Applying Orano's Experience in High-Level Radioactive Material Handling to the Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning Program

Since Fuel Debris (FD) extracted from Fukushima Daiichi (1F) reactors are expected to contain unsealed high level radioactive materials, its handling from transportation to safe storage will pose several challenges in terms of safety and process feasibility.Three main design requirements are expected to apply to future FD handling facilities or equipment on 1F: ensuring the safety of the public and the workers operating these facilities, guaranteeing the remote operation and maintenance of FD handling facilities over the long term and providing analysis capabilities to collect data on FD properties.Through the design, operation, and maintenance of its nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, Orano cumulated long experience in the transportation, processing, storage and characterization of radioactive materials.The following technologies and practices used in Orano's reprocessing plants and which comply with the above requirements could be implemented by TEPCO in future FD facilities: shielded airtight container for High-Level Waste (HLW) transportation, remotely operated shielded airtight hot cells, contamination management inside hot cells and with HLW storage/transportation containers, and the implementation of a rational analysis strategy and the use of specific analysis technologies to measure and characterize the FD.