SEMINAR ONCHERNOBYL ACCIDENT CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT INTRODUCTION The Chernobyl disaster was a n !lear rea!tor a!!

ident in the Chernobyl n !lear "ower "lant in the So#iet Union$ It was the worst n !lear "ower "lant a!!ident in history and the only instan!e so %ar o% le#el & on the International n !lear e#ent s!ale $ Thirty "eo"le died in the e'"losion( b t )ost deaths %ro) the a!!ident were attrib ted to %all o t$ On *+ A"ril ,-.+ at /,0*1022 a$)$ rea!tor n )ber %o r at the Chernobyl "lant( near 3ri"yat in the U4rainian SSR( e'"loded$ 5 rther e'"losions and the res ltin6 %ire sent a "l )e o% hi6hly radioa!ti#e %allo t into the at)os"here and o#er an e'tensi#e 6eo6ra"hi!al area$ Nearly thirty to %orty ti)es )ore %allo t was released than had been by the ato)i! bo)bin6 o% Hiroshi)a and Na6asa4i$ The "l )e dri%ted o#er e'tensi#e "arts o% the western So#iet Union( Eastern E ro"e( 7estern E ro"e( Northern E ro"e( and eastern North A)eri!a$ Lar6e areas in U4raine( Belar s( and R ssia were badly !onta)inated( res ltin6 in the e#a! ation and resettle)ent o% o#er 11+(/// "eo"le attrib ted 8+ dire!t deaths 92& a!!ident wor4ers( and nine !hildren with thyroid !an!er: esti)ated that there )ay be 2(/// e'tra !an!er !ases a)on6 the a""ro'i)ately +//(/// )ost hi6hly e'"osed and 8(/// a)on6 the + )illion li#in6 nearby$ LOCATION The Chernobyl station is lo!ated near the town o% 3ri"yat( U4raine( ,. 4) northwest o% the !ity o% Chernobyl The station !onsisted o% %o r rea!tors o% ty"e RBM;<,///( ea!h !a"able o% "rod !in6 , 6i6awatt 9=7: o% ele!tri! "ower( and the %o r to6ether "rod !ed abo t ,/> o% U4raine?s ele!tri!ity at the ti)e o% the a!!ident$ The accident On A"ril *+( ,-.+ at ,0*1028 a$)$( rea!tor 2 s %%ered a )assi#e( !atastro"hi! "ower e'! rsion( res ltin6 in a stea) e'"losion whi!h tore the to" %ro) the rea!tor( e'"osed the !ore and dis"ersed lar6e a)o nts o% radioa!ti#e "arti! late and 6aseo s debris( allowin6 air 9o'y6en: to !onta!t the s "er<hot !ore !ontainin6 ,(&// tonnes o% !o)b stible 6ra"hite )oderator$ The b rnin6 6ra"hite )oderator in!reased the e)ission o% radioa!ti#e "arti!les$ Planning the test of the safety device D rin6 the dayti)e o% A"ril *8( ,-.+( rea!tor 2 was s!hed led to be sh t down %or )aintenan!e as it was near the end o% its %irst % el !y!le$

An e'"eri)ent was "ro"osed to test a sa%ety e)er6en!y !ore !oolin6 %eat re d rin6 the sh t down "ro!ed re$ @ery lar6e a)o nts o% !oolin6 water are needed to !ool the n !lear !ore to )aintain sa%e te)"erat res The rea!tor !onsisted o% abo t ,(+// indi#id al % el !hannels and ea!h o"erational !hannel reA ires a %low o% *. tonnes o% water "er ho r$ in !ase o% an e'ternal "ower %ail re the Chernobyl "ower station wo ld o#erload( leadin6 an a to)ated sa%ety sh t down whi!h !ase there wo ld be no e'ternal "ower to r n the "lant?s !oolin6 water " )"s$ Chernobyl?s rea!tors had three ba!4 " diesel 6enerators$ The 6enerator reA ired ,8 se!onds to start " b t too4 +/<&8 se!onds to attain % ll s"eed and rea!h its !a"a!ity o% 8$8 M7 reA ired to r n one )ain !oolin6 water " )"$ The rea!tor was desi6ned s !h that it needed !oolant e#en when not a!ti#ely o"eratin6$ In !ase o% an e'ternal "ower %ail re( the rea!tor wo ld a to)ati!ally s!ra)B !ontrol rods wo ld be inserted and sto" the n !lear %ission "ro!ess 9and hen!e stea) 6eneration:$ In the s"ent % el( the fission products the)sel#es were hi6hly radioa!ti#e howe#er( and !ontin ed to "rod !e heat as they de!ayed$ This !o ld a)o nt to ,<* "er!ent o% the nor)al o t" t o% the "lant$ I% not i))ediately re)o#ed by !oolant syste)s( the heat !o ld lead to !ore da)a6e$ The a)o nt o% s"ent % el( and th s the a)o nt o% de!ay heat that the !oolin6 syste) ) st handle( in!reased thro 6ho t o"eration and attained its )a'i) ) #al e at the end o% the % el !y!le$ In the e#ent o% !ore da)a6e( the end o% the % el !y!le wo ld "resent the worst "ossible "oint in ti)e$ A "re#io s test had been ns !!ess% l$ the test had not been !o)"leted s !!ess% lly by Mar!h ,-.2 when the !o))er!ial o"eration ahead o% s!hed le and !elebrated as a labour victory$ nit was bro 6ht into

