FIRST PERSON

Breaking the Myths of Nuclear Energy

The world is surrounded by pro-nuclear and anti nuclear which have created immense
confusion in the system leading to numerous myths floating around the industry. Dr. D N
Sharma, Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), breaks the myths of
nuclear energy and shares with Namrata Nikale Tanna the challenges faced by the sector
with regards to safety.
are widely used in Industry (in different gauges, radiography for detecting
manufacturing defect etc.), Medical (for diagnosis and treatment of
various diseases including cancer), Agriculture (for developing new seeds
to improve farm produce, optimum use of different types of manures, to
develop seeds that are resilient to various pests and diseases etc.) and in
research institutes including Universities.
Dr. D N Sharma,
Member, NDMA

OA - Are nuclear hazards any different from

other hazards we accept every day?
Dr. Sharma - Yes, Nuclear Hazards are
different from other hazards as these are related
to the Nuclear Radiations which cannot be seen,
heard, smelt, tasted and touched. Though these
are invisible but very easy to detect in terms of
their types (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Neutron etc.),
energy and intensity using appropriate radiation
sensors based systems.

Oilasiajournal

We are living in the sea of radiations coming

from cosmic sources, from earth crest (due to
presence of Uranium, Thorium and Potassium
in the earth crest along with their long lived
daughter products) and from manmade
radiation sources. The varying concentration
of these elements in the earth crest results in
varying radiation background in different places
on the earth, from few nanoGray* (nGy)//h to
even several milliGy (mGy)/h.

NOVEMBER 2016
www.oilasia.com

Radiations being energy packets, can

deposit energy in the medium they pass
through including human body cell. Such
deposited energy can damage interior of
body cells resulting into health hazards. But
the repair mechanism in body rectifies to a
great extent all these till the rate of damage
does not exceed the rate of repair. This
happens at a quite high exposure. Thus the
chances of health impact at low exposures
are relatively non-existent and thus cannot
be distinguished from similar effects caused
by a lot of other agents like chemical etc.
Nuclear techniques using radiations
6

Nuclear industry is one of the best regulated worlds over and the
regulators like AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board), India, follow
internationally accepted norms right from selection of site, design,
construction, operation and decommissioning of a nuclear plant/facility.
There is very strict limit for exposure to the radiation workers and the
surrounding public and the environment. These limits are far below the
limiting values above which radiations can be harmful to the human and
the environment.
*1 Gray = 1 Joule/kg (unit of exposure and Absorbed dose)
OA - What have we learned from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
and have we globally implemented the cautions to avoid the disaster?
Dr. Sharma - Any accident in the Nuclear Industry is discussed
thoroughly threadbare in the nuclear community and root cause is
identified and remedial measures are suggested and implemented to
avoid recurrence of such accidents. Even in India several Task Forces were
constituted by NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India) and AERB
following Fukushima Daiichi accident to review safety aspects of existing
and upcoming NPPs in India. As per the recommendations of these Task
Forces, the design and safety aspects for existing plants and the upcoming
plants in India are being upgraded specially with respect to:
1.

Automatic reactor shutdown initiation sensing seismic activity.

2.

In order to meet the situation that can be

caused due to total blackout at the station:

To increase the duration of the passive

power sources/battery operated
devices for continuous monitoring of
important parameters of reactor for a
longer duration.

To make arrangements to hook

up external sources, for adding
cooling water inventory to Primary
Heat Transport (PHT) system, steam
generators, Emergency Core Cooling
System (ECCS) etc. for long term
continuous cooling and also for
making up water to spent fuel storage
pools wherever necessary for ensuring
sufficient inventory to take care of water
loss due to decay heat and sloshing.

To make provisions for additional hook

up points for mobile diesel driven
pumping units in case plant pumps
are not available.

Additional shore protection measures

at Nuclear Atomic Power Stations which
are located on the sea coasts, etc.

NPCIL may be approached for finer details

of these measures. Let me state at this point that
Nuclear Industry learns from each others experience.
OA - What were the major challenges India
faced in respect to Safety of Nuclear Energy
and how were they solved in the due course?
Dr. Sharma - Safety has been the hall
mark of nuclear technology even in India since
we started on this path. Due to proliferation of
radiation applications in variety of sectors a
need for Regulatory body was felt and thus AERB
was born in 1983. In 1986 Chernobyl accident
occurred in USSR that brought out world over
need for emergency preparedness and response.
With time this aspect drew more and more
attention and R&D in this area resulted in new
systems and techniques for quick assessment
of released radioactivity. This formed part of
DSS (Decision Support System) along with local
meteorological inputs to provide sufficient input
and guidance to the emergency managers.
As stated earlier due to proliferation of
uses of radiation in large no of sectors, health,
industry, agriculture, research etc. the radiation
sources are being transported criss-crossing
the country and world every day. Under such
scenario the chances of radiation accident

