Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Power Plants

The whole world witnessed in real time since last Friday, March 11, thanks to the advanced level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the terrible devastation that has befallen the “Land of the Rising Sun”. The magnitude 8.9 to 9.0 earthquake that occurred 130 km east of Sendai, Honshu, and the subsequent tsunami that it generated, has in an a span of about 30 minutes, caused the loss of thousands of lives and destruction that would cost billions of dollars to fix. I am saddened by this tragic event, particularly the loss of lives and my sympathy goes to the people of Japan, especially to those who lost loves ones. I pray that they will all find the strength to cope with their loss, and hope that the Philippines would be able to participate, as soon as possible, in the international effort to help and assist, in their time of need, this country that has given us not only aid but also job opportunities to tens of thousands of Filipinos.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are not foreign to the Japanese, for they are well aware that their country is located on a “subduction zone” (an area on earth where two tectonic plates move towards one another and one slides under the other), being surrounded in the north, east and west by trenches and troughs. The word tsunami also came from them. This is to say that they are well aware of the reality and the consequent dangers of these two natural occurrences and have prepared for it so that its disastrous effects can be mitigated. They are considered the most prepared nation in the world when it comes to earthquakes and tsunamis.

But despite their preparations, consisting of scaled up building construction codes and a national infrastructure for addressing these emergencies (which includes warning and response systems), they were caught off guard - although it can rightfully be argued that without their preparations the damage would have been far worst. Unfortunately their reputation for discipline and rigid compliance, particularly with engineering and other technical requirements, was not enough to spare them from the tragedy that occurred.

The Philippines should strive to learn from what has recently occurred in Japan for like her, we are located on a “subduction zone”, sandwiched practically in its entire length by the Manila, Negros, Sulu and Cotabato Trenches (on the west) and the East Luzon Trough and Philippine Trench (on the east). Any major underwater earthquake in these faults would create a tsunami that can hit land at the speed and force that was experienced last March 11 in north-eastern Japan (In addition, potential danger is also posed by faults that criss-cross practically most of the land). If that kind of destruction can happen to a prepared Japan, I dread the outcome that would befall an unprepared Philippines.

Our government agency tasked with mitigating the effects of disasters should seriously look into the creation and installation of an operational system (if not yet existing) that would address earthquake and tsunami emergency situations with the objective of minimizing both loss of life and damage to property, down to the barangay level. They can very well tie up and collaborate with NGOs and other social organizations that can act as force multipliers for this effort.

But the Japanese misfortune did not end with the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami. They unfortunately have to contend with a third brewing tragedy which, if it happens, would have more far reaching repercussions - the meltdown of at least two nuclear reactors.

Eleven of Japan’s  55 nuclear reactors (located in 17 nuclear power plant or NPP complexes nationwide) tripped automatically when what is now termed as the “Sendai earthquake” occurred (Six of these 11 are located in the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, four in the Fukushima Daini NPP and one in the Onagawa NPP).  Although the emergency shutdown was successful, there was still what is called the “decay heat” that needed to be extracted from the core by means of a cooling system that needs to continuously supply cold water in the core to cool (or cover) the fuel rods over a number of days to achieve what they termed a cold shut down. This had to be done because otherwise the water in the core will boil over and cause the exposed fuel rods to overheat. This situation could bring about a chain of problems that may be difficult to address and could result to a meltdown.

