Swedish scientists have concluded that a weak nuclear explosion occurred during the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Experts analyzed the most likely course of nuclear reactions in the reactor and simulated the meteorological conditions for the distribution of decay products. talks about an article by researchers published in the journal Nuclear Technology.
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on April 26, 1986. The disaster threatened the development of nuclear energy throughout the world. A 30-kilometer exclusion zone was created around the station. Radioactive fallout even occurred in the Leningrad region, and cesium isotopes were found in elevated concentrations in lichen and deer meat in the Arctic regions of Russia.
There are different versions of the causes of the disaster. Most often, they point to the incorrect actions of the Chernobyl NPP personnel, which resulted in the ignition of hydrogen and the destruction of the reactor. However, some scientists believe that a real nuclear explosion occurred.
Boiling Hell
A nuclear reactor maintains a nuclear chain reaction. The nucleus of a heavy atom, for example, uranium, collides with a neutron, becomes unstable and disintegrates into two smaller nuclei - decay products. The fission process releases energy and two or three fast free neutrons, which in turn cause the decay of other uranium nuclei in the nuclear fuel. The number of decays thus increases exponentially, but the chain reaction inside the reactor is controlled, preventing a nuclear explosion.
In thermal nuclear reactors, fast neutrons are not suitable for exciting heavy atoms, so their kinetic energy is reduced using a moderator. Slow neutrons, called thermal neutrons, are more likely to cause the decay of uranium-235 atoms used as fuel. In such cases, they speak of a high cross section for the interaction of uranium nuclei with neutrons. Thermal neutrons themselves are so called because they are in thermodynamic equilibrium with the environment.
The heart of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the RBMK-1000 reactor (a high-power channel reactor with a capacity of 1000 megawatts). Essentially, it is a graphite cylinder with many holes (channels). Graphite acts as a moderator, and nuclear fuel is loaded into fuel elements (fuel elements) through technological channels. Fuel rods are made of zirconium, a metal with a very small neutron capture cross section. They allow neutrons and heat to pass through, which heats the coolant, preventing the leakage of decay products. Fuel rods can be combined into fuel assemblies (FA). Fuel elements are typical for heterogeneous nuclear reactors, in which the moderator is separated from the fuel.
RBMK is a single-circuit reactor. Water is used as a coolant, which is partially converted into steam. The steam-water mixture enters separators, where steam is separated from water and sent to turbogenerators. The exhaust steam condenses and re-enters the reactor.
There was a flaw in the RBMK design that played a fatal role in the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The fact is that the distance between the channels was too large and too many fast neutrons were slowed down by graphite, turning into thermal neutrons. They are well absorbed by water, but steam bubbles constantly form there, which reduces the absorption characteristics of the coolant. As a result, reactivity increases and the water heats up even more. That is, the RBMK is characterized by a fairly high vapor coefficient of reactivity, which makes it difficult to control the progress of a nuclear reaction. The reactor must be equipped with additional safety systems, and only highly qualified personnel should work on it.
They broke the wood
On April 25, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was scheduled to shut down the fourth power unit for scheduled repairs and an experiment. Specialists from the Hydroproject Research Institute have proposed a method for emergency power supply to the station's pumps using the kinetic energy of a turbogenerator rotating by inertia. This would allow, even during a power outage, to maintain coolant circulation in the circuit until the backup power turns on.
According to the plan, the experiment was to begin when thermal power reactor will be reduced to 700 megawatts. The power was reduced by 50 percent (1,600 megawatts), and the process of shutting down the reactor was delayed by about nine hours at the request of Kyiv. As soon as the power reduction resumed, it unexpectedly dropped to almost zero due to erroneous actions of nuclear power plant personnel and xenon poisoning of the reactor - the accumulation of the xenon-135 isotope, which reduces reactivity. To cope with the sudden problem, emergency neutron-absorbing rods were removed from the RBMK, but the power did not rise above 200 megawatts. Despite the unstable operation of the reactor, the experiment began at 01:23:04.
The introduction of additional pumps increased the load on the run-down turbogenerator, which reduced the volume of water entering the reactor core. Together with the high steam coefficient of reactivity, this quickly increased the power of the reactor. The attempt to introduce absorber rods due to their poor design only worsened the situation. Just 43 seconds after the start of the experiment, the reactor collapsed as a result of one or two powerful explosions.
Ends in the water
Eyewitnesses claim that the fourth power unit of the nuclear power plant was destroyed by two explosions: the second, the most powerful, occurred a few seconds after the first. It is believed that the emergency situation occurred due to a rupture of pipes in the cooling system, caused by the rapid evaporation of water. Water or steam reacted with the zirconium in the fuel elements, resulting in the formation of large amounts of hydrogen and its explosion.
Swedish scientists believe that two different mechanisms led to the explosions, one of which was nuclear. Firstly, the high vapor coefficient of reactivity contributed to an increase in the volume of superheated steam inside the reactor. As a result, the reactor burst, and its 2000-ton top cover flew up several tens of meters. Since fuel elements were attached to it, a primary leak of nuclear fuel occurred.
Secondly, the emergency lowering of the absorbing rods led to the so-called “end effect”. At the Chernobyl RBMK-1000, the rods consisted of two parts - a neutron absorber and a graphite water displacer. When the rod is introduced into the reactor core, graphite replaces neutron-absorbing water in the lower part of the channels, which only enhances the vapor coefficient of reactivity. The number of thermal neutrons increases and the chain reaction becomes uncontrollable. A small nuclear explosion occurs. Flows of nuclear fission products penetrated into the hall even before the destruction of the reactor, and then - through the thin roof of the power unit - into the atmosphere.
Experts first spoke about the nuclear nature of the explosion back in 1986. Then scientists from the Khlopin Radium Institute analyzed fractions of noble gases obtained at the Cherepovets factory, where liquid nitrogen and oxygen were produced. Cherepovets is located a thousand kilometers north of Chernobyl, and the radioactive cloud passed over the city on April 29. Soviet researchers found that the ratio of the activities of the isotopes 133 Xe and 133m Xe was 44.5 ± 5.5. These isotopes are short-lived products of nuclear fission, indicating a weak nuclear explosion.
Swedish scientists calculated how much xenon was formed in the reactor before the explosion, during the explosion, and how the ratios of radioactive isotopes changed until they fell out in Cherepovets. It turned out that the reactivity ratio observed at the plant could have arisen in the event of a nuclear explosion with a capacity of 75 tons of TNT. According to an analysis of meteorological conditions for the period April 25 - May 5, 1986, xenon isotopes rose to a height of up to three kilometers, which prevented its mixing with the xenon that was formed in the reactor before the accident.
#USSR #Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant #history
The man-made disaster that occurred at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant became one of the most tragic events in recent world history, posing a number of global problems for humanity.
One of the issues that remains controversial among research scientists is the question of what role the Chernobyl accident played in the growing socio-economic and moral-spiritual crisis of the Soviet Union. In an objective analysis of all aspects of the man-made disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, it should be noted that the explosion at the fourth power unit, of course, had a certain impact on the course of political processes that subsequently led to the collapse of the USSR.
At the same time, the author does not belittle the existence of a number of other, more significant factors that determined the direction of the crisis of the Soviet political system in the second half of the 1980s. First of all, it should be noted that the international position of the USSR during this period noticeably deteriorated due to military operations in Afghanistan.
In addition, in a number of Soviet republics, under the conditions of Gorbachev’s “perestroika,” opposition sentiments towards the central government are intensifying, which are acquiring an anti-communist character, speculating on issues of socio-economic and interethnic relations. In this regard, the Chernobyl disaster became not only the largest man-made accident in the history of mankind, but also a kind of instrument of socio-political pressure on the traditional model of the Soviet political system, exposing it weak sides and miscalculations, including in the field of communication between government agencies and ordinary citizens.
If we talk about the economy, then in total, the national economic damage from the Chernobyl accident only for 1986-1991. amounted to about 175-215 billion rubles. (in 1986 prices) . Currently, the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster continue to take away a significant part of the budget of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. According to calculations carried out by the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus, the total damage caused to the republic by the Chernobyl accident for the period from 1986 to 2015 is estimated at 235 billion US dollars, which is 32 times the 1985 budget of the Belarusian SSR.
Economic losses from the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine during 1986-2015. were valued at $179 billion. The damage to Russia by 2014 amounted to more than $100 billion. This technological disaster caused huge losses to the nuclear energy industry in many countries, as a result of which the construction of dozens of nuclear power plants was frozen. Another factor in the collapse of the USSR were problems in the sphere of interethnic relations, accompanied by the aggravation of interethnic contradictions and the desire of the republics for independence.
The country's leadership not only failed to timely assess the destructive potential of the national issue, but also turned out to be, in principle, unable to develop a set of effective measures to solve it. Taking into account the combination of reasons, both political and economic, we can conclude that the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was only a link in the chain of events that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to historians and experts, the Chernobyl accident served as an impetus for growing discontent, primarily among residents of the Ukrainian USSR, who became the main object of the man-made impact of destructive force. Considering the fact that a disaster of such a scale occurred for the first time, people who were in complete information isolation were not able to give an objective assessment of what happened. The information situation in the country in the post-accident period was complex and tense. State policy in the field of communication of the population was limited and closed from the general public. The top leadership of the USSR sought to prevent panic within the country and ensure the preservation of the positive image of the Union in the international arena. But this government policy had the exact opposite effect. The people's fear of the “peaceful atom” only strengthened negative sentiments.
Stronger motives were gradually added to the general discontent (for example, preserving life and health), reinforced in turn by the difficult socio-economic situation. The Chernobyl syndrome increased dissatisfaction among Soviet citizens, especially those living on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR, with the reforms being carried out, giving rise to anti-communist sentiments and criticism of the socialist system. As a result of the emerging crisis in Ukraine, the establishment of pluralism of opinions, the authority of the CPSU and the country’s leadership was undermined, and the first organizational steps were taken to consolidate the “independent” movement, which initially acted under the slogans of the “cultural revival” of Ukraine.
Thus, the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in a certain way influenced changes in political sentiment, the transformation of the moral guidelines of Soviet society. Assessing the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, it becomes obvious that it became a bargaining chip in a big political game, largely determining the “chain reaction” of the political and spiritual crisis of the Soviet system.
Bibliography
1. Akimov, V.A. Disasters and safety / V.A. Akimov, V.A. Vladimirov, V.I. Izmalkov; Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. - M.: Business Express, 2006. - 392 p. - [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://studfiles.net/preview/6463489/
2. Baranovska, N. Fakhova period and features of mass information as an important part of the Chornobyl problem [Text] / N. Baranovska // Special historical disciplines: nutritional theories and methods. - K.: Institute of History of Ukraine NAS of Ukraine, 2006. - No. 13. - P.37-55.
