Japan and Nuclear Meltdown Infographics

What went wrong? Fukushima nuclear plant 11 March, 14:45 (local time): When the quake struck the three operating reactors shut down automatically An old nuclear plant running boiling water reactors designed by US company General Electric and in use around the world - 23 US plants have them Reactor 4 The subsequent power cut prevented the reactor cooling pumps removing the heat build-up - and the diesel genera- tors on site failed to work because of the large tsunami that followed Not in operation at the time of the quake as it was undergoing maintenance along with reactors 5 and 6 • Built: 1966 o Opened: 1971 • Reactors: 6 (plus two more planned) Max power output: 7,456 MW Reactor 2 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Initially cooling procedures worked - but reports yesterday say these had stopped and that the nuclear fuel rods are fully exposed The reactors are designed to cope with earthquake peak ground acceleration of 1.77m/s Friday's Sendai quake hit peak ground accelerations of up to 3.76m/s HOKKAIDO Power plants Epicentre of Friday's earthquake Reactor 1 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Lost its roof to an explosion on Saturday. See below Miyagi prefecture Fukushima Power plants Daiichi Reactor 3 100m HONSHU Tokyo Mixed oxide (MOX) reactor, containing a mix of uranium and plutonium. Potentially more toxic and carcinogenic. The MOX fuel has a half-life of 24,000 years. Hydrogen blast destroyed outer building yesterday. See below Plant continues: Reactors 5 and 6, waste storage and spent fuel dry storage YUSHU 100 MILES What happened in reactor 3 13 March Structure of the reactor 05:38 Containment building Known as Mark 1 containment, it is the earliest model still in use around the world. The outer buildings are a concrete coverina Emergency cooling system fails and power loss prevents any other means of adding coolant. At one stage the top three metres of the MOX fuel rods were exposed to the air The outer buildings are a concrete covering for the inner reactor and containment vessel 08:41 and 09:20 Radioactive steam deliberately released into the atmosphere to reduce pressure Containment vessel Comprises two surfaces, a layer of steel-reinforced concrete surrounding a steel reactor pressure vessel, 200mm thíck Storage tank containing used fuel rods now exposed 13:12 Seawater pumped into the reactor - but water boiling off before it could cover rods 14 March What happened in reactor 1 11:15 The building surrounding reactor 3 explodes 11 March 16:36 local time Nuclear emergency situation dectared then rescinded with contradictory reports of the status of the water coolant thought to be a hydrogen explosion. Inner containment vessel not breached but 11 people reported injured What happened in reactor 2 Normal 15 March 17:07 Radioactive steam released into the outer water level 06.14 Workers evacuated after explosion. Pressure began to fall in suppression pool, indicating there was damage, but it is unclear immediately how serious the damage is containment building to reduce mounting pressure 12 March Fuel rods 02:00 Pressure inside the reactor container reported to be 600 kPa (standard pneumatic fluid unit - here equivalent to 6 bar or 87 psi) - 200 kPa higher than normal. By 05:30 it was measured at 2.1 times the reactor's design capacity Nuclear reactor meltdown Control rods The fuel rods are encased in zirconium alloy. The extreme heat - over 1,900C - makes thes melt, exposing the fuel inside to the air and radioactive caesium-137. That mixes with steam - which builds up pressure inside the reactor. Theoretically enough pressure could make the reactor containment itself explode or met through the bottom but it is unlikely Recirculation pump 13:30 Radioactive caesium-137 and iodine-131 detected near reactor - which means some of the core was exposed to air due to a partial-meltdown or other damage of the nuclear fuel baeth Feedwater Reactor Concrete shielding 15:36 Hydrogen explosion injures four workers and blows away upper shell of the reactor building. Hydrogen formed inside the reactor vessel because of falling water levels and then leaked into the containment building. Safety devices should have ignited the hydrogen before explosive concentrations were reached but these systems failed. The container is said to be intact Steam piping to turbine Generator Electricity Pump Wet well Condenser Sea wate for çooling Fuel Block heater Pump Serwater diverted into reactar in ttempt to avert a meltdown Control rod drives 20:05 Japanese government orders seawater to be pumped into reactor to cool down the core. Filling the reactor with seawater contaminates the reactor, corroding vital parts - and means it will never be used again Control rods Circulators