The NEA's nuclear safety project Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident Information Collection and Evaluation (FACE) has begun. The first meeting held from 11-13 July 2022 in Paris assembled close to 90 international experts to discuss the project’s scope and tasks, and the recent investigations inside the damaged reactors.
During the meeting, Japanese organisations shared the outcome of recent investigative analyses performed in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) damaged units that require specific attention in the project. This included contamination levels in the shield plug region above the damaged cores and in the Standby Gas Treatment System (SGTS), coloured flame observed in Unit 3 during hydrogen explosion, as well as several findings recently obtained from the Unit 1 internal investigations, particularly concrete damages seen in the vicinity of the pedestal opening.
About the FACE project
The FACE project is a constructive extension of NEA’s nuclear safety collaborative projects such as Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (BSAF), Preparatory Study on Fuel Debris Analysis (PreADES) and Analysis of Information from Reactor Buildings and Containment Vessels of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (ARC-F). The project objectives are to:
- Maintain communication between Japanese organisations and international partners to share data, information and expertise towards the resolution of FDNPS decommissioning and decontamination related issues, and improvement of nuclear safety in various countries;
- Refine the analysis of the accident scenario including the effects of accident management measures, incorporating new insights gained from plant investigations at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS);
- Clarify current capability and directions to further improve modeling for severe accident progression;
- Interpret the results of collected uranium-bearing particles and determining suitable hot laboratory analysis techniques and procedures for future application to fuel debris analysis.
The next FACE meeting is scheduled to be held in Japan in the week of 6 February 2023.