3. Bondarenko V.I. Natural and man-made disasters of the second half of the 1980s. as a catalyst for the collapse of the USSR / V.I. Bondarenko. - [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http://mkonf.iriran.ru/papers.php?id=210
4. Drakonova, O.N. Chernobyl trace in the collapse of the USSR / N.O. Drakonova. - Nizhnevartovsk. - [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/v/chernobylskiy-sled-v-raspade-sssr
5. Information bulletin of the Unified Russian-Belarusian information data bank on the main aspects of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster / ed. total ed. O.M. Lugovskoy. - Minsk, 2010. P. 18.
Tolmacheva V.V., Krasnonosov Yu.N.
Subject : Moral lessons of Chernobyl (based on the story “Chernobyl Notebook” by Grigory Medvedev)
Goals:
Analyzing the actions of the heroes, determine moral lessons Chernobyl;
Improving the skill of analyzing a literary work;
Education of morality in high school students.
Equipment:
Song by V. Vysotsky “What people are tested on”
Fragment from an educational film about a nuclear explosion,
Presentation.
During the classes:
- Announcement of the lesson topic and goals.
- Fragment of an educational film.
- Teacher's word:
4. V. Vysotsky’s song “What people are tested on.”
The volleys of guns have long since ceased,
Above us there is only sunlight, -
What are people tested on?
What if there is no more war?
I often hear
Now, as then:
No or yes?"
The armor-piercing gun will no longer groan,
Don't be a funeral at the door,
And everything seems so calm,
There's nowhere to open up now...
But still we often hear
Now, as then:
"Would you go on reconnaissance with him?
No or yes?"
Peace is only a dream, I know -
Get ready, hold on and fight! -
There is a peaceful frontline -
Trouble, and danger, and risk.
That's why we often hear
Now, as then:
"Would you go on reconnaissance with him?
No or yes?"
Mines have been cleared in the fields,
But we are not in a field of flowers, -
You search, stars, depths
Don't discount it.
That's why we often hear
Now, as then:
"Would you go on reconnaissance with him?
No or yes?"
5. Problematic question: What are the moral lessons of Chernobyl?
A) analysis of a quote from academician V.A. Legasova:
“The technology that our people are proud of was created by people who stood on the shoulders of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. People brought up on excellent literature, on a high moral sense. This feeling was inherent in everything: in relationships with each other, in relationships with people, in their responsibilities. Technology was for these people only a way of expressing the moral qualities inherent in them. But in the next generations, many engineers stand on the shoulders of the “techies” and see only the technical side of things. It seems to me that the general key to everything that happens is that for a long time the role of the moral principle was ignored. But it’s all one chain.”
What does Academician Legasov see as the cause of the accident? (The technical level is low, the level of responsibility of the people managing the atom is low. This is a consequence of the low moral level)
B) vocabulary work:
What does it mean to be a moral person and what does it mean to be an immoral person? (Ozhegov’s Dictionary: Moral– internal spiritual qualities that guide a person, ethical standards; rules of behavior determined by these qualities. Immoral- violating the rules of morality, contradicting them.)
C) analysis of a quote from Academician Legasov:
“They usually understand it this way: yeah, an immoral person is one who allows taking bribes, for example. Is a person moral who doesn’t want to make his drawing better, doesn’t want to sit up at night, suffer, doesn’t want to look for a more perfect solution?”
Is the academician right? (Yes, he’s right a thousand times. He saw the basic thing that was hidden behind the numbers, reports, phone calls)
D) analysis of the story “Chernobyl Notebook”
Autobiographical information about the writer;
The history of the creation of the story;
How did people show themselves during the accident, how did they reveal their souls?
* heroic behavior of people at the time of the explosion and after it:
The feat of firefighters,
The feat of Lieutenant Pravik, who with his squad was the first to arrive at the scene of the disaster and extinguished the roof of the turbine hall,
The feat of emergency pediatrician Valentin Belokon, who provided first aid to the irradiated,
The feat of the physicist engineer Sitnikov, who looked into the very nozzle of the reactor and reported that the reactor was destroyed,
The feat of Valery Perevozchenko, the shift supervisor of the reactor workshop, who saved people,
The feat of the trainees.
Conclusion: These are examples not only of the heroic behavior of people during an accident, but also examples of morality and the purity of the human soul.
*immoral behavior (how people behave during evacuation):
The looters who carried carpets and jewelry from Pripyat,
The pilots who refused to transport irradiated patients
Residents of Ukrainian villages who did not want to shelter Pripyat residents.
Conclusion: These are isolated cases, but they happened, and this makes it bitter and painful.
6. Lesson summary:
What are the moral lessons of Chernobyl? (The outbreak at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant with a blinding light illuminated good and evil, intelligence and stupidity, sympathy and gloating, truth and lies, selflessness and greed)
What are your impressions of the lesson?
Reading poems dedicated to the Chernobyl disaster:
Chernobyl echo
can't hold back.
Do you want to escape from Fukushima?..
It backfired.
Who wants a sequel?
Alexey Selichkin.
Chernobyl blooms on an April morning...
Tatyana Kuznetsova4For a quarter of a century the roads have become overgrown,
And the city still stands as it stood,
Although the usual rhythm and way of life have disappeared,
And everywhere the taste and smell of anxiety:
In abandoned empty apartments,
In the silence of gardens, libraries,
In dozens of small and noticeable milestones
In the area outlined by the dotted line...
And the word stalker is so familiar to the ear,
And the zone, everyone understands, is not a prison.
And so as not to go completely crazy,
Old women return from resettlement.
They live behind the scenes, unofficially,
They habitually grow vegetables to feed...
And, having crossed your personal Rubicon,
They don’t feel morally inferior.
And “self-settlers” are not a hindrance
All radiological dust...
CHERNOBYL blooms on an April morning -
Stories of the latest pain and milestone...
26.04.2011.
The hands froze, and that terrible hour struck...
Sergei KarmazinThe arrows froze, and that terrible hour struck,
Kyiv slept peacefully that night.
Chernobyl exploded loudly across the world,
With the move of the black I got into History...
The neutrons suddenly felt cramped in the hot cage,
They gathered up their strength and broke down the door.
And, like a flame on a dry crispy branch,
A terrible beast was released.
Full length, with an invisible braid
Death has risen over the Pripyat River
Radioactive stripe
Eternal bringing peace to all living things.
Poisoned rain fell on the city,
They greedily drank the poison of the fields around,
The fourth block was ripped open like a knife,
Yesterday's best friend has become an enemy.
This beast was not created by nature,
He was born a man.
The beast enjoyed its freedom
And he didn’t want to go back to the fold.
Judgment day has come, faces turned black,
Death was everywhere you looked
Former friend - invisible killer
He exacts a terrible tribute from people.
April that fell into oblivion
Rays of HopeOn the 25th anniversary of the tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
A quarter of a century has flown by,
That April fell into oblivion,
Remained an unforgotten milestone
In my memory...
I remember how the grass sparkled
A flurry of emerald shades...
We knew the whole world was poisoned
But he beckoned and called.
Sunset is a flow of boiling lava,
Deceptive hopes have fallen.
Seemed like poison, oh my God,
Dew... But still, no one knew...
What awaits us in this life?
How many friends will he take with him?
Chernobyl? How many years in sadness
Since then has my soul lived?
Then we were not told the truth,
We don’t know her even now.
"Disintegrations and Half-lives"
Trouble knocking on the door...
And the white chestnut candles,
And there’s a parade on Khreshchatyk...
Such a monstrous deception
The ancient Kyiv city was defeated...
But I still want to believe
What is this terrible misfortune
Fortunately, she closed the doors for us
Not forever, not forever...
There is no such thing as someone else's grief:
Mom burst into tears with a handkerchief over her eyes.
And confirmation from the screen
The wave that sweeps life away.
Tens of thousands of kilometers
To that far side
Where in anticipation of spring
The sakura branches sighed.
There the sun rises before everyone else,
And the samurai sleep forever.
What doesn't happen there?
From the sacraments that progress brings.
And here's the problem - a freezing earthquake!
And then a terrible wave.
After all, there is no escape from a tsunami:
Fate is already sealed.
Cars, ships
And even entire houses
The toys were carried away by the wave,
Like seedlings blown by a hurricane wind.
Cities are on fire,
Skyscrapers are “dancing” scary
And there is no light and no connection to
Finding out who survived is easy.
While the reactor was still running, it went silent.
For how long? The clock is ticking...
Throwing the lives of thousands on the scales
The wave carries both the cattle and the tractor.
And not a flight of fancy,
Paints us terrible colors.
Horror itself paints on its own,
Irreparable troubles take off.
And we still think we are immortal.
We fly into space without any problems
And we drown in word disputes,
Which are essentially useless.
This is grief - look!
This is why it's time to wake up
Not just to be horrified,
But become three times stronger.
So that these “surprises”
They didn't take us by surprise.
So that the voice of life does not fade away.
There is no other person's grief in the world!
Prostration to those involved
“01 h. 23 min.
Start of testing.
The steam supply to turbine No. 8 is shut off and its rundown has begun...
...Then the count went down to seconds.”
(Arthur Shigapov “Chernobyl, Pripyat, nowhere else...”)
...there were 46 seconds left until the new era...
-
--
---
...later, while still “later”,
a lot of things will happen in nature
and villages abandoned by cattle
they will howl loudly about the outcome;
plowed into the ground here and there
fences, apple trees and huts;
they won't survive long
the soldiers carried out the cleanup...
One twenty-three... the water is flowing
it's lazy in the time machine,
but somewhere there is a countdown
and forty-six seconds before the explosion...
A man-made hell will awaken,
weaving a “jellyfish” out of emissions,
and the terrible word “decay”
will go according to fate and the Union...
Then from human bodies a barrier
will cover the entire planet;
and the very first echelon
will die by July, by summer...
It's one twenty-three and there's time
for sleep, peace and dreams...
Chernobyl-eighty-six.
Countdown. Start of testing.
Brother Victor, deceased
from Chernobyl radiation.
Just a word
"Chernobyl"
I hear -
the pain burns,
as if it were a wound
salt pours out.
Often at night
obsessively,
again
the tape is spinning
Chernobyl dreams,
irradiated brain
tormenting again,
torments
worries
and rushes me
back...
My childhood has passed
in this region...
And contacted him again
I am my own destiny,
when to Chernobyl
that trouble came
which we
not forget
never.
2.
Chernobyl, Chernobyl -
black reality.
Black that day
again came to mind:
Creations of the Mind
formidable power
pierced with grief
quiet night.