Based on news and web reports, the extraction of decay heat posed a problem for the Fukushima Reactor Nos. 1, 2 and 3 because as a result of the shutdown, the external power to run the cooling system (composed of pumps, valves & controls) that would continuously pump cooling water into the core was no longer available. Due to this, the staff had to rely on the internal standby power, through diesel generators, which because of the flooding, conked out after only about an hour of operation. Backup batteries were reportedly used afterwards but they lasted only for eight hours so eventually the supply of cooling water fell short of what was required which caused the upper parts of the fuel rods to be exposed to air and overheat. Under this situation, the pressure build-up in the core’s primary containment continued (consequently the overheating zirconium fuel rod casing - - possibly reaching 2,200 degrees F - reacted with steam, or water, to form zirconium oxide and hydrogen gas). This prompted the operators to relieve the pressure from the primary containment, to prevent it from exploding, by venting the steam into the atmosphere. The problem was that the steam vented directly from the core had hydrogen gas which reacted with the oxygen in the air and caused the explosions observed from Reactor Nos. 1 and 3.  The explosions damaged the upper cladding of the reactors’ structures. As a last effort, the operators resorted to pumping salt water from the sea, together with Boron (which can disrupt chain reaction), into the core of all the three nuclear reactors to cool it down and stabilize its pressure. This futile move, it is said, will no longer make the reactors useable.

The effort to cool the reactors is still ongoing and it may take a number of days before the final result of the effort can be seen. However, the venting move has also created a secondary problem as it has increased the amount of radiation in the area to alarming levels, prompting the government to evacuate about 180,000 persons located within a 20 km radius of the nuclear plant. Some of those evacuated were found to have been contaminated with higher than acceptable levels of radiation. Tests also showed the presence of Cesium in the immediate vicinity of the power plant which is indicative of the possible melting of parts of the fuel rod or core (Cesium is generated during a chain reaction and tends to migrate towards the fuel rod casing and will be released only if the casing is breached or melted).

Again, I pray that a meltdown does not occur. However, we should be looking with special interest in what is happening with the Fukushima Dai-ichi Complex’s nuclear reactors No.1 (BWR, ~439MW, GE, ~41 yrs old), No.2 (BWR, ~760MW, GE, ~37 yrs old) and No.3 (BWR, ~760MW, Toshiba, ~35 yrs old), given the ongoing debate regarding adopting nuclear power plants, particularly the BNPP (LWR or BWR, ~620MW, Westinghouse, ~27 yrs old), as a means of electric power generation. The insights that can be gained from this development may be the eye-opener that would bring about a final position regarding this issue. A position that, only through a widespread and intelligent national debate, would give regard, not to the vested interest of a few, but to those of the majority; not only to the country’s stakeholders of today, but more importantly to the country’s stakeholders of the future.

Message to Mechanical Engineering Students

Last February 28, I had the opportunity to speak before the members of the senior mechanical engineering class, and lower classmen, of the Technological University of the Philippines, during their Academic Enhancement Seminar II held at the IRTC Bldg Conference Hall in their Manila campus. The experience inspired me to write this article, the contents of which was mostly culled from the talk given, and with the view of sharing this message (from a 40 year practitioner) with a larger student audience.

The talk gave me, once again,  an opportunity to share some of the learnings gained as a young practitioner of the mechanical engineering profession, particularly in the manufacturing field, the gist of which is as follows: a) That it is advantageous for one to have a broad idea of the organization one is joining; b) that no matter what task one is given, and no matter how far down the totem pole one is located, the successful execution of his/her task would definitely impact similarly to the company as a whole; and, c) that what impacts on the company would also impact similarly on the individual, particularly his/her career.

Also shared with the students were my views regarding the role of the filipino mechanical engineers in the field of manufacturing, which were stated in three points: a) First, is that the filipino mechanical engineers are given the prerogative, through the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Law or R.A. 8495, to manage, supervise, tend or maintain any mechanical equipment, machinery or processes in mechanical works, projects or plants; b) Second is that they are, by virtue of their education and training, in a better position to ensure the economical and proper erection/installation, testing and commissioning of manufacturing facilities and utilities, and at the same time minimize risk to life and property; and c) Third is that of being an agent of improvisation and innovation, given their acquired ability to relate to, understand, unlock and explain the intricacies of mechanism and processes. This can bring about a differential performance from an existing setup or process which can radically enhance the competitive advantage of a manufacturing organization.

