Removal of JMTR secondary cooling system cooling tower and asbestos slate material

Kagi, Takumi; Araki, Daisuke; Yanai, Tomohiro; Kuwabara, Ryota; Sugaya, Naoto; Nishimura, Arashi; Ebisawa, Hiroyuki; Watahiki, Shunsuke; Tanimoto, Masataka 

On September 9, 2019, the strong winds of Typhoon No. 15 caused the secondary cooling system cooling tower of the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) to collapse. The cooling tower collapsed from east to west, and four secondary cooling system pipes connected to it also pulled down, and all four pipes were damaged at their riser sections. Because the exterior wall slate material (asbestos slate) covering the collapsed cooling tower contained asbestos, it was necessary to ensure the safety of the workers and to minimize the impact of asbestos on the surrounding environment during the removal work. This report describes the work plan devised while complying with the relevant laws and the results of its implementation to ensure worker safety and reduce the environmental impact of asbestos during the removal work, storage management, and transportation of the asbestos slate material from the cooling tower of the secondary cooling system.