1 NHLBI/NEI National Institutes of Health NHLBI/NEI National Institutes of Health.
Nei japan generic_ppt_slide_deck_final_3-23-11
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Transcript of Nei japan generic_ppt_slide_deck_final_3-23-11
Japanese Nuclear Accident
And U.S. ResponseMarch 23, 2011
Nuclear Energy in Japan
54 operating nuclear reactors (49 gigawatts)
Two nuclear plants under construction
Tokyo Electric Power Co. produces 27% of Japan’s electricity
12,000 MW of nuclear energy capacity shut down
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Before the Accident
Unit 1Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Units 5, 6
At the time of the earthquake
Reactors 1, 2 and 3 operating
Reactors 4, 5 and 6 shutdown for maintenance, inspection,
refueling
Status of Fukushima DaiichiNuclear Plant
Unit 1 Hydrogen explosion, fuel damage, seawater cooling the reactor vessel, status of spent fuel pool unclear
Unit 2 Fuel damage, seawater cooling the reactor vessel, cooling water restored to spent fuel pool
Unit 3 Hydrogen explosion, fuel damage, seawater cooling the reactor vessel, water sprayed into spent fuel pool
Unit 4 Reactor core offloaded, fire and possible hydrogen explosion, damage to spent fuel in fuel pool
Units 5 and 6 Stable with power and cooling water circulation restored
Boiling Water Reactor Design
Spent Fuel Pool
Reactor Vessel
Suppression Pool (Torus)
Primary Containment
Steel Containment Vessel
Secondary ContainmentArea of Explosion
at Fukushima DaiichiUnits 1 and 3
Seawater Is Being PumpedInto Reactor Vessels atUnits 1, 2 and 3
Boiling Water Reactor DesignAt Fukushima Daiichi
U.S. Nuclear Plants Are Safe
“Our nuclear power plants have undergone exhaustive study, and have been declared safe for any number of extreme contingencies. ”
President Barack ObamaMarch 17, 2011
“All the plants in the United States are designed to deal with a wide range of natural disasters, whether it’s earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, other seismic events. We require all of them to deal with those.”
NRC Chairman Gregory JaczkoMarch 17, 2011
Radiological Safety in the U.S.
“Radiation monitors confirm that no radiation levels of concern have reached the united states”
Joint EPA/DOE statement, March 18, 2011
“Radiation monitors confirm that no radiation levels of concern have reached the united states”
Joint EPA/DOE statement, March 18, 2011
“Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.”
NRC press release, March 13, 2011
“Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.”
NRC press release, March 13, 2011
“At this time, CDC does not recommend that people in the United States take KI or iodine supplements in response to the nuclear power plant explosions in Japan”
Center for Disease Control website, March 21, 2011
“At this time, CDC does not recommend that people in the United States take KI or iodine supplements in response to the nuclear power plant explosions in Japan”
Center for Disease Control website, March 21, 2011
Emergency Planning for U.S.Nuclear Energy Facilities
10-mile emergency planning zone (evacuation or sheltering); 50-mile monitoring zone for environment and food.
Radiation monitoring by plant site, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and state and local personnel from the site and surrounding areas
Decisions on public precautionary measures made by state or local authorities based on recommendations from plant operator and NRC
Emergency plan exercises in coordination with state, local, and federal officials, evaluated by the NRC and FEMA
Protection of Plant Workers
All plants have extensive radiation detection and monitoring capabilities
Protecting workers is the highest priority Procedures in place to govern work
practices and limit radiation exposure Workers receive extensive training on
radiation safety and emergency responsibilities
U.S. Nuclear Power PlantsPrepared for Extreme Events
Maximum credible earthquakes and floods Loss of off-site power and on-site power Hydrogen generation as a result of fuel
damage during loss-of-coolant accidents Post 9/11: aircraft impact, loss of large areas
of the plant Industry preparation, training, etc. exceed
NRC requirements U.S. industry has long history of continuous
learning
U.S. Industry Taking Steps to Ensure Safety at Nuclear Power
Plants Nuclear energy industry will take short-term and
long-term actions Short-term: Verify readiness to manage extreme
events Long-term:
– Careful analysis of Japanese accident and how reactors, systems, structures, components, fuel and operators performed
– Incorporate lessons learned into U.S. reactor designs and operating practices
Short-Term IndustryActions to Ensure Safety
Verify each plant's capability to manage major challenges, such as aircraft impacts, loss of large areas of plant due to natural events, fires or explosions
Verify each plant's capability to manage loss of off-site power
Verify capability to mitigate flooding and the impact of floods on systems inside and outside the plant
Perform walk-downs and inspection of important equipment needed to respond to extreme events
Reaction in United States
NRC will conduct comprehensive review of all U.S. nuclear power plants to ensure safety
Measured response from political and policy community– Focused on learning, applying lessons
Likely increased attention to U.S. used fuel management policy– Centralized interim storage a strategic priority
Little visible impact on new nuclear plant development
Information Sources
Nuclear Energy Institute (www.nei.org) U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (www.nrc.gov) U.S. Department of Energy (www.energy.gov) International Atomic Energy Agency (www.iaea.org) American Nuclear Society (www.ans.org) Health Physics Society (www.hps.org) Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
(http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/) Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (www.jaif.or.jp/english/) Tokyo Electric Power Company
(http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html)