Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster - Case Study Example

An Analysis to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has something to do with the people and government of Japan and as well to other countries. The damages it brought about made the people of Japan re-evaluate what had happened through various studies and reports. This paper discussed four main points about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. These points include: a brief description of the plant’s design and its operation; a timeline of events that occurred leading up to incident and actions taken; an analysis of equipment damage, activity released, and effects on the personnel and public; and effects on the nuclear industry, changes enacted by the Department of Energy or Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prevent or minimize recurrence of the event in the US. Also, personal views about the disaster have been stated all throughout the paper. Studies or reports about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has been also cited in the paper. An Analysis to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster It has been few years since a tragedy happened in Japan wherein several people died along with millions of properties and industry. Several dreams had gone as disasters came along the way. It was really hard for the Japanese people to move on but they should and they did. Knowing the country of Japan as the country of industrious people, they came now to be fine after what had happened to them. It is actually good to see the positive views of that tragic moment in the country because people can get stronger and improve even more. The government also stood on their mission and vision to serve everyone more over in the midst of challenges. However, there are still things that need to be clarified or studied so that people could be able to understand what really happened. What really happened with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster? According to Anzai, et al (2012), it was March 11, 2011 when an earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern part of Japan. These natural occurrences brought a huge problem in the country especially to the stabilization of nuclear plants. Addition to that, Anzai, et al (2012) also said that: “Operating reactors shut down automatically, with control rods inserting into the reactor cores. However, the 14-meter tsunami triggered by the earthquake disabled all AC power to Units 1, 2, and 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, carrying away fuel tanks for emergency diesel generators. Water injection failed in the emergency core cooling system of Units 1, 2, and 3. Since the normal cooling system was inoperable, a pressure valve was opened manually to reduce the pressure in the reactor container. In spite of such efforts, hydrogen explosions damaged the facilities.” Anzai, et al (2012) also said that because of this, an amount of radioactive material has been released in the air. Back in March 2011, a strong earthquake and tsunami hit the place of the Northeastern Japan wherein the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant was basically located (Anzai, et al, 2012). As a result, the plant has been affected as if leaks and damaged controls were said as the main cause of the problem. It has been hard for the government and the people of Japan to recover because the damaged nuclear plant affected even the sea where ships pass by as well as the marine species (fishes) found. The tragedy was really one of the biggest stories in the history of the country of Japan and people keep on remembering it every time they would experience some natural occurrence. The tragedy did not leave without pouring fears inside the hearts of the people in Japan which is actually the worst part. Several people experience trauma whenever a little earthquake or tsunami would come on their way. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster brought nothing good but all worst to the country and as well to its people. A brief description about the plant design and its operation has been discussed so that people could understand what was the power plants’ design and operation that still, made it not last with the earthquake and tsunami that hit them. According to Acton & Hibbs (2012), the Daiichi and Dani are located about 11 km apart from the coast. The design of the power plants was actually created to be good and strong from some natural occurrence such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Power plants in the country of Japan are said to be placed on rocks to be strongly founded. The original design of Daiichi was made stronger and more stabilized to prevent tsunamis and earthquakes. Addition to that, the power plants had been built about 10m above sea level with the seawater pumps that were 4m above sea level. It is actually obvious, as an opinion that the country of Japan did not fail to prepare or be ready of the possible things that might happen in the future. They even made the power plants as if it is better than others. They used the previous measured heights of some tsunamis they have experienced to be their basic standard on measuring the height of the power plants to prevent it from any breaks. Knowing some brief description of the design and operation of the power plants, why such thing still happened on the tragic day of March 2011? Reminiscing that is really a hard task to do. The things happened during that time was really a tragic scenario to remember. To discuss it further, Anzai, et al (2012) provided a timeline of what had happened: MARCH 11 A 9.0 magnitude earthquake strikes. Ground acceleration triggers automatic shutdown of all three reactors in operation. A 14-meter tsunami triggered by the earthquake disables all AC power to Units 1, 2 and 3. Fuel tanks for emergency diesel generators are carried off by the tsunami. Water injection fails in the emergency core cooling systems of Units 1 and 2. MARCH 12 A pressure relief valve is opened on the Unit 1 pressure vessel. A hydrogen explosion damages the structure of the Unit 1 reactor building. Seawater injection to the Unit 1 pressure vessel begins. Water injection fails in the emergency core cooling system of Unit 3. MARCH 13 A pressure relief valve is opened on the Unit 3 pressure vessel. Water injection fails in the emergency core cooling systems of Unit 1 and 2. A hydrogen explosion damages the external structure of the Unit 3 reactor building. MARCH 14 The water level in the Unit 2 pressure vessel is found to be low, leading operators to conclude that the reactor cooling system is no longer functional. Seawater injection into the Unit 2 pressure vessel begins. An explosion sound is heard at Unit 2 and it concluded to indicate an abnormality in the pressure suppression pool. At the same time, part of a wall in the operation area of Unit 4 is damaged. A fire breaks out in the Unit 4 reactor building. MARCH 15 The unit 4 fire is extinguished. (Source: Anzai, et al., 2012) The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has its cause as seen in the timeline above. Due to the