My opinion of this week(714):

Fukushima Nuclear Power Station without electricity, water and risk management 

I wrote about the issue of the title in my BLOG of March 23.  Since the 
accident happened at Fushima No.1 Nuclear Power Station caused by such huge
earthquake andtunami on March 11, Tokyo Electric Power Company have tried to
cool down the core of nuclear reactor by injecting sea water rather than pure
water because they could not get pure water due to blackout of power. The 
station succeeded to cool down the whole system by using sea water to some
extent. Some serious trouble may have been avoided by using sea water to  
cool down the whole system. 

But use of sea water is just an emergent action anyway. It is necessary for 
them to resume to use pure water in order to cool down the core of nuclear 
reactor. The reactor and other facilities may be damaged seriously by using
sea water which contains a lot of salt. Several experts on nuclear power 
station have warned to resume pure water rather than sea water as soon as
possible for further stabilization of whole nuclear power generation system.

Fortunately power supply to all nuclear power units through No.1 to No.4 have
been resumed until May 25. But supply of pure water, another important factor
for stabilization of nuclear reactors has not been secured yet as a matter of
fact. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is considering to get pure water 
from other sources  such as dams of their water power stations of other 
districts. But it takes some more time to do so. 

Then, here comes help from US Navy stationed in Japan. They offered TEPCO to
provide pure water to use for cooling down operation at Fukushima. That is
really a wonderful news. 

But some big question occurred to me when I read this news article on 
asahi.com. Although it is really a big and very important sort of news, not
many other mass media reported the fact. Why is this? What more, it is Toshimi
Kitazawa, Minister of Self Defense Force who announced the fact and mentioned
possibility of executing pure water injection operation into nuclear reactor by
Self Defense Force cooperating with US Navy. 

That's fine, indeed. No, question about it. But my basic question is why it
is Minister Toshimi Kitazawa who takes initiative on this issue rather than
general director of the whole operation, that is Prime Minster Naoto Kan. None
of the fact about this pure water injection operation has ever been announced
so far by integrated operation center of nuclear power station accident. Has 
this operation been decided and approved to execute by the operation center ?

If so,  why is there no formal announcement on the issue by formal director
in charge? 

I am sorry to point out that there exist a serious failure and disadvantage on
total management system to encounter serious accidents at Fukushima Nuclear
Power Station as we see it. 

When the big earthquake occurred, ECCS, the most important part of the security
system of nuclear reactor surely worked at the first stage. ECCS stopped the
reaction of nuclear power by inserting control bar. But ECCS failed to start
the following work that is to cool down the nuclear fuel bar by injecting pure
water. ECCS system failed to work further because of loss of electricity and
pure water due to earthquake and tsunami.

What a story is this ? Power station regardless it is nuclear or any other 
sort lost control for two major source and power that is water and electricity
because of blackout?  I cannot believe it. Nobody can. What's more they really
lack total risk management for such serious accidents.

We people of Japan can only pray for the improvement of the whole trouble so
that cooling down operation by pure water will work out fine in next several
days to come. 

2011/3/26
Tadashi HAYASE

１９９７

１９９８

１９９９

２０００

２００１

２００２

２００３

２００４

２００５

２００６

２００７

２００８

２００９

２０１０

２０１１

My Profile :

・Born in Sakai City Osaka Prefecture
・Graduated from Economics Dept.,University of Osaka Pref. 1963
　( University Homepage )
・Graduated from the Graduate School of Business Administration,
　(Haas School of Business) , University of california,Berkeley, 1965
・Fulbright Scholarship 1964 ( Fulbright Grants Program )
・Worked for Japanese firms and American firms for over 30 years
　Engaged in management of general,marketing,manufacturing,data processhing
　and so on.
Living in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Pref. ( Kagawa Net)

My Personal Interest and Hobbies:

・Tennis
・Syougi(Japanese Chess)
・Personal Computer (BBS, Disk Top Music, etc.)
・Senryu (a Purple Willow:literal translation)
・etc.

What I want to do by Internet:

・Participate and debate in some news-group concering Japanese and
　 international issues
・Participate some voluntary consulting activities concerning Japan-
　 US business practice for young people who are engaged in international
　 business
・Creation of Alumini Association net-works
・Enjoy playing chess on on-line　
・Creation of worldwide tennis club network
・Exchange Senryu with Japanese people
・etc.


Drop me e-mail：
Tadashi HAYASE JCG03001@nifty.com

Page Revised on March , 2011 Ver. 8.62
Copy Right (C) 1997-2002 Tadashi HAYASE