Nuclear Power

Despite their name, rare earth elements are relatively plentiful in the earth’s crust but are more difficult to mine and extract than many other metals because of their chemical properties and geographical dispersion, making them relatively more expensive to extract. Rare earth metals are used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products including catalytic converters, wind turbines, hybrid car batteries, disk drives, mobile phones, and flat-screen displays.

Worldwide demand for rare earth is increasing rapidly and is expected to outstrip supply in the future. China currently produces about 97% of the world’s supply. Rare Earths & Radioactivity 1. The extraction of rare earth raises a number of environmental and safety concerns because the ore in which rare earth is found are often associated with minerals containing radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium. Health and safety issues that need to be addressed include radiation protection for workers, the public, and the environment, the transportation of raw materials, and the management of waste. Human beings are exposed to very small levels of radioactivity in everyday life. Thorium, for example, is naturally present in the soil, rocks, ground and surface water, plants, and animals in very low concentrations. Ingestion of food and water containing this level of radioactivity does not pose any threat to human health. The radiation exposure limit set by AELB for the public is 1 mSv/year. The annual radiation exposure, in millisieverts (mSv)/year, in a number of daily human activities is as follows:

• Smoking a pack of cigarettes daily 0. 0 mSv
• Medical or dental x-day 0. 39 mSv
• Sleeping next to someone for 8 hours 0. 02 mSv
• Watching television 2 hours daily 0. 01 mSv
• Using a computer terminal 0. 001 mSv

The Lynas Project

Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Lynas) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lynas Corporation Ltd of Australia. Its business is the production and sale of rare earth and related byproducts.

Lynas plans to import rare earth ore from its Mount Weld mine in Western Australia,truck it to the port of Fremantle, send it by container ship to Kuantan and process it at the Gebeng Industrial Estate in Pahang. At Gebeng, the Lynas plant will extract Rare Earths from the ore for export. Lynas says waste from the extraction process will be used to produce commercially applicable products or stored in safe and secure containers. Lynas says it chose to locate its plant at the Gebeng site because of: i. Its proximity to Kuantan port.

The availability of gas, water, and chemical supplies iii. The availability of skilled workers Manufacturing License. On 22 January 2008, Lynas was granted a manufacturing license to produce “rare earth oxides and carbonates” at Gebeng Industrial Estate, Kuantan. The approval was granted subject to a number of conditions, in particular, the need to comply with the provisions of the: i. Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 ii. Environmental Quality Act 1974. Compliance Requirements. The Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 is administered by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).

Among other things, the AELB monitors and assesses the radiological impact of the Lynas project through all stages of construction and operation. This includes matters relating to radiation protection (occupational, public and environmental), safety, waste management, transportation, decommissioning, and remediation. The Department of Environment (DOE) is the implementing agency for the Environmental Quality Act 1974. The Act governs issues related to the prevention, abatement and control of pollution and enhancement of the environment (other than radioactive material and radioactive waste).

The safety standards and good practice requirements enforced by the two regulatory bodies are similar to or equivalent to those recognised internationally. Compliance status 1. Lynas began planning and construction of its plant at Gebeng Industrial Estate, 2. Pahang soon after obtaining its manufacturing license. In April 2011, the company announced that construction had reached the 40% stage and was on target for completion by September 2011. The AELB confirms that Lynas has complied with all health and safety standards required of the company to date.

A site license and a construction license have been issued accordingly. The next stage in the multi-tiered approval process requires Lynas to apply to the AELB for a pre-operating license. To date, the company has not made a submission to the AELB for this purpose. Upon receiving a pre-operating license, the company will then be required to apply for and obtain an operating license before it can commence full operations. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report on the project was approved by the Department of Environment on 15 February 2008.