occurring in the public domain due to loss of sources, due to accident

of source carrying career or malevolent use of such sources by nonstate actors, are on increase. In order to meet such challenges BARC/DAE
established a network of Emergency Response Centres (ERCs, totalling
23) in the public domain and 10 at the NDRF (National Disaster Response
Force) battalions. These are equipped by BARC/DAE with adequate no of
monitoring and personnel safety gadgets and trained ERTs (Emergency
Response Teams). All organs of DAE including NPCIL, BARC, IGCAR etc. are
extensively involved in capacity building and spreading awareness in the
public domain and among all stakeholders including different security
agencies of the country so as to respond to such emergencies in the public
domain in quickest possible time.
OA - How has NDMA contributed towards the Safety of Nuclear
Energy in India?
Dr. Sharma -NDMA is an Apex Authority that was set up under the
Disaster Management Act-2005 with the Prime Minister as the Chairman of
the Authority. NDMA has the mandate to lay down the policies, plans and
guidelines for effective and timely management of disasters. NDMA has so
far issued 22 guidelines including detailed Guideline for Management of
Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies covering preparedness needed at
District, State and National level depending upon the scale and severity of
the emergency. The guideline covers detection, early warning and Decision
Support System, Capacity build-up at all levels, awareness generation
and structural measures like establishment of Emergency Response
Centre, QMRTs (Quick Medical Response Teams) and MFRs (Medical First
Responders) etc. Additionally, in this direction NDMA is currently executing
a project named MRDS (Mobile Radiation Detection System) under which
a large no of Police stations in the country (930 in all the states and UTs) are
being equipped with radiation detection systems and Personnel Protective
Equipment (PPEs) with training to police personnel of each state and
UTs to further strengthen the management of Radiological emergency
management in the public domain. NDMA has also got trained one
battalion of NDRF in all aspects of management of Nuclear and Radiological
Emergencies in the public domain.
7

FIRST PERSON

OA - Can nuclear power production be kept

safe from natural disasters?
Dr. Sharma -Nuclear and Radiological
plants and facilities are built taking into account
defence-in-depth approach right from site
selection to decommissioning. Safety against
all known severities of natural and man-made
disasters is taken into account and appropriate
engineering mitigation measures are built into
the design to keep the plant/facility safe. Yet,
nature is supreme as was seen in Fukushima.
Therefore, appropriate emergency preparedness
is made at all NPPs and other DAE facilities with
well laid out plans which are exercised at regular
intervals to judge its efficacy. The plans are
upgraded to take into account any deficiency
noticed during exercises.
OA - What is ERC (Emergency Response
Centre) and how does it functions and helps
in disaster situation?
Dr. Sharma - ERC is the Emergency
Response Centre established by BARC/DAE in the
public domain to provide expert Guidance and
technical support to the First Responders, like
NDRF, Police, Fire Brigade etc. during response
to Nuclear and Radiological emergencies in the
public domain. 23 such ERCs are established
by BARC/DAE in the public domain and 10 at
NDRF battalions. These ERCs are equipped with
radiation measuring systems, protective gadgets
and trained teams for this purpose. All these ERCs
are networked to a nodal ERC at BARC under
the command of ERD (Emergency Response
Director). There exists a well laid out SOP under
which nearest ERC can be activated by ERD once
information is received by ERD through CMG
(Crisis Management Group) of DAE.

Oilasiajournal
NOVEMBER 2016
www.oilasia.com

OA - Can you explain the role of Crisis

Management?
Dr. Sharma - Crisis Management Group
(CMG) has been established by DAE following
Chernobyl accident to effectively handle
situations arising out of any accident, nuclear/
radiological or otherwise at its facilities or any
radiological emergency in the public domain
arising due to loss of radiation source, accident
of transport carrying radioactive material or
due to malicious use of radioactive material
by unlawful elements which may result in the
release of radioactivity in the surrounding public
domain or has the potential of undue exposure
of public to the radiation. The CMG comprises
senior officials of various DAE units like BARC,
NPCIL, and Heavy Water Board, DAE security,
DPS (Department of Purchase and Stores) and
8

an expert from AERB. Each member is backed up with an alternate. The

Chairman of CMG is the Additional Secretary, DAE. CMG can be activated
at a short notice to discuss an emergency /accident condition and decide
response strategy and pool resources to meet the situation. DAE has
established a DAE-ECR (Emergency Communication Room) that works 24x7
at AnushaktiBhawan, C.S.M. Marg, Mumbai and an alternate at VS Bhawan,
Anushaktinagar, Mumbai. ECR is the Nodal centre and is connected with
all DAE facilities. Any emergency message received here either from DAE
plant/facility or from public or media is immediately communicated to all
members and other relevant Authorities. In case an emergency situation
assumes a bigger dimension, CMG can approach state and the Central
Authorities like MHA, NDMA etc for additional resources. CMG is also the
single point contact of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
OA - Is storing the nuclear waste possible and what are the ways
to avoid any disaster through nuclear waste?
Dr. Sharma - Nuclear waste is generated at each and every stage of
the nuclear fuel cycle right from mining to reprocessing. It can be stored
safely as such but once treated and processed the volume can be reduced
to a great extent making it easy to store.
Radioactive waste is generated either in solid, liquid or gas form at
all stages of nuclear fuel cycle right from mining, milling, fuel fabrication,
power generation, reprocessing of spent fuel and during a large no of
applications of the radiation in industry, medical, agriculture and research.
The waste thus generated can be categorized as low, intermediate and high
level waste depending upon its concentration and level of radioactivity
present in it.
Having selected closed fuel cycle philosophy, India manages its
Nuclear waste using three basic methodologies; namely,

Delay and Decay: The waste containing short lived radionuclides is

stored for a period so that it can decay to a level where it can come
under exempt category as given by AERB and can be disposed - off
as normal waste. This period may vary from few hours to few years
depending upon type of radionuclides present in it.

Dilute and disperse: The waste mainly liquid and gas containing low
level of radioactivity can be diluted to an extent that it is permitted by
AERB to be discharged into the environment as per regulatory limits.

Concentrate and contain: High level waste generated at reprocessing

of spent fuel from reactors and containing large radioactivity of
nuclides whose half-life ranges from low to several hundred/thousands
of years, is concentrated. The concentrated waste is immobilized in
glass matrix. Thus generated compact glass canisters are stored in
underground vaults till the methodology is perfected for their deep
geological burial.

Currently research is on to separate long-lived radionuclides from such

high level waste so that this waste may not need deep geological burial.
Thus safe management of nuclear waste using modern technology avoid
any emergency resulting due to it.