A remote-controlled robot successfully retrieved a small piece of melted nuclear fuel from inside one of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan for the first time.
The robot collected a tiny piece of gravel about 5 mm in size (about the size of a small grain) from inside the No. 2 reactor’s containment vessel.
Retrieving melted fuel samples is part of efforts by plant operator TEPCO to determine how to safely decommission the plant following the 2011 meltdown caused by an earthquake and tsunami.
It marks the first time a sample of melted fuel has been removed from a reactor containment vessel at the plant. The sample will undergo testing to ensure its radiation level is low enough before being secured.
The robot mission initially started in August but was suspended twice due to issues. This sample retrieval is a critical step but much work remains to develop the necessary technology to fully remove the melted fuel debris.
Source: AP News
