Fukushima Daiichi NPS Prompt Report 2014

Measurements that once took days will now take only 30 minutes, using a new method developed by Fukushima University, PerkinElmer, Japan Atomic Energy Agency and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

FUKUSHIMA, November 27, 2014 - Analyses of levels of a key radioactive element in water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station will be sped up thanks to an innovative technique developed with the cooperation of Fukushima University, PerkinElmer Japan Co., Ltd., the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. announced today.

The new technique will shrink the time necessary to analyze water samples for Strontium90 from a few days to 30 minutes at quickest, enabling TEPCO to report results of water conditions faster, enhancing worker safety and environmental protection. It will be put to use in the beginning of December.

Associate professor Yoshitaka Takagai, the leader of the team that developed the method at Fukushima University commented on applying the method to Fukushima Daiichi: "This system is really quick and handling is very simple as compared with the traditional method. Indeed, we hope it to be useful in preventing the discharge of contaminated water and accelerating the decommissioning of the reactors. ".

The new technique measures differences in mass rather than beta ray emission. Its "inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry" (ICP-MS) method has been used for other substances, and the breakthrough is its application to Strontium90. This technology enables the measurement of Strontium90 in water with lower concentration (1 Bq/L) than before. The method was first published in the academic journal "Analytical Methods" this past January, and has quickly become accepted around the world as an accurate and much faster way to analyze the presence of Strontium90.

TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi D&D Engineering Company will be the first company applying this method in the course of decontaminating and decommissioning a nuclear power plant. It will be used in areas where prompt assessment of Strontium90 presence is important for protecting workers' safety and managing situations such as leaks or rainwater that may flow into the dykes surrounding the storage tanks. Seawater cannot be analyzed by the new method yet, but the researchers are now developing ways to extend the method's application to saline water, TEPCO said.

Naohiro Masuda, Chief Decommissioning Officer at Fukushima Daiichi D&D Engineering Company, said, "Faster and accurate analysis will help us ensure the safety of our workers, and help us protect the environment. It was made possible by an extraordinary collaboration among the public, private, and educational sectors."

To learn more about the methods introduced, please go to http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2014/images/handouts_141127_01-e.pdf

About TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) is Japan's largest power company, supplying energy to the greater Kanto area, including Japan's two most populous cities, Tokyo and Yokohama. Its 35,000 employees are committed to providing safe, reliable power to its 29.0 million customers, diversifying energy resources to ensure sustainability, and contributing to economic growth while fully meeting its responsibilities after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
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