Development of a CW fiber laser decontamination using high-speed scanning of a high-power density laser beam, 1; Understanding the laser decontamination mechanism

Kosuge, Atsushi  ; Minehara, Eisuke*; Saruta, Koichi   

Decontamination is required when disposing of equipment contaminated by the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The decontamination method generally used at present has a problem that a large amount of secondary waste is generated. Decontamination using a laser is non-contact and can significantly suppress the generation of secondary waste. In this study, we used a method of instantly evaporating and peeling using a continuous wave fiber laser, and observed the time change of peeling of the metal surface using a high-speed camera. Furthermore, a decontamination test was conducted using this laser decontamination method for the parts of the analyzer installed in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, which was contaminated with radioactive substances.