Split womb
and burst out
hellish power
invisible waves.
glowed
crimson glow
block,
hundreds of roentgens
emitting a stream,
that even a pine forest
died
turned red.
But the change remained -
no one broke down.
Insatiable fire
the whole block
was hugged.
Fought him
to death
fire brigade.
But the city did not know
but the city didn’t know
what a peaceful life
this explosion interrupted.
good sun
sparkled in the river.
The children were swimming
played in the sand.
Bright
Saturday afternoon
warmed up.
Weddings
celebrated.
people
rested...
But all this -
in past.
Now -
emptiness.
People were scattered
but in different places...
After
turned around here
battle,
almost like war.
For help
Chernobyl
the country stood up.
Chernobyl, Chernobyl –
black reality.
Striking
floats in the air
dust.
Rays are generated
deadly,
fiend
she -
impartial:
everything infects
nothing spares
penetrates everywhere -
don't expect mercy!
Chernobyl, Chernobyl –
red-haired story.
It sways ominously
red feather grass.
The fields are deceiving
gardens and flowers.
won't come true
many dreams
and dreams.
abandoned city
faded
and drooped
and vibrant life
froze
spring.
Chernobyl, Chernobyl –
heroic tales,
where are there so many cripples?
and concrete graves.
At a dear price
the fire was defeated.
From a new explosion
the block is saved again,
the tunnel is broken
for heat removal,
cascade wall
erected,
reactor hidden
under the "sarcophagus"
roof cleaned
"muffled" hearth
and there were two blocks
relaunched
into operation...
Yes Yes. This is true.
But at what cost?
No one was spared
neither health,
nor life
There are heroics in this -
bitter tragedy.
How many
that day
separated,
ruined.
Will be remembered
Always
this is true.
Chernobyl, Chernobyl –
red death,
dangerous area,
treacherous firmament.
At full speed
buses are rushing
from "red forest"
tired guys.
In car,
lead protected,
sitting.
Thoughtfully into the distance
I look through the cracks.
Black thoughts
confusion,
discord...
Flashed on the side of the road
caustic poster:
Yes. Right. Dangerous.
And if
all this "coincidence"
not suddenly?..
Dangerous
doubly:
SO IT IS A DISEASE.
Chernobyl, Chernobyl!
What is it
vice?
And what happened
main
Lesson?
The answer is not complicated
to this question,
but just as easy
it's not that simple:
WE LIVED CAREFULLY,
RESTING ON YOUR LAURELS.
NOT AN ATOM EXPLODED,
AND THE ABSTRACT HAS OPENED.
Extensive,
deep
it burst
and it burns.
Treat him
we still have a long time to go.
Everything triumphs
carelessness
feast!
Again and again
brings ether
facts of accidents,
victims
disasters...
My heart goes numb
from such lines.
Come to your senses, people!
Understand, friends!
Carelessness -
what nonsense.
Let's destroy ourselves.
From sleep
dust yourself off!
Open your eyes!
I urge everyone:
IT IS FORBIDDEN,
so that people
died in fire
by someone's mistake,
criminal guilt.
IT IS FORBIDDEN,
so that when faced with
ships sank.
IT IS FORBIDDEN,
to go off the rails
trains.
IT IS FORBIDDEN
building is bad
hack,
catch.
IT IS FORBIDDEN
refined
for criticism
take revenge.
IT IS FORBIDDEN
to do with marriage
your work.
IT IS FORBIDDEN
Plunder
My fatherland!
IT IS FORBIDDEN
endlessly
live in carelessness!
Yes, how much longer
We can not
allow!..
Chernobyl, Chernobyl –
it's not evil, it's rock
and merciless
cruel
Lesson.
For everyone on Earth -
It's a common pain.
Chernobyl sounds
like an alarm bell
as a password.
Password for edification
descendants
And to us.
For many years.
for all
time.
1986-2001
Chernobyl - Sochi - Kostroma
After the HBO series made some remember and others learn about the Chernobyl accident, many have questions for those who produce nuclear energy here and now. In Russia (unlike, for example, the USA, where a nuclear power plant may belong to private company) is the state corporation Rosatom. Are we sure that a disaster like the Chernobyl accident will not happen again? Are modern nuclear power plants safe - including those that still operate the same type of reactors as those at Chernobyl? What is happening in the exclusion zone today and what to do with nuclear waste from still operating plants? And can humanity abandon nuclear energy altogether? T&P asked these questions to Valery Menshikov, a member of the Rosatom Public Council.
Valery Menshikov
Member of the Public Council of the state corporation Rosatom, member of the Council of the Center for Environmental Policy of Russia
June 26 marked 65 years since the creation of the first nuclear power plant in the world - the Obninsk NPP. A little earlier, military reactors began operating at closed facilities in the Urals and Siberia, but they were different in design, operating conditions, etc. They created an atomic bomb. Since 1954, several serious accidents have occurred in the field of nuclear energy: a fire at an English nuclear reactor (the Windscale accident in 1957 - Note T&P), reactor core meltdown at the American Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979.
Why did the reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explode?
Many believe that a nuclear explosion occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. However, it was a thermal explosion: hydrogen accumulated in a large volume and exploded.
Firstly, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant there was a not very good design of the reactor itself (RBMK) - based on the design of those very first military reactors.
Secondly, Minatom handed over the Chernobyl station to the Ministry of Energy - people whose task was the general generation of electricity and who, for this reason, did not know some of the important requirements for the operation of nuclear power plants. The experiment that they decided to conduct at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was absolutely understandable for a simple power engineer, but for a nuclear power plant it was very critical.
Thirdly, if at the Three Mile Island station there was containment, that is, a reinforced concrete “cap” on the reactor block, thanks to which the bulk of the radioactive substances remained in the production room, then at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant there was no such hermetic shell. From the diaries of academician Valery Legasov, who from the first days participated in ensuring the safety of people after the disaster, it becomes clear that he insisted on creating reinforced concrete containments with walls about a meter thick. But serious physicists said that we need to save money and that our reactors are absolutely safe. One outstanding academician of the nuclear industry (Anatoly Alexandrov. - Note T&P) even said that a nuclear reactor could be built even on Red Square (in fact, he was talking about the AST reactor. - Note T&P).
What is happening in the exclusion zone?
In 1957, at the military enterprise of the Mayak production association in the closed city of Ozersk, the first major radiation accident in the USSR occurred (the Kyshtym disaster. - Note T&P). These events were classified even for specialists - but if we had studied them well, then perhaps we would have been better able to think through the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
The Chernobyl exclusion zone is a 30-kilometer area around the station where the largest amount of radionuclides fell - cesium-137, strontium-90, plutonium-239. These elements polluted millions of kilometers - Ukraine, Belarus, Russian territories, part of Europe. In Scotland there is still a place surrounded by wire where sheep are not allowed to graze.
What can you do in the exclusion zone? Firstly, 33 years have passed since the disaster. The half-life of cesium and strontium is 30 years, that is, their irradiation power has decreased. Secondly, these elements got into the soil and went an average of 10–15 centimeters deep. Environmental monitoring has shown that trees contain the most dangerous radionuclides. It is very bad when a forest that has been exposed to Chernobyl fallout burns. We need to keep an eye on this. Where the East Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) passed after the Kyshtym accident, coniferous forests were the first to die. In the Chernobyl zone, the needles were also the first to turn red and die. Deciduous forests can withstand large doses and recover faster.
For humans, the greatest danger is posed by plants that “pull” radioactivity from the ground. The main accumulators of dirt are mushrooms, in second place are berries: cranberries, lingonberries, etc.
And since people left this territory, today the exclusion zone is actively developing and animal world: Populations of wolves, bears and other large animals have recovered.
The exclusion zone today can be used for industrial and economic purposes - for example, Ukraine wants to build a spent fuel storage facility on it. Public access there is still closed and, I think, will remain so for many decades.
How many people were injured in the accident?
When people remember the Chernobyl disaster, truth is mixed with myths in their heads. I will give you the exact figure: 134 people during the events in Chernobyl received a dose of radiation from which they developed radiation sickness, of which 28 died immediately from its manifestations. These were mainly firefighters throwing pieces of irradiated graphite from the roof of the fourth power unit. They actively eliminated the consequences of the disaster for just over two years. More than 500 thousand people throughout the USSR took part in the liquidation, more than half of whom were Russians. Since then, the health of the liquidators has been constantly monitored; in Obninsk there is a data bank with information about each of them. Oddly enough, they live on average even longer than other Russians: the healthiest people were selected as liquidators.
Mortality rate among liquidators
At the same time, an adequate assessment of the impact of the Chernobyl accident on mortality is complicated by the fact that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, life expectancy fell sharply throughout its territory. - Note T&P
During the disaster, a radioactive isotope of iodine, iodine-131, was released into the environment. thyroid gland. Because of this, many people developed thyroid cancer; iodine had a particularly harmful effect on the body of children and adolescents. Today, these data are no longer hidden: about such cases have been recorded, mainly in Belarus and the Bryansk region.
Is a repeat of Chernobyl possible?
I believe that the Chernobyl disaster was one of the factors that led to the collapse of the USSR. For some time, the incident was hidden, and this caused a powerful reaction from the public. A moral and psychological blow was dealt to the population of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, and many myths were born about the irradiation of a huge number of people. All this affected not only the development of nuclear energy, but also the position of power in the country. The resulting distrust in the government led to the collapse of such a powerful entity as the Soviet Union.
Conclusions had to be drawn immediately from this catastrophe. It was necessary to reconsider the entire concept of safety in nuclear energy - and this is a new approach to designs, to reactor physics, to personnel training, and to regulatory documents. All this has been continuously improved over the course of 33 years. I am sure that such a catastrophe with the loss of the reactor, the threat of contamination by radioactive elements and irradiation of the population can no longer happen. There can be no concealment of emergency situations: now they are quickly detected different ways and devices.
Despite the fact that post-Chernobyl uranium-graphite reactors of the RBMK type (high-power channel reactor) are still operating at the Smolensk, Kursk and Leningrad nuclear power plants, during this time they have been modernized and their safety system has been improved. And since this is complex equipment and it can fail, the strict legislative version accepted the acceptable risk of nuclear power plant operation. The probability of a severe accident is estimated at 10-6 - this is one accident per million reactors per year. And since we have only 35 reactors, this is a minimal risk.
In addition, today power units are not built anywhere without containment. Safety issues are well thought out at the stations. There are special tanks with water, which immediately enters the reactor if water suddenly leaves it and the core begins to melt. There are rods that quickly descend into the active zone and interrupt the reaction. And in extreme cases, if suddenly the entire emergency zone melts, there is a special bowl under the reactor with a special chemical mixture that reduces the temperature of the boiling reactor. Severe accidents at the remaining RBMKs are excluded - but these reactors are economically outdated, and therefore, at the end of their operating lives, they will be replaced by new pressurized water power reactors (VVER).
