causes of failure of the first device.
With these initiatives, TEPCO technical aspired to achieve for the first time since the accident 2011 to look into this vessel and the state where the uranium oxide melt inside is something impossible until now because of the high levels of radiation.
The robot, tubular shaped and articulated to overcome obstacles, was equipped with cameras, a thermometer and a dosimeter that calculates the levels of radiation exposure and was introduced into the containment vessel of reactor through a pipe.
TEPCO also planned to be ready for next another version of the robot resistant to water than to explore the bottom of the containment vessel, where the filtered water cooling systems accumulates year Also the molten fuel.
The removal of fuel is the most complex and delicate operation in the long process to dismantle the plant, whose estimated duration is about four decades.
BLR
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