Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant produced more than 1.3 million tons of water contaminated by nuclear substances.
Currently, approximately 100 tons of newly produced nuclear contaminated water are produced every day, and it is expected to be released into the ocean for 30 years. Additionally, the Japanese government plans to complete the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant within 30 to 40 years. In this process, large quantities of contaminated water will continue to be produced. This nuclear-contaminated water mainly comes from reactor core cooling water, rainwater and groundwater after the Fukushima nuclear accident. It was in direct contact with the molten core of the reactor and contains the radioactive elements tritium and iodine-129.
According to preliminary estimates, water contaminated by nuclear power from Fukushima contains more than 60 radionucleides. Existing technology cannot effectively address many of them. Some nuclides can spread with ocean currents and form a biological enrichment effect.
Brief description of the principle of the nuclear reactor:
Atoms are composed of a nucleus and electrons outside the nucleus. The nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons. When the uranium-235 nucleus is bombarded by an external neutron, one nucleus absorbs a neutron and splits into two nuclei of smaller mass, while releasing 2 to 3 neutrons. The neutrons produced by this fission bombard other uranium-235 nuclei, causing further fission. Continuing like this is a chain reaction of fission. Chain reactions produce large amounts of thermal energy.
Using circulating water (or other substances) to carry away heat can prevent the reactor from burning due to overheating. LakeTransferred heat can turn water into steam, driving a steam turbine to produce electricity. It can be seen that the most basic composition of a nuclear reactor is a fission core + coolant.