The development of nuclear technology requires stringent safety\nsystems, both in terms of equipment quality and human resource\ncapabilities. If these aspects are neglected, a major disaster like the\nChernobyl Nuclear Explosion on 26 April 1986 could recur.<\/p>\n
The incident caused immense humanitarian impacts. Around 60,000\npeople were reported dead, while hundreds of thousands others were\nforced to leave their homes for years due to radiation exposure.<\/p>\n
For context, the Chernobyl nuclear facility was built as part of the\nSoviet Union\u2019s ambition to become the world\u2019s largest nuclear power\nowner. In 1977, the local government successfully operated a\n1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor capable of supplying large-scale\nelectricity needs for an extended period.<\/p>\n
From there, the Soviets continued to develop nuclear power. By 1986,\nthere were four large-scale nuclear reactors at Chernobyl with similar\ncapacities. However, some nuclear reactors were still in the testing\nphase.<\/p>\n
Cited from The Guardian, the test in question involved continuous\ncooling. Nuclear reactors must remain cool, so water supply must be\navailable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If not, the reactor could\noverheat and trigger an explosion.<\/p>\n
In the Chernobyl case, the Soviet nuclear team attempted to test the\nactivation of a generator that would continuously discharge water to\ncool the nuclear reactor.<\/p>\n
The test occurred on 26 April 1986. In theory, water would be\ndischarged from the turbine to continuously cool the reactor core. From\nthis, the team would determine how long the turbine could remain\noperational.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, during the test, the involved personnel were\nincompetent. They were in denial and unreceptive to advice. This\noccurred with Deputy Chief Engineer Anatoly Stepanovich Dyatlov and\nChief Engineer Nicholai Fomin.<\/p>\n
Quoting Chernobyl: 01:23:40 (2014), Fomin was negligent and seemed to\ncover up the fact that the cooling power was sufficient. In reality, it\nwas far from adequate. Fomin knew the reactor\u2019s power was only 200\nmegawatts, below the minimum threshold of 700 megawatts.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Dyatlov insisted the test must be conducted that day. On\nthe test day, the technicians had already given up. They were unable to\nproceed. However, due to Dyatlov\u2019s insistence and threats of dismissal,\nthe technicians eventually complied.<\/p>\n
This is where the catastrophe began. As night turned to morning, the\ntechnicians activated the generator. The water turbