Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
1/16/2015
Kurion received a contract to develop a robotic arm to repair reactor primary containment leaks at the Fukushima Daii-chi Nuclear Power Plant, the company said this week. The contract from IHI Corporation calls for Kurion to produce its robotic system, entitled the ‘Fukushima Repair Manipulator,’ for a targeted deployment of mid-2016 within the Unit 2 Reactor, which was heavily damaged in the 2011 accident. The system will include advanced cutting, water-jet, and grouting tools while featuring an automatic control sequences to guide the tool in opening holes, clearing debris and obstacles, and plugging cracks in the reactor’s vent tubes and torus. Following the repairs to any leaks, plant workers will have an opportunity to remove damaged fuel and debris from the reactor. Kurion had previously contracted with the IHI Corporation to provide a robotic system that enabled an inspection of the Unit 2 Reactor that identified the leaks. Kurion did not list the amount the contract was worth.
According to Kurion President and Founder John Raymont, the new contract represents another area where Kurion is assisting in the plant cleanup. “Kurion is honored to be selected yet again to assist with the ongoing recovery efforts at the Fukushima Daii-chi Nuclear Power Plant,” Raymont said in a statement. “For the past three years, Kurion has applied our innovative technologies throughout the plant to purify hazardous water and identify repair needs. Now, the adoption of Kurion’s Fukushima Repair Manipulator marks another critical step in accelerating the ongoing cleanup of the plant.”
Kurion has been heavily involved in the Fukushima cleanup. Earlier this summer, the company announced a contract with TEPCO to provide a mobile system to treat the water tanks at the Fukushima-Daiichi Power Station. Kurion previously provided treatment at the cleanup site to remove cesium from groundwater back in 2011, and a contract from last year called for the removal of strontium from the water that is currently being stored in the tanks. Water contamination remains a priority for the cleanup, with TEPCO making multiple attempts, including a groundwater pumping system and ‘ice wall’ to prevent the further contamination of water at the site.