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FBaggins

(26,754 posts)
Mon Jun 10, 2013, 12:23 PM Jun 2013

Support Structure for Reactor 4 Is Now Complete (Fukushima)

The structure itself, made of heavy-duty steel beams, is complete. TEPCO will put the cover over the structure, and install the fuel handling machine and the crane to remove the fuel assemblies in the Spent Fuel Pool. It took workers 5 months to build the structure.

From TEPCO's Photos and Videos English page (5/29/2013):




http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2013/06/fukushima-i-nuke-plant-support.html


They should give some indication of scale. That thing is huge. It looks like the frame of a 4-5 story building, but it's likely closer to 10-15 stories tall with a substantial cantilever over the fuel pool.

Probably a mistake to call it the "support structure for reactor 4" when it doesn't actually touch the building (it's really the support structure for the fuel-removal equipment). Some will no doubt misread it as having something to do with the prior nonsense theories that the building was about to tilt over and collapse - making the entire N. Hemisphere unlivable!!!"
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