[Science] Chinanews: Detailed Explanation of Nuclear Safety Culture and Nuclear Emergency Measures
Source: China-Singapore Networks Date: 2016-01-27
As traditional fossil energy sources decrease year by year and air pollution increases year by year, we have begun to think about how to replace traditional energy sources with new energy sources. Nuclear power is one of the most efficient and clean new energy sources.
However, whenever nuclear energy and nuclear power plants are mentioned, people will always associate it with major accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima. Is a nuclear power plant really that terrible? What should we do in case of a nuclear accident?
What is a nuclear accident or a nuclear emergency?
On January 27, the white paper "China's Nuclear Emergency" was officially released. This is China's first white paper on nuclear issues.
How do you define a nuclear accident? What is a nuclear emergency? Xiaoxin will give you two terms first:
(3) A nuclear accident refers to a state that rarely deviates from operating conditions in a nuclear facility. In this state, the release of radioactive material may or has lost its due control and reached unacceptable levels.
Plutonium emergency actions different from normal order and normal working procedures to control or mitigate the nuclear accident and mitigate the consequences of the nuclear accident are nuclear emergency.
Safe enough! Don't relax!
The good news is that since the development of nuclear power in China in the 1980s, "the operating status of nuclear power has been safe for the past 30 years, no more than two-level incidents have occurred, and no nuclear emergency response action against China's nuclear power has been initiated."
Plutonium officials also made it clear that the past, now, and the future, China's nuclear safety is guaranteed. At present, China's nuclear energy safety situation and nuclear emergency situation, please rest assured!
But that doesn't mean we can take it lightly!
The development of China's nuclear energy industry is growing rapidly. China now has 30 nuclear power generating units in operation, ranking fourth in the world; 24 units under construction, ranking first in the world; and a total of 54 units under construction, ranking third in the world.
China's operating nuclear power units are mainly second-generation or second-generation plus technologies. The main body of nuclear power units under construction is more than three-generation technologies. There are many types of reactors. Second-generation, second-generation plus, third-generation, and fourth-generation technologies coexist. The coexistence of multiple reactors and the coexistence of multiple generations of nuclear power technologies have raised new issues for nuclear emergency response.
What if an accident occurs?
Don't worry, we have five lines of defense.
What is China's current nuclear emergency? The white paper is summarized as "one case, three systems", "five lines of defense" and "hierarchical response".
"One case, three systems"-refers to China's nuclear emergency plan, legal system, system, and mechanism. The "National Nuclear Emergency Plan" is a pre-designated work plan for the central government to deal with nuclear accidents. Government departments at all levels and nuclear facility operating units have formulated nuclear emergency plans accordingly.
"Five Lines of Defense"-China implements defense in depth, multiple barriers to strengthen nuclear power safety, prevent accidents and mitigate their consequences.
The first way to ensure the quality of design, manufacturing, construction, operation, etc., to prevent deviation from normal operation.
Second way Strictly execute the operation regulations and abide by the operation technical specifications, make the unit run within the limited safety zone, detect and correct deviations in time, control abnormal operation, and prevent it from becoming an accident.
Third way If the deviation is not corrected in time, when a design basis accident occurs, the safety system and protection system of the power plant will be automatically activated to organize emergency operation to prevent the accident from deteriorating.
(4) If the accident is not effectively controlled, start the accident handling procedures and implement the accident management strategy to ensure that the containment is not damaged and prevent the leakage of radioactive materials.
Fifth In extreme cases, if the above four lines of defense have failed, an off-site emergency response operation is immediately carried out. At the same time, multiple physical barriers are set up to prevent and control the release of radioactive materials into the environment.
“Classified response” —China refers to the IAEA nuclear accident event classification table, and determines the levels of nuclear accidents based on the nature, severity, and range of radiation consequences of the nuclear accident: ), Site emergency (level II response), off-site emergency (level I response).
After a nuclear accident, nuclear emergency organizations at all levels perform all or part of the following response actions based on the nature and severity of the accident:
① Quickly mitigate and control accidents
② Carry out radiation monitoring and consequence evaluation
③ Organize personnel to implement emergency protective actions
④ Decontamination and medical treatment
⑤ Controlling access routes and ports
⑥ Strengthen market supervision and regulation
⑦ Maintain social order
⑧ Release authoritative and accurate information
⑨ Make international notifications and apply for assistance.
What should I do?
Exercise! Training! communication!
The train of thought for China's nuclear emergency preparedness can be summarized as "building a system, strengthening capabilities, and rehearsing."
Exercise
He has organized national nuclear emergency drills code-named "Aegis-2009" and "Aegis-2015", and regularly held national nuclear emergency joint exercises.
Relevant provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) hold joint on-site and off-site nuclear emergency joint exercises every two to four years. The nuclear facility operating unit also organizes comprehensive exercises every two years, and organizes various special exercises every year, with more than three The frequency of exercises for operating crews has increased appropriately.
Training
Establish a three-level nuclear emergency training system. Since the Fukushima nuclear accident, China has held more than 110 training courses at various levels, training nearly 10,000 people.
communication
In 2015, we took advantage of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China's nuclear industry to launch a series of publicity activities.
Don't forget, China successfully responded to nuclear-related emergencies during the Fukushima nuclear accident. While immediately launching the nuclear emergency response mechanism and carrying out national response work, it is also actively fulfilling its international obligations under the Convention on Assistance to Nuclear Accidents or Radiation Emergencies. In May 2011, at the invitation of the Japanese government, China organized an expert delegation to Japan to exchange views on the Fukushima nuclear accident and put forward suggestions for disposal.
320 people's "national team" is coming!
Wu Xiaoxin also learned that China will establish a 320-member Chinese nuclear accident emergency rescue team, which will mainly undertake surprise rescue and emergency disposal tasks for severe nuclear accidents under complex conditions and can participate in international nuclear emergency rescue operations.