Chernobyl

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located in Pripyat, Ukraine (USSR) was a Nuclear ReactorNuclear ReactorIn it's most simplest form, a nuclear reactor uses Uranium and other radioactive materials and the fission from uranium to create heat, and transfer that heat into steam to create power. Nuclear reactors are one of the biggest sources of energy, although not renewable, uranium has a very high energy density resulting in massive power transmissions. There are many different types of nuclear reactors, and this term serves as a broad hub/introduction for each type. After uranium is used in reacto that suffered a catastrophic incident leading to massive radiation release across Europe due to winds, and led to massive casualties.

Context

Chernobyl was a RBMK ReactorRBMK Reactor\#stub It is a soviet designed nuclear reactor that uses enriched uranium, with graphite as a moderator, and Light Water as a coolant. which used graphite for neutron moderation and water for cooling. At the time of commissioning, CNPP had 1 800MW reactor and 3 1000MW reactor, with a stated capacity of 3515MW and a total thermal capacity of 12800MW.

The design of an RBMK Reactor is distinctly different from other modern reactors. However, the main difference, and the context to the incident, was it's fatal weakness: it's positive Void Coefficient. In modern reactors such as a BWR reactorBWR reactorA boiling water reactor uses Light Water as both coolant and neutron moderator. The second most used reactor, next to the PWR reactors, there are approximately 75 plants in current operation. The efficiency of these reactors is about 46%, with 33-34% in practice. Enriched uranium is used as nuclear fuel, as light water absorbs too many neutrons to use Uranium that is natural. Light water is not as good of a moderator compared to Heavy Water or graphite, but it is good as in the event of a LOCA o or PWR reactorPWR reactorThis reactor is a PWR reactor - a pressurized water reactor. This is a specific type of Nuclear Reactor--in that it is pressurized water. This is also the most common type of reactor used and produced. The fuel rods are pressurized with helium, and the fission gas products result in more stability; as fuel "burns" in the reactor, the density increases resulting in small voids developing. Helium pressurization is necessary as these voids can cause potential rupture of fuel rods. Furthermore, the, the loss of water used to cool and make energy within the primary loop (the loop which contacts the fuel rods of the reactor core) will make the nuclear fission stop, because the same water used to cool is a neutron moderator. Neutron moderation allows fission to occur, and without a neutron moderator, fission cannot occur without very highly enriched Fuel RodsFuel RodsThis is a breakdown of how Fuel Rods work, for information on nuclear fuel itself, you want Nuclear Fuel. Fuel rods are made out of the fissile material that is wanted for the reactor, then experience different things. Uranium Dioxide fuel is pelleted and filled into metallic tubes, which have reactor cladding of Zirconium or stainless steel, and then these tubes are sealed. In a PWR reactor, fuel is cylindrical rods into bundles, where fuel is bundled and the cladding gap filled with helium t.

However, in an RBMK reactor, the neutron moderator is NOT the same as the coolant. Solid graphite is used as a neutron moderator, and water is only used for energy production and coolant. The fatal design weakness, is that if the Control RodsControl RodsControl Rods are rods that are used to control the rate of reaction inside and within a Nuclear Reactor. They have a specific design that allows for this control. BWR reactor parameters In the GE Marathon control rod, it contains stainless steel tubes filled with boron carbide poison. This isotope contains a high cross-section for the absorption of neutrons, acting as a control rod neutron poison. These control rods are uniformly placed into a reactor core according to its design parameters. (neutron absorbing rods which are used to control the rate of fission) are damaged or fail to insert, and the water boils off, the reaction will NOT stop, and will continue to get hotter until the fuel melts the structure and melts with other metals.

Other issues with Chernobyl

An RBMK reactor has many issues, but can be properly implemented to have some degree of safety. However, Chernobyl was built by the Soviet Union, who used many cost-cutting strategies which made the reactor inherently unsafe.

#WIP