What happens to spent nuclear fuel?
The nuclear power plant has radioactive waste. Radioactivity has no taste, no color, no smell, but is nevertheless very dangerous for humans. However, there is very little such waste - it can be put into several containers and sent for storage.
But nuclear fuel is a serious matter. To create it, uranium is first mined, in which only one isotope (uranium-235) is used as atomic fuel, and it is only 0.7% in the ore. The uranium is then enriched, and further in the town of Elektrostal near Moscow, it is converted into compact uranium dioxide tablets by compression within micron tolerances. These tablets are placed in zirconium tubes - fuel elements (fuel elements) more than three meters long. When these structures are inserted into the reactor core, a process of energy release occurs. After about three to four years, this working (not yet spent) fuel must be pulled out. It turned out that powerful emitters such as plutonium, which are very harmful to the entire fuel rod structure and to the block, accumulate in it and can interfere with the correct physical process. Once the fuel is removed, it is called spent nuclear fuel (SNF).
What to do with him? In the world, more than 30 countries work with nuclear energy: the USA, France, Japan, England, Germany, Canada, etc. And everyone has different policies. Some countries believe that spent fuel is very bad waste and should be stored or buried. Other states, including Russia, think differently: no, this is not waste. This is the raw material for future nuclear energy because
This fuel contains accumulated radioactive elements useful for future fast neutron reactors (BN).
The Beloyarsk NPP in the Urals is the only nuclear power plant in the world where the BN-600 reactor with a capacity of 600 MW has been operating for many years. And recently they launched BN-800 (800 MW) there and, if it is economically feasible, they will build a BN-1200 reactor.
In Russia there are two approaches to spent fuel. Part of the fuel rods is processed at the Mayak production association in Ozersk (Chelyabinsk region. - Note T&P). There, in a large closed military facility, a powerful radioisotope plant for nuclear medicine, the most dangerous part of the fuel is placed inside a matrix of special glass and immersed in several containers stored in a pool of distilled water. Spent fuel from medium power reactors (400–500 MW) and from nuclear submarines is converted in this way.
The second approach is to store spent fuel for the future. He is being taken near Krasnoyarsk to the city of Zheleznogorsk, where a mining and chemical plant was built right in the rock during Soviet times. There, spent fuel is stored either in special cells in distilled water in a huge swimming pool, the size of a football field, or on racks with a special gas shell, where, due to simple external cooling, heat is released into the environment (but there is very little of it - the climate depends on this Will not change).
Are bodies of water near nuclear power plants safe?
A nuclear power plant must be built next to a body of water - sea, river, etc. Water vapor is the basis of all nuclear energy. A reactor at a nuclear power plant is needed to heat water under pressure of 100–120 atmospheres, which goes into a separator, which then turns it into steam. Everything in this system is radioactive. The other circuit, in which steam rotates a turbine and an electric generator that generates current, is non-radiative and does not come into contact with the first.
Water, as a rule, is put into a recycling cycle: it is sucked out of the reservoir, used at the station, cooled and supplied again to the nuclear power plant. There are several ways to cool steam. The first is a cooling pond. The second is cooling towers, cone-shaped towers in which water is sprayed from above, flows along the walls, and thus naturally cools it. The third method is spray pools that spray into the air hot water. But powerful cooling towers are expensive to build, which is why almost every nuclear power plant needs cooling ponds. The water in them is a little warmer (one to three degrees) than ordinary river or lake water. It is supplied to the pond absolutely non-radioactive, and dozens of devices monitor this. You can swim in these ponds and even fish - in last years they are even specially stocked with fish.
Is it possible to abandon nuclear energy?
There are 10 nuclear power plants in Russia with 35 operating reactors. One new reactor is in pilot operation at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant; in parallel, we are building 6 more nuclear units that will replace outdated ones at other nuclear power plants, and we are engaged in foreign orders (today there are 36 units at various stages of commercial preparation).
we can generate electricity without nuclear power. The only question is whether it will be economically profitable.
To receive electricity from renewable sources, you need to come up with a cheap device that would accumulate this energy. So far this is a big economic cost. Thus, Germany, a rich country, pays 43 billion euros for generating energy from renewable sources - and this puts a lot of pressure on its economy.
Nuclear energy works with the fission of uranium-235, this is a heavy element, it is at the bottom of the periodic table at number 92. There is hope that by working with light elements (helium, hydrogen), in the future we will get another source of electricity - thermonuclear fusion. On the Sun, the fusion of light elements occurs on its own, and to combine them on Earth, temperatures of millions of degrees must be created. A reactor capable of this is being built today in France. The ITER project has 35 participating countries, including Russia.
This thermonuclear reactor is a colossus the size of the Eiffel Tower going underground. In a vacuum chamber shaped like a torus (“donut”), the plasma will rotate and reach temperatures higher than in the Sun. Rosatom supplies there supermagnets based on superconducting wire, which will hold the plasma in the middle of the vacuum chamber. It is planned that this prototype of the tokamak reactor will start operating in 2050. Then this area will need to be developed economically and physically for another 50 years to make reactors of this kind more compact.
Fusion nuclear power plants may be operational by 2100.
In the meantime, Russia has developments in the use of spent nuclear fuel. In the largest city of Rosatom, Seversk (12–15 kilometers from Tomsk), at the so-called Siberian Chemical Plant, weapons-grade plutonium was previously produced, and now an experimental demonstration center is being built that will work on the construction of a new type of reactor - it will be like a reactor on fast neutrons (BN), only with a different coolant. This direction is called "Breakthrough". If everything succeeds, we will create a new direction in nuclear energy. Such reactors will operate on the basis of the same nuclear fuel, but using not uranium-235, but uranium-238, the content of which in the ore is about 98%, and with the addition of plutonium from spent fuel - this way it will be possible to reprocess it. It will be MOX fuel, but created differently. So we stand at the threshold of new technologies, and in the 21st century we will not part with the atom.
Literature
Valery Legasov. About the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Transcripts of audio recordings
R.V. Harutyunyan, L.A. Bolshov, I.I. Linge, E.M. Melikhova, S.V. Panchenko. Lessons from Chernobyl and Fukushima and current problems of improving the system for protecting the population and territories during accidents at nuclear power plants // Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2016. Vol. 61. No. 3.
The Chernobyl accident and nuclear energy in the USSR // Scientific and educational magazine “Skepsis”.
A.V. Yablokov, B.V. Nesterenko, A.V. Nesterenko, N.E. Preobrazhenskaya. Chernobyl: consequences of the disaster for humans and nature. Kyiv: Universarium, 2011.
We publish abbreviated recordings of lectures, webinars, podcasts - that is, oral presentations. The speaker's opinion may not coincide with the opinion of the editors. We request links to primary sources, but their provision is at the discretion of the speaker.
Ministry of Education, Science and Youth Policy of the Komi Republic
State professional educational institution
"Sosnogorsk Technological College"
Research
« Chernobyl accident- a global catastrophe of our time"
Completed the work:
Zaitsev Andrey Yurievich, Novoseltsev Alexander Sergeevich, 2nd year students in the profession
01/15/15 Welder (manual and partially mechanized welding (surfacing)),
Head: Tatyana Viktorovna Zaets, physics teacher of the first qualification category
Sosnogorsk, 2018
Introduction
On the night of April 26-27, 1986. The worst man-made disaster occurred - the explosion of the 4th power unit at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The Chernobyl disaster was not only the main event of 1986 in the Soviet Union and in the world, it became one of the most important events of the last quarter of the 20th century. After Chernobyl, the concept of “peaceful atom” ceased to be used in literature. This accident influenced the economy and scientific and technological policies of all developed countries, changing people's perceptions of dangers and threats. Nuclear power plant designs have been revised everywhere, and in some countries it has been decided to abandon nuclear power plants for the production of heat and electricity in the future. The lessons of Chernobyl continue to be studied and discussed to this day.
The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the largest and most destructive disaster in the entire history of nuclear energy. A lot ofvillages and 27 cities are located in the area contaminated by the accident. 2 million people live there. They live and love there, they raise children there. There they hope and believe, remember and cherish, believing in themselves, their strengths, in humanity, Humanity. Let this faith never again be trampled by a new disaster and a new Chernobyl. It depends on you and me. From our responsibility, from our desire to always and in everything remain Human.
The pain caused by the consequences of the disaster has not subsided to this day. The feat that was accomplished ordinary people who did their job are almost forgotten. With this work we want to remind you of those who took part in the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
While conducting the research, we studied reference “materials on the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its consequences” (“Vienna”, August 25...29, 1986), etc.
We managed to talk with the liquidator of that terrible accident.
In our work we would like to find answers to the questions:
“Why did this tragedy happen?”
“What are its consequences?”
“What needs to be done to ensure something like this never happens again?”
“The total number of liquidators of the Chernobyl accident living in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic?”
Relevance:
In recent years, the events of 1986 are remembered less and less, the heroic actions of the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident are forgotten, and conditions are created for the population living in contaminated areas to be unaware of the seriousness of the radiation situation and the dangers of radiation in general. The literature on radiation safety topics is poor; there are no publications at a popular level accessible to most people.
Given the huge man-made component of possible emergency situations, the population's awareness of how to act and eliminate the consequences of accidents is lower than in the 20s and 30s. Often the scale and danger of an emergency (as in the case of the Chernobyl accident) are deliberately kept silent. About skills and abilities, for example, using tools personal protection, disinfection of food and water is out of the question.
Over the past 100 years, the same damage has been caused to the Earth's nature as in the entire prehistory of mankind. Russia is a leader in many indicators of pollution of its territory, water resources, and air. The country's environmental problems are directly related to the health of the nation, its economy and defense capability.
Recent events in Japan (the Great Japan Earthquake of 2011, tsunami, radiation contamination of the territory as a consequence of the operation of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant) are putting the world on the brink of a global catastrophe. The consequence of the production and testing of nuclear weapons, the rapid development of nuclear energy, and the growing use of ionizing radiation sources in the national economy and medicine has been widespread radioactive contamination of the biosphere. As a result, average human radiation doses reach twice the natural background and are very close to the value that is defined as radiation hazardous. Therefore in modern conditions Additional human exposure is unacceptable, since it can dramatically increase the risk of disease.
Object of study is one of the largest man-made disastersXXcentury - this is the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Target :
Study in detail all aspects of the Chernobyl accident, its consequences and impact on the environment and the human body.
