Miniature drone images from deep within a severely damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant reveal displaced control equipment and distorted materials.
New images of the damaged reactor at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan have been released Monday by the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company . The photographs were taken using miniature drones, which showed displaced control equipment and highlighted the daunting task of decommissioning the plant. The 12 photos are the first from inside the main structural support called the pedestal in the hardest-hit No.
officials have sent a number of probes – including a crawling robot and an underwater vehicle – inside each reactor but was hindered by debris, high radiation and the inability to navigate through the rubble, though they were able to gather some data. In 2015, the first robot to go inside got stuck on a grate.The drones captured high-definition color images showing brown objects of various shapes dangling within the reactor's pedestal.
officials couldn't confirm whether the dangling masses were melted fuel or equipment without additional radiation data, as the drones lacked dosimeters due to weight constraints.Moreover, the drone cameras couldn't reach the bottom of the reactor core due to darkness in the containment vessel. Insights from this most recent study could advance future investigations into melted debris removal technologies and robots. However, much remains unknown about the interior of the reactor.
is attempting to learn more about its location and condition to facilitate its removal so the plant can be decommissioned.But critics say the 30-40 year cleanup target set by the government and is overly optimistic. The damage in each reactor is different, and plans need to accommodate their conditions.In February, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings began releasing the fourth batch of the plant’s treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the sea. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 — one of the biggest on record — triggered a wall of water that swept far inland, destroying towns and causing meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
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