Strengthening Military Defense Resources to Non-Military in Facing Nuclear Emergencies to Support National Defense

Indonesia has the potential for a nuclear emergency, so it is necessary to prepare resources to deal with nuclear emergencies to minimize losses. A nuclear emergency caused by a nuclear reactor accident is a non-military defense sector as the main component supported by other elements of the nation's power. Nuclear Biology and Chemical Company of the Indonesian Armed Forces Army (Kizinubika) is another element of the nation's power that provides reinforcement in non-military defense in the face of nuclear emergencies. The purpose of this study is to strengthen the Kizinubika resources for the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) and the Directorate for the Management of Nuclear Facilities at the National Research and Innovation Agency (DPFKN-BRIN) in dealing with nuclear emergencies in order to support national defense. This type of research is qualitative by using literature study, observation, and interview methods. Internal resource criteria are determined based on the Resources Based View (RBV) theory. The results of the study in the form of recommended resources in strengthening the Kizinubika against Bapeten and DPFKN-BRIN in the form of; (1) The use of the Kizinubika facility as a joint training facility and infrastructure; (2) The use of special equipment Kizinubika in support of nuclear emergency response; (3) Kizinubika's strategic location close to DPFKN-BRIN supports speed in emergency response; (4) Use of Kizinubika's Human Resources through joint training in increasing the quantity and quality of training; and (5) Kizinubika's internal organizational relations support the task of dealing with nuclear emergencies.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Uncovering Nuclear Histories

Nuclear histories are global yet worryingly incomplete. Linking a plutonium refinery in Washington, a uranium mine in Saskatchewan, a tsunami at Fukushima, a nuclear bomb test site in Rajasthan, a reactor ‘accident’ at Chernobyl, a shipping accident in the English Channel, and a president-to-prime-minister confrontation over the US-Canada frontier, these quasi-autobiographical essays prove the importance of public archives, personal files with fragments, oral histories, and private recollections. This is the social history, business history, environmental history, labour history, scientific and technological history, and indigenous history of the twentieth century. Hiding in Plain Sight offers everyone an entry to the irregularities of our ‘disorderly nuclear world’, and offers other researchers crucial insights to what richness lies within.

Analysis of Severe Accident in Complex System Reactor Using Moving Particle Semi-Implicit (MPS) Method

The very complex structure of nuclear reactors is one aspect of the cause of severe accidents in nuclear reactors. To prevent serious accidents, analysis is needed on the reactor design before the reactor is built. Reactor accident analysis can be done using the Moving Particle Semi-Implicit method. The Moving Particle Semi-Implicit method is excellent in simulating the movement of liquid fuel in a reactor because it can analyze the free surface flow of an incompressible liquid without using a mesh grid. Simulations were carried out using three types of fluids with different viscosities and densities such as water, oil, and wax. The simulation results show that the water takes the fastest time to drain all the particles and the oil takes the longest time. From the simulation results, it can be determined that the kinematic viscosity of a liquid affects its flow velocity.

Experimental Study on Stratification Morphology of the Molten Pool During Severe Accident

Stratification morphology of a molten pool under severe reactor accident was investigated by the CESEF experimental facility. The experimental scale was 5,000 g, the atomic ratio of U/Zr was 1.5, the content of stainless steel was 10%, and the oxidation degree of Zr was 40–100%. It was shown that the molten pool was obviously stratified within the range of experimental parameters; one was a metal layer, and the other was an oxide layer. The layered morphology of the molten pool was different with the composition of different corium. With the decrease in the Zr oxidation degree, the metal layer moved downward in the molten pool, and the molten pool would overturn. The main elements in the oxide layer were U, Zr, and O, and the content of stainless steel was low. The main element in the metal layer was stainless steel and contained a certain amount of U and Zr.

Kerntechnik als Sicherheitsversprechen

In the mid-1970s, the dangers associated with nuclear power moved to the center of risk debates in Germany. Following the reactor accident at Three Mile Island (1979) and the Chernobyl disaster (1986), the West German nuclear industry’s business prospects severely deteriorated. How did the nuclear industry perceive and confront the challenge of nuclear skepticism? And how did this emerging challenge alter the perceived future of nuclear technology in the Federal Republic and beyond? The article argues that the nuclear industry did not passively accept the »depletion of utopian energies« (J. Habermas) to which the peaceful use of the atom was subjected. Instead, the industry worked to create new (utopian) prospects for nuclear power. The industry’s public relations campaign positioned nuclear power in two interrelated fields of insecurity: the decline of industrial society and environmental crises. Both threats, ran the argument put forth by nuclear proponents, could only be combatted by relying on nuclear power for electricity production. In this way, nuclear power was translated into a comprehensive promise of security that was intended to salvage the future of nuclear power as well as that of its investors in the face of growing anti-nuclear sentiment.

7. Nuclear Energy and the Environment

This chapter gives the example of the Chernobyl reactor accident in 1986 to show that nuclear power creates risks for all states, irrespective of whether they choose this type of energy. Every state, and the global environment, is potentially affected by the possibility of radioactive contamination, the spread of toxic substances derived from nuclear energy, and the long-term health hazards consequent on exposure to radiation. Whether the nuclear power industry has now attained acceptable levels of risk to international society cannot be answered in the abstract, the chapter argues, or solely by reference to regulatory standards and technical capabilities, but must take into account public perceptions of risk, as well as the alternatives and the competing risks, such as climate change. The chapter notes that for all governments there are inevitably difficult policy choices in which there are few electoral advantages.