The Department confirms that Lynas has complied with all requirements of the EIA approval to date. The Radiological Impact Assessment (RIA) conducted by the Nuklear Malaysia affirms that operation of the proposed Lynas plant would not pose any radiological risk to workers and members of the public living in the areas surrounding the site beyond what is allowed by the regulatory authorities. Nuklear Malaysia also affirms that the projected radiation exposure levels in the Lynas plant for workers (average of 2 mSv/yr) and members of the public (0. 02 mSv/yr) are within the limits set by AELB. The decision to appoint an Independent Panel of International Experts 1. On 22 April 2011, however, following widespread public concern about the safety of 2. the project, the Government announced a decision to appoint an independent panel of international experts to review all health and safety aspects of the project.

Pending completion of this review, the Government also decided that: i. No pre-operating license will be issued to Lynas by AELB. ii. There will be no importation of raw materials for the plant from Australia. ii. A review will be undertaken to ensure that the construction of the facility at the site fully complies with national and international safety standards. Independent Panel of International Experts 1. In late April 2011, the Government approached the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, for assistance to appoint an expert team to i. Review Lynas’ compliance with relevant International Safety Standards and Good Practices, and ii. Provide an independent expert opinion on safety issues, in particular, those relating to radiation safety.

The scope of the review included: i. Radiation protection (workplace, public, environment) ii. Safety assessment iii. Waste Management iv. Transportation v. Decommissioning and environmental remediation On 13 May 2011, the Government announced details of the IAEA-appointed panel. The panel consists of a leader and nine members: four from the IAEA, and five from IAEA member countries. All panel members are recognized experts in their respective disciplines and have knowledge of IAEA standards, in particular, those relating to rare earth processing.

Details of individual members of the panel The expert panel began the on-site component of its work on 29 May 2011. During its six-day visit, the panel has scheduled to meet with government officials and representatives of Lynas, and receive representations from members of the public, including residents, community associations, non-governmental organizations, and professional bodies. The panel is scheduled to complete its work and submit its report to the Government by 30 June 2011. The Government has announced that the report will be made public.

A technology legend who helped change the face of computing has died.

John Ellenby made a name for himself in the 1980s as the head of Grid, a company that delivered what is widely viewed as one of the first laptop computers, the Compass. He died on Aug. 17 in San Francisco at the age of 75, his son Thomas  to The New York Times.

The Compass featured the traditional clamshell laptop design and featured a flat-panel display that hovered over its keyboard. It was big and clunky and unlike anything current devices offer, but it was a laptop, nonetheless.

However, the Compass wasn’t designed to appeal to consumers, like those from Apple, Dell or HP. Instead, the device was built for government officials and corporate users who might have a need for a high-end device. In fact, the Compass was on sale at the time for $8,150, which according to The Times, amounts to more than $20,000 today.

According to The Times, the Compass was used by President Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser John Poindexter. James Opfer, director of the White House Communications Agency, told The Times that he was almost certain the Compass sat alongside the “nuclear football” that allows the president to launch nuclear missiles. The Compass eventually lost some of its luster in 1980s as other companies came on the scene and offered consumers, enterprise users, and even the government cheaper, lighter and more powerful options.

Ellenby was born in Corbridge, England, in 1941. He moved to California in the 1970s to work for Xerox and founded Grid in 1979.

Introduction

Catastrophe hit Japan Fukushima Daiichi atomic power station on March 11, 2011,

Due to the broad release of radiation from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and is far worse than the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States. Unlike at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, Fukushima devastation was initiated by natural catastrophes monolithic temblor and tsunami rather than equipment failure and human mistake. The tsunami knocked out the backup power systems needed to chill the reactors at the works, doing some of them to undergo runing fuel, H detonations and radioactive releases. Fukushima catastrophe surveies have identified alterations in the design, response actions, and other safety betterments that can be reduced or removed the sum of radiation released from the mill. As a consequence, Fukushima has prompted a re-examination of atomic safety demands around the universe, including the United States.

