[RFC] Possible means to reactor cleanup?

[Black Aeronaut]

This + Handwavium = awesome, or terrifying?

Both terrifying and awesome, naturally. They'll probably uplift with a sapient hive-mind, like (if I'm recalling her details correctly) Dee.

Hmmmm....  I'm imagining hundreds of these little guys using infrared or ultraviolet LEDs instead of radio operating in the most dangerous parts of a reactor complex.  Of course, they would need to be specially hardened, but using Handwavium treated lead I think it can be done.
Thoughts?

[M Fnord]

I guess I'm a little confused as to what a swarm of miniflyers would *do* to clean up a fried reactor.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

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[HRogge]

I am still thinking that the best way to remove a radioactive reactor is to envelop it completely in something (a hull you burrow below it? a forcefield) and lift it into a large special built container to push it into the sun later.

[robkelk]

I guess I'm a little confused as to what a swarm of miniflyers would *do* to clean up a fried reactor.

If you want to salvage anything from the reactor (although Ghu only knows why you'd want to), they'd make it easier to see what can and cannot be salvaged... assuming you can do something abut the radiation levels.

Oh! Use them like water bombers to deliver anti-radiation handwavium, a few ounces at a time... No, it would be easier and faster to 'wave a police bomb-disposal 'bot, have it trundle a hose in, and spray everything quickly.

Okay, I'm stumped...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, there's all kinds of complications that can arise when working on the clean up for a meltdown.  Look at all the trouble they've had with the Chernobyl reactor.
You see, it's not about fine-tool work.  It's about getting into small spaces that your police bomb-bot couldn't even dream of getting into.  Or hell, even mapping out the space ahead for the bomb-bot so it doesn't have a "help me! i've fallen and i can't get up" moment.  (This would be really bad if it happens in an area where the radiation is so intense that no one can get there without killing themselves.)
Also, if you can attach cutting tools to these bots, then you can remove small portions of the reactor vessel and its associated components.  This is the holy grail of meltdown cleanup - the ability to remove the ruined reactor from the site.  This is because once the remains of the reactor are removed then you can have human workers enter the area to start decontaminating things.  And really, if you could bury the thing in a subduction zone or something, then that'd be best.