On April 26, 2016, the whole world lit candles and remembered the terrible catastrophe that divided the story into before and after: 30 years of the Chernobyl tragedy. April 26th is the day when people on planet Earth learned how a "peaceful" atom can behave. Almost all European countries felt the consequences of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Black date
The Chernobyl tragedy - the explosion and destruction of the fourth nuclear reactor - occurred at the Chernobyl power plant. The explosion thundered on the night of April 26, 1986 , at 01:24. In the dead of night, all the inhabitants of the town were sleeping, and no one suspected that this date would change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Since then, every year on the territory of the former republics of the USSR, a memorial day is celebrated for the Chernobyl tragedy as the most monstrous and largest accident in the field of nuclear energy.
Brief description of the Chernobyl NPP
The Chernobyl tragedy occurred at a nuclear power plant (Chernobyl nuclear power plant), located on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine), just three kilometers from the city of Pripyat and some hundred kilometers from Kiev - the capital of the republic of the USSR and modern Ukraine. At the time of the accident, almost 50 thousand inhabitants lived in Pripyat, and most of them worked at a nuclear power plant that fed almost the entire city.
On the day of the disaster, four power units were operating at the station, the failure of one of which caused the accident. Two more power units were under construction and were to be commissioned soon.
The Chernobyl power station was so powerful that it provided 1/10 of all the electricity needs of the Ukrainian SSR.
The accident of the fourth power unit
The Chernobyl tragedy occurred in 1986. This happened on Saturday, April 26, at half past one in the night. As a result of a powerful explosion, the fourth power unit was completely destroyed and could no longer be repaired. In the first seconds, two plant workers were killed, who were at that moment in close proximity to the reactor. Instantly a fire started. The temperature in the reactor was so high that everything that was there (metals, concrete, sand, fuel) melted.
The day of the Chernobyl tragedy turned black for hundreds of thousands of people. The release of radioactive substances caused severe radioactive contamination not only in the Ukrainian SSR, but throughout Europe.
Accident Timeline
On April 25, scheduled repair work in the reactor, as well as a test of the new reactor operation mode, were to take place. Before repair work under the protocol, the reactor power was significantly reduced, at that time it worked only 20-30% of its efficiency. In connection with the repair, the emergency reactor cooling system was also shut off. As a result, the power of the power unit fell to 500 MW, while at full strength it could accelerate to 3200 MW. At about half past one in the morning, the operator could not keep the reactor power at the proper level, and it fell almost to zero.
The staff took measures to increase the capacity, and their attempts were crowned with success - it began to grow. However, OZR (operational reactivity margin) continued to fall. Upon reaching a capacity of 200 MW, eight pumps were switched on, including additional ones. But the flow rate of water cooling the reactor was small, due to which the temperature inside the reactor began to gradually increase, and soon it reached the boiling point.
The planned experiment with increasing reactor power began at 01:23:04. The launch was successful, and the power began to grow rapidly. Such an increase was planned, and the station staff did not give it due attention. Already at 01:23:38 an alarm was given, and the test had to be stopped, all work should be stopped immediately and the reactor should be returned to its original state. But the experiment continued. A few seconds later, the system received alarms about a rapid increase in reactor power, and at 01:24 the Chernobyl tragedy happened - an explosion sounded. The fourth reactor was completely destroyed, and the release of radioactive substances into the atmosphere began.
Possible causes of the accident
A 1993 report talked about the following causes of a reactor accident:
- Many errors of the personnel of the power plant, as well as violation of the rules of the experiment.
- The continuation of the work, despite the fact that the reactor was behaving malfunctioning, the staff wanted to finish the experiment at all costs.
- The reactor itself did not meet safety standards, as it had a number of significant design problems.
- The young staff did not understand the whole peculiarity of working with the reactor.
- Poor communication between reactor operators.
Be that as it may, the Chernobyl tragedy happened due to an uncontrolled increase in the capacity of a nuclear reactor, which could no longer be stopped.
Some are looking for the cause of the accident not in an operational error, but in the whims of nature. At that moment when the explosion occurred, a seismic shock was recorded, that is, according to one version, a small earthquake caused instability of the reactor.
There is another version of the cause of the accident - sabotage. The leadership of the USSR was looking for saboteurs, only to avoid recognizing the fact that the reactor was built with violations, and the personnel working there were not so qualified to conduct such tests.
The consequences of the Chernobyl tragedy
The day of the Chernobyl tragedy claimed many lives. Two employees of the station died from the explosion: one from the collapse of the concrete slab, the second died in the morning from injuries. Those who were involved in the elimination of the traces of the accident were severely affected - 134 station employees and members of the rescue teams were exposed to severe radiation exposure. All of them developed radiation sickness, 28 of them died due to radiation infection a few months later.
Fire cities immediately responded to the sound of the explosion. Major Telyatnikov took command. The desperate actions of Teliatnikov and his team helped stop the spread of the fire, otherwise the consequences would be even more catastrophic. Telyatnikov himself survived only thanks to the complex brain surgery that was done to him in England. The first to arrive at the scene of the accident were officers of the brigade of Lieutenant Pravik, who died due to strong exposure. At the same time, Lieutenant Kibenok, who arrived immediately after Pravik, was also killed.
By six in the morning, firefighters managed to suppress the fire. All the liquidators that night did not know upon departure that the reactor had exploded, and therefore did not even put on radiation protection equipment.
