CHERNOBYL-CATASTROPHIC NUCLEAR INCIDENT:

INTRODUCTION:
On April 26, 1986, a sudden surge of power during a reactor systems test destroyed
Unit 4 of the nuclear power station at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in the former Soviet
Union. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is a decommissioned nuclear power station
near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine, 14.5 km northwest of the city of Chernobyl. The
station consisted of 4 reactors each capable of producing 1000 megawatts of electric
power.

WHAT WAS THE ACCIDENT?

 The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which is
used to be part of Soviet Union, is the only accident in the history of
commercial nuclear power to cause fatalities from radiation.
 4 reactor have been shutdown for test As the shutdown proceeded, the reactor
was operating at about half power when the electrical load dispatcher refused
to allow further shutdown, as the power was needed for the grid. In accordance
with the planned test program, about an hour later the ECCS was switched off
while the reactor continued to operate at half power.
 For this test, the reactor should have been stabilized at about 700-1000
MegaWatt prior to shutdown, but possibly due to operational error the power
fell to about 30 MegaWatt on 26 April. Efforts to increase the power to the
level originally planned for the test were frustrated by a combination of xenon
poisoning, reduced coolant void and graphite cooldown. Many of the control
rods were withdrawn to compensate for these effects although the operators
may not have known this.
 Reactor Number 4 was the site of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the
powerplant is now within a large restricted area known as the Chernobyl
Exclusion Zone.
 Both the zone and the former power plant are administered by the State
Agency of Ukraine of the Exclusion Zone.
 Two explosion were reported, the first being the initial steam explosion in
which turbine was effected.
 Later a second explosion of even greater power than the first blew the reactor
building apart and spewed burning graphite and other part of reactor core
 around the plant starting a number of intense fire around the damaged reactor
and reactor number 3 which was still operating at the time of explosion.
 A Resultant power surge caused an immense explosion that detached thee
1000-tons plate covering the reactor core releasing radiation into atmosphere
and cutting of the flow of coolant into reactor.
 It was the product of a severely flawed Soviet-era reactor design combined
with human error.
 2 people died immediately as a result of blast and 29 more people died during
the next few days.
REASONS FOR THE ACCIDENT:

 Deficiencies in the reactor design and in the operating regulations that made
the accident to occur.
 It was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious
mistakes made by the plant operators
 Pumps failed and there was no water flow.
 The accident occurred because the fourth reactor suffered a huge power
increase. This led to the core of the reactor exploding.
 Due to this explosion, large amounts of radioactive materials and fuel were
released. This caused the neutron moderator, made of graphite, to start to burn.
 Disabled all safety systems.
 Insufficient communication between safety officers and operators incharge.
 North-West wind from sea carried the radiation for miles in the following days
 Scandinavian detectors picked up on abundance of radiation but the soviet
government denied everything.