nuclear-news

Chernobyl nuclear reactor 1986 and today

For 20 seconds before  thecrash, the worker activates emergency switch. The staff tries to insert the fuel rods back to the reactor, but the holes were already sufficiently bent from a high temperature that they could be in a terminal position. For 6 seconds before the drama of the reactor reaches a power that a hundred times exceeded his destiny.

Chernobyl, FOTOKOMORKA, “…………The explosion of Reactor No. 4
26 April 1986  year by hours. 1:24 reaches the largest nuclear accident in history. Followed by a series of explosions collected in the reactor gas, which leads to the destruction of the cover block and the release of radioactive material. Akimov and Toptunow (two employees involved in the test) for a long time were convinced that the reactor is still whole, and were damaged only other block elements. They tried with other personnel inject water into the reactor in order to cool. Unfortunately, due to unnecessarily further napromieniowało many workers.On-site very quickly turns up a host of firefighters trying to put out the fire. Firefighters do not fully know what fighting and are surprised that the fire did not manage to extinguish. Some of them picks up a hot, highly irradiated graphite wondering what they have to deal with.Firefighters were working in conditions of severe radiation exposure of up to as much as 30,000 roentgens per hour, which exceeded several times the lethal dose. Most died in agony in a Moscow hospital. The first victims of  the explosion of Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl  were two employees of the power plant. Body Valery Chodemczuka to this day not been found.

It should be mentioned about the heroic behavior of  the plant’s workers, who after the outbreak took part in the rescue of victims and prevent an increase in the scale of failure. For the most part they knew the risks they undertake, yet devoted their health and even their lives to save colleagues. Dewletbajewow with the electrical generator was able to replace dangerous hydrogen with nitrogen, which prevented  another explosion. Thanks to their heroic deed prevented from entering the fire to the other 3 blocks whose destruction would lead to an unimaginable catastrophe. Some of them paid for it with his life .

To realize the scale of the tragedy is worth recalling that the bomb dropped on Hiroshima weighed “only” 4.5 tonnes. For comparison,  the explosion at Chernobyl  thrown into the atmosphere 50 tons of vaporized fuel. To this must be added another 70 tons of fuel and 700 tons of radioactive graphite, which was scattered in the power plant and its surroundings.

The rescue operation……….

Liquidators were soldiers who were ordered to clean the zone around the Chernobyl powerplant. They assumed at each other a kind of armor – clothing with lead plates that were supposed to protect them from radiation. In his hand he had a shovel. They were told to count to 40 and quickly escape from the roof. During this short time they had fooled by a shovel as much contaminated debris and pour it into the interior of the block. Nobody led the research and has not followed the fate of the liquidators. We only know that on the roof prevailed unsafe conditions and were exposed to strong radiation. Therefore, we do not know even estimates how many of them died or still struggling with health problems … The construction of the sarcophagus was completed November 30, 1986 year. It was the work of building ransomed 600,000 liquidators, the total cost of the breakdown was 18 billion dollars. From contaminated areas were relocated 350,000 residents, of which nearly 50,000 from the same Pripyat.Contamination area has approx. 140 000 square kilometers on the border of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, the radioactive cloud from the damaged reactor spread throughout Europe……….

Chernobyl today

After almost 30 years after the Chernobyl disaster old sarcophagus starts to crack. It was not intended for such a long period, it was only a temporary shield. Therefore, it was decided to build a new sarcophagus, which is to cover old. Its construction is a French company Novarka, whose activities are funded by dozens of countries around the world, including Poland. The cost of construction is approx. 2.2 billion. A new sarcophagus is designed to protect the environment for the next 100 years. Until then it planned to find a way for the extraction of fuels. It is estimated that the self-extinction of chain reactions and neutralize the radiation may take up to 25,000 years…………

October 26, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | history, Ukraine