Firefighters performed a feat that night, which must be remembered now. Only thanks to their heroism and self-sacrifice did not the third reactor explode, which was connected to the fourth and was in close proximity to it. If it were not for the courage of the firefighters, the consequences of the explosion of another reactor would be difficult to imagine. Therefore, any event dedicated to the Chernobyl tragedy should honor the memory of firefighters who sacrificed their lives in the fight against fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. They saved the world from a great catastrophe.
An hour after the accident, the liquidators began to fall from radiation sickness, and most of those who were at the forefront died. April 26, the Chernobyl tragedy claimed many lives.
What happened next. Evacuation
On the morning of April 27 (36 hours passed since the accident, while the population had to be evacuated immediately), a radio message was broadcast so that the inhabitants of Pripyat were ready to leave the city. Then they still did not know that they would not return to their native places.
On April 28, the first message was transmitted that a tragedy had occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, but that a whole reactor exploded was not said. A few days later, a population of 30 km was completely evacuated. However, residents were told that they could return here in three days. Thirty years have passed, but still it is impossible to live in Pripyat and the outskirts of Chernobyl.
The Soviet authorities in every possible way kept silent about the fact of the explosion of the reactor, there was no talk of this in the media, the whole country then celebrated May Day - Workers' Day.
Elimination of consequences. Heroes not known to anyone
To eliminate the consequences of the accident and to "seal" the reactor, a special commission was created, the members of which decided to dump a special mixture of lead, dilomites and boron-containing agents onto the reactor. Ten days later, a large contingent of the military arrived in a 30-kilometer zone in order to avoid the penetration of civilians, along with them scientists and liquidators of the consequences of the accident arrived here.
In the first year, the number of liquidators of the accident has already reached almost 300 thousand people. Until our time, the number of liquidators has increased to 600 thousand people. People worked in shifts, because they could not bear the effects of radiation for a long time, some left, and new ones were brought in their place. In order to fence off the destroyed nuclear reactor forever, it was decided to build the so-called "sarcophagus" above it. The first sarcophagus was built 206 days and was completed in November 1986.
Almost an year this event was held. The Chernobyl tragedy is known throughout the world, but many liquidators are not known to anyone. These are not actors, not public bright celebrities who play fake courage and nobility on the stage. These are real heroes who did everything to reduce the level of radiation infection as much as possible. They saved us at the cost of their own lives.
Global response
The Chernobyl tragedy (photo can be seen in the article) soon became known to the whole world: European countries noted an unprecedented high level of radiation, sounded the alarm, and the truth was revealed. After the whole world learned about the Chernobyl disaster, the construction of nuclear power plants in many countries almost stopped. The United States and Western European countries did not build a single nuclear power plant until 2002 . Scientists around the world began to work on alternative energy sources. In the USSR itself, before the accident, it was planned to build another 10 similar power plants and dozens of other reactors in already functioning stations, but all plans were closed after the events of April 26. The Chernobyl tragedy showed how deadly a “peaceful” atom can be .
Exclusion Zone
In addition to Pripyat itself, hundreds of small settlements were also abandoned. The 30-kilometer zone around the station began to be called the “Exclusion Zone”. The area of 200 km was heavily polluted. The most affected Zhytomyr and Kiev regions in Ukraine, as well as in Belarus - Gomel region, in Russia - Bryansk region. Foci of radiation damage were found even in Norway, Finland and Sweden, and forests were particularly affected.
The number of cancer patients after the accident has increased critically. Most began to suffer from thyroid cancer, which first holds the blow of radiation.
Doctors began to say that children born to parents from those regions suffer from birth defects and mutations. For example, in 1987 there was an outbreak of Down syndrome.
The fate of the Chernobyl
After the whole world learned about the Chernobyl accident, its operation ceased due to the threat of powerful radiation contamination. But after a few years, the first and second power units began their work again, and later launched the third power unit.
In 1995, it was decided to permanently shut down the power plant. Following this plan, the first power unit was shut down in 1996, the second one in 1999, and the station was finally closed in 2000.
A few years later, by decision of the government, a project was launched to create a new sarcophagus, since the first does not completely protect the environment from radiation exposure. Thus, in 2012, the Ukrainian government officially announced that work had already begun on the construction of a new protective structure. It should completely seal the power unit, and, according to scientists, the radioactive background will not pass through the walls of the new sarcophagus. Construction should be completed by 2018, and the estimated cost of this project is more than 2 billion US dollars.
In 2009, the Ukrainian government developed a program for the complete decontamination of the station, which will take place in four stages. The last stage is planned to be completed by 2065. By this time, the authorities want to completely utilize all traces of the presence of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant at this site.
Memory
April 26 of each year is the Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Tragedy. The memory of the liquidators and the victims of the accident is revered not only in the CIS countries, but also in many countries of Western Europe. In France, in Paris, near the Eiffel Tower, a small event is held on this day, at which people bow their heads before the heroism of firefighters.
Every April 26, an information hour is held in schools, where they talk about the terrible tragedy and the people who saved the world. Children read poetry about the Chernobyl tragedy. Poets dedicate them to the fallen and surviving heroes who stopped radiation exposure, as well as to the thousands of innocent people who became victims of the accident.
The memory of the Chernobyl tragedy underlies dozens of documentaries and feature films. Films not only of domestic production, many foreign studios and directors covered the Chernobyl disaster in their works.
The Chernobyl disaster has a central place in the STALKER series of games, and also serves as the plot for a dozen fiction novels of the same name. More recently, the Chernobyl accident turned 30 years old, but the consequences of the disaster over the years have not yet been eliminated, the decay of some substances will continue for another thousand years. This accident will be remembered by the world as the most monstrous energy accident in history.