Devastation in Japan 1: Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Explosions

Nuclear Explosion in Japan After  the Earthquake and Tsunami:  From mirror.co.uk

Louis Egbe Mbua*

In the realm of the functioning of the universe, man has no direct control. On natural disasters, when the universe choose to renew itself we have actually no say at all. On the other hand, man has the ability to create what is good for him – and what can actually destroy him. No scenario exposes the vulnerability and the sheer helplessness of man as to when the natural and the artificial embrace in a deadly love-hate match made from the depths of the earth. The earth is a mysterious planet. From above its firmament come light and energy – all of its light and energy from the sun. Again, there is no guarantee that this energy and light would always be beneficial. It can -- dependent upon other circumstances that one may not be able to fully explain and the sparsely known cosmological cycles -- turn against the earth and its components in inexplicably savage rage.

Solar flares can burn up and blanket- strip huge areas of and through the stratospheres to alter the earth’s magnetic field at the poles and disable the electrical systems of an entire nation that may have the misfortune to be on its flaring line of action. From the depths of the earth comes benevolence – food, vegetation and everything green, precious metals, heat, solid, liquid and gaseous fuels that power our civilisation, catapulting the entire humankind into untold wonders: including breaking through the space barrier and challenging the natural speed of sound and light with our technological explorations and aircraft escapades.

Strange! The same earth, at its inner core, is also a deadly enemy to human and its own existence. Seismic and geological shifts in its strata, pressurised magma at its core and violently active volcanic mountainous giants that dwell in the depths of the Oceans can blow their capped tops without warning. When nature decides to strike back, we start philosophising as to the exact reason for human life, why we live on earth and who is actually in control – man, nature or supernatural forces. In an attempt to harness and make sense of man’s elusively explained habitation on the planet, we have applied our creativity to construct, design and build what we have come to mimic the sun, the giver of life and energy.

Which brings us to the question: If the awesome power of the natural sun cannot be tamed by man, can man control a nuclear catastrophe that was brought into being by an earthquake that, in turn, triggered a Tsunami; that overwhelmed an Island and damaged the man made “sun”? Who is stronger – nature or man? And can man accelerate his own self-destruction -- foolishly? Can the earth destroy itself on all three counts of uncontrollable natural disasters in Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear explosions? Are we doomed since the days of Einstein and his General and Special Theory of Relativity? Or are we doomed by just nature itself?

Friday March 11 was a memorably apocalyptic and very sad day for the land of the Rising Sun! Poetic indeed! and the people of the Earth. About a month earlier, an Earthquake had struck in Christchurch, New Zealand, which lies in the “line of fire” – the earth quake zone in the Pacific realm – and which includes Japan. Although there were casualties and deaths, it was not very clear as to whether this natural disaster would spread to other areas perched perilously in the Pacific. The earthquake, one of the most powerful in Japan’s history, struck causing a ripple of water that waved to the height of a 4 story building, flattening whole towns that disappeared in an instant. Watching the shocking nightmare scenario may not show the exact reflection of the force involved until we understand the power carried by the sea wave that invaded North Eastern Japan with untold devastating effects with human suffering in tow. To get a closer picture of this epic deluge, the force required to exact the earthquake is equal to the force of water transferred to the sea by the earthquake and which subsequently was dissipated as it ploughs through the land consummating all on its deadly path.

Ancient Wisdom

The ancients were more versed with the raging oceans. When humans began building large cities, with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, their acute wisdom and intuition directed them into the hinterland. From Thebes (Luxor) in ancient Egypt to Timbuktu in present day Mali, they established their cities and administrative capitals in the middle of their respective nations. Even Rome and Paris were and are not coastline cities. Although ancient Carthage was founded in the coastal regions of northern Africa, this could be attributed but to the barrier of the unforgiving and inhospitable Sahara desert.

When Alexander the Great from Macedonia founded Alexandra at about 300 BC in Egypt, he possibly never thought of earthquakes. However, recent anthropological research has revealed that the famous Lighthouse of Alexandra built by Cleopatra, one of the ancient wonders of the world was destroyed by an earthquake. Deep sea divers are today unearthing ancient monuments that were destroyed by this earthquake. While times have changed, and modern methods of building take into consideration the earthquake factor, it is only reasonable to believe that a coastal city is more prone to annihilation when the thunder of an earthquake is registered within destructive distances within the sea bed from populated coastal settlements and civilisation. Thus, ancient monuments and hence civilisation are more likely to survive and preserved, albeit possibly damaged in cases of natural disasters, when they are located miles from the coastline than within the confines of the sea boundaries.