Tell about the liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant living in the city of Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic;
Reveal the significance of the heroism of the liquidators of the consequencesaccidents.
Hypothesis : man is the main cause of man-made disasters, which he himself has to correct. Therefore, a person should be responsible and grateful to the people who save humanity as a whole.
Tasks :
Study material on this topic;
Consider the fate of Chernobyl: past, present, future;
Characterize the consequences of the accident on a global scale;
Get acquainted with the liquidators of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic;
Conduct a sociological survey - a survey among students and teachers of the Sosnogorsk Technological College
During the study, periodicals were used - magazines and newspapers, books, and the Internet. Memories are presented as documents in the work.participant - accident liquidator. (See Appendix 5.1.)
Mresearch methods :
Theoretical, that is, the study and analysis of literary sources,documents published in the media;
Consultation with employees of the regional library named afterYa.M. Rocheva, Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic;
Consultation with the chairman of the Veterans House in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic;
Conversation and analysisinformation obtained during personal communication with the liquidator of the Chernobyl accident;
Drawing up questions and conducting a sociological survey - questioning among teachers studying full-time and part-time at the Sosnogorsk Technological College;
Processing and analysis of survey results using the programMicrosoft Excel;
Photographing the liquidators of the consequences at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic;
Systematization of material in the form of a booklet;
Release of a booklet;
Creating a multimedia presentation for a class hour.
Chapter 1. Theoretical part.
The city of Chernobyl is one of the provincial towns of our country. Founded in 1193. In the 1970s, the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine was built 10 km from Chernobyl. Just like Chernobyl, the city of Pripyat was created on April 14, 1972 for the residents of this nuclear power plant. The city of Chernobyl and Pripyat are the same cities as Balakovo.
The night from April 25 to April 26, 1986 became a watershed that split the lives of many people into far from equal parts. Many years ago, the concepts “before the war” and “after the war” came into use; now the words “before Chernobyl” and “after Chernobyl” have entered the hearts and souls of the population. The tragedy of Chernobyl became an unprecedented test not only for hundreds of thousands of people, but also for the entire country.
On April 25, the fourth power unit was supposed to be shut down for scheduled maintenance. Then it was decided to conduct an experiment, which was repeatedly carried out both at the units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and at other nuclear power plants: testing one of the turbogenerators in the run-down mode, in the language of specialists, with the load of the unit’s own needs.
The essence of the experiment is to simulate a situation where a turbogenerator may be left without its driving force, that is, without steam supply. For this purpose, a special mode was developed, according to which, when the steam was turned off due to the inertial rotation of the rotor, the generator for some time continued to generate electricity necessary for its own needs, in particular to power the main circulation pumps.
On April 25 at 1:00, the personnel began reducing the reactor power, at 13:05 they disconnected the turbogenerator from the network, and at 14:00 they turned off the emergency cooling system of the reactor. At 23:09, the reactor power was sharply reduced, and its intensive poisoning began with decay products - iodine and xenon (the element periodic table chemical elements by D.I. Mendeleev). April 26 came, and the air above the fourth reactor began to glow, and dull blows were heard from below, turning into a long hum. People began to behave inappropriately. Some were close to hysterics, shouting at their subordinates and rushing around the control panel, while others, on the contrary, became lethargic and drowsy. The underground hum intensified, the glow above the block reached a height of 700 m, acquired blue, blue and purple shades, by one o'clock in the morning it became clear that the reactor required immediate shutdown, and although the staff could no longer objectively assess the situation, they still decided to carry out the experiment. On April 26 at 1:23:04 the experiment began. Recorders (instruments) of a nearby seismic station at that moment recorded seismic activity. A minute before the explosion, the operator in the reactor hall felt a strong vibration, and 2 thousand cast iron plates, each of which weighed 350 kg - they formed the biological protection of the reactor - began to bounce, as if someone was throwing them from below. A few seconds later, a strong hum was heard from the water intake station at the cooling pond. The vibration of the units has increased. The multicolored glow became even stronger. The walls shook.
20 seconds before the explosion, namely at 1:23:40, the operator nevertheless pressed the emergency protection button, but the absorbing rods stopped halfway, at which moment the recorders noted the main seismic shock.
It is not difficult to imagine the horror that gripped the staff of the fourth power unit: they were professionals and well understood what was happening to the reactor and what was about to follow. Their courage and consistent and precise fulfillment of duty are amazing. They had to write down everything that happened in a special journal, and instead of running away, they kept a detailed record of events. Here is one of their last entries, we can say that this is a letter from the other world, because these people were among the first to die: “1 hour 23 minutes. 59 sec. Strong blows. The walls are shaking. Paul is shaking. 1 hour 24 min. 00 sec. Reactor explosion." The control and emergency rods began to move downwards, plunging into the reactor core, but after a few seconds the thermal power of the reactor abruptly increased to an unknown value (the power went off scale in all measuring instruments). The power unit building partially collapsed. A fire started in various rooms and on the roof. Subsequently, the remains of the core melted. A mixture of molten metal, sand, concrete and fuel particles spread throughout the reactor rooms.
As a result of this accident, about 50 tons of nuclear fuel evaporated and were released into the atmosphere in the form of small particles of uranium dioxide, highly radioactive radionucleides of iodine, plutonium, cesium, strontium and other radioactive isotopes. Another 70 tons are scattered on the territory of the nuclear power plant. Atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima, contained only a few kilograms of enriched uranium, and the exploded reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant released into the atmosphere as many radionuclides as could be produced by several thousand atomic bombs.
Causes of the disaster.
In April 1985, the new Soviet leadership proclaimed a course to accelerate the country's socio-economic development. Its main levers were seen as scientific and technological progress, technical re-equipment of mechanical engineering and the activation of the “human factor”.
In September 1985, M.S. Gorbachev called for widespread use of " hidden reserves", among which he included the maximum utilization of production capacities by organizing a multi-shift operating mode, strengthening labor discipline, using the proposals of innovators, improving product quality, and developing social competition.
The traditional reliance not on economic incentives, but on the enthusiasm of workers, has not brought success. At the same time, increased operation of equipment, not supported by technical innovations and a new level of specialist training, resulted in an increase in the number of accidents. One of which was the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Determining the causes of the accident at the fourth unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is one of the most controversial issues today. There are at least two different approaches to explaining the cause of the Chernobyl accident, which can be called official, as well as several alternative versions of varying degrees of reliability.
Initially, the blame for the disaster was placed solely, or almost exclusively, on the personnel. This position was taken by the State Commission formed in the USSR to investigate the causes of the disaster, the court, as well as the KGB of the USSR, which conducted its own investigation.
Gross violations of nuclear power plant operating rules committed by Chernobyl NPP personnel, according to this version, were as follows:
carrying out the experiment “at any cost”, despite the change in the state of the reactor;
decommissioning of serviceable technological protections that would simply stop the reactor before it enters a dangerous mode;
hushing up the scale of the accident in the first days by the leadership of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
In modern terms, the causes of the accident are as follows:
the reactor was poorly designed and dangerous;
staff were not informed of the dangers;
personnel made a number of errors and unintentionally violated existing regulations, partly due to a lack of information about the hazards of the reactor;
disabling protection either did not affect the development of the accident or did not contradict regulatory documents.
Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Igor Nikolaevich Yanitsky believed that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located in the area of a whole node of faults and seismic activity.
What do the witnesses say? During the investigation and trial, the witnesses who were at the control panel at the time of the accident were actually divided into two groups. Those legally responsible for the safety of the reactor said that the reactor exploded after the emergency button was pressed. Those who were not legally responsible for the safety of the reactor said that the reactor exploded either before or immediately after the emergency button was pressed. Naturally, in their memoirs and testimonies, both of them sought to justify themselves in every possible way. We quote below some of the testimony.
“The chief engineer for the operation of the second stage of the nuclear power plant who conducted the experiment... reported to me that, as is usually done, to shut down the reactor in the event of any emergency, he pressed the AZ-5 emergency protection button.”
This quote is from the memoirs of B.V. Rogozhkin, who worked as a station shift supervisor on the emergency night, clearly shows that at the 4th block, an “emergency situation” first arose, and only then the staff began to press the AZ-5 button (emergency button). And an “emergency situation” during a thermal explosion of a reactor arises and passes very quickly - within seconds. If it has already arisen, then the staff simply does not have time to react.
“All events occurred within 10...15 seconds. There was some kind of vibration. The noise grew rapidly. The reactor's power first fell and then began to increase, defying regulation. Then - several sharp claps and two “water hammers”. The second one is more powerful - from the side of the central hall of the reactor. The lights on the block panel went out and slabs fell down suspended ceiling, all equipment turned off"
This is how he describes the course of the accident itself. Naturally, without reference to the timeline. And here is another description of the accident given by N. Popov.
“...a hum of a completely unfamiliar character was heard, of a very low tone, similar to a human groan (eyewitnesses of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions usually spoke about similar effects). The floor and walls shook violently, dust and small crumbs fell from the ceiling, the fluorescent lighting went out, then immediately there was a dull thud, accompanied by thunderous rumbles...” “I. Kirshenbaum, S. Gazin, G. Lysyuk, who were present at the control panel, testified that they heard the command to shut down the reactor immediately before the explosion or immediately after it.”
“At this time I heard Akimov’s command to jam the device. Literally immediately there was a strong roar from the direction of the turbine hall” (From the testimony of A. Kukhar).
But what kind of explosion are we talking about in the testimony of witnesses, the first or the second? The answer to this question is contained in both the seismograms and the readings.
If the seismic station recorded only one of two weak explosions, then it is natural to assume that they registered a stronger one. And according to the testimony of all the witnesses, this was exactly the second explosion. Thus, we can confidently accept that it was the second explosion that occurred in the period from 01:23:38 to 01:23:40.
“Reactor operator L. Toptunov shouted about an emergency increase in reactor power. Akimov shouted loudly: “Shut down the reactor!” and rushed to the reactor control panel. Everyone has already heard this second command to jam. This was apparently after the first explosion...”
It follows that by the time the AZ-5 button was pressed for the second time, the first explosion had already occurred. And this is very important for further analysis. This is where it will be useful to carry out a simple time calculation. It is reliably known that the first press of the AZ-5 button was made at 01:23:39, and the second at 01:23:41. The time difference between presses was 2 seconds. And in order to see the emergency readings of the device, realize them and shout “about an emergency increase in power”, you need to spend at least 4...5 s. In order to listen, then make a decision, give the command “Shut down the reactor!”, rush to the control panel and press the AZ-5 button, you need to spend at least another 4…5 seconds. So, we already have a reserve of 8...10 seconds before the second press of the AZ-5 button. Let us remember that by this moment the first explosion had already occurred. That is, it took place even earlier and clearly before the first press of the AZ-5 button.