Meltdown ww--- h --oid ontcenn ? What went wrong? Fukushima nuclear plant 11 March, 14:45 (local time): When the quake struck the three operating reactors shut down automatically An old nuclear plant running boiling water reactors designed by US company General Electric and in use around the world - 23 US plants have them Reactor 4 The subsequent power cut prevented the reactor cooling pumps removing the heat build-up - and the diesel genera- tors on site failed to work because of the large tsunami that followed Not in operation at the time of the quake as it was undergoing maintenance along with reactors 5 and 6 • Built: 1966 o Opened: 1971 • Reactors: 6 (plus two more planned) Max power output: 7,456 MW Reactor 2 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Initially cooling procedures worked - but reports yesterday say these had stopped and that the nuclear fuel rods are fully exposed The reactors are designed to cope with earthquake peak ground acceleration of 1.77m/s Friday's Sendai quake hit peak ground accelerations of up to 3.76m/s HOKKAIDO Power plants Epicentre of Friday's earthquake Reactor 1 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Lost its roof to an explosion on Saturday. See below Miyagi prefecture Fukushima Power plants Daiichi Reactor 3 100m HONSHU Tokyo Mixed oxide (MOX) reactor, containing a mix of uranium and plutonium. Potentially more toxic and carcinogenic. The MOX fuel has a half-life of 24,000 years. Hydrogen blast destroyed outer building yesterday. See below Plant continues: Reactors 5 and 6, waste storage and spent fuel dry storage YUSHU 100 MILES What happened in reactor 3 13 March Structure of the reactor 05:38 Containment building Known as Mark 1 containment, it is the earliest model still in use around the world. The outer buildings are a concrete coverina Emergency cooling system fails and power loss prevents any other means of adding coolant. At one stage the top three metres of the MOX fuel rods were exposed to the air The outer buildings are a concrete covering for the inner reactor and containment vessel 08:41 and 09:20 Radioactive steam deliberately released into the atmosphere to reduce pressure Containment vessel Comprises two surfaces, a layer of steel-reinforced concrete surrounding a steel reactor pressure vessel, 200mm thíck Storage tank containing used fuel rods now exposed 13:12 Seawater pumped into the reactor - but water boiling off before it could cover rods 14 March What happened in reactor 1 11:15 The building surrounding reactor 3 explodes 11 March 16:36 local time Nuclear emergency situation dectared then rescinded with contradictory reports of the status of the water coolant thought to be a hydrogen explosion. Inner containment vessel not breached but 11 people reported injured What happened in reactor 2 Normal 15 March 17:07 Radioactive steam released into the outer water level 06.14 Workers evacuated after explosion. Pressure began to fall in suppression pool, indicating there was damage, but it is unclear immediately how serious the damage is containment building to reduce mounting pressure 12 March Fuel rods 02:00 Pressure inside the reactor container reported to be 600 kPa (standard pneumatic fluid unit - here equivalent to 6 bar or 87 psi) - 200 kPa higher than normal. By 05:30 it was measured at 2.1 times the reactor's design capacity Nuclear reactor meltdown Control rods The fuel rods are encased in zirconium alloy. The extreme heat - over 1,900C - makes thes melt, exposing the fuel inside to the air and radioactive caesium-137. That mixes with steam - which builds up pressure inside the reactor. Theoretically enough pressure could make the reactor containment itself explode or met through the bottom but it is unlikely Recirculation pump 13:30 Radioactive caesium-137 and iodine-131 detected near reactor - which means some of the core was exposed to air due to a partial-meltdown or other damage of the nuclear fuel baeth Feedwater Reactor Concrete shielding 15:36 Hydrogen explosion injures four workers and blows away upper shell of the reactor building. Hydrogen formed inside the reactor vessel because of falling water levels and then leaked into the containment building. Safety devices should have ignited the hydrogen before explosive concentrations were reached but these systems failed. The container is said to be intact Steam piping to turbine Generator Electricity Pump Wet well Condenser Sea wate for çooling Fuel Block heater Pump Serwater diverted into reactar in ttempt to avert a meltdown Control rod drives 20:05 Japanese government orders seawater to be pumped into reactor to cool down the core. Filling the reactor with seawater contaminates the reactor, corroding vital parts - and means it will never be used again Control rods Circulators