Chernobyl Disaster of 1986 Seth Sam Veronica Casey

Chernobyl Disaster of 1986 Seth, Sam, Veronica, Casey F-Block

Where is Chernobyl? http: //www. greenfacts. org/en/chernobyl/images/chernobyl-map. jpg http: //content. answers. com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/1/11/300 px-Chernobyl. MIR. jpg

What Happened? n In 1986, a nuclear reactor in the city of Chernobyl, USSR (current-day Ukraine) exploded due to a flawed reactor design, as well as undertrained personnel. http: //www. sheppardsoftware. com/images/Europe/factfile/Chernobyl_sm. jpg n The explosion sent out a large amount of radioactivity into the atmosphere for miles. n The disaster caused thousands of deaths due to burns, radiation, and even cancer. http: //content. answers. com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/2/2 f/300 px-Chernobyl_Disaster. jpg

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant n The plant was located in Chernobyl, Soviet Union (presentday Ukraine). n The nuclear power plant was built in 1973. n The Soviet Union had already been utilizing nuclear power since about 1959. n There were about 6 other major plants in the USSR at the time that the Chernobyl plant started functioning.

The Fission Factor Nuclear Fission occurs when an atom’s nucleus is too large. n Heavier elements, most often Plutonium, Uranium, and Thorium, are hit with neutrons, most commonly Krypton or Barium. The “free” neutrons then hit the neighboring heavy isotopes, and a chain reaction is started. n This Fission is something that nuclear reactors are usually able to contain with containment rods, large rods that are made out of Graphite (in Chernobyl’s case) n Fission creates a large amount of energy, often the deadly Gamma radiation. n http: //www. knutsford-scibar. co. uk/webimages/fission. jpg Fission Video

RBMK: The Reactor § The nuclear reactor was fueled by pellets of slightly enriched Uraniumoxide placed, which were placed in the fuel rods. §The reactor used water as a coolant and Graphite as a radiation moderator. http: //www. world-nuclear. org/info/chernobyl/inf 07. htm §The radiation control rods were made out of Graphite. § Steam from the heated coolant spun turbines to create electrical energy. § Various aspects of the reactor, namely the Graphite control rods, were found to be structurally flawed.

Chernobyl’s Safety n Nuclear power plants constantly release radiation into the air, which people (especially children) are vulnerable to. If something disastrous were to happen, such as a reactor explosion, radiation would be released in large, extremely fatal doses. n The RBMK 1000 plant in Chernobyl had an unconventional design, and was eventually found to be structurally flawed. n The personnel in charge of running the unit 4 reactor in the Chernobyl plant were not adequately trained and did not respond in the correct way when the reactor was not functioning properly. n In case of an internal reactor emergency or malfunction, the RBMK 1000 would SCRAM, meaning it would automatically shut down and the emergency moderator rods would be inserted.

April 26, 1986 § On the day of the accident, a crew at reactor 4 tested how long the turbines could supply power following the potential loss of the main electrical power. §During the test, the reactor started to lose power. The crew turned off the coolant system but when power loss continued they removed the Graphite rods from the core. Suddenly, the fission rate began to drastically increase and the crew tried to reinsert the rods manually. http: //blog. kievukraine. info/uploaded_images/4778 -750384. jpg § The rods weren’t dropped properly and soon the temperature in the reactor increased to over 5000 degrees Celsius, causing parts of the core to melt. So much steam and Hydrogen gas were being produced that the reactor’s top blew off. §A second explosion sent fuel and fragments of the reactor into the air, causing the Graphite moderators to fill with air and explode.

The Aftermath http: //blitz. macronet. net/pig 2. jpg n In early May of 1986, about 116, 000 people within a 30 km. radius of the power plant were evacuated because of the spread of dangerous radiation through the air and atmosphere. http: //static. flickr. com/34/115444009_0 f 7 e 30 db 97. jpg n The Chernobyl unit 4 reactor is currently enclosed by an unstable concrete shelter which now contains about 200 tons if radioactive material. n The Chernobyl disaster was caused over 200, 000 deaths due to radiation poisoning, thermal burns, http: //scienceblogs. com/gregladen/images/chernobyl_hydroceph. jpg and the widespread affliction of thyroid cancer that the radiation has caused. n The radiation has also severely disfigured thousands of people, and will continue to effect people in the future. http: //www. mathewingram. com/work/wp-content/chernobyl. JPG