Tokyo Electric Power Co. said May 23 it has resumed operations of one of three channels in the troubled ALPS system that decontaminates radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said May 23 it has resumed operations of one of three channels in the troubled ALPS system that decontaminates radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The B channel restarted shortly after noon, the utility said, adding that repairs to the A and C channels should be completed for a resumption of full-scale operations by mid-June.
The Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) equipment is capable of removing 62 types of radioactive substances, but not tritium. It has operated intermittently since its trial runs started in March 2013.
The B channel stopped running on March 18 after filters that remove calcium and other substances that interfere with the absorption of radioactive materials began slowing the decontamination process.
TEPCO officials said high levels of radiation damaged rings locking the filters in place. It cleaned the inside of the equipment and replaced the filters before restarting.
The company said it switched off the C channel on May 20 due to trouble with prior processing, marking the first time that all three channels have simultaneously been out of commission.