Tuesday 17 September 2013

FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER STATION JAPAN

Written by Kalyan Kumar Mahata


The Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan came forward to ensure the nation's nuclear safety regulation and administration. Keeping in mind the accident occurred in  Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka expressed his deep concern over the environment to take measures with a great responsibility and vowed to handle an earnest operational transparency. He also took  effective steps to achieve enhanced nuclear safety and determined to eradicate in constant fear and anxiety over radiation effects to the people and the environment. The above propaganda of statements were  published by Nuclear Regulations for People and the Environment, Japan.

RADIOACTIVITY IN SEAWATER :

Seawater near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station show the concentration for Cesium - 137 and H- 3 are less than 3.3 Bq / L and 8.6 Bq / L respectively and the concentration for Cesium - 134 and total Beta are ND (under the limit of detection / 'ND' marked is nuclide detection limit) for past six months. There are 305 bolted-joint storage water tanks of which one of 305 bolted-joint storage tanks had an leakage in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Approximately more than 300 tons contaminated water leakage was found by TEPCO. Another 4 storage tanks had the possibility of water leakage.



The radioactive water container became leak as a consequence  the seawater near the Fukushima NPP
contaminated. One drop of contaminated water fell every 90 seconds after the cover stuff of the flange was removed, this water drop had stopped by  TEPCO's tightening up the bolts of flange on 1 September, 2013.



FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT :

Fukushima Nuclear Power Accident happened on March 11, 2011 at Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc., hereinafter referred to as "Daiichi NPS"). The power supply of Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc., all of a sudden had lost due to the natural disaster occurred in the form of Earthquake and the tsunami off the Pacific coast of Tohoku. As a result, a vast amount of radioactive materials were released by Daiichi NPS into the environment  which caused a severe accident. Majority of the external power supply systems were shut down at the Higashidori, Onagawa, Fukushima Daiichi, Dai-ni and Tokai Dai-ni NPSs following the Earthquake in the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan. Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS completely lost the power monitoring system that stemmed from damaged circuit breakers and disconnectors in the switchyard, tripped transmission lines and nearly embankment which felled pylons. Japan, though, is highly sensitive in quake. The norms and regulations for safety measures on equipment, devices and other systems were failed to protect the impact of resistance that exceeded the standard seismic ground motion. The root cause of the failure of operations in Cooling Systems, On-site power Supply Systems, Containment Systems, Communications instrumentation and control systems and emergency response arrangements were investigated by Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. NISA shut down electrical substation to implement counter-measures.




The insufficient provision against severe accident and the aftermath of the damage result made many local people homeless, people lived in the specific area including those within 20 km. radius from the site are still unable to return home. It is temporarily rated at INES Level 7.




SWITCH OFF NUCLEAR REACTOR :

The introductory implement of new regulatory systems stipulated in amended laws, including the application of the latest scientific and technical knowledge could not restore Nuclear Power Supply of Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, Japan. The NRA of Japan switched off the last working nuclear reactor of the country after informing the International Atomic Energy Agency on 5 September, 2013. The Government of Japan officially transmitted to International Atomic Energy Agency a factsheet 'Overview', a 'Basic Policy ' of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters together with an explanatory note entitled Government's Decision on addressing the contaminated water issue at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS).

An overview of the current situation of contaminated water leakage, current information on radioactivity in seawater the further supervision by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and further facilitation of international communication were included on the note, dated 5 September, 2013.

NUCLEAR SAFETY AND SECURITY :

According to the IAEA, the objective of the World's top monitoring agency is ' to protect people and the environment ' from the ' unsafe act ' and ' security breach '. The organization's strong outlook comprised with a measuring step is to keep free ' the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation '.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano termed the Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011 as a ' Global wake up call on nuclear safety '. The IAEA Report on Fukushima Nuclear accident will be completed within 2014. In the 57th General Conference at the headquarters in Vienna, Yukiya Amano stated the IAEA's  concern over recent Fukushima Nuclear Power Station's contaminated water leakage and addressed urgently to assist Japan and will send a second international peer review mission to offer further advice.

RESUME THE SYSTEM :

Tokyo Electrical Power Company, Inc. started the programme through eliminating the contaminant from the radioactive water storage to resume the operation of the suspended reactors unit 5 and unit 6 comprised capacity of 784 MWe and 1100 MWe respectively of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant under new safety guidelines approved by the Ministry of Environment, Japan and Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), Japan. Members of the Nuclear Safety Inspectors including Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Officers of TEPCO started the investigations on 19 September, 2013 to find out the specific junction where water leaked from. According to the report as on 24 September, 2013 of NRA, Japan monitoring by TEPCO, there was no significant increase of concentration in seawater because the dikes were full of rain water caused by the typoon within 30m northern point from the outlet for Reactor Units 5 and 6. On Monday, 30 September, 2013 TEPCO restarted the system of operation of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant through MONJU Prototype Equipment Check process that included decontamination of water and inspection of 14,000 items equipment out of which 2000 uninspected items equipment were found.


Reference : International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Regulation Authority.

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