The Chernobyl "ower "lant had been in o"eration %or two years witho t this i)"ortant sa%ety %eat re$ Conditions "rior to the a!!ident Conditions to r n the test were "re"ared d rin6 the dayti)e o% A"ril *8$ The day shi%t had been instr !ted in ad#an!e abo t the test and was %a)iliar with "ro!ed res$ A s"e!ial tea) o% ele!tri!al en6ineers was "resent to test the new #olta6e re6 latin6 syste)$ As "lanned( the rea!tor?s ele!tri!ity o t" t had been 6rad ally red !ed to 8/>$ The ;ie# 6rid !ontroller reA ested that the % rther red !tion o% o t" t be "ost"oned( as ele!tri!ity was needed to satis%y the e#enin6 "ea4 de)and$ The Chernobyl "lant dire!tor a6reed and "ost"oned the test to !o)"ly$

At ,,0/2 "$)$( A"ril *8( the ;ie# 6rid !ontroller allowed the rea!tor sh t<down to res )e$ The day shi%t had lon6 sin!e de"arted The s"e!ial tea) o% ele!tri!al en6ineers ) st ha#e been e'ha sted %ro) the lon6 wait$ A!!ordin6 to "lan( the test sho ld ha#e been %inaliCed d rin6 the day<ti)e and the ni6ht shi%t wo ld only ha#e to )aintain basi! !oolin6 syste)s in a "lant otherwise sh t down$ The ni6ht shi%t was not "re"ared to !arry o t the e'"eri)ent$

Ale'ander A4i)o# was !hie% o% the ni6ht shi%t and Leonid To"t no# was the o"erator res"onsible %or the rea!tor?s o"erational re6i)e( in!l din6 the )o#e)ent o% the !ontrol rods$ To"t no# was a yo n6 en6ineer who had only wor4ed inde"endently as a senior en6ineer %or abo t three )onths$ In @aleri Le6aso#Ds "osth )o s arti!le he )aintains that the o"erators did not 4now what the test was abo t0 The test "lan !alled %or the "ower o t" t o% rea!tor 2 to be red !ed %ro) its no)inal 1$* =7 ther)al to /$&E,$/ =7 ther)al 5or n4nown reasons( To"t no# !o))itted an error and inserted the !ontrol rods too %ar( !a sin6 the rea!tor to a near sh t down

The rea!tor "ower dro""ed to 1/ M7 ther)al 9,/ M7 ele!tri!al: F al)ost !o)"lete sh t down le#el and a""ro'i)ately 8 "er!ent o% what was e'"e!ted$ At this low "ower o t" t a "heno)enon !alled 'enon "oisonin6( by whi!h hi6h le#els o% 'enon<,18 absorb ne trons and th s inhibit n !lear rea!tion( be!a)e "redo)inant$ At this low "ower o t" t it was i)"ossible to !arry o t the test$ The o"erators see) to ha#e been naware o% the 'enon "oisonin6( "erha"s belie#in6 that the ra"id %all in o t" t was d e to a )al% n!tion in one o% the a to)ati! "ower re6 lators$