Meltdown ww--- h --oid ontcenn ? What went wrong? Fukushima nuclear plant 11 March, 14:45 (local time): When the quake struck the three operating reactors shut down automatically An old nuclear plant running boiling water reactors designed by US company General Electric and in use around the world - 23 US plants have them Reactor 4 The subsequent power cut prevented the reactor cooling pumps removing the heat build-up - and the diesel genera- tors on site failed to work because of the large tsunami that followed Not in operation at the time of the quake as it was undergoing maintenance along with reactors 5 and 6 • Built: 1966 o Opened: 1971 • Reactors: 6 (plus two more planned) Max power output: 7,456 MW Reactor 2 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Initially cooling procedures worked - but reports yesterday say these had stopped and that the nuclear fuel rods are fully exposed The reactors are designed to cope with earthquake peak ground acceleration of 1.77m/s Friday's Sendai quake hit peak ground accelerations of up to 3.76m/s HOKKAIDO Power plants Epicentre of Friday's earthquake Reactor 1 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Lost its roof to an explosion on Saturday. See below Miyagi prefecture Fukushima Power plants Daiichi Reactor 3 100m HONSHU Tokyo Mixed oxide (MOX) reactor, containing a mix of uranium and plutonium. Potentially more toxic and carcinogenic. The MOX fuel has a half-life of 24,000 years. Hydrogen blast destroyed outer building yesterday. See below Plant continues: Reactors 5 and 6, waste storage and spent fuel dry storage YUSHU 100 MILES What happened in reactor 3 13 March Structure of the reactor 05:38 Containment building Known as Mark 1 containment, it is the earliest model still in use around the world. The outer buildings are a concrete coverina Emergency cooling system fails and power loss prevents any other means of adding coolant. At one stage the top three metres of the MOX fuel rods were exposed to the air The outer buildings are a concrete covering for the inner reactor and containment vessel 08:41 and 09:20 Radioactive steam deliberately released into the atmosphere to reduce pressure Containment vessel Comprises two surfaces, a layer of steel-reinforced concrete surrounding a steel reactor pressure vessel, 200mm thíck Storage tank containing used fuel rods now exposed 13:12 Seawater pumped into the reactor - but water boiling off before it could cover rods 14 March What happened in reactor 1 11:15 The building surrounding reactor 3 explodes 11 March 16:36 local time Nuclear emergency situation dectared then rescinded with contradictory reports of the status of the water coolant thought to be a hydrogen explosion. Inner containment vessel not breached but 11 people reported injured What happened in reactor 2 Normal 15 March 17:07 Radioactive steam released into the outer water level 06.14 Workers evacuated after explosion. Pressure began to fall in suppression pool, indicating there was damage, but it is unclear immediately how serious the damage is containment building to reduce mounting pressure 12 March Fuel rods 02:00 Pressure inside the reactor container reported to be 600 kPa (standard pneumatic fluid unit - here equivalent to 6 bar or 87 psi) - 200 kPa higher than normal. By 05:30 it was measured at 2.1 times the reactor's design capacity Nuclear reactor meltdown Control rods The fuel rods are encased in zirconium alloy. The extreme heat - over 1,900C - makes thes melt, exposing the fuel inside to the air and radioactive caesium-137. That mixes with steam - which builds up pressure inside the reactor. Theoretically enough pressure could make the reactor containment itself explode or met through the bottom but it is unlikely Recirculation pump 13:30 Radioactive caesium-137 and iodine-131 detected near reactor - which means some of the core was exposed to air due to a partial-meltdown or other damage of the nuclear fuel baeth Feedwater Reactor Concrete shielding 15:36 Hydrogen explosion injures four workers and blows away upper shell of the reactor building. Hydrogen formed inside the reactor vessel because of falling water levels and then leaked into the containment building. Safety devices should have ignited the hydrogen before explosive concentrations were reached but these systems failed. The container is said to be intact Steam piping to turbine Generator Electricity Pump Wet well Condenser Sea wate for çooling Fuel Block heater Pump Serwater diverted into reactar in ttempt to avert a meltdown Control rod drives 20:05 Japanese government orders seawater to be pumped into reactor to cool down the core. Filling the reactor with seawater contaminates the reactor, corroding vital parts - and means it will never be used again Control rods Circulators