Shared also with them during my talk was my personal take on the future of the Philippine mechanical engineering profession – their future profession, and which I’m partly quoting here as follows:

“I believe that we, Filipino mechanical engineers (which would include you, in due time), are the masters of our future. Our profession will rise or fall depending on how the majority of us will value and respect this profession, and by the way we conduct and develop ourselves not only as professionals but also as individuals. First of all, our values should be such that each one of us would extract from those that we deal with, whether on a personal or professional level, the respect and recognition deserving of a professional. Each one [of us] should be recognized as someone with a word of honor, honesty, integrity, and who respects what is right and lawful. These virtues must go together with unassailable engineering knowledge and skills that one professes to know. Furthermore, we must always put high value on the trust and confidence given to us by the person or organization that we give service to, or work for. To be candid about it, I think that, by and large, our profession is neglected, abused, underestimated, and perhaps to a certain extent, even ignored. I would also dare to say that this condition has been unwisely imposed on the profession by the mechanical engineers themselves…”

The last two sentences of the quote were premised on the fact that the profession has a very strong foundation in R.A. 8495, or the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Act of 1998, and the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Code. But we practitioners seem to have been, in general, remiss in practising or implementing what these two documents specify, as borne by the widespread violation of both the ME Law and the ME Code by individuals as well as companies. Perhaps, if only practitioners were adamant in implementing what these documents dictate, our profession would be in a better state than it is in now, and our manufacturing industries would probably be better off; and I would even dare to say that under such an environment, most legitimate mechanical engineers would not only be having a vibrant practice but would be better compensated as well.

However, as a good note, there is now ongoing what I would like to term “a wind of change” in the profession,

 in the sense that the strict implementation of RA 8495 has been taken up as a serious advocacy by both the Board of Mechanical Engineering (BME) and the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME). This effort is snowballing - as widespread effort is ongoing in the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao where aside from the educational campaigns being undertaken by the chapters, reports of non-compliance are already being investigated by the BME which has even sued building officials with the Ombudsman. In addition, legal teams are even being formed to do legal action against violators of RA 8495.

It seems that, given what is currently happening, the future looks better for the profession. However, things will not just happen for the practitioners. They will have to work for what they think is a just and fair stature for the profession. And once they succeed, they can’t just stop and say it’s done, because just like a machine, its ideal condition has to be properly  maintained through vigilance in developing themselves into competent, virtuous, productive and well rounded mechanical engineers, who will also take the lead in getting the R.A. 8495 and the ME Code strictly implemented and followed.

Now, what should the ME students or future Mechanical Engineers do, to prepare for their practice of the profession? I have three pieces of advice:

The first advice is for you to have a Vision for yourself this early. In other words, what you want to be 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years from now, etc. Come up with a plan –yes, this early – to bring your vision to reality.

On my first year in college, our professor addressed us in our class as the future general managers of industries and businesses. We took it as a joke then, as we never realized that the professor’s casual statement was backed by experience and wisdom. A big portion of our class ended up as managers, chief engineers, vice presidents, general managers and even presidents of their respective organizations. Others even went on to become successful entrepreneurs, managing their own businesses. Your being on top or near the top of the totem pole in your future organizations 20, 30 years from now is not farfetched, so optimize your opportunities by having a vision of what you would want to be, this early, and craft a program of action that you would implement to realize this vision. Prepare this early for the opportunity that would pass by you.

The second advice is for you to continually improve and expand your Technical and Behavioural Competencies.

I am reminded of a quote given to our senior class by my professor, Dean Emeritus Domingo S. Mendoza. He even required us to write it down at the back of our text book. It was also the only quote we heard from him, and it goes something like this: “The student in his lifetime will receive two educations, one from his teacher, and the other from himself”. He was at that time admonishing us to practice “continual improvement”, as we term it now; an attitude that each one of you should adopt and practice.