To in!rease "ower( !ontrol rods were " lled o t o% the rea!tor !ore( beyond the !orre!t "osition %or nor)al o"erations( and also beyond what is allowed nder sa%ety re6 lations$ Slowly( the rea!tor?s "ower only in!reased to *// M7( less than a third o% the )ini) ) reA ired %or the e'"eri)ent$ As "art o% the test "lan( at ,0/8 a$)$ on A"ril *+ e'tra water " )"s were a!ti#ated( in!reasin6 the water %low$

The %low e'!eeded the sa%e li)it at ,0,- a$)$ The e'tra water lowered the !ore te)"erat re and red !ed stea) #oids$

sin!e water also absorbs ne trons ( this de!reased rea!tor "ower % rther$ This "ro)"ted the o"erators to re)o#e also the )an al !ontrol rods This "rod !ed an e'tre)ely nstable !ondition with nearly all o% the !ontrol rods re)o#edB a set " %or a r n<away rea!tion$ The only thin6 holdin6 the rea!tor at s !h a low "ower le#el was the hi6h le#els o% ne tron absorbin6 'enon$ At this "oint the a to)ati! !ontrol syste) sho ld ha#e sh t the rea!tor down$ To a#oid this( the o"erators had disabled the sh t down syste)$

At ,0*10/2 a$)$ the e'"eri)ent be6an$ The stea) to the t rbines was sh t o%%$ The !ontrol rods that were re)o#ed earlier were ne#er % lly re)o#ed and were still "artially in the rea!tor( !a sin6 the heat to be "re#ented %ro) rea!hin6 the !oolin6 water$ The 6reat rise in te)"erat re res lted in a )assi#e stea) b ild "( and d e to the %a!t that the RBM; ty"e rea!tors are lar6ely "ositi#e #oid !oe%%i!ient the "ower within the rea!tor only in!reased$ 7ith rea!tor o t" t ra"idly in!reasin6( the o"erators "ressed the AG<8 9HRa"id E)er6en!y Sh tdown 8H: panic b tton at ,0*102/ that ordered a HSCRAMI F a sh tdown o% the rea!tor( % lly insertin6 all !ontrol rods( in!l din6 the )an al !ontrol rods that had been in!a tio sly withdrawn earlier$ A worse "roble) was a %lawed 6ra"hite<ti" !ontrol rod desi6n( whi!h initially red !es the a)o nt o% !oolant "resent$ In this way( the SCRAM a!t ally increased the rea!tion rate$ At this "oint a )assi#e ener6y s"i4e o!! rred( the !ore o#erheated and so)e o% the % el rods %ra!t red( blo!4in6 the !ontrol rod !ol )ns$ the rea!tor J )"ed to aro nd 1/ =7 ther)al$ 5 el rods be6an to )elt and rea!hed the !oolin6 water in the %looded base)ent$ "ower% l stea) e'"losion too4 "la!e and *(/// tonne lid was blown o%% the rea!tor$ It da)a6ed the to" o% the rea!tor hall and eJe!ted %ra6)ents o% )aterial$ Radiation le#els

The radiation le#els in the worst<hit areas o% the rea!tor b ildin6 ha#e been esti)ated to be 8$+ rKnt6en "er se!ond 9RLs:( whi!h is eA i#alent to */(/// rKnt6en "er ho r 9RLh:$ A lethal dose is aro nd 8// rKnt6en o#er 8 ho rs( so in so)e areas( n"rote!ted wor4ers re!ei#ed %atal doses within se#eral )in tes$ Howe#er( a dosi)eter !a"able o% )eas rin6 " to ,(/// RLs was ina!!essible d e to the e'"losion( and another one %ailed when t rned on$ All re)ainin6 dosi)eters had li)its o% /$//, RLs and there%ore read Ho%% s!aleH$ Th s( the rea!tor !rew !o ld as!ertain only that the radiation le#els were so)ewhere abo#e /$//, RLs$

Con!l sion Chernobyl n !lear disaster is the worst n !lear disaster in the )an4ind history whi!h had "ositi#e e%%e!t on the " bli! o"inion abo t the "otential dan6er that n !lear ener6y holds$ and %or!ed 6o#ern)ents sin6 n !lear ener6y to sear!h new( ) !h sa%er ty"es o% n !lear rea!tors$ Chernobyl e'a)"le show( )ista4es in dealin6 with n !lear rea!tor are #ery e'"ensi#e )a'i) ) sa%ety )eas res ) st be whole ti)e the !rew ) st be hi6hly trained

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