This week’s devastating earthquake that almost brought down high-tech superpower Japan should now be brought into the debate. Japan, an Island, is more vulnerable to destruction by earthquake and a possible resultant Tsunami. The explosions at the Fukushima nuclear facility due to the earthquake and Tsunami could therefore not be prevented. Designs that include safety factors with an earthquake-proof concept in mind are ingenious but whether it is wise to locate a nuclear plant on the coast of an earthquake zone is another matter. However, an industrial nation needs power; and as Japan grew mightily in this respect, it logically follows that they will import nuclear technology.

Japan has an enviable record of technology transfer from already developed civilisations. Prior to World War 1, Japan sent out its students to Europe to learn, study meticulously, and import western technology to power her industrial and imperial ambitions. When the Chinese opposed Europe in their objective to colonise China in the nineteenth century, the Europeans, particularly the UK, devastated and bombarded China, seizing Hong Kong. This drama did not escape the keen eye of the Japanese. So, when the West arrived to Japan, the Japanese merely pretended to be in tandem with them. The unsuspecting Americans and Europeans were fooled! Thus they taught the Japanese the art of technology – building planes, ships, machine guns etc. Trade between the two counterparts boomed. It can, therefore, be inferred that Japan is no stranger to sophisticated technology; open to new and helpful ideas; and are not afraid to risk trying their able hands on new ones. This may provide a background as to why Japan became both an industrial superpower and a nuclear one to boot! 55 nuclear power stations all on its earthquake zone’s coast. To blame Japan for this location is to misunderstand how nuclear power technology works.

Technological Realities of a Nuclear Power Facility

Nuclear facilities are normally built near the coast or in riverine regions; reason being the availability of cooling water. There are possibilities of gas-cooled stations but this can be prohibitively expensive and technologically complicated. Abundant and accessible sea water is a more technologically and economically feasible natural facility. A nuclear reactor in action means that neutrons are used to bombard unstable radioactive elements such as uranium and plutonium pellets that take the form of fuel rods. This process results in the splitting of the atoms of these elements since they are unstable. Spitting requires that energy is released in the form of heat. At the same time, the striking of this atoms releases more neutrons which again strikes other atoms of the radioactive element to form a chain reaction and yet more heat and radiation. The temperature of the fuel rods can reach 1500 degree Celsius. Water contained in the nuclear reactor becomes superheated and turned into steam at very high pressure. The steam then powers a turbine that generates electricity. The water therefore is used to:

1 provide the power to make electricity

2. Cool down the fuel rods that carries the radioactive plutonium.

The second point on cooling is the most crucial. If the cooling system fails, as it did in the Japan case, then we may have what is called a nuclear melt-down. The fuel rods become overheated with the radioactive plutonium or uranium melting at the nuclear core through the protective re-enforced steel and concrete pressure vessel casing, thereby releasing dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere that can kill or injure persons and animals instantaneously. Secondly, the pressure in the reactor becomes so large that the protective concrete wall gives way resulting into an explosion. Again, it is possible to release steam to reduce this enormous pressure. However, if the released steam has pressures that are greater than the safety limit on which the pressure vessel casings were designed, this, obviously, will also result to an explosion: again releasing radioactive material into the environment.

That has been the case with the Fukushima nuclear facility where three explosions have left the fuel rods exposed while the nuclear chain reaction might have continued with the possibility of a nuclear meltdown. Although there is shut down mechanism of the power plant to prevent nuclear reaction,, this cannot be guaranteed when the fuel rods are exposed and are not efficiently cooled with desalinated water. Moreover, the enormous temperatures may cause the water to disintegrate into its elements – Hydrogen and Oxygen making a fire more likely after the explosion or creating more pressures to trigger an explosion and fire. The danger is that the Pacific Ocean might have been contaminated by this unfortunate accident caused by the Earthquake and the Tsunami and the subsequent nuclear accident. The problem is that rivers obtain their water from rain fall which in turn is obtained from the evaporation of the oceans. Is there the possibility of a nuclear rain after these nuclear explosions and possible melt-down in a nightmare scenario? That is the question for the next series.

*This writer extends his sympathy to the people of Japan; and that the entire world should take steps to bring this unfortunate and devastating incident under effective control by contributing resources in man, material and moral support.