Fuel Removal from Unit 4 of Fukushima Daiichi NPS
The fuel assemblies stored in the fuel rack inside the Unit 4 spent fuel pool are to be taken out and transferred to the common pool located within the station site for centralized storage. This fuel removal operation starts on November 18, 2013. Its completion is scheduled for the end of 2014.
Completion status of transfer from Unit 4 to Common Pool
- ◯Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind
Spent fuel286 assemblies/1,331 assemblies
Unirradiated (New) fuel22 assemblies/ 202 assemblies - ◯Number of times of cask transportation:
14 times
as of Feb.10,2014
Completion status of transfer will be updated every Monday.
(If the holiday falls on a Monday, it will be updated on the next working day)
Outline of the fuel removal from the spent fuel pool
The fuel assemblies stored in the fuel rack inside the Unit 4 spent fuel pool are to be taken out and transferred to the common pool located within the station site for centralized storage. This fuel removal operation starts on November 18, 2013 and will be conducted with the following steps. Its completion is scheduled for the end of 2014.
- (1)Relocate the fuel assemblies stored in the fuel rack inside the spent fuel pool, one by one, into a transportation container (cask) underwater using a fuel handling machine.
- (2)Lift up the cask from the spent fuel pool using a crane.
- (3)Conduct, on the floor as high as the operating floor, such works as closing the lid of the cask and decontaminating the cask.
- (4)Lift down the cask toward the ground using the crane to lay it on a trailer.
- (5)Transport the cask to the common pool using the trailer.
Explanatory videos
Summarized explanation (3:42)
Actual work (3:42)
Photos and videos
2013.11.18
On-premise transportation container landing on the water and fuel removal
2013.11.20
Video taken underwater
2013.11.21
Cask transfer
2013.11.22
Work at the common pool
2013.11.26
Extraction of spent fuel
2013.11.27
Video taken underwater: extraction of spent fuel
2013.11.29
Cask transfer at common pool
Frequently asked questions
For frequently asked questions, please click here.
Documents
- [Press Releases] Fuel Removal from Unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool Has Started at Fukushima Daiichi NPS (November 18, 2013)
- Fuel Removal from Unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool (an explanatory material for the 10th meeting of the "Fukushima-prefecture safety monitoring council on nuclear power station decommissioning" (November 12, 2013) (2.20MB)
The aforementioned attachments are only available in Japanese. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. - Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Fuel Removal from Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool (November 2013) (PDF 1.82MB)
- Contact information for the emergency workers at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station who have never measured their internal exposure dose and have lost contact
