Monday, April 16, 2012

Fukushima Video Inside Spent Fuel Pool #3 shows Fueling Platform

[Fukushima NukeBlog Index]

Here are videos from a youtube channel that has posted the new videos from TEPCO of the mess that is inside the spent fuel pool in Unit #3, the one with the huge mushroom cloud explosion that shattered the building and blew out walls and collapsed the NW corner.

They've found that the missing refueling platform is in the pool, all 35 tons sitting on the fuel racks. That means that in order to remove the fuel assemblies, they'd have to fish out the platform first, which isn't a problem in unit 4. 



 
The square shaped handles for the fuel bundles are visible. The open cells are just obviously empty Look at the debris covered cells again- you can see the handles aligned N-S in the picture peeking out from the crud. So they are intact, they did not explode . Still from 0:40


Comments on how the rig could fit into the pool: 

Longtime L.
8:23 AM
The crane is 14m long and the pool is something like 12.2m X 9.9m X depth which I forgot so the crane would have to be resting with part of it out of the pool if it's on top of the ruel racks
Nancy F.
8:25 AM
Ian and I both messed around with dimensions and determined the refueling rig could fit inside the pool at an angle. Once you actually mess with the measurements there is quite a bit of room in the pool to have it drop in.

This looks like the refueling platform 




This is from last year, it's the dry equipment pool that is on the other side of the reactor well from the fuel pool. The pool is where you stick the guts of the reactor while it is opened up for loading or unloading fuel. It was visible in helicopter shots showing the "steampot" steam plume from under the crane beams


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