Decontamination/reduction of radiation dose and reduction of radiation exposure
Reducing the exposure of workers is a very important issue as they perform decontamination tasks within the power plant site and within the reactor buildings, so we are working to shield and remove sources of radiation, in addition to decontaminating the site, buildings and structures.
Dose rates within the power plant site have been greatly reduced by removal of contaminated debris and soil, decontamination and dose rate reduction of facings, etc., so that the work environment for workers has been improved.
On the other hand, dose rates within the reactor buildings remain high, and access for survey work on the inside is limited, so we are studying measures to decontaminate and reduce dose rates for specific work areas and access routes, and working to develop and utilize equipment and machines that utilize remote technology.
Also, in order to prevent expansion of contamination of the ocean, we are studying such things as construction of impermeable walls, setting up fibrous adsorbent purification equipment, and lining and purification systems within the harbor.
Furthermore, we are studying development of unmanned radiation monitoring technology to evaluate the environmental impact, and optimization of protective equipment to reduce exposure as part of work environment improvement.
R&D efforts
Ongoing projects
Development of Technologies for Work Environmental Improvement in Reactor Building (Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management)
Summary
Towards the scaling up retrieval of fuel debris and internal structure, technology related environmental improvement shall be developed as it is necessary for safe and efficient work inside the Reactor Building (R/B), where there are still places where the damage status caused by the accident is unknown and the dose rate is still high.
Action
- Development of Technologies for Work Environmental Improvement in Reactor Building
・Development for higher performance of exposure reduction technologies by digitalization of environment and radioactive source distribution
Implementation plan
Results & performance by fiscal year
- FY 2022
- FY 2021
Reducing dose rate within the site
Prevention of expansion of contamination of the ocean
Evaluation and monitoring of environmental impact
Study of optimization of protective equipment to reduce exposure (Work environment improvement )
- Development of powered shielded suits, industrial supports by naraha remote technology development center (JAEA) (PDF page 13)
Plant investigation, measurement data, and information
Dose rate reduction within the site
- Efforts to reduce the environmental dose rate (Updated February 27, 2024)
(METI, Secretariat of the Team for Countermeasures for Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Treatment)
- Environmental dose rate reduction schedule ( February 22, 2024) (PDF) Only Japanese siryou3-6
- Mid-to-long term implementation policies for dose rate reduction within the site (January 2014) (TEPCO) (PDF)
- Implementation status of dose rate reduction countermeasures within Fukushima Daiichi NPS site (June 2014) (TEPCO) (PDF)
- Measurement status from monitoring posts within Fukushima Daiichi NPS buildings (TEPCO)
- Results of analysis of radioactive materials in the Fukushima Daiichi NPS vicinity (TEPCO)
- Radioactive material monitoring data information release site (JAEA)
- Survey map of Fukushima Daiichi NPS
Evaluation and monitoring of environmental impact
- Radiation monitoring using manned helicopter
- Monitoring of radioactive cesium concentration in river water
- Detection of Alpha Ray Radiating Nuclide
- 3D Visualization of Distribution of Radioactive Materials
- Collection of monitoring data
- Radioactivity monitoring information (Nuclear Regulation Authority)
- Radioactive material monitoring data information release site (JAEA)