Radioactive taint from the Fukushima works required the emptying of communities up to 25 stat mis off, which affects up to 100,000 people, many of them everlastingly banded from their places. Believed to hold prevented the transportation of radiation exposure among occupants of Nipponese regulative bounds in most instances. Near-term mortality and morbidity ensuing from radiation may non be believed ; even malignant neoplastic disease and other long-run wellness effects remain possible. Workers at the works exposed to radiation degrees far higher, with at least two suffered radiation Burnss on their pess after wading in contaminated H2O. Two other workers drown in the tsunami.

Catastrophe recovery has absorbed on reconstructing the chilling systems at three of the most earnestly damaged reactors at the works six units and halt the radioactive emanations into air and H2O. The work has been affected by high radiation degrees in the works and the go oning terrible structural harm. Nipponese authorities declared December 16, 2011, that damaged the Fukushima reactors has reached “ cold closure, ” a milepost in the reactor chilling H2O is below the boiling temperature at atmospheric force per unit area. In the winter closing, the menace of progress releases of radioactive diminution may let some occupants to get down returning to the least contaminated emptying zone.

Japan ‘s environment curate announced December 19, 2011 that about $ 15 billion was provided for the taint of the works Fukushima Daiichi, an duty that has of all time occurred before. Complete decommissioning and leveling the works is expected to take 40 old ages, and the entire cost of catastrophes late expected by the commission of the Nipponese authorities exceeded $ 75 billion.

Institute of Nuclear Power Operations ( INPO ) , a security organisation established by the U.S. atomic power industry after the Three Mile Island accident, publish a elaborate description of the Fukushima accident in November 2011. INPO study affords a timeline of actions taken in response to each unit Fukushima Daiichi works and the agreement of events taking to the chief reactor nucleus harm and radioactive release. It aims “ to supply accurate, amalgamate beginning of information ” about the event. However, the study notes, “ Because of the extended harm at the site, some of the event inside informations are non known or have non been confirmed.

The intent of this CRS study is to highlight facets of the Fukushima catastrophe that may bear on the safety of U.S. atomic workss and atomic energy policy in general. It gives a brief account of the Fukushima incident, including new inside informations provided by INPO studies, public discourse by the catastrophe, and a description of U.S. assistance given to Japan.

Drumhead

The immense temblor and tsunami that struck Japan ‘s Fukushima Daiichi atomic power station on March 11, 2011, knocked out backup power systems that were needed to chill the reactors at the works, doing three of them to undergo fuel thaw, H detonations, and radioactive releases. Radioactive taint from the Fukushima works forced the emptying of communities up to 25 stat mis off and affected up to 100,000 occupants, although it did non do any immediate deceases.

Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) operates the Fukushima atomic power composite in the Futaba territory of Fukushima prefecture in Northern Japan, dwelling of six atomic units at the Fukushima Daiichi station and four atomic units at the Fukushima Daini station. All the units at the Fukushima composite are boiling H2O reactors, with reactors 1 to 5 at the Fukushima Daiichi site being the General Electric Mark I design, which is besides used in the United States. The Fukushima Daiichi reactors entered commercial operation in the old ages from 1971 ( reactor 1 ) to 1979 ( reactor 6 ) . The Fukushima Daini reactors shut down automatically after the temblor and were able to keep sufficient chilling.

When the temblor struck, Fukushima Daiichi units 1, 2, and 3 were bring forthing electricity and close down automatically. The temblor caused offsite power supplies to be lost, and backup Diesel generators started up every bit designed to provide backup power. However, the subsequent tsunami flooded the electrical switchgear for the Diesel generators, doing most AC power in units 1 to 4 to be lost. Because Unit 4 was undergoing a care closure, all of its atomic fuel had been removed and placed in the unit ‘s exhausted fuel storage pool. One generator continued runing to chill units 5 and 6.

The loss of all AC power in units 1 to 3 prevented valves and pumps from operating that wereneeded to take heat and force per unit area that was being generated by the radioactive decay of the atomic fuel in the reactor cores. As the fuel rods in the reactor nucleuss overheated, they reacted

with steam to bring forth big sums of H, which escaped into the unit 1, 3, and 4 reactor edifices and exploded ( the H that exploded in Unit 4 is believed to hold come from Unit 3 ) . The detonations interfered with attempts by works workers to reconstruct chilling and helped distribute radiation. Cooling was besides lost in the reactors ‘ spent fuel pools, although recent analysis has found that no important overheating took topographic point.