First of all, we mechanical engineers are expected to be technically competent, as this is what really defines us. What we learn in school are just the basic knowledge that will help us easily and speedily develop the high level of understanding and skill regarding the machinery and processes of the organization that we join. In other words, it is your personal responsibility, after engineering school to grow and hone to perfection this competence. Included in this responsibility is the need to learn, develop and refine one’s managerial skills. This we should do and in the process, refrain from being trapped in a “smokestack” development mode, where one continuous to raise his technical skill but is limited/restricted to a narrow coverage. What should be adopted instead is a continual development program that would increase ones technical capability both in terms of depth and scope, so that its growth form would be that of an inverted cone, instead of a cylinder. It should also be a growth that should transcend the limits of technical capability.

The latest techniques and processes applicable in the Manufacturing Industry should also be familiarized with, if not learned, as these are the tools that could tremendously help a mechanical engineer to be effective, especially in a manufacturing environment. Such techniques, which you should and can learn by yourself, if you are presently unaware, are the following: a) The Toyota Production System (TPS) or its western equivalent Lean Manufacturing. These systems focus on waste elimination and the improvement of quality, b) Total Quality Management (TQM) which preaches that quality should be the responsibility of each and every member of the organization. This can be achieved by developing a culture which would enable the “supplier” to comply with the specs of the “customer”, either internal or external, c) Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) which preaches that each and every member of the organization should be responsible for the maintenance of machinery, equipment and other resources. This can be done through the execution of the 8 Pillars of the system as well as the use of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in measuring the performance of a manufacturing operation, d) Sustainability, e) Kaizen. The Japanese system of gradual but continuous improvement which includes among others the following practices: 5S, Suggestion Systems, Small Group Activity (SGA), Quality Circle, Visual Management, etc., f) Balanced Scorecard, g) ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System, h) ISO 14001:2004 Environment Management System, i) ISO 50001 Energy Management System, j) Attuned to the advancement in and proficiency in the use of Information and Technology Tools (ICT), and k) familiarization with new generation electronic control systems..

In addition, you must learn and develop the proficiency in practising management, or scientific management, because being graduate engineers, you would almost surely soon find yourself supervising or managing a unit or group.

To succeed in the practice of our profession, being just technically competent is not sufficient. One must also have behavioural competence. The following will have to be developed, expanded as well as refined and polished: leadership skills, human relations, communication skills, administrative skills, as well as other soft skills (e.g. etiquette, dress code familiarity, proper table manners, etc.).

If I may echo the advice of the 2009-2010 PSME National President Eng’r. Renato A. Florencio to the new mechanical engineers who had their oath taking last year, he advised them to make it a point as part of their growth plan to join a “Toastmaster’s Club” to develop their public speaking ability, and to increase their network by joining organizations like the Jaycees, Rotary, Lions, of course the PSME, etc.

The third advice is for you to strengthen yourself professionally by strengthening your profession.

Once you start your practice, do not think only of yourself but also of the profession, so that your focus will not be only your self interest, but also the interest of those that would also benefit from the organization you belong to. If you show proficiency and effectiveness as well as compliance to ethical standards in the practice of the profession, you shall surely be plus factor for your organization and a strengthening factor for the profession.

Get involved this early in the affairs of the profession, and I admonish not only the senior but also lower level mechanical engineering students to do so. There are now various efforts, using various media, to improve the communications amongst the members of the mechanical engineering community – one of which is the PSME website, http://psmenow.org/. Get involved this early. Take advantage of the opportunity to have your “voices” heard. React to issues that affect the profession. Present your thoughts and ideas about what you think the profession should look into to enable it to cope with the current and future demands of the community that it is serving. Help in the effort to “...develop and nurture [the profession’s practitioners into] competent, virtuous, productive and well rounded mechanical engineers whose standard of professional practice and service shall be excellent, qualitative, world-class and globally competitive...” so that we can forge a vibrant mechanical engineering profession as well as live up to the country’s expectation of us as partners in “...nation building and development”.

ISO 50001, the Energy Management Standard, and AEMAS

In response to what has been recognized as a need for industry to start a unified effort to address concerns regarding climate change and the numerous national energy management standards independently developed by various countries and regions, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) organized in March 2007 a meeting of experts. Present were representatives from the ISO Central Secretariat (ISO-CS) as well as countries that have already adopted (or are in the process of developing) their own national energy management standards. Among these countries are USA, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Thailand, Korea, the EU, China, Spain and Brazil. This meeting resulted in the submission of a request to the ISO-CS to develop an international energy management standard.