Towards Uncertainty Quantification of LES and URANS for the Buoyancy-Driven Mixing Process between Two Miscible Fluids—Differentially Heated Cavity of Aspect Ratio 4

Numerical simulations are subject to uncertainties due to the imprecise knowledge of physical properties, model parameters, as well as initial and boundary conditions. The assessment of these uncertainties is required for some applications. In the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the reliable prediction of hydrogen distribution and pressure build-up in nuclear reactor containment after a severe reactor accident is a representative application where the assessment of these uncertainties is of essential importance. The inital and boundary conditions that significantly influence the present buoyancy-driven flow are subject to uncertainties. Therefore, the aim is to investigate the propagation of uncertainties in input parameters to the results variables. As a basis for the examination of a representative reactor test containment, the investigations are initially carried out using the Differentially Heated Cavity (DHC) of aspect ratio 4 with Ra=2×109 as a test case from the literature. This allows for gradual method development for guidelines to quantify the uncertainty of natural convection flows in large-scale industrial applications. A dual approach is applied, in which Large Eddy Simulation (LES) is used as reference for the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) computations. A methodology for the uncertainty quantification in engineering applications with a preceding mesh convergence study and sensitivity analysis is presented. By taking the LES as a reference, the results indicate that URANS is able to predict the underlying mixing process at Ra=2×109 and the variability of the result variables due to parameter uncertainties.

Solid state phase transformation kinetics in Zr-base alloys

We present a kinetic model for solid state phase transformation ($$\alpha \rightleftharpoons \beta$$ α ⇌ β ) of common zirconium alloys used as fuel cladding material in light water reactors. The model computes the relative amounts of $$\beta$$ β or $$\alpha$$ α phase fraction as a function of time or temperature in the alloys. The model accounts for the influence of excess oxygen (due to oxidation) and hydrogen concentration (due to hydrogen pickup) on phase transformation kinetics. Two variants of the model denoted by A and B are presented. Model A is suitable for simulation of laboratory experiments in which the heating/cooling rate is constant and is prescribed. Model B is more generic. We compare the results of our model computations, for both A and B variants, with accessible experimental data reported in the literature covering heating/cooling rates of up to 100 K/s. The results of our comparison are satisfactory, especially for model A. Our model B is intended for implementation in fuel rod behavior computer programs, applicable to a reactor accident situation, in which the Zr-based fuel cladding may go through $$\alpha \rightleftharpoons \beta$$ α ⇌ β phase transformation.

The Tailored CFD Package ‘containmentFOAM’ for Analysis of Containment Atmosphere Mixing, H2/CO Mitigation and Aerosol Transport

The severe reactor accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (2011) has confirmed the need to understand the flow and transport processes of steam and combustible gases inside the containment and connected buildings. Over several years, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models, mostly based on proprietary solvers, have been developed to provide highly resolved insights; supporting the assessment of effectiveness of safety measures and possible combustion loads challenging the containment integrity. This paper summarizes the design and implementation of containmentFOAM, a tailored solver and model library based on OpenFOAM®. It is developed in support of Research & Development related to containment flows, mixing processes, pressurization, and assessment of passive safety systems. Based on preliminary separate-effect verification and validation results, an application oriented integral validation case is presented on the basis of an experiment on gas mixing and H2 mitigation by means of passive auto-catalytic recombiners in the THAI facility (Becker Technologies, Eschborn, Germany). The simulation results compare well with the experimental data and demonstrate the general applicability of containmentFOAM for technical scale analysis. Concluding the paper, the strategy for dissemination of the code and measures implemented to minimize potential user errors are outlined.

Knowledge on radiation emergency preparedness among nuclear medicine technologists

This study aimed to assess the knowledge of nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) in radiation emergency preparedness and response operations and their willingness to participate in such operations. A survey was developed for this purpose and distributed to NMTs in Saudi Arabia. Sixty participants responded with a response rate of 63.31%. Based on the overall radiation protection knowledge related to emergency response, NMTs can perform radiation detection, population monitoring, patient decontamination, and assist with radiological dose assessments during radiation emergencies. There were no significant differences in the knowledge on the use of scintillation gamma camera (P = 0.314), well counter (P = 0.744), Geiger counter (P = 0.935), thyroid probes (P = 0.980), portable monitor (P = 0.830), or portable multichannel analyzer (P = 0.413) and years of experience. Approximately 44% of the respondents reported receiving emergency preparedness training in the last 5 years. Respondents who reported receiving training were significantly more familiar with the emergency preparedness resources (P = 0.031) and more willing to assist with radiation detection or monitoring in the event of nuclear reactor accident (P = 0.016), nuclear weapon detonation (P = 0.002), and dirty bomb detonation (P = 0.003). These findings indicate the importance of training and continuing education in radiological emergency preparedness and response, which increase the willingness to respond to radiological accidents and fill the gaps in NMTs’ knowledge and familiarity with response resources.