Radioactive stuff released into the ambiance produced highly high radiation dosage rates near the works and left big countries of land uninhabitable, particularly to the Northwest of the works.

Identifies whether the Fukushima atomic catastrophe is natural or man-made. Clearly explain your justification.

Fukushima Daiichi atomic power works is located in the towns of Okuma and Futaba Japan. Commissioned in 1971, this works consists of six boiling H2O reactors which drove the electrical generators with a combined power of 4.7 GW, doing Fukushima Daiichi one of the 15 largest atomic power Stationss in the universe. Fukushima was the first atomic works to be designed, constructed and run in concurrence with General Electric, Boise, and Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) .The works suffered major harm from the 9.0 temblors and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011 and, as of today, is non expected to reopen. The temblor and tsunami disabled the reactor chilling systems, taking to atomic radiation leaks and triping a 30 kilometer emptying zone environing the works. On April 20, 2011, the Nipponese governments declared the 20 kilometer emptying zone a no-go country which may merely be entered under authorities supervising.

Although triggered by these cataclysmal events, the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant can non be regarded as a natural catastrophe. Damage by the temblor and the consequent tsunami could non be ruled out as direct causes of the catastrophe, nevertheless. This determination may hold serious deductions for Japan ‘s integral atomic reactors, which were shut down following the Fukushima accident. An independent probe committee accused TEPCO and regulators at the atomic and industrial safety bureau of neglecting to take equal safety steps, despite grounds that the country was susceptible to powerful temblors and tsunamis, Fukushima atomic power works accident was the consequence of collusion between the authorities, the regulators and TEPCO, and the deficiency of administration. It besides said that, “ They efficaciously betrayed the state ‘s right to be safe from atomic accidents. It is believed that the root causes were the organizational and regulative systems that supported faulty principles for determinations and actions, instead than issues associating to the competence of any specific person. Therefore, the independent probe committee concluded that the accident was clearly ‘man-made ‘ that could and should hold been foreseen and prevented.

Carefully observed the industrial procedure and operation of the Fukushima atomic works.

Any typical atomic reactor set aside Fukushima power works is merely portion of the life-cycle for atomic power. The procedure starts with uranium mines situated belowground, open-pit, or unmoved leach mines. Atoms of U are the largest and besides the heaviest known to happen on Earth. Bing heavy they are besides really unstable. The karyon of a uranium atom can easy interrupt up into two smaller pieces. This procedure is called fission. The two fragments so produced fly apart with enormous velocity. As they collide with other atoms in a ball of U they come to a halt. In the procedure they heat up the uranium ball. This is how energy is released from the atom and converted to heat. The energy produced in fission is described as atomic energy by some and atomic energy by others.

In any instance, the U ore is extracted, normally converted into a stable and compact signifier such as U308, and so transported to a processing installation. Here, the U308 is converted to uranium hexafluoride, which is so enriched utilizing assorted techniques. At this point, the enriched U, incorporating more than the natural 0.7 % U-235, is used to do rods of the proper composing and geometry for the peculiar reactor that the fuel is destined for. The fuel rods will pass about 3 operational rhythms ( typically 6 old ages entire now ) inside the reactor, by and large until approximately 3 % of their U has been fissioned, so they will be moved to a spent fuel pool where the short lived isotopes generated by fission can disintegrate off. After about 5 old ages in a spent fuel pool the spent fuel is radioactively and thermally cool plenty to manage and it can be moved to dry storage casks or reprocessed.