Meltdown ww--- h --oid ontcenn ? What went wrong? Fukushima nuclear plant 11 March, 14:45 (local time): When the quake struck the three operating reactors shut down automatically An old nuclear plant running boiling water reactors designed by US company General Electric and in use around the world - 23 US plants have them Reactor 4 The subsequent power cut prevented the reactor cooling pumps removing the heat build-up - and the diesel genera- tors on site failed to work because of the large tsunami that followed Not in operation at the time of the quake as it was undergoing maintenance along with reactors 5 and 6 • Built: 1966 o Opened: 1971 • Reactors: 6 (plus two more planned) Max power output: 7,456 MW Reactor 2 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Initially cooling procedures worked - but reports yesterday say these had stopped and that the nuclear fuel rods are fully exposed The reactors are designed to cope with earthquake peak ground acceleration of 1.77m/s Friday's Sendai quake hit peak ground accelerations of up to 3.76m/s HOKKAIDO Power plants Epicentre of Friday's earthquake Reactor 1 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Lost its roof to an explosion on Saturday. See below Miyagi prefecture Fukushima Power plants Daiichi Reactor 3 100m HONSHU Tokyo Mixed oxide (MOX) reactor, containing a mix of uranium and plutonium. Potentially more toxic and carcinogenic. The MOX fuel has a half-life of 24,000 years. Hydrogen blast destroyed outer building yesterday. See below Plant continues: Reactors 5 and 6, waste storage and spent fuel dry storage YUSHU 100 MILES What happened in reactor 3 13 March Structure of the reactor 05:38 Containment building Known as Mark 1 containment, it is the earliest model still in use around the world. The outer buildings are a concrete coverina Emergency cooling system fails and power loss prevents any other means of adding coolant. At one stage the top three metres of the MOX fuel rods were exposed to the air The outer buildings are a concrete covering for the inner reactor and containment vessel 08:41 and 09:20 Radioactive steam deliberately released into the atmosphere to reduce pressure Containment vessel Comprises two surfaces, a layer of steel-reinforced concrete surrounding a steel reactor pressure vessel, 200mm thíck Storage tank containing used fuel rods now exposed 13:12 Seawater pumped into the reactor - but water boiling off before it could cover rods 14 March What happened in reactor 1 11:15 The building surrounding reactor 3 explodes 11 March 16:36 local time Nuclear emergency situation dectared then rescinded with contradictory reports of the status of the water coolant thought to be a hydrogen explosion. Inner containment vessel not breached but 11 people reported injured What happened in reactor 2 Normal 15 March 17:07 Radioactive steam released into the outer water level 06.14 Workers evacuated after explosion. Pressure began to fall in suppression pool, indicating there was damage, but it is unclear immediately how serious the damage is containment building to reduce mounting pressure 12 March Fuel rods 02:00 Pressure inside the reactor container reported to be 600 kPa (standard pneumatic fluid unit - here equivalent to 6 bar or 87 psi) - 200 kPa higher than normal. By 05:30 it was measured at 2.1 times the reactor's design capacity Nuclear reactor meltdown Control rods The fuel rods are encased in zirconium alloy. The extreme heat - over 1,900C - makes thes melt, exposing the fuel inside to the air and radioactive caesium-137. That mixes with steam - which builds up pressure inside the reactor. Theoretically enough pressure could make the reactor containment itself explode or met through the bottom but it is unlikely Recirculation pump 13:30 Radioactive caesium-137 and iodine-131 detected near reactor - which means some of the core was exposed to air due to a partial-meltdown or other damage of the nuclear fuel baeth Feedwater Reactor Concrete shielding 15:36 Hydrogen explosion injures four workers and blows away upper shell of the reactor building. Hydrogen formed inside the reactor vessel because of falling water levels and then leaked into the containment building. Safety devices should have ignited the hydrogen before explosive concentrations were reached but these systems failed. The container is said to be intact Steam piping to turbine Generator Electricity Pump Wet well Condenser Sea wate for çooling Fuel Block heater Pump Serwater diverted into reactar in ttempt to avert a meltdown Control rod drives 20:05 Japanese government orders seawater to be pumped into reactor to cool down the core. Filling the reactor with seawater contaminates the reactor, corroding vital parts - and means it will never be used again Control rods Circulators