April 1986 httpspublicintelligencenetwpcontentuploads201103chernobyljpg By the time the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 they had 17 nuclear power plants with more being built These plants provided 127 of all the electricity used in the Soviet Union ID: 527786
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Slide1
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident
April 1986
https://publicintelligence.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/chernobyl.jpgSlide2
By the time the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, they had
17 nuclear power plants, with more being built. These plants provided 12.7% of all the electricity used in the Soviet Union. Slide3
Why did they build so many? And why did they build most of them close to large populations?
Map
source:
http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/files/display/390/fullsize
Power plant sites source: "Nuclear Power Plants."
The Radiation Legacy of the Soviet Nuclear Complex: An Analytical Overview
. Ed. Egorov Nikolaĭ. 1st ed. Routledge, 2000. 52-53. Slide4
The Soviets had lots of coal
, but most was east of the Ural Mountains, far from
Adapted from a map at
https://www.marxists.org/glossary/media/places/u/ussr/1982/coal-minerals.jpg
most workers
AND
far
from most energy customers.
Sending coal back east was
expensive
.
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/l/R/d/8/S/x/coal-md.pngSlide5
The Soviets also had lots of petroleum
, and natural gas. But most of that was also east of the Urals. And
Adapted from a map at
https://www.marxists.org/glossary/media/places/u/ussr/1982/coal-minerals.jpg
much
of it was also very
far
north
- in taiga and tundra – so oil/gas wells would be very expensive to drill and to maintain there.
http://www.fe.doe.gov/images/education/oilwell.gifSlide6
So here’s their problem: They have LOTS of energy resources, but getting to them – and then sending them to the population centers – was
HARD and EXPENSIVE!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Chuo_Main_Line_Freight_Yatsugatake.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01857/tundra0_1857856b.jpgSlide7
In
the 1950s, the Soviets began building nuclear power plants. They used graphite cooling system instead of the water cooling system used in the the
U.S. and other
countries. This was
cheaper
for the Soviets, but also
less
safe
.Slide8
The day before the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, plant operators were getting ready to
shut down reactor number 4. The plan was to do routine work on the reactor, then start it up again.
http://thevelvetrocket.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/chernobyl-before-the-disaster.jpg
Chernobyl NPP, before the accidentSlide9
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--964lQ2TWXY/UIWxlXnN0XI/AAAAAAAAA4s/qKQDv9mVTLo/s400/Chernobyl.jpg
The senior operator was
supposed
to
be on duty, but had
left. Less experienced workers were left
in charge.
They
broke safety rules when they also shut down the automatic
safety
system -Slide10
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--964lQ2TWXY/UIWxlXnN0XI/AAAAAAAAA4s/qKQDv9mVTLo/s400/Chernobyl.jpg
-
t
he system that
was
supposed
to
protect everyone from a nuclear accident.
http://mrwgifs.com/spongebob-is-terrified-under-his-bed-covers/Slide11
At 1:23 a.m. on April 26, two explosion
s went off seconds apart in reactor number 4. This blew the
roof off the reactor building, sending burning material through the air and starting several fires.
Chernobyl
NPP Reactor 4 explosion, computer generated image
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/zLa84BN4REs/maxresdefault.jpgSlide12
The firefighters who arrived first had no idea the fire was from the reactor core. They didn’t know their bodies were taking on high levels of radiation.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01371/monument_1371629i.jpgSlide13
Twenty-eight emergency workers died
within a month of the explosion from severe radiation poisoning.
http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/04/chernobyl-25-years-later-then-and-now/Slide14
Chernobyl NPP, three days after the accident
http://imgarcade.com/1/chernobyl-before-explosion/
The Soviet Union did not
admit
to the world what had happened.Slide15
Scientists in Sweden
figured it out 2 days later when Chernobyl’s radiation set off alarms 620 miles away in a Swedish nuclear power plant.
http://one-europe.info/user/files/Briefs/chernobyl_001.pngSlide16
Today, about
1000 square miles around Chernobyl is mostly off-limits to people.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3ylb7WqRA0/Te8TSnDcxjI/AAAAAAAAHzg/OHo08FcEh4Y/s1600/chernobyl-exclusion-zone-map.jpg
http://www.lovethesepics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-sign-at-the-edge-of-the-exclusion-zone-Chernobyl-October-2012.jpgSlide17
A few
elderly people were allowed to return there. Scientists and government workers also go in to monitor and to do research.
http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/large/2015/March/03-19-2015Ukraine_Aid.jpgSlide18
But for the most part, the zone is full of
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-content/photos/000/838/cache/83804_990x742-cb1410904296.jpg
and
overgrown streets.
abandoned houses,
empty buildings,
http://i1.wp.com/alexkane.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC06789.jpg?resize=600%2C400
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/23/article-2177704-142ED1B1000005DC-533_964x628.jpgSlide19
Vehicles used in the cleanup were contaminated and left behind in the Exclusion Zone.
There are at least three “vehicle graveyards” in the Exclusion Zone.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=7&with_photo_id=14282922&order=date_desc&user=944583
http://tylyenglish7.wikispaces.com/The+Chernobyl+disaster
Slide20
abandoned control room of reactor #4
http://www.lovethesepics.com/2013/03/chernobyl-exclusion-zone-adrenaline-radiation-urbex-a-good-day-to-die-hard
/
Slide21
Because there is concern that the concrete cover on
reactor #4 is leaking, a larger seal, expected to last 100
years, is being built.
http://antinuclearinfo.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/diagram-chernobyl-sarcophag.gif
d
rawing of what it will look like when finishedSlide22
Since the danger from Chernobyl can affect many the world, many countries are helping pay for and build it.
http://rt.com/files/news/chernobyl-new-safe-confinement-773/first-section-structure-exploded.jpgSlide23
When finished, it will be slid over reactor #4 on rails. Then it will be secured into position.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHdL_NyDlYcpjHh7RXpdv7JJ5mnRoKY5RADoidFLIaHkqwIkeOLQSlide24
http://www.livescience.com/13858-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster-25-years.html
Chernobyl is a good example of how
one
country’s nuclear disaster can impact people in
many
countries
.