And here is the testimony of Chernobyl NPP employees O.A. Romantsev and A.M. Rudyk, who were fishing on the shore of the cooling pond on the emergency night.
“I saw very clearly a flame above block No. 4, which was similar in shape to a candle flame or a torch. It was very dark, deep purple, with all the colors of the rainbow. The flame was at the level of the pipe cut of unit No. 4. It seemed to go backwards and there was a second pop, like a geyser bursting. After 15...20 seconds, another torch appeared, which was narrower than the first, but 5...6 times higher. The flame also slowly grew and then disappeared, just like the first time. The sound was like a cannon shot. Noisy and harsh. We went” True, in the testimony of Rudyk A.M. a slightly different time elapsed between two explosions is indicated, namely 30 s. But this dispersion is easy to understand if we consider that both witnesses observed the scene of the explosion without a stopwatch in their hands. Therefore, their personal temporal sensations can be objectively characterized as follows: the time interval between the two explosions was quite noticeable and amounted to a time measured in tens of seconds. All witness statements differ to some extent in their content. And this is understandable, because it is impossible to remember, understand and analyze everything to the smallest detail in a matter of seconds when something extraordinary happens.
Consequences of the accident.
One person died directly during the explosion at the fourth power unit, and another died on the same day from burns. 134 Chernobyl NPP employees and members of rescue teams who were at the station during the explosion developed radiation sickness, 28 of them died.
Soon after the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, fire brigade units to protect the nuclear power plant arrived and began extinguishing the fire, mainly on the roof of the turbine hall.
Of the two available devices for 1000 roentgens per hour, one failed, and the other was inaccessible due to the debris that had arisen. Therefore, for the first time during the accident, no one knew exactly the real radiation levels in the premises of the block and around it. The state of the reactor was also unclear.
In the first hours after the accident, many apparently did not realize how badly damaged the reactor was, so the mistaken decision was made to supply water to the reactor core to cool it. These efforts were futile, since both the pipelines and the core itself were destroyed, but they required work in areas with high radiation. Other actions of the station personnel, such as extinguishing local fires in the premises of the station, measures aimed at preventing a possible hydrogen explosion, etc., on the contrary, were necessary. They may have prevented even more serious consequences. While performing this work, many station employees received large doses of radiation, some even fatal. Among them were the unit shift supervisor A. Akimov and operator L. Toptunov, who controlled the reactor during the accident.
Some experts claim that the firefighters who arrived at the scene of the accident did not put out the fire that arose on the roof of the block correctly. “This is not just a fire, but an ignited radioactive oil liquid; it cannot be extinguished with water, since when extinguishing with water, it is formed into exactly the steam that was released by the explosion.” It turns out that while they were putting out the fire, the firefighters themselves were breathing in harmful emissions.
Subsequently, to eliminate the consequences of the accident and to create a protective shell over the destroyed reactor, a sarcophagus-object “Shelter” was erected over the 4th block of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
One of the most significant, both in terms of the resources spent and the volume of work performed at the Chernobyl NPP industrial site, is the creation of a deep reinforced concrete wall in the ground to the east of the station. In the first days of the accident, when the scale of the disaster became obvious, many experts believed that the lower tier of building structures would not withstand temperature loads and additional pressure from 5 thousand tons of materials poured by helicopters. Experts expressed concerns that if the fuel fell down, it would cause groundwater contamination. Such assumptions served as justification for creating some kind of barrier that would block the path of movement of fuel masses from the molten nuclear reactor into groundwater. It was decided to create a huge reinforced concrete monolith under the destroyed reactor of the 4th power unit. The uniqueness of this structure was that the slab under the reactor had to be not only a foundation, but also have the property of a refrigerator. Inside this monolith it was planned to install a pipeline system to supply water to cool the space under the reactor. In addition, during the construction of the reinforced concrete slab it was planned to install measuring equipment for various purposes. In a concise manner, a wall was created up to 100 meters deep and about three kilometers long. From May to December 1986, in the skies above the exclusion zone and on the distant approaches to these territories, a unique set of works was carried out to prevent precipitation from falling on radioactively contaminated lands. In a short time, the entire technical and scientific potential of the country in the field of meteorology was mobilized to suppress rain clouds and actively prevent their appearance over the Chernobyl zone. In the first weeks of the Chernobyl accident, the main source of air pollution with radionuclides was the destroyed reactor, but over time (after the release from the reactor ceased), the formation of radioactive pollution of the atmosphere began to occur due to the formation of dust and wind transfer of radionuclides from adjacent areas of the radioactive trace zone.
The problem required a quick solution. To fix dust in areas of intense dust formation, scientists proposed using the technology of applying polymer compositions. In accordance with the decision of the Government Commission dated 05/07/86, extensive work was carried out to suppress dust aerosol pollution in these areas. All these measures were of great importance in reducing the impact of the negative factors of the accident on the environment.
However, there is no 100% guarantee that the release of radioactive substances will not happen again. The sarcophagus above the reactor is as tall as a 24-story building, built on a quick fix, may be unstable to earthquakes. A reactor damaged by an explosion is also unpredictable in behavior.
"Union - Chernobyl".
A government commission was created to eliminate the consequences of the accident. The liquidators worked in the dangerous zone in shifts: those who received the maximum permissible dose of radiation left, and others came to take their place. The bulk of the work was carried out in 1986-1987, approximately 240 thousand people took part in it. The total number of liquidators (including subsequent years) was about 600 thousand. Every year there are fewer and fewer of them. I think they deserve respect and attention from the state. But, unfortunately, this respect is not enough for their health to return to normal.
The state provides the following social support measures for liquidators of the Chernobyl accident:
Ensuring the protection of the rights and interests of citizens exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident in accordance with the Law.
Providing additional paid leave in the amount of 14 calendar days.
Monthly cash payment and compensation payments for housing and communal services, travel on suburban railway transport and for sanatorium-resort treatment.
In recent years, there has been a decrease in the level of medical, medicinal and sanatorium-resort services for citizens exposed to radiation. The flow of letters and telephone calls increased after the speech of the head of the Chernobyl Union of Russia in the media: - if in 2006 57 citizens addressed letters to the Chernobyl Union of Russia, then in 2007 after his speech - 176 citizens, and the number of telephone calls calls have increased tenfold. A large number of requests came from Moscow, the Krasnodar Territory, the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions.
The government is gradually phasing out all programs social protection Chernobyl victims.
Chernobyl today
Today, about 6,000 people work here, who came here from all over Ukraine. They work in shifts - 15 days in the zone, 15 days outside it. They are brought to the zone from Slavutich by a special train. In Chernobyl itself there are only workers' dormitories. Officially, living in the zone is prohibited, although a year after the accident, 1,000 people returned to their former houses, because of this they were called self-settlers. Some of them even live in villages alone. In total, today there are about 300 self-settlers left - the average age is 60 and above, a postman visits them, a doctor examines them once a month, the zone administration pays a pension. There are also 130 organizations operating on the territory of the ChEZ, 30 of them are large - these are the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself, Chernobyl Forest (manages all plantings), Chernobylservice (public services), Chernobylmetal (decontamination and recycling of metal) and others.
Everything that is happening at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant today can be divided into three intersecting directions :
final decommissioning of the enterprise;
work on international projects;
transformation of the Shelter Object into an environmentally friendly system, or, to put it very simply, the construction of the Arch.
The first direction involves active activity at the industrial site until 2065. To date, from all shutdown reactors and cooling pools, all nuclear fuel (more than 20 thousand spent fuel assemblies) has been unloaded and moved for temporary storage in the spent nuclear fuel storage facility (with the exception of 53 damaged fuel assemblies located in cooling pools 1 and 2 blocks, they will be removed over the next year and placed in ISF-1 in special channels). Until 2022, it is planned to finally close and mothball all reactors and the most “dirty” equipment, after which a long “waiting” period is planned for more than 20 years (until 2045), during which, according to calculations, the natural half-life of radionuclides will occur, and therefore a decrease in radioactivity of equipment and structures. At this time, external structures will be dismantled. Then, for another 20 years, all the equipment inside the premises, and at the same time the unstable elements of the buildings, will also be dismantled, what can be decontaminated and removed from regulatory control, scrapped, what cannot be buried, the tents of the blocks will be lowered, the site will be cleaned. Initially, it was planned that the most correct thing would be to turn the industrial site into a “Brown Spot” by 2065 and “forget” about this territory. However, taking into account the specifics of the exclusion zone, the potential of personnel and other factors, now we're talking about that it would be most optimal to integrate the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site into the industrial complex of Ukraine. Those. to create “near-nuclear” production there - for example, for the processing and storage of radioactive waste, spent fuel, etc., which is already being partially implemented within the framework of the second mentioned direction “international projects”.
Currently, within the framework of international technical assistance projects (which implies joint financing by the West and Ukraine), more than 10 projects are being implemented at the Chernobyl NPP, without which it is simply impossible to decommission the power units. For example, during its operation, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accumulated about 20 thousand cubic meters of liquid radioactive waste and more than 300 thousand cubic meters of solid radioactive waste. As mentioned above, equipment and core structures, including graphite, sand, metal, etc., will have to be dismantled and decontaminated. In order to somehow deal with all these lakes and mountains of radioactive materials, a liquid radioactive waste processing plant (LRWTP) and a solid radioactive waste management complex (SRWMC) were built. In the first it is planned to pack more than forty 200-liter barrels per day, in the second - 20 cubic meters of fuel per day. In order to have something to pack RO into, a complex for the production of barrels and containers was built on the site (about 35 thousand metal barrels and 700 reinforced concrete containers per year). In order to shred “oversized” waste, the installation for cutting long waste is being modernized. To store spent nuclear fuel removed from reactors, a storage facility was built (ISF-2, 21 thousand spent fuel assemblies). Separately, it is worth mentioning the construction of the Centralized Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (CSSF), which was launched on August 26 of this year. First of all, the construction of such a facility will strengthen the energy independence of Ukraine. Until recently, all spent fuel from Ukrainian nuclear power plants was exported for considerable sums – about $200 million per year – for subsequent reprocessing to Russia. Russia extracted all valuable elements from spent nuclear fuel, and returned the fuel in the form of radioactive waste. Meanwhile, today all countries have taken the path of a “deferred decision” - they do not reprocess spent fuel, but temporarily place it in storage facilities in the hope that in the near future progress will lead to the emergence of technologies that allow the most efficient reuse of spent fuel. Presumably, the costs of construction and operation of the Central ISFSF will be almost four times less than the total costs that Ukraine incurs today when exporting spent nuclear fuel to Russia. After the construction of the start-up complex (it is expected that this will happen in 2017), the spent fuel from the Khmelnytsky, Rivne and South Ukrainian nuclear power plants will be sent to its own central storage facility. The design capacity of the storage facility will presumably be 16.53 thousand spent fuel elements, and the operating period will be 100 years. And this is only part of the work on international projects.
