Fukushima - Could it happen again?? Could it happen here?? - Part Two
From: Donna Descoteaux
Series: Living Well Show
Length: 28:45
One question in particular demands attention: Why was the actual event in Japan, an earthquake and tsunami, so different from the "credible" event that was expected? From our perspective as geoscientists, this is the most important question because the definition of the credible event provides the basis against which a nuclear power plant is designed. In the case of the Fukushima Daiichi power station, the magnitude of the earthquake (9.0 on the Richter scale, or M9) and subsequent tsunami (with a reported wave height of 14 meters) exceeded the credible event on which the nuclear power plant's design was based. The site has six nuclear reactors; three of them were operating at the time of the quake and successfully shut down in response to the ground shaking. Nevertheless, the power station and its spent fuel storage pools were overwhelmed by an event that had not been planned for -- a "larger-than-expected" tsunami wave, leading to a sequence of catastrophic failures.
More frequently than most of us are comfortable acknowledging, it is the unexpected, the non-'credible' event that catches us unprepared. Unfortunately, in circumstances involving nuclear power, being unprepared can be deadly! As we have seen in the Japan disaster - whole cities, and hundreds of thousands of lives can be changed very quickly and forever. Is it time to reconsider the wisdom of nuclear power plants - anywhere? According to Dr. Kennette Benedict they can be built safely. The critical question is - will they be built safely enough?
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Piece Description
One question in particular demands attention: Why was the actual event in Japan, an earthquake and tsunami, so different from the "credible" event that was expected? From our perspective as geoscientists, this is the most important question because the definition of the credible event provides the basis against which a nuclear power plant is designed. In the case of the Fukushima Daiichi power station, the magnitude of the earthquake (9.0 on the Richter scale, or M9) and subsequent tsunami (with a reported wave height of 14 meters) exceeded the credible event on which the nuclear power plant's design was based. The site has six nuclear reactors; three of them were operating at the time of the quake and successfully shut down in response to the ground shaking. Nevertheless, the power station and its spent fuel storage pools were overwhelmed by an event that had not been planned for -- a "larger-than-expected" tsunami wave, leading to a sequence of catastrophic failures.
More frequently than most of us are comfortable acknowledging, it is the unexpected, the non-'credible' event that catches us unprepared. Unfortunately, in circumstances involving nuclear power, being unprepared can be deadly! As we have seen in the Japan disaster - whole cities, and hundreds of thousands of lives can be changed very quickly and forever. Is it time to reconsider the wisdom of nuclear power plants - anywhere? According to Dr. Kennette Benedict they can be built safely. The critical question is - will they be built safely enough?
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