Introduction to earthquake-resistant design of nuclear power plants

The aim of the earthquake-resistant design of nuclear power plants is to retain three crucial functions, even in the event of a major earthquake and tsunami: to shut down the reactor (shut down), to cool down the reactor under a specified temperature and maintain a stable condition (cool down), and to confine so as to prevent radioactive materials from being released into the surrounding environment (confine). This chapter explains the mechanism of nuclear power generation and the safety assurance of nuclear power plants, and gives an overview of the earthquake-resistant design aiming to retain the three crucial functions, shut down, cool down, and confine. Furthermore, the damage to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant caused by the 2007 Niigata-Ken Chuetsu-Oki earthquake and the catastrophic disaster that affected the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as a result of the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake are described.