Control of operation of the atomic power station involves two things. Regulation of power coevals to keep it at a safe and steady degree and secondly entire closure of the reactor really rapidly if needed. The power is kept changeless by the usage of what are known as adjustor rods. These are unstained steel rods. When these rods are introduced into the reactor vas, the concatenation reaction slows down and heat coevals beads. If the control rods are somewhat pulled out of the reactor vas, the concatenation reaction picks up and power degree rises. In another word if the reactor gets excessively hot, the control rods are lowered in and it cools down. If that does n’t work, there are sets of exigency control rods that automatically drop in and close the reactor down wholly. To shutdown the reactor wholly, the heavy H2O is drained out of the reactor vas in a fraction of a 2nd. In the absence of heavy H2O in the vas, the concatenation reaction ceases wholly. Below shows the simple procedure for easy apprehension of Fukushima atomic Power Plant and many others.

Advantages of atomic power works

Nuclear power costs about the same as coal

Does non bring forth fume or C dioxide, so it does non lend to the nursery consequence

Produces little sums of waste.

Produces immense sums of energy from little sums of fuel.

Nuclear power is dependable.

Disadvantages of atomic power works

Nuclear power is dependable, but a batch of money has to be spent on safety – if it does travel incorrect, a atomic accident can be a major catastrophe.

Although non much waste is produced, it is really unsafe.

It must be sealed up and buried for many 1000s of old ages to let the radiation to decease off.

For all that clip it must be kept safe from temblors, implosion therapy, terrorists and everything else.

Measure the impact of the Fukushima atomic catastrophe to the society, ecology, sociology and wellness.

The prostration of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant caused a monolithic release of radioactive stuffs to the environment. A prompt and dependable system for measuring the biological impacts of this accident on animate beings has non been available. The monolithic release of radioactive caused physiological and familial harm to the pale grass blue Zizeeria Maha, a common lycaenid butterfly in Japan. Samples were collected in the Fukushima country in May 2011, some of which showed comparatively mild abnormalcies. The 1st coevals offspring from the first-voltine females showed more terrible abnormalcies, which were inherited by the newer coevals. Adult butterflies collected in September 2011 showed more terrible abnormalcies than those collected in May. Similar abnormalcies were by experimentation reproduced in persons from a non-contaminated country by external and internal low-dose exposures. It is apparent that unreal radionuclides from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant caused physiological and familial harm to this species. The ternary catastrophe has highlighted and compounded such preexistent underlying issues as falling birth rates, the fragmenting of the household unit, and the shrinkage of local communities. During the five old ages before the catastrophe, birth rates had been steadily falling in Japan. The now day-to-day concerns about radiation degrees, safe nutrient and H2O have left many immature twosomes unwilling to take on the perceived hazardous undertaking of raising kids in a unsafe environment. The prevailing tendency during the pre-quake old ages, brought about chiefly by deficiency of economic development in local communities, had been for immature people to go forth their small towns to seek higher-paid occupations in the larger towns and metropoliss, merely returning place for vacations and other jubilations. The immediate effect of this has been the diminution of small town communities. The longer-term effect will be the eroding of regional individuality, at a clip when, more than of all time, communities affected by the temblor need their younger coevals. Predicted future malignant neoplastic disease deceases due to accrued radiation exposures in the population life near Fukushima have ranged from none to 100 to a non-peer-reviewed “ guestimate ” of 1,000. On 16 December 2011, Nipponese governments declared the works to be stable, although it would take decennaries to decontaminate the environing countries and to decommission the works wholly.

Outline the actions taken by Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) , authorities and the regulative organic structure during the happening of the Fukushima atomic catastrophe.

Roadmap towards the decommissioning of Units 1-4 of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Cold Shutdown Condition is maintained at Unit 1-3. Measures to complement position monitoring are being implemented.