natural phenomena such as the earthquake and the tsunami, the power plants failed to hold on with its foundation and so, leaks started to flow all over. However, on the other side of the scenario, the power plants had the ability to be automated to prevent further distractions as it was really designed as such (just like what had mentioned above). Unfortunately, the power plants failed to accommodate the too much effect that the natural occurrence brought in. What happened caused the people on the nearby town to fear the possible damage it may bring such as radiation defects. The equipment that were damaged because of the earthquake and tsunami had been studied giving the results that during that time, power supply on the nearby places in Northern Japan got lost at the moment. According to Holt, et al (2012), after the equipment got damaged, the power supplies automatically shut down resulting to the down of electricity in the place. As a backup response, the diesel generators started up to give back the power supply. Unfortunately, the water of the tsunami flooded the electrical switch gear from the diesel generators, causing most AC power in units 1 to 4 to be lost. He also added that losing the AC power in units 1 to 3 caused the fuel rods in the reactor cores to overheated which eventually reacted with steam to produce large amounts of hydrogen that gone to unit 1, 3, 4 reactor buildings and then exploded. The radioactive material released in the atmosphere may bring harmful effects to the public as extreme radiation dose reacts to one’s body. It even created a big controversy in the country of Japan and to its nearby countries (Holt, et. al, 2012). Knowing the movement of the gaseous particles, there is really a big possibility that several may be affected on it. The radioactive material gave a big damage to the Northern part of Japan since it was the place that was so near to the source of the incident. Several people evacuated due to the fear of having sickness that the radioactive material brings. At the same time, several also failed to escape the tragic situation, several died. According to Kosowatz (2012), the incident happened in Japan made the nuclear industry to rethink and be aware of the possible things that power plants may bring in one specific country or place. The surrounding area of the damage part of Northern Japan suffered radiological contamination resulted to 100, 000 relocators. Addition to that, the economic status of Japan got down after the country decided to shut down the nuclear generating stations. The governments around the world reconsider the possible good and bad effects of having nuclear energy. Actually, Germany plans to shut down their power plants as well after seeing what happened in Northern Japan. What happened in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was all accident. No one really wanted or wished that such thing should happen in Japan. If some would conduct deeper studies on that tragic experience of Japan, people, especially the Japanese, would understand the main cause of the problem. For no reason, this incident is not that new for Japan. This is actually the third time that they had experienced too much about it. Earthquakes are always felt in the country since it belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire. According to Acton & Hibbs (2012): “In the last century there have been eight tsunamis in the region with maximum amplitudes at origin above 10 meters (some much more) these having arisen from earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 to 8.4, on average one every 12 years. Those in 1983 and in 1993 were the most recent affecting Japan, with maximum heights at origin of 14.5 meters and 31 meters respectively, both induced by magnitude 7.7 earthquakes. The June 1896 earthquake of estimated magnitude 7.6 produced a tsunami with run-up height of 38 meters in Tohoku region, killing 27,000 people.” They also added that these tragedies became the basis of the improving power plants that they had made. Discussion The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster experience is an event that Japanese would never forget. Thinking about this tragic experience gives back the memories of the fears and hurts the people of Japan had had during the time they were experiencing it. However, on the other side of the coin, the experience they had is a new way of learning on how would they improve to be better for the future. Also, it is a good way for the country to be prepared of the possible natural occurrences they may experience since it is already considered to experience such. Knowing the country of Japan, this tragic experience would not hinder them on achieving the government’s goals as well as the people’s dream. The people of Japan are like ants, after the rain, they will still rise up and start a new day. They will leave the past and face the present and future day with new learning and the same dreams. If the Fushima Daiichi nuclear disaster would be re-examined, it is obvious that Japan used the previous earthquakes and tsunamis they experienced as basis or standards of building stronger new power plants. It is actually the same thing others would possibly do if they were the one in the situation. The power plants, during that time, after experiencing the earthquake, shut down. It was good that the machine automatically did that and turned on the generators so that power supply would not cut off. Unfortunately, the tsunami that came after the earthquake ruined the strategic plan of the machine and eventually, destroyed everything. The radioactive material was then released in the environment (in air) which made the people panic. Truly, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was an experience that no one could ever forget. To summarize it all, the paper discussed its four main points. These points include: a brief description of the plant’s design and its operation; a timeline of events that occurred leading up to incident and actions taken; an analysis of equipment damage, activity released, and effects on the personnel and public; and effects on the nuclear industry, changes enacted by the Department of Energy or Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prevent or minimize recurrence of the event in the US. Also, personal views about the disaster have been stated all throughout the paper. References Acton, J. M. and Hibbs, M. (2012). Fukushima accident 2011. Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/fukushima_accident_inf129.html Anzai, K., Ban, N. et al (2012). Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: facts, environmental contamination, possible biological effects, and countermeasures. E-journal of J Clin Biochem Nutr, 50(1), 2–8. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246178/ Holt, M., Campbell, R. et al. (2012, January 18). Fukushima nuclear disaster. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/R41694.pdf Kosowatz, J. (2012, June). After Fukushima, ASME task force challenges nuclear. Retrieved from http://www.asme.org/kb/news---articles/articles/nuclear/after-fukushima-asme-challenges-nuclear-industry Read More