Case Study: The Chernobyl Power Plant

Introduction

It was early on the morning of April 26, 1986. Employees at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine lost control of an important safety test. A power surge sparked a giant explosion that tore through the roof of the plant. Just seconds later, the power plant caught fire. Flames shot into the sky. But the real disaster was only beginning.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was leaking a dangerous and invisible material called radiation into the air. Radiation in large amounts is very harmful to living things. It can cause serious illness or even death. The amounts released by the Chernobyl power plant were hundreds of times stronger than what was considered safe. The radiation was about to become deadly.

The Chernobyl accident

1:05 p.m.

Twelve hours after power reduction is initiated, the reactor reaches 50% power; turbine seven is switched off.

2:00 p.m.

According to the plane for the test, the reactor’s power is to be reduced to 30%. Energy authorities in Kiev suddenly refuse to allow this because of an unforeseen electricity demand. Reactor four remains at 50% power for the next nine hours.

1.2 April 26

12:28 a.m.

The Chernobyl staff receives permission to resume the power reduction; power in reactor four falls below 7%.

1:00 – 1:20 a.m.

The operators force the reactor up to 7% power by removing all but 11 of the control rods; the reactor becomes increasingly unstable.

1:22 a.m.

Operators, believing that they have stable conditions, decide to start the test.

1:23 a.m.

The test begins, once the remaining turbine is shut down.

1:23:40 a.m.

Power in the reactor begins to rise rapidly.

1:23:44 a.m.

The reactor reaches 100 times full power; the radioactive fuel disintegrates and excess steam, which was supposed to go to the turbines, breaks containment tubs; explosions below off the top shield of the reactor.

1:24 a.m.

By the time the problem was recognized, the heat had deformed the channels, and the control rods could not be reinserted.

Conclusion

Many of the mistakes made at Chernobyl have led to better rules for nuclear power plant safety. Today there are more than 400 nuclear power plants around the world. Many steps have been taken to make sure a similar disaster cannot happen again. Employees at nuclear power plants are carefully trained to operate machines and keep radiation safely contained.

Nuclear power plants are supposed to hold radiation inside the plant in case of an accident. New rules have been made to make sure nuclear disasters cannot be kept secret. If an accident occurs at a nuclear power plant in the United States, it must be announced within 15 minutes so people can evacuate quickly.

The disaster at Chernobyl led to safer nuclear power plants. It also reminded some people about nuclear energy dangers. Today people still argue whether we should use nuclear power plants to produce energy. The Chernobyl explosion will be remembered as the worst nuclear disaster in history. But it will also serve as a lesson to make nuclear plants safer in the