Tohoku University has set up the "Reactor Decommissioning Infrastructure Research Center" to support the decommissioning work of the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.Professor Yutaka Watanabe of the Graduate School of Engineering will be appointed as the director of the center, and the research results will be utilized in the decommissioning plans of aging nuclear power plants in various places.
According to Tohoku University, about 30 faculty members from the Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Informatics, and Institute of Fluid Science participate in the center."Decommissioning Risk Management Technology Research Division" that researches and develops safety technology and cost reduction technology required for decommissioning, and "Radioactive Waste Treatment and Disposal Technology Research Division" that researches improvement of radioactive material confinement performance and storage of dissolved fuel. Put.
Five and a half years after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, there is no prospect of decommissioning Units 5 to 1, and work is expected to continue for more than 4 years.In order to proceed with decommissioning safely and steadily, it is necessary to continue efforts under the all-Japan system including the government.
For this reason, Tohoku University has set "leading the recovery and rebirth from the Great East Japan Earthquake" as a university-wide vision, and has been striving to develop young human resources who will proceed with basic research on decommissioning since FY2014.The purpose of establishing the center is to further develop the activities so far and lead the basic research in Japan.
Tohoku University says, "We would like to safely proceed with the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and utilize the research results for other decommissioning work to contribute to strengthening Japan's international competitiveness in the nuclear field."
