Hi everyone,
I know technically today is only the anniversary of the explosion of Reactor 4 at Chernobyl itself and that the steam explosion did not occur for another 2 days, but I was wondering, what do you all think would have been the consequences had it not occurred?
For those who don't know the details, after the explosion that destroyed the core of Reactor 4 at the Vladimir I Lenin nuclear power station near Pripyat, Ukraine, the ruptured core of the reactor continued to burn at temperatures exceeding 1200 degrees C (some estimates put the corium itself at 2800). This melted through the concrete floors under the reactor itself and began working its way down through the structure of the building. By the end of the first day of the disaster, the authorities had identified that the basements underneath the building were flooded with more than 7,000 cubic meters of water and sent in three volunteers to open a release valve and prevent that water from being turned into steam by the reactor core.
Now, I know the topic of why the valve failed is a topic of controversy with multiple theories about why the plan did not work, but what is known is this: on April 29th, 1986 at approximately 4am local time, the corium from Reactor 4 melted through the final layer of concrete between it and the flooded basement. The resultant steam explosion was measured at approximately .1 kilotons, annihilating the remains of the reactor building, spreading radioactive debris for kilometers around, and sent a massive cloud of steam carrying particles of reactor fuel and byproducts into the atmosphere. Steam would continue pouring from the ruined basement for more than an hour.
But what if this had not occurred? How do you think the world would be different if this disaster were avoided by something as simple as an operable valve?
I know technically today is only the anniversary of the explosion of Reactor 4 at Chernobyl itself and that the steam explosion did not occur for another 2 days, but I was wondering, what do you all think would have been the consequences had it not occurred?
For those who don't know the details, after the explosion that destroyed the core of Reactor 4 at the Vladimir I Lenin nuclear power station near Pripyat, Ukraine, the ruptured core of the reactor continued to burn at temperatures exceeding 1200 degrees C (some estimates put the corium itself at 2800). This melted through the concrete floors under the reactor itself and began working its way down through the structure of the building. By the end of the first day of the disaster, the authorities had identified that the basements underneath the building were flooded with more than 7,000 cubic meters of water and sent in three volunteers to open a release valve and prevent that water from being turned into steam by the reactor core.
Now, I know the topic of why the valve failed is a topic of controversy with multiple theories about why the plan did not work, but what is known is this: on April 29th, 1986 at approximately 4am local time, the corium from Reactor 4 melted through the final layer of concrete between it and the flooded basement. The resultant steam explosion was measured at approximately .1 kilotons, annihilating the remains of the reactor building, spreading radioactive debris for kilometers around, and sent a massive cloud of steam carrying particles of reactor fuel and byproducts into the atmosphere. Steam would continue pouring from the ruined basement for more than an hour.
But what if this had not occurred? How do you think the world would be different if this disaster were avoided by something as simple as an operable valve?
