Japan, nuclear power generation

Japan s nuclear source materials and nuclear fuel materials, which support this nuclear power generation, are all subject to safeguards under the Nuclear Regulation Law and the NPT. At the end of 1992, Japan held roughly 35001 of natural and depleted uranium, about 94001 of low enriched uranium (LEU) and 33.5 t of plutonium. Figure... 

Japan has the world s third largest nuclear power industry, after the United States and France. The government was planning to build 11 more reactors in the decade, thus increasing Japan s reliance on home-based nuclear power to 40% of electricity needs. However, there was local opposition to nuclear power generating projects in view of the most deadly history of nuclear power in Japan. 

Recently, the importance of uranium as a fuel of the nuclear power generation increases with increasing demand of energy, but there is no resource of uranium in Japan. 

Technologies in various fields has been developed, demonstrated and accumulated through the construction and operation of Tokai Power Plant. It has also contributed to training for many nuclear engineers in other Japanese power companies and industries who have contributed to constructions and operations of nuclear power stations. As a pioneer, Tokai Power Plant has contributed to the development of nuclear power generation in Japan. 

Tokai Power Plant will have an important role in Japan to demonstrate that the decommissioning of commercial nuclear power plants, induding LWRs, can be executed safely and economically. ITierefore, on the planning for its decommissioning, we have to take consideration of the application for LWRs, which are now dominant in the commercial nuclear power generation in Japan. 

The use of filling compound for repair of reactor coolant pressure boundary component (Class 1) is not allowed in Japan. The use of compound is allowed in auxiliaiy boiler and steam turbine auxiliaiy systems but the conditions, design, repair work and inspection, etc. are strictly limited by niermal and Nuclear Power Generation Technical Association Guide (TNS-G2808). 

Notification of Establishing Technical Standards on Structures etc., of Nuclear Power Generation Facilities, Ministry of Economy and Industry Notification No. 501, Japan, October 1980. 

Nuclear power generation, however, is not without problems. Foremost among them is the danger of nuclear accidents. In spite of safety precautions, the fission reaction occurring in a nuclear power plant can overheat. The most famous examples of this occurred in Chernobyl, in the former Soviet Union, on April 26, 1986, and at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan in March of 2011. 

Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Code for Nuclear Power Generation FaciUties, Rules on Design and Construction for Nuclear Power Plants, Section II Fast Reactor Standards, 2012. 

Furthermore, the issues raised by Deepwater Horizon are not confined to the offshore oil and gas industry. At the time of writing, the consequences of the severe damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan are still being ascertained. But it is clear that those consequences will be profound substantial quantities of radioactive materials have been released, a significant fraction of Japan s power-generating capability is lost forever, and the cost of clean-up and remediation is going to be enormous. Indeed, the Fukushima accident may result in a massive slowdown in the construction... 

Three countries, namely the USA (104 plants), France (59 plants) and Japan, account for approximately 58% of the worldwide generation capacity, followed by Germany and the Russian Federation. These three countries also dominated the historical development of nuclear power expansion (see Fig. 4.1). The three countries with the highest nuclear energy share in their electricity mix today are France, with around 75%, followed by Lithuania, with 70%, and Slovakia, with 55%. While nuclear power contributes some 20% to power generation in the United States, the share in the EU25 is around 36%. 

The ITER R D project is the latest international research initiative on nuclear fusion for power generation. The ITER initiative has partners from the European Union, including Switzerland, Japan, Russia, China, South Korea, India and the United States. The project is expected to run for the next 30 years, of which 10 years will be needed for construction of the reactor in Cadarache, France, and 20 years for operation. The cost is approximately 10 billion and the first plasma operation is... 

The primary use for plutonium (Pu) is in nuclear power reactors, nuclear weapons, and radioisotopic thermoelectric generators (RTGs). Pu is formed as a by-product in nuclear reactors when uranium nuclei absorb neutrons. Most of this Pu is burned (fissioned) in place, but a significant fraction remains in the spent nuclear fuel. The primary plutonium isotope formed in reactors is the fissile Pu-239, which has a half-life of 24 400 years. In some nuclear programs (in Europe and Japan), Pu is recovered and blended with uranium (U) for reuse as a nuclear fuel. Since Pu and U are in oxide form, this blend is called mixed oxide or MOX fuel. Plutonium used in nuclear weapons ( weapons-grade ) is metallic in form and made up primarily (>92%) of fissile Pu-239. The alpha decay of Pu-238 (half-life = 86 years) provides a heat source in RTGs, which are long-lived batteries used in some spacecraft, cardiac pacemakers, and other applications. 

Perhaps you are familiar with the terms nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission is the process by which a relatively massive nucleus is divided into smaller nuclei and one or more neutrons. Nuclear fission is the process that generates so much power in nuclear power plants and in certain types of nuclear weapons, such as the bombs that were dropped on Japan in 1945. The following equation shows an example of nuclear fission (the nuclear fission of uranium-235) ... 

The nuclear power industry has been at a standstill in the United States based on fears that nuclear is too dangerous. Besides France at 80%, Belgium generates 60% of its power from nuclear, Switzerland 42%, Sweden 39%, Spain 37%, Japan 34% and U.K. 22%. These countries that generate a higher percentage of their power with nuclear energy than the U.S. have done so without any loss of life or harm to the environment. 

Nuclear power is a major source of energy for electrical generation worldwide. Nuclear power plants are found in over 30 countries and generate about 17% of the world s electricity. France gets about 76% of its electricity from nuclear power, Japan gets about 33%, and tbe United States gets about 22%. Special Topic 18.1 A New Treatment for Brain Cancer describes another use for a fission reaction. 

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