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Following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on the Richter scale, 3 of 6 boiling water reactors (BWRs) operating at the time automatically shut down, as designed. However, all 6 external electrical power supplies failed due to earthquake damage. Emergency diesel generators started up as designed. However less than an hour later, the plant was hit by a 15m tsunami which damaged the sea cooling water pumps for the main condensers and auxiliary cooling circuits (including the residual heat removal systems). It also drowned the diesel generators and inundated the electrical switchgear and battery systems. All 3 reactor cores melted within 3 days.
Ask yourself and your crew:
- How can something like this happen here (e.g. on our site)?
- What safety measures (i.e. procedures, controls/barriers) do we have in place to mitigate the risk?
- How do we know the risk controls/barriers are working?
- What improvements or changes should we make to the procedures, controls/barriers or the way we work?
Original content courtesy of IChemE Safety Centre
