How Fukushima Disaster ACTUALLY Happened

Name: How Fukushima Disaster ACTUALLY Happened
Uploaded: 2019-09-10T20:15:02.000Z
Duration: 22 min 38 s

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Minute by Minute

This transcript provides a minute-by-minute account of the events leading up to and during the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.

Vulnerability of the Plant

In March 2011, Tokyo Electric Power Company submits a report highlighting the vulnerability of the plant to tsunami forces.

On March 11th, 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Honshu Island at a depth of 15 miles (24 km) in the earth's crust.

Emergency safety systems automatically kick on upon being struck by the first tremor, and reactors 1, 2, and 3 are automatically shut down.

Initial Response

Backup diesel generators start up to continue circulating cooling water into the nuclear reactors which while shut down are still incredibly hot and will take a long time to cool.

Reactor 1's emergency cooling system opens in response to rising pressure from inside the reactor vessel. The valve is designed to vent dangerous buildups of steam in order to prevent an explosion.

A tsunami crashes into the seawall and overtops it, flooding the entire Fukushima facility. All power has been lost in the facility except for mechanical safety systems meant to operate without power.

Escalation

Temperatures begin to rise inside the reactors, and only remaining safety systems are keeping any check on temperature rise.

Inside reactor one water levels have fallen so low that top of nuclear fuel rods are now exposed to dry air inside reactor vessel.

Fuel rods inside reactor one are now fully exposed to air as water levels continue to drop. The incredible buildup of heat causes the rods to begin melting and pooling at the bottom of the reactor vessel as a molten slag heap of highly radioactive metal.

Evacuation

Workers fear that dropping water levels inside Reactor 1 are inevitably going to lead to a Chernobyl-like steam explosion. The government issues an emergency evacuation order to all residents within two miles (3km) of the plant.

Poisoning and Meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

This section covers the events that led to the meltdown of reactors 1, 2, and 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011.

Emergency Battery Power Runs Out

On March 12th, 2011, emergency battery power for the high-pressure core-flooder system runs out.

Water begins boiling off inside reactor vessel no.3 as a result.

At 4:15 am, dropping water levels expose fuel rods inside reactor no.3 causing temperature to skyrocket.

Critical Situation Inside Reactor No.1

At 5:30 am on March 12th, situation inside reactor no.1 becomes critical due to extremely high pressure threatening to explode containment vessel at any moment.

Officials argue over a proposed risky maneuver which could cause a large explosion but if not attempted would guarantee an explosion.

Finally agreed to vent steam from directly inside the reactor resulting in successful venting with no explosion.

Hydrogen Gas Buildup and Explosion

At around 10:58 am on March 12th, pressure inside reactor no.2 reaches critical levels leading workers to vent off some radioactive steam to avoid an explosion.

Residents within six miles (10km) are evacuated by around 3:30 pm due to fear of Chernobyl-style explosion at the plant.

At around 3:36 pm on March 12th, hydrogen gas buildup inside containment vessel of reactor no.1 reaches critical levels leading to massive explosion cracking open containment vessel but leaving reactor core intact.

Workers begin pumping seawater directly into reactor no.1 by around7 pm in an attempt to keep core cool.

Reactor No.3 Explosion and Meltdown

On March 13th, at around 2:42 am, high-pressure coolant injection system inside reactor no.3 fails leading to water levels immediately falling as water is boiled off by intense heat of fuel rods.

By 5:10 am on March 13th, Fukushima Unit 1 is declared an International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale level-4 event signifying an accident with local consequences.

At around 11:00 am on March 14th, hydrogen gas buildup inside containment vessel at reactor no.3 leads to an explosion collapsing the building housing the container and injuring six workers.

Workers believe that reactor no.3 has suffered a partial meltdown by around 1:00 pm on March 14th.

Reactor No.2 Meltdown

On March 15th, at around 8:00 pm, reactor no.2 is in worse condition than other two reactors and is in full-blown meltdown as most of nuclear fuel drops to bottom of reactor pressure vessel.

An explosion causes damage to unit 2's containment system and radiation levels rise significantly but quickly fall once more.

The Fukushima disaster led to a permanent quarantine zone around the power plant which lasts till today and massive protests across Japan over nuclear power due to the use of reactors that were over forty years old and lacked many safety features.

"I Am" Show Promotion

In this section, the speaker promotes a new show called "I Am" and invites viewers to share their thoughts on whether a modern nuclear power plant could have survived the Fukushima disaster.

"I Am" Show Description

The show "I Am" is described as a collection of fascinating tales told from the perspective of those who lived them.

Each episode provides a first-person view of incredible events like no other.

Viewers can find out what it was like to be a plague doctor during an outbreak of the black death or the captain of the Titanic as it sank into the sea.

Call-to-Action

The speaker invites viewers to share their thoughts on whether a modern nuclear power plant could have survived the Fukushima disaster in the comments section.

The speaker encourages viewers to like, share, and subscribe for more great content.