Abstract
On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale and subsequent 10–.14 m waves struck the Fukushima Daiichi (FD) Nuclear Power Plant. The main and backup electric power was damaged preventing the cooling system from functioning. Fuel rods overheated and led to hydrogen explosions. If heat in the fuel rods is not dissipated, the nuclear fuel coating material (e.g., Zircaloy) reacts with water vapor to generate hydrogen at high temperatures. This hydrogen is released into the containment area. If the released hydrogen burns, the stability of the containment area is significantly impacted. In this study, researchers performed an explosion analysis in a high-risk explosion area, analyzing the hydrogen distribution in a containment building [1] and the effects of a hydrogen explosion on containment safety. Results indicated that a hydrogen explosion was possible throughout the containment building except the middle area. If an explosion occurs at the top of the containment building with more than 40% of the hydrogen collected or in the bottom right or left side of the of containment building, safety of the containment building could be threatened.
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