Meltdown ww--- h --oid ontcenn ? What went wrong? Fukushima nuclear plant 11 March, 14:45 (local time): When the quake struck the three operating reactors shut down automatically An old nuclear plant running boiling water reactors designed by US company General Electric and in use around the world - 23 US plants have them Reactor 4 The subsequent power cut prevented the reactor cooling pumps removing the heat build-up - and the diesel genera- tors on site failed to work because of the large tsunami that followed Not in operation at the time of the quake as it was undergoing maintenance along with reactors 5 and 6 • Built: 1966 o Opened: 1971 • Reactors: 6 (plus two more planned) Max power output: 7,456 MW Reactor 2 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Initially cooling procedures worked - but reports yesterday say these had stopped and that the nuclear fuel rods are fully exposed The reactors are designed to cope with earthquake peak ground acceleration of 1.77m/s Friday's Sendai quake hit peak ground accelerations of up to 3.76m/s HOKKAIDO Power plants Epicentre of Friday's earthquake Reactor 1 Low-enriched uranium fuel. Lost its roof to an explosion on Saturday. See below Miyagi prefecture Fukushima Power plants Daiichi Reactor 3 100m HONSHU Tokyo Mixed oxide (MOX) reactor, containing a mix of uranium and plutonium. Potentially more toxic and carcinogenic. The MOX fuel has a half-life of 24,000 years. Hydrogen blast destroyed outer building yesterday. See below Plant continues: Reactors 5 and 6, waste storage and spent fuel dry storage YUSHU 100 MILES What happened in reactor 3 13 March Structure of the reactor 05:38 Containment building Known as Mark 1 containment, it is the earliest model still in use around the world. The outer buildings are a concrete coverina Emergency cooling system fails and power loss prevents any other means of adding coolant. At one stage the top three metres of the MOX fuel rods were exposed to the air The outer buildings are a concrete covering for the inner reactor and containment vessel 08:41 and 09:20 Radioactive steam deliberately released into the atmosphere to reduce pressure Containment vessel Comprises two surfaces, a layer of steel-reinforced concrete surrounding a steel reactor pressure vessel, 200mm thíck Storage tank containing used fuel rods now exposed 13:12 Seawater pumped into the reactor - but water boiling off before it could cover rods 14 March What happened in reactor 1 11:15 The building surrounding reactor 3 explodes 11 March 16:36 local time Nuclear emergency situation dectared then rescinded with contradictory reports of the status of the water coolant thought to be a hydrogen explosion. Inner containment vessel not breached but 11 people reported injured What happened in reactor 2 Normal 15 March 17:07 Radioactive steam released into the outer water level 06.14 Workers evacuated after explosion. Pressure began to fall in suppression pool, indicating there was damage, but it is unclear immediately how serious the damage is containment building to reduce mounting pressure 12 March Fuel rods 02:00 Pressure inside the reactor container reported to be 600 kPa (standard pneumatic fluid unit - here equivalent to 6 bar or 87 psi) - 200 kPa higher than normal. By 05:30 it was measured at 2.1 times the reactor's design capacity Nuclear reactor meltdown Control rods The fuel rods are encased in zirconium alloy. The extreme heat - over 1,900C - makes thes melt, exposing the fuel inside to the air and radioactive caesium-137. That mixes with steam - which builds up pressure inside the reactor. Theoretically enough pressure could make the reactor containment itself explode or met through the bottom but it is unlikely Recirculation pump 13:30 Radioactive caesium-137 and iodine-131 detected near reactor - which means some of the core was exposed to air due to a partial-meltdown or other damage of the nuclear fuel baeth Feedwater Reactor Concrete shielding 15:36 Hydrogen explosion injures four workers and blows away upper shell of the reactor building. Hydrogen formed inside the reactor vessel because of falling water levels and then leaked into the containment building. Safety devices should have ignited the hydrogen before explosive concentrations were reached but these systems failed. The container is said to be intact Steam piping to turbine Generator Electricity Pump Wet well Condenser Sea wate for çooling Fuel Block heater Pump Serwater diverted into reactar in ttempt to avert a meltdown Control rod drives 20:05 Japanese government orders seawater to be pumped into reactor to cool down the core. Filling the reactor with seawater contaminates the reactor, corroding vital parts - and means it will never be used again Control rods Circulators Meltdown ww--- h --oid ontcenn ?