Nuclear reactor meltdown fukushima
The scale of the Fukushima barrier is bounded by industry experience and the equipment and infrastructure proposed for the ground freezing is well understood. The DOE laboratory independent assessment of the frozen soil barrier concluded that the technical characteristics of a frozen barrier are relatively well suited to Fukushima-specific hydrogeologic conditions and the need for reducing the inflow of water into damaged reactors at the F1 Site. Construction of the refrigeration plant is complete and all of the above ground piping/manifolds are in the final stages of construction. Drilling of all of the boreholes was completed November 9, 2015.
Nuclear reactor meltdown fukushima plus#
The barrier required 1927 total boreholes: 1568 for freeze pipes plus 359 for temperature monitoring arrays. The frozen soil barrier design extends to about 30 m depth the bottom of the barrier is in a low permeability interval, and the total barrier length around the reactors is just over 1.5 km. A group of scientists and engineers from US Department of Energy National Laboratories provided independent evaluation of the frozen barrier design and operational plans along with technical recommendations to the TEPCO team. The frozen soil barrier was designed and installed by a team from TEPCO and Kajima Corporation. The frozen barrier is intended to limit the flow of water into the area, reduce the amount of water entering damaged reactors, and reduce the resulting volume of contaminated water that requires treatment and storage. One of the key countermeasures is a frozen soil barrier encircling more » the damaged reactor facilities. In general, the strategy represents an example of a 'defense in depth' concept that is used for nuclear facilities around the world. The diverse countermeasures work together in an integrated manner to provide different types, and several levels, of environmental protection. In response, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is implementing a number of countermeasures to limit the releases and impacts of contaminated water to the surrounding environment.
"Renewable energy should be the conclusion drawn from this war, not a return to nuclear," he told Reuters.Reactor buildings and support facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (F1 Site) were damaged by a March 2011 tsunami. "All of us are troubled by the rising energy costs … but to give that as a reason to say that nuclear energy is the only way forward is not right," said Satoshi Tatara, an activist against nuclear energy, who lives near a nuclear plant. Still, national approaches have diverged, with France eyeing more nuclear power plants, while Germany vetoed this week a proposal to extend the lifespan of its nuclear plants.
"If you could obtain the understanding of the people after having verified safety, speeding up inspections and then speeding up the restarts, that's definitely a choice," LDP lawmaker and former defence minister Itsunori Onodera told Reuters this week.Īs energy prices hit multi-year highs, the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations have also agreed it is critical to diversify energy sources and reduce dependence on Russia.
Resource-poor Japan imports most of its energy, and Russia, which calls the action in Ukraine a "special military operation", is its fifth-largest supplier of oil and liquefied natural gas. Just six of Japan's more than 30 nuclear power plants are operating, accounting for just 3.7% of energy use in 2020, down from 26% in 2010. With thousands still displaced after the meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor, public opposition to nuclear power runs high. Mindful of a looming upper house election in July, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and members of his cabinet have moved cautiously, repeating the government's position that safety considerations were key to any decisions on nuclear restarts. "The government must restart nuclear power plants swiftly to overcome this current crisis," a parliamentary group of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said on Thursday, calling the situation in Ukraine "dangerous" for Japan's energy supply. The growing calls from Japan's business leaders, lawmakers, and even the main opposition party come amid persistent public opposition to nuclear power, muddying the outlook for energy policy.