Japan Nuclear Crisis

How Does BWR - Nuclear Reactor Works!!

The heat generated by the fission of uranium releases energy that heats water to produce steam to turn turbines to generate electricity. BWR To Cooling Towerare 20% of reactors in the world. In addition to fuel rods containing uranium, reactors contain control rods of cadmium, boron, graphite, or some other nonfissionable material used to control the rate fission by absorbing neutrons. Lowering the rods decreases the rate of reaction.

Reactor-5 & 6 Reactor-1, 2, 3, 4

FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR PLANT

Reactors

FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR PLANT

Unit-1 commissioned in 1971.
The plant consists of six boiling water reactors. These light water reactors have a combined power of 4.7 GW, making Fukushima I one of the 15 largest nuclear power stations in the world. The reactors for Units 1, 2, and 6 were supplied by General Electric, Units 3 and 5 by Toshiba, Unit 4 by Hitachi. All six reactors were designed by General Electric. Since September 2010, Unit 3 has been fueled by mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel, rather than the low enriched uranium (LEU) used in the other reactors. Units 15 were built with Mark I type (light bulb torus) containment structures, Unit 6 has a Mark II type (over/under) containment structure.

PLANT DETAILS
Unit Fukushima I 1 Fukushima I 2 Fukushima I 3 Fukushima I 4 Fukushima I 5 Fukushima I 6 Type BWR-3 BWR-4 BWR-4 BWR-4 BWR-4 BWR-5 Commerc ial operation March 26, 1971 July 18, 1974 March 27, 1976 October 12, 1978 April 18, 1978 October 24, 1979 Electric power Reactor supplier General Electric General Electric Toshiba Hitachi Toshiba General Electric Fuel LEU LEU MOX LEU LEU LEU

460 MW 784 MW 784 MW 784 MW 784 MW 1,100 MW

PLANT SEISMIC DESIGN

Unit 1 was designed for a peak ground acceleration of 0.18 g (1.74 m/s2) and a response spectrum based on the 1952 Kern County earthquake. All units were inspected after the 1978 Miyagi earthquake when the ground acceleration was 0.125 g (1.22 m/s2) for 30 seconds, but no damage to the critical parts of the reactor was discovered. However the 2011 Sendai earthquake recorded a ground acceleration of 0.35 g (3.43 m/s2) near the epicenter

Operating history
On 11 March 2011 an earthquake categorized as 9.0 MW on the moment magnitude scale occurred at 14:46 Japan Standard Time (JST) off the northeast coast of Japan. Reactors 4, 5 and 6 had been shut down prior to the earthquake for planned maintenance. The remaining reactors were shut down automatically after the earthquake, but the subsequently tsunami flooded the plant, knocking out emergency generators needed to run pumps which cool and control the reactors. The flooding and earthquake damage prevented assistance being brought from elsewhere.

Fuel Configuration

Cladding of fuel Zr (zircaloy)

Zr + 2HO(steam) = ZrO +2H

BLAST AT REACTOR-1
12 March: while evidence of partial meltdown of the fuel rods in unit 1 was growing, a hydrogen explosion destroyed the upper cladding of the building housing unit 1. The explosion injured four workers, but the reactor containment inside the building remained intact. The explosion is believed to be the result of a buildup of hydrogen within the building after it was vented along with steam to reduce pressure within the containment vessel. Hydrogen is formed when overheated zircaloy reactor fuel rods oxidize with water.

This will permanently damage the reactor beyond further use.

BLAST AT REACTOR-3
13 March: a partial meltdown also appeared possible at unit 3. Both reactors 1 and 3 were being vented and refilled with water and boric acid to reduce temperatures and inhibit further nuclear reactions. Unit 2 was reported to have lower than normal water level but to be stable, although pressure inside the containment vessel was high. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that it was rating the situation at units 1 and 3 as level 4 (accident with local consequences) on INES.

BLAST AT REACTOR-2
15 March: problems with the vents on unit 2 apparently meant that pressure in its containment vessel had prevented adding water, to the extent that unit 2 was in the most severe condition of the three reactors. Explosion in the "pressure suppression room" caused some damage to unit 2s containment system.

FIRE AT REACTOR-4
FIRE

A fire broke out at unit 4 involving spent fuel rods from the reactor, which are normally kept in the waterfilled spent fuel pool to prevent overheating.

SPENT (IRRADIATED) FUEL TANK

FIRE AT REACTOR-4 SPENT FUEL TANK

FIRE AT REACTOR-3 SPENT FUEL TANK

16 March: white smoke rising from the Fukushima I plant, which officials suggested was likely coming from reactor 3. It was believed that the fuel rod storage poolwhich is located outside the containment area may have begun boiling, raising the possibility that exposed rods would reach criticality. A rise in water temperature, usually to 40 C, causes the water level to fall, thus exposing the spent nuclear fuel rods, which could then heat up further, melt and discharge highly radioactive materials in the worst-case scenario, experts say

17 March: During the morning, SelfDefense Force helicopters dropped four containers of water on the spent fuel pools of units 3 and 4. In the afternoon it was reported that the unit 4 spent fuel pool is full with water and none of the fuel rods are exposed. Construction work was started to supply a working external electrical power source to all six units of Fukushima I.

Police and fire water trucks with high pressure hoses attempted to spray water into the unit 3 reactor.

 18 March: Tokyo Fire Department dispatched thirty fire engines with 139 fire-fighters and trained rescue team approximately. These include a fire truck with a 22 m water tower; all units will join Japan Defense Forces fire equipment which is already deployed. JDF worked hard to fill water in unit 4 & 3. For the second consecutive day, high radiation levels have been detected in an area 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) northwest of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The reading was 150 microsieverts per hour. Human exposure to that level of radiation for six to seven hours would result in absorption of what is considered safe in a year. Japanese authorities have raised the INES rating of the incident to Level 5 (from 4).

STATUS More than 2,000 tons of water is believed to have been put into the No. 3 reactor pool, exceeding the pool's capacity of 1,400 tons. Fuel rods used at the reactor were plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel, known as MOX, said to be harder to control than normal fuel rods made from uranium. External electric power to all reactors is restored. Temporary Cables are laid. Fresh water in contrast to the seawater used earlier is still being injected into the reactor cores and nuclear fuel pools in Numbers 1, 2 and 3 reactors to remove large amount of salt deposited on the fuel. Two of the Japanese plant's six reactors are currently considered safe, however workers at the plant are continuing to work around the clock in order to bring the remaining four under control. Contaminated water which is pooled in reactor and turbine buildings is being pumped out to 250 km away from Tokyo. Appears Japan is overcoming the crisis.

WHAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN

Personnel attempting to cool down reactor are dubbed a 'suicide squad A worker's daughter tells: 'My father says he has accepted his fate much like a death sentence.' Another worker sent a message to his wife that said: 'Please continue to live well, I cannot be home for a while.

Thank you

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