The ISO Technical Management Board (ISO-TMB) responded by establishing in February 2008 the Project Committee 242 (PC 242-Energy Management) tasked to develop the new International Energy Management Standard, ISO 50001. This committee is headed by Mr. Edwin Pinero, as International Chair, while the Associacao Brasileira de Normas Technicas (ABNT) of Brazil and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) of the USA both function as the Secretariat. With the support of the US Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing and the US Department of Energy, ANSI of the US made a comparison of the various national standards and together with the Standardization Administration of China and the UNIDO, prepared a framework for action used by the PC 242.

The PC 242, which consisted then of 35 countries and 5 observers had their first meeting in September 2008 and has so far developed an energy management standard that has a high level of compatibility with the ISO 9001 Quality Management System and the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. The project has progressed to having the ISO 5001 Energy Management Standard approved as a Draft International Standard (DIS) which means that it can now be commented on or voted upon by the national member bodies of the ISO. The final draft of the standard (FDIS) is targeted for release by the 3^rd Quarter of 2011 and is envisioned to provide the following benefits:

• A framework for integrating energy efficiency into management practices
• Making better use of existing energy-consuming assets
• Benchmarking, measuring, documenting, and reporting energy intensity improvements and their projected impact on reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Transparency and communication on the management of energy resources
• Energy management best practices and good energy management behaviours
• Evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies
• A framework for promoting energy efficiency throughout the supply chain
• Energy management improvements in the context of GHG emission reduction projects.

Related to this activity regarding energy management is the setting up recently of the Asean Energy Management Scheme (AEMAS) Philippines, which, along with six other Asean countries, is the country’s partner organization of the Asean Center for Energy. The establishment of AEMAS, which was designed in 2004-2006 under the steering of the Asean Energy Efficiency and Conservation Sub-Sector and subsequently endorsed by the Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM), is funded through the European Commission Switch Program. AEMAS’ establishment is also a key milestone in the program to create the ASEAN Community by 2015 and which envisions to economically integrate the ASEAN region.

The objective of AEMAS is two fold, namely: a) The Training and Certification of Energy Managers, which is envisioned to result in the improvement of their professional standing and career path opportunities, as well as make them more effective in implementing energy management programs, and b) The Certification of Energy End-Users which would help end users improve their energy performance, support sustainable development efforts and eventual compliance with the upcoming ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard at lower cost.

 Through its program, AEMAS Philippines aims to be a significant factor in the country’s effort to improve its energy usage efficiency as well as deliver its share in AEMAS’ target to generate energy savings of 200,000 MWhr per annum from energy-intensive industries. This corresponds to a reduction in annual emission of CO2 by 110,000 tons.

Last February 21, 2011 I had the opportunity to participate in the first meeting and organization of the AEMAS Philippines Council, where I represented the PROMAP Foundation, Inc as its president. This council which is composed of a network of government agencies and intermediary organizations in the private sector like trade and professional organizations, industrial estates, export processing zones, chambers of commerce, institutions and others, shall support the promotion of AEMAS, assist with the training, and participate in promotional campaigns as well as other activities.

AEMAS Philippines is headed by Eng’r. Ernesto J. Casis as Country Coordinator and Manager, Eng’r. Jose A. Hilario and Eng’r. Rolando C. Constantino as Country Experts and assisted by the Energy Efficiency Practitioners Association of the Philippines (ENPAP) Board led by Eng’r. Bernard E. Pacia. The Steering Committee representative to AEMAS is OIC-Director Jesus C. Anunciacion of the Department of Energy. The organization’s office is located in Rm. 2010, V.V. Soliven Bldg., EDSA, San Juan City and can be contacted through Tel No. 705-1556 and email address enpap_aemas@yahoo.com.