Finally, the third area of activity of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is the New Safe Confinement, better known as the “Arch”. It is unlikely that anyone has not yet heard that the “Sarcophagus”, erected after the accident in heroic haste (in 206 days), is extremely leaky and through holes in the roof at night shitiks look at you with sad, glowing eyes. There is some truth in this myth.
Firstly, about 180 tons of fuel remained inside the destroyed reactor, turned into fuel-containing masses, resulting in radiation levels inside reaching thousands of roentgens to this day.
Secondly, indeed, the tightness of the structure always left much to be desired, total area gaps in the roof and walls at the time of its delivery amounted to 1000 sq.m. After the stabilization of building structures and light roof repair work in 2008, the situation undoubtedly improved, but not dramatically.
Thirdly, the period of safe operation of “newly constructed metal structures The duration of the Shelter object is 30 years, that is, it ends in 2016. In order to solve all these problems in one fell swoop, it was decided for the next 100 years to cover the entire “Sarcophagus” with a huge arch with a span of 257 meters, a height of more than 100 meters (this is a 35-story building), more than 160 meters long (this is one and a half football fields) and weighing more than 30 thousand tons. There is no need to dwell on the unrealistic amount of preparatory work that was done to simply begin construction (just one little tidbit: more than 55 thousand cubic meters of solid radioactive waste were removed from the future construction site and technological materials), we are talking about the present moment.
Today we have raised two parts of the “Arch”: Eastern (October 2013) and Western (October 2014) - and are as close to each other as possible.
In the near future, both parts will be connected to each other; in the Western part, support parts and side segments will be installed in the coming weeks. Then, over the course of a couple of years, the entire structure will be filled with all sorts of useful stuffing, such as ventilation systems, and this bulk will be pushed onto the old, dilapidated “Sarcophagus”, which will make it possible to safely deal with its roof and insides.
Chapter 2. Research methodology
In the course of our work, we used different research methods, methods and techniques:
Attendance at the lesson of courage “Chernobyl. On the edge of the possible”, conducted by librarian Svetlana Mikhailovna Kudina in the DistrictCentral Library named after. Ya.M. Rocheva, Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic and exhibitions of popular science books, magazines, etc. (see Appendix 1);
A trip and meeting with the Chairman of the Veterans Council to collect information about the liquidators of the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic (see Appendix 2);
On April 26, 2016, we visited the City Palace of Culture in Ukhta at the exhibition of works from the city drawing competition “Chernobyl through the eyes of children” and at the theme evening “This must not happen again!”, dedicated to the memory of victims of radiation accidents and disasters and the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.”(see Appendix 3)
We met and had a conversation with the liquidator of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic (see Appendix 4);
We conducted and analyzed a sociological survey - a questionnaire among teachers studying full-time and part-time at our technical school. 90 people took part in the survey. (see Appendix 5);
On April 29, 2016, we attended the ceremonial presentation and award ceremony for the liquidators of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic (see Appendix 6)
Creation of a booklet on this topic (see Appendix 7);
Prepared a multimedia presentation for work
Chapter 3. Conclusion
The Chernobyl accident came as a tragic surprise to everyone. It also claimed the lives of many people: many died while extinguishing the fire after the explosion; those who survived received radiation sickness and soon died too; and there are people who are still cleaning the Radiation Exclusion Zone - their lives are shortened by several years.
At this time, the political situation in the country began to change, and Chernobyl, along with other environmental issues, became one of the first topics on which it was possible, although not directly, to criticize the authorities. In preparation for the first democratic elections, Chernobyl becomes a slogan for many aspiring politicians of various ranks. In addition, the media used the Chernobyl topic, first to criticize the CPSU, and then as a source of sensations to solve their purely opportunistic problems at the stage of formation of a free press. As a result, the media have become the main source of misinformation and destabilization of the socio-psychological situation in the affected territories. Professional publications in which experts tried to confront psychosis and give a realistic assessment of the situation remained practically unknown to the general public.
Attempts by the CPSU to abdicate responsibility for the inadequate response and delay in taking measures to protect the population only aggravate the situation. The government appeals to the international community with a request to conduct an international examination, thereby expressing complete distrust in domestic specialists and scientists. In this situation, the media direct the main stream of criticism to discredit everything that came from official science.
As a result, by the 5th anniversary, the Chernobyl accident is already assessed in the media as one of the biggest sins of the authorities. After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the legislation of the USSR and then Russia established the responsibility of persons who deliberately conceal or do not communicate to the population the consequences of environmental disasters and man-made accidents. Information related to the environmental safety of places cannot now be classified as secret.
In conclusion, we want to say that the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused great damage to the economies of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and even some European countries. Taking into account all indirect losses and taking into account several years, experts estimated the losses of the Soviet Union at a huge amount of 70 - 80 billion dollars. The global nature of the Chernobyl disaster is also determined by the fact that even the world community is economically unable to eliminate the consequences of this tragedy. The government of Belarus estimates its total damage for the period 1986-2015. at 235 billion dollars. The closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant alone required $4 billion, and Ukraine estimates the total economic damage from the liquidation of the remaining two units at $10 billion. By 2015, the total costs of just the three states most affected by the disaster - Russia, Ukraine, Belarus - to eliminate the consequences of the accident will exceed $300 billion.
Most people think of the Chernobyl disaster as an event consigned to history, but the truth is that the disaster continues to have a devastating impact on the lives of the people of the three countries. Despite the fact that almost 30 years have passed since the explosion, it is quite possible that the worst consequences for human health have not yet become apparent. The big headlines about the explosion and radiation clouds have disappeared from the newspaper pages, while the real catastrophe for people, the economy, society and the environment continues.
In the course of studying specialized literature, Internet resources and conducting various observations (sociological survey - questionnaire), we found out that it is necessary to systematically remind all people aboutthe largest man-made disasterXXcentury - this is the Chernobyl accident, its consequences on the human body and the environment.The memory of Chernobyl should be sacred to us, just as the memory of veterans of the Great Patriotic War and people who died in this terrible Great Patriotic War is sacred. We must always remember the feat of people who, in difficult times, went into the radiation throat, covering not only Kyiv, Ukraine, but the whole world!We are very proud of our “Chernobyl survivors” who live on the territory of the Komi Republic, Sosnogorsk.
"Feat" -
He literally moves.
The weak - to the goal.
To courage - those who are left behind.
To raise the fallen and tired,
Move -
Light those that have gone out.
I would like to believe that people will learn to take care of their planet and there will be no “second Chernobyl”, “second Fukushima”. We must remember - our future is in our hands! So let's make it livable.
The practical significance of this work lies in the fact that the collected materials can be used by students and teachers (teachers) to conduct additional classes in physics. (class hour, scientific - educational conference, lesson - courage, etc.). With our work, we wanted to attract the attention of other students at our technical school to the problem we were working on, and for this we developed and distributed the booklet “The Chernobyl accident is a global catastrophe of our time”
The results of the study helped us answer all our previously posed questions in the work, but one of the questions:“What needs to be done to ensure something like this never happens again?” made us think, we came to the consensus that security requires highly qualified specialists, discipline and responsibility.
Thus, the objectives of the research work have been solved, the set goals have been achieved, the problem raised has been clarified, hypothesis that man is the main cause of man-made disasters, which he himself has to correct, has been fully confirmed.
Literature
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its consequences: Information from the USSR State Committee on Energy, prepared for a meeting at the IAEA (Vienna, August 25...29, 1986).
Illesh A.V., Pralnikov A.E. Report from Chernobyl: Notes from eyewitnesses. Comments. Reflections.M.: Mysl, 1987. - 157 p.
Karpan N.V. Chronology of the accident at the 4th block of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Analytical report, D. No. 17-2001, Kyiv, 2001.
Medvedev G.U. - Chernobyl Chronicle.Publisher: Sovremennik Year: 1989. – 240 p.
On the causes and circumstances of the accident at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 1986. Report of the USSR State Pedagogical Academy, Moscow, 1991.
Chernobyl. Test days. Book of Testimonies.Kyiv: "Radyansky writing", 1988. - 443 p.
Chernobyl. Exclusion Zone. Digest of articles. Publishing house "Family Leisure Club". Kharkiv. Belgorod. 2011
Internet resources:
Applications 1
According to the plan of educational work, events dedicated to the Chernobyl accident were planned in our technical school:
On April 24, 2016, in the district library named after Y. Rochev in Sosnogorsk, an exhibition of popular science books and magazines dedicated to the Chernobyl accident took place. (See Photo 1)
Photo 1 Visiting an exhibition in the library
Appendix 2
At the beginning of April 2016, we visited the district council of veterans of Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic, and received information about the liquidators of the Chernobyl consequences from the chairman Olga Nikiforovna Koryakina (see Table 3.1)
Table 2.1
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Citizens, military personnel and those liable for military service (including those temporarily sent or sent on business), who took part in1986-1987Full name
Area, locality
AkOpyanLeonid Vladimirovich
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Aleshin Igor Mikhailovich
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Bezbabnykh Vasily Grigorievich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Bershadsky Alexander Yakovlevich
Sosnogorsky, Ust - Ukhta
Gabov Semyon Ilyich
Sosnogorsky, Voyvozh
Getmanenko Sergey Alexandrovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Ivanov Viktor Nikolaevich
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Kozlov Ivan Mikhailovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Kochergin Leonid Ivanovich
Sosnogorsky, Voyvozh
10.
Ksendzov Alexander Nesterovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
11.
Lebedev Valery Ivanovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
12.
Lebedev Dmitry Nikolaevich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
13.
Likhachev Vladislav Pavlovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
14.
Lyusov Sergey Mikhailovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
15.
Mayorov Sergey Nikolaevich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
16.
Maksarov Sergey Egorovich
Sosnogorsky, Voyvozh
17.
Mitrovich Mikhail Iosifovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
18.
Moiseyanchik Alexey Alekseevich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
19.
Otroshko Alexander Andreevich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
20.
Pavlov Alexander Borisovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
21.
Pestov Pavel Semenovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
22.
Poplevkin Yuri Mikhailovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
23.
Sinebryukhov Nikolay Vasilievich
Sosnogorsky, Malaya Pera
24.
Smirnov Nikolay Gennadievich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
25.
Soloviev Alexander Vitalievich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
26.
