Nuclear Scholars Initiative 2011: Meeting 5

On May 20, PONI hosted the fifth meeting of the 2011 Nuclear Scholars Initiative.  Titled “Nuclear Security:  A New Paradigm,” the meeting covered topics ranging from the safety of nuclear energy to the role of multilateral forums in strengthening nuclear surety.

The meeting began with a discussion of the structural contributors to the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi.  In particular, the panelist noted long-standing concerns, raised as early as 1972, regarding the safety of the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Mark I design.  This design, present in five of the six units at Fukushima Daiichi, as well as in 23 US units, includes a low-volume primary containment structure that allows for the limited accumulation of steam.  As pressure inside the containment structure builds, steam is transferred to the torus, where it can then be absorbed. 

But at Fukushima, the tori quickly reached saturation, requiring that excess steam be released into the atmosphere via an emergency venting system.  It was the failure of this system - which did not have the upgrades mandated for US reactors and, perhaps more importantly, suffered from TEPCO’s pervasive falsification of safety records – that, in turn, led to pressure-induced hydrogen explosions and the release of radioactive steam. 

In addition to safety deficiencies, the panelist noted, there are a number of other considerations that will affect the future of nuclear energy security, including the cost of enhanced safety measures, the vulnerability of reactors to natural disasters, the prevalence of plutonium-based fuel, and the configuration of spent nuclear fuel storage sites.