Probe of the interior of Unit 1 PCV and installing of PCV thermometer and H2O gage

Installation of Unit 2 RPV alternate thermometer

Countermeasures against accrued H2O increased by groundwater invasion

Groundwater invasion bar ( Groundwater beltway )

Removal of radioactive stuffs ( Multi-nuclide remotion equipment installing )

Storage of contaminated water/treated H2O ( Additional armored combat vehicles )

Continue execution of steps to minimise the impact of radiation on the country outside the power station

Effective radiation dose decrease at the site boundaries

Decrease of densenesss of radioactive stuffs included in the saltwater in the port

Preparation for fuel remotion from the spent fuel pool is in advancement

Debris remotion from the upper portion of Units 3-4 Reactor Building and cover installing for fuel remotion at Unit 4

Soundness probe of the fresh ( unirradiated ) fuel in Unit 4 spent fuel pool

Procuring a sufficient figure of workers and work safety

Guaranting the APD use and coaction with concerted companies

Heat stroke bar

Research and development for fuel dust remotion and radioactive waste processing and disposal

Decontamination of the interior of edifices and development of the comprehensive radiation dose decrease program

Probe and fix of the escape on the underside of the PCV

Understanding and analysing the status of the interior of the reactor

Word picture of fuel dust and readying for fuel dust processing

Radioactive waste processing and disposal

Strengthening of Research and Development direction

Future program for research Centres

Research and Development Management Headquarters

Procuring and furthering human resources from a long- and-midterm position

Apart from all those mentioned above, Japan have besides taken a good deal more measure as per below during the happening of the atomic power works catastrophe

Probes of the Nipponese Lower House

New legal limitations for exposure to radiation proposed

Request for decommissioning the Tokai Daini Power works

Fukushima wants all 10 atomic reactors scrapped

TEPCO petition for authorities compensation

At least 1 trillion hankerings needed for decontamination

Majority of Nipponese atomic reactors taken off line

Excess staff members for Kiev embassy

Energy argument changed in Japan

40 twelvemonth bound for life p of atomic reactors

Food-aid used to take down frights for contaminated nutrient abroad

Okuma asked to be declared as no-go-zone

Delay of linear closure in Fukushima

No return-zone

Evacuation zone partial lifted

Monitoring the impact of radiation-exposure at the wellness of occupants

Testing School tiffins

Stress-tests

Debris disposal

Interim Storage installation

Condemnable charges against NISA, NSA and TEPCO

Compensation standards for former occupants of the emptying zones

Propose effectual preventative action to be strengthen by Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) in re-examine the atomic works safety.

Before the Fukushima Dai-ichi atomic catastrophe, TEPCO did non put in topographic point tsunami protection steps as portion of its accident direction plan. The TEPCO ‘s steps against a state of affairs, in which reactor nucleuss are earnestly damaged by a natural catastrophe other than a tsunami, were besides rather lacking. This came to visible radiation from the testimony of several TEPCO functionaries during hearings conducted by this Investigation Committee. At the Fukushima Dai-ichi, three of its atomic reactors got severe coincident harm. After deluging cut off all power supply, there was no defence at all to cover with this, doing it highly hard to get by with the state of affairs. One can merely reason that TEPCO ‘s deficiency of anterior accident direction steps to cover with a tsunami was an highly serious job. However below are the guidelines TEPCO should see in re-examining the works safety

The demand for independency and transparence

Organizational readiness for Swift and effectual exigency response

Recognition of its function as a supplier of disaster-related information to Japan and the universe

Retention of ace human resources such as greater specialised expertness

Attempts to roll up information and get scientific cognition

Palingenesis

Lack of terrible accident readiness for tsunamis

Lack of consciousness of the branchings of a multidimensional catastrophe

Lack of an across-the-board position

Decision

Tepco Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the consequence of collusion between the authorities, regulators and the [ private works operators ] Tepco, and the deficiency of administration by the said party. They efficaciously betrayed its right to be safe from a atomic accident. Therefore, we concluded that the accident was clearly “ semisynthetic ” .

We believe that the cause of the organisation and ordinance instead than issues related to the competency of any peculiar person.

All the right failed to develop the most basic safety demands – such as measuring the chance of harm, ready to incorporate the indirect harm from any catastrophe, and develop emptying programs for the populace in instance of a serious release of radiation.