Sulgin Vasily Georgievich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
27.
Sumarokov Alexander Igorevich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
28.
Syskin Vladimir Vasilievich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
29.
Trefilov Mikhail Ivanovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
30.
Khozyainov Gennady Fedorovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
31.
Chemeris Yuri Viktorovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
32.
Shatov Alexander Ivanovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
33.
Shmygov Viktor Borisovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Continuation of Appendix 2
Continuation of Table 2.1
List of liquidators of the consequences at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic
1988 participation in the work to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster
Asaulka Sergey Alexandrovich
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Gorbulin Mikhail Vasilievich
Sosnogorsky, Kerki
Karev Viktor Mikhailovich
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Pavin Igor Valentinovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Senyukov Nikolay Vasilievich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Kharchenko Alexander Grigorievich
Sosnogorsk, Verkhneizhemsky
Khristyuk Valery Vladimirovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Chernikhov Sergey Ivanovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Citizens, military personnel and those liable for military service (including those temporarily sent or seconded), who took part in1989-1990 years of participation in the work to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster
Babkin Valery Nikolaevich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Khaleev Petr Pavlovich
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Disabled group 1 due to the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Disabled group 2 due to the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Disabled group 3 due to the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Korotkov Nikolay Grigorievich
Sosnogorsky, Voyvozh
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Citizens resettled (resettled), including those who left voluntarily, from the resettlement zone in 1986 and in subsequent years as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Grigoriev Oleg Vladimirovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Maksimenko Alexander Ivanovich
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Sasova Alla Mikhailovna
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Citizens evacuated (including those who left voluntarily) in 1986 from the exclusion zone as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Krivenko Tatyana Ivanovna
Sosnogorsky, Voyvozh
Continuation of Appendix 2
Continuation of Table 2.1
List of liquidators of the consequences at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Families, including widows (widowers) of deceased participants in the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986-1987.Aksenova Tatyana Vasilievna
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Gvozdyrkova Anna Osmanovna
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Derkach Maria Mikhailovna
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Families, including widows (widowers) of deceased participants in the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant of 1988-1990.
Kislitsina Nina Nikolaevna
Sosnogorsky, Nizhny Odessa
Categories (presence of any of the lists 05/01/2016): Families who lost their breadwinner from among the citizens who died as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, who died as a result of radiation sickness and other diseases arising in connection with the Chernobyl disaster, as well as families of deceased disabled people, who were subject to social support measures
Pultsina Lyubov Anatolevna
Sosnogorsky, Sosnogorsk
Appendix 3
Photo 2 - 3 Visit to the exhibition of works from the drawing competition “Chernobyl through the eyes of children”
Continuation of Appendix 3
Photos 4 – 9 Visittheme evening "This must not happen again!”, dedicated to the memory of victims of radiation accidents and disasters and the 30th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant"
Continuation of Appendix 3
Continuation of Appendix 3
Appendix 4
On April 22, 2016 we went to the address: Komi Republic, Sosnogorsk st. Pionerskaya 2 apt 6 for meeting and talking with the liquidator of the consequences. at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
During the conversation we received the following information:
Poplevkin Yuri Ivanovich was born on May 22, 1950 in the city of Izhevsk (see Photos 15 - 17). In 1953, his family moved to Sosnogorsk in the Komi Republic, graduated from secondary school No. 2, and served in the chemical forces in Sverdlovsk. In 1986 he was called to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. While there, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant receives a radioactive dose of radiation for 12 days, is admitted to the hospital, and after the hospital again continues to actively work on the territory of Chernobyl. After four months, he is sent home to Sosnogorsk, since the established time for people to stay on the territory of Chernobyl was limited to 4 months.
April 29, 2016 Yuri Ivanovich Poplevkin was invited to the administration of Sosnogorsk in the Komi Republic to present anniversary medal to the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. Awarded (see Photos 10 - 16):
3rd degree medal for “Service to the Fatherland”;
medal for the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident;
medal for the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident
Photo 10 Poplevkin Yuri Ivanovich
Continuation of Appendix 4
Photos 11, 12 Documents indicating this. that Yuri Ivanovich Poplevkin is the liquidator of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
Continuation of Appendix 4
Photo 13 Presentation of a medal for the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident
Photo 14.15 Invitation card
Photo 16 Medals of Yuri Ivanovich Poplevkin
Appendix 5
In order to find out the level of knowledge on this issue, we decided to conduct a sociological survey - a questionnaire among teachers and students of the full-time and part-time departments of our technical school. 90 people took part in the survey. Respondents were asked the following questions, which are shown in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1
Questionnaire
The results of the survey are presented in the form of diagrams 1 – 10,received using the programMicrosoft Excel. The sociological survey conducted allowed us to draw the following conclusions: that not all students remember the date, month and year of the Chernobyl accident, and only 72% of respondents know and remember that it happened on April 26, 1986. To the question: Who do you think is to blame for the Chernobyl disaster? 44% of respondents - the human factor, 14% - negligence of workers and 13% - do not know. The last figure tells us that a certain number of students surveyed at our technical school do not read popular science books and magazines - 50% of them, but use other sources of information (watch videos on this topic - 91% of surveyed students). To the next question: What is Chernobyl for you?, we received a lot of points of view, many think, and this is 22% of respondents - the exclusion zone, 18% - a site of radioactive contamination, 16% - a ghost town, etc. 16% propose using Chernobyl as a protected area, 15% as a center for scientific research and 13% as a tourism site. Our students also dream of visiting Chernobyl, but 20% of those surveyed, 80% have not visited and do not want to, since 33% of respondents believe that today Chernobyl is very dangerous for people and 41% believe that there is a danger, but not significant. Our last question was: Do you think the programs to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are sufficiently funded? 74% of respondents do not know about their existence at all, and only 19% know that they exist and are funded. We will try to analyze why students do not know about funding programs for liquidation of consequences at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, firstly, this is due to the fact that they have not encountered this issue, since 94% of respondents do not have close relatives related to the events at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, secondly , from not wanting to be a comprehensively informed person.
Continuation of Appendix 5
Diagram 1 When did the Chernobyl disaster happen?
Diagram 2. Who do you think is to blame for the Chernobyl disaster?
Continuation of Appendix 5
Diagram 3. What is Chernobyl for you?
Continuation of Appendix 5
Diagram 4. Have you read books about the Chernobyl disaster?
Diagram 5. Have you watched videos about the Chernobyl disaster?
Continuation of Appendix 5
Diagram 6. Are you or your close relatives connected with the events of the Chernobyl disaster?
Diagram 7. How do you think the Chernobyl zone should be used in the future?
Continuation of Appendix 5
Diagram 8. Have you visited the Chernobyl “exclusion zone”?
Diagram 9. How safe do you think Chernobyl is today?
Continuation of Appendix 5
Diagram 10. In your opinion, are programs to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sufficiently funded?
Appendix 6
On April 29, 2016, in the district administration of Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic,words of gratitude to “our Chernobyl survivors” for their heroism during the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
Alexey Moiseyanchik, chairman of the Chernobyl Union of Sosnogorsk region, reminded his fellow liquidators of the cost of victory over an invisible enemy: “30 years ago we took part in work in the zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. Thanks to us and people like us, the reactor was pacified, the sarcophagus was closed, and the area affected by radioactive elements in the territory was reduced. And the memory of this should live on in the generations of our descendants!”
In connection with the 30th anniversary of the accident, the Sosnogorsk “Chernobyl survivors” were presented with a sign “In memory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster” (see Photo 17, 18
)
In total, more than thirty residents of Sosnogorsk were awarded the award. (see photo19 - 51 )
Photo 17, 18 Award “In memory of the Chernobyl disaster”
Continuation of Appendix 6
Photo 19 – 45 Liquidators of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident in Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic
Continuation of Appendix 6
Continuation of Appendix 6
Appendix 7
Chernobyl accident- destructionApril 26, 1986 the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). The destruction was explosive, the reactor was completely destroyed, and a large amount of radioactive substances was released into the environment. The accident is regarded as the largest of its kind in the entire history of nuclear energy, both in terms of the estimated number of people killed and affected by its consequences, and in terms of economic damage. During the first three months after the accident, 31 people died; long-term effects of radiation, identified over the next 15 years, caused the death of 60 to 80 people.
To the liquidators of the accident
(excerpt)
...And suddenly, like a bolt from the blue...
A threat much worse than war.
There are no more terrible accidents in history,
Death came out in the midst of spring...
The reactor and the entire peaceful atom exploded
Suddenly, he became deadly, terrible and evil.
And the heroes stood up to fight this bastard,
From all regions of our strong country.
They won, they covered the reactor,
They plugged that vent by putting on a sarcophagus...
At the cost of health and your own life,
And tears in my eyes full of bitterness.
Such heroism cannot be forgotten,
It is worthy of the highest awards.
Stick with each other, it will help you
God bless you, because your feat is holy!
Varin A.I.
Authors of the booklet:
Zaitse Andrey, Novoseltsev Alexander, 2nd year students,
Zaets Tatyana Viktorovna, physics teacher
Address: Komi Republic, Sosnogorsk,
st. Kuratova – 4,
GPOU "Sosnogorsk Technological College"
The Chernobyl accident is a global catastrophe
modernity
April 26, 1986 -
Every house is visible in memory
The wind howls in Chernobyl grief...
Here she is in front of me and behind me,
Joy and pain turn into fear -
Soon they will ask us to move too...
So, there’s a meadow just outside the outskirts
With the village, which is still being demolished.
So, may our garden be fruitful, generous in this last autumn.
The plantings are like this in each of the huts
In a village that is being demolished after all.
I will not raise my teary eyes:
They don’t reap here anymore and they don’t mow down anymore... I’ll dream about it, I know more than once
A village that is being demolished after all. This is Chernobyl.
This is a difficult legacy for
future generations
as a result of the accident, tens of thousands of people died among liquidators alone; in Europe, 10,000 cases of deformities in newborns, 10,000 cases of thyroid cancer and an increase in oncological diseases were recorded;
In areas affected by radiation, cases of mutations of some species of animals and plants have been noted.
To those affected by
Chernobyl disaster
This explosion singed your wings,
Not allowing you to fly further.
And the nightmare so suddenly became reality, All that remains is to regret the past.
Tears washed away the radiation sickness,
Tears of hundreds and thousands of people,
Baring your living soul,
Killing whatever is dear to the heart.
Both children and grandchildren cry after you,
Only these troubles cannot be helped.
It remains for us to remember science,
After all, the events today are exactly the same.
I turn off the TV again,
So as not to see such news. The same mistakes are repeated
Killing innocent children
