东京电力公司控股公司周五开始对福岛第一核电站发生熔毁的2号机组反应堆内部进行检查，将机械臂伸入安全壳内部。
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings on Friday started inspections of the interior of the meltdown-stricken No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, inserting a robotic arm into the containment vessel.
该公司旨在更好地掌握福岛县核电站反应堆内部的状况，因为它计划试验性地提取部分核燃料碎片。预计这项工作将耗时约半年。
The company aims to better understand conditions inside the reactor at the plant in Fukushima Prefecture, as it plans to extract some nuclear fuel debris on a trial basis. The work is expected to take about half a year.
据东电介绍，此次作业包括利用高压水射流切割可能阻碍机械臂进入的部分钢轨和电缆，以及收集安全壳内部的三维数据和图像。这些信息将用于开发和设计新设备。
According to Tepco, the latest operation involves cutting some rails and cables that could obstruct the robotic arm’s entry with high-pressure water jets and collecting 3D data and images from inside the containment vessel. This information will be used to develop and design new equipment.
安全壳上的这个开口原本用于取出插入和抽出控制棒的设备，控制棒用于控制核裂变反应。一直延伸至反应堆压力容器底部的钢轨据信正在阻碍调查。
The opening in the containment vessel had been used to remove equipment for inserting and withdrawing control rods, which control the nuclear fission reaction. Rails installed down to the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel are believed to be hindering investigations.
东电计划利用安装在机械臂上的多个摄像头拍摄图像，包括压力容器下部的图像。预计碎片取出工作将于明年开始，取出量可能为数克。该公司迄今已通过两轮作业取出了约0.9克碎片。
Tepco plans to capture images, including those of the lower part of the pressure vessel, with multiple cameras attached to the robotic arm. Debris removal is expected to begin next year, with the collection amount likely to be several grams. The company has so far removed about 0.9 grams of debris over two rounds.
该公司曾表示将于今夏左右开始调查2号机组内部，但因在机械臂中发现故障且更换零件耗时，作业被推迟。东电曾多次推迟调查，理由包括清除积聚的碎片和更换摄像头等。
The company had said that it would begin investigating the inside of the No. 2 reactor around this summer, but the operation was delayed after a malfunction was found in the robotic arm and it took time to replace parts. Tepco has frequently postponed investigations in order to remove accumulated debris and replace cameras, among other reasons.
距离2011年3月发生熔毁已过去15年多，2号机组安全壳内的辐射水平仍极高，导致工作人员无法进入作业。
The radiation level inside the No. 2 reactor’s containment vessel remains extremely high more than 15 years after the March 2011 meltdowns, making it impossible for workers to enter and conduct work.
这台机械臂长约22米，重4.6吨。机械臂由远程操控，其顶端可根据作业任务需要安装切割装置、摄像头和清理残骸设备。
The robotic arm is about 22 meters long and weighs 4.6 tons. The arm is operated remotely and can be fitted at the tip with cutting gear, cameras and debris removal equipment, depending on the tasks required in the operation.
东电福岛第一核电站退役推进公司社长小野明周四在新闻发布会上表示，他感到欣慰，因为这项工作“终于到了这一步”。
Akira Ono, president of Tepco’s Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination & Decommissioning Engineering, told a news conference Thursday that he feels relieved that the effort has “finally reached this point.”