A glitch halts again robot's attempt to get sample from Fukushima nuclear reactor

What's happen to fail safe and glitch proof after March 2011, it is being told it already improved? Or None?

Did the radiation fry the cameras?

It is still very hot in there isn't it? Most electronic equipments, unless designed specifically to hand the heat, would be operating well outside specified operating environment.

IMHO, if not already, Tepco needs to bring in oil and gas engineers, these guys knows how to work in new environment, and solve novel problems. JOE, Chiyoda...just to name a few.

What experience would gas and oil engineers have of working in a 15 SIEVERTS per hour plus radiation environment?

What experience would gas and oil engineers have of working in a 15 SIEVERTS per hour plus radiation environment?

Exactly, None!!! But where they work usually it means completely new environment. Deeper, harder, more volatile environment, that's their specialty, developing novel ways to access or solve catastrophies that has occurred.

Is TEPCO at least consulting with engineers from outside the country?

The is an international panel of nuclear experts looking at all the problems and trying to come up with solutions.

Nuclear disasters need nuclear experts, not people who work in oil and gas.

From what I have read/ researched yep they got worldwide nuclear professionals who are all developing on the project. Chernoble... bury it in concrete and forget it! No thank you nuclear, O&G Processing are not in the same universe, would be better to call a space agency? If nuclear is the answer to humans' insatiable consumption of energy. Let them get the failure reponse correct now. I am an advocate of nuclear fusion, fission terrifies me. history tells the future, if it can happen/it will. Q. what happens to major offshore O&G installations in atmospheric disturbances... Let all humanity wait and learn, covering reactive waste in concrete is akin to sweeping the dirt under the carpet

Chernobyl and Fukushima are two different types of nuclear disasters. Two very different sites and locations. What worked at Chernobyl won't work at Fukushima.

iron man == It is the best technology we have at the moment. Much better than burning coal or oil and pollute the air we all breathe.

Keep trying guys.

13 years to prepare a little robot. They should try a toy robot it might work better.

they have no idea what to do and go from excuse to excuse.

have you ever heard of a Japanese company, especially one as traditionally managed as Tepco, accepting or even listening to external advisors ?

robert maes

13 years to prepare a little robot. They should try a toy robot it might work better.

You are wrong about the timeline. Many events needed to happen before TEPCO could even think about a robot. The time for that is less than five years. Unknown factors and radiation destroying them.

they have no idea what to do and go from excuse to excuse.

Can you send your suggestions?

have you ever heard of a Japanese company, especially one as traditionally managed as Tepco, accepting or even listening to external advisors ?

Mr Wallace.

no, I can not send my suggestions as I am not an expert in the field but I am entitled to an opinion.

5 years to develop a robot in Japan ? In robot country ? tepco should talk to the companies making the industrial robots in assembling and logistics companies.

yes, the extreme radiation is an unknown but the defence mechanism for the robot should be build to withstand more than estimated radiation.

I do have a suggestion. Not one but 3 or more teams of engineers should simultaneously work on a robot so they can be tried alternatively.

I also do not know how to build or manage a nuclear facility but I would have protected it better in a country where natural disasters or not about “ if” but “ when “.

I agree with you that this is a complex and unprecedented problem but it does not excuse the continued incompetence at Tepco. And the entire world’s nuclear experts should be on this but Japan stops them out of the usual false pride.

like you, I hope Tepco solves this problem. But we can not excuse their continued incompetence

images from two of its four cameras, designed to capture the movements of its clippers and their surroundings, wouldn't transmit to a monitor in a remote control room, forcing the mission to be suspended

A glitch is a minor issue, shouldn't be somthing that causes total stoppage

robert maes

no, I can not send my suggestions as I am not an expert in the field but I am entitled to an opinion.

But your opinion is wrong.

5 years to develop a robot in Japan ? In robot country ? tepco should talk to the companies making the industrial robots in assembling and logistics companies.

You do not understand what is involved with the radiation environment. The level of radiation is more than 15 SIEVERTS per hour. That would kill a person very quickly. There have been successful robots that have provided vital video and photos of the inside of the reactors. Those can be seen on the TEPCO site.

yes, the extreme radiation is an unknown but the defence mechanism for the robot should be build to withstand more than estimated radiation.

This problem has never existed before. TEPCO is making progress because of the robot knowledge and technology available.

I do have a suggestion. Not one but 3 or more teams of engineers should simultaneously work on a robot so they can be tried alternatively.

There are hundreds of engineers working on robots. This particular is needed for a single job of removing 3 gms of molten fuel.

I also do not know how to build or manage a nuclear facility but I would have protected it better in a country where natural disasters or not about “ if” but “ when “.

I agree with you that this is a complex and unprecedented problem but it does not excuse the continued incompetence at Tepco. And the entire world’s nuclear experts should be on this but Japan stops them out of the usual false pride.

There is an international team of nuclear scientists and engineers.

TEPCO has had many successes. There will be many failures before it's over.

like you, I hope Tepco solves this problem. But we can not excuse their continued incompetence

Every step seems to have a high rate of failure, why doesn't tepco implement some form of backup and/or redundancy

@Wallace

"What worked at Chernobyl won't work at Fukushima."

But what they did at Chernobyl is arguably better than what they have done at Fukushima for the last 12 years, which is basically nothing.

Everything TEPCO has done and is doing at the nuclear disaster site are unique problems never tried anywhere in the world before.

Hello Kitty 321

"What worked at Chernobyl won't work at Fukushima."

But what they did at Chernobyl is arguably better than what they have done at Fukushima for the last 12 years, which is basically nothing.

Do you why the Chernobyl solution cannot be used at Fukushima? TEPCO has made remarkable achievements but there will be failures and setbacks.

wallace

Today 05:57 pm JST

Hello Kitty 321

> "What worked at Chernobyl won't work at Fukushima."

> But what they did at Chernobyl is arguably better than what they have done at Fukushima for the last 12 years, which is basically nothing.

> Do you why the Chernobyl solution cannot be used at Fukushima? TEPCO has made remarkable achievements but there will be failures and setbacks.

Yeah they did manage to assemble the pipes correctly this time

There are two possible solutions for Fukushima.

One is to find a way to remove the 800-plus tons of the molten fuel. If a way is found it will take many decades. It's so hard only a diamond will cut it and the radiation level is very deadly high.

Two the molten fuel remains and for 1000s of years, it will need to be cooled with water. The water will continue to leak into the basement and mix with the underground water creating many millions of tons of waste water.

Covering the reactors with a concrete cover would require the construction of a tunnel underneath to deal with the water. Very unlikely and impossible.

The problems are great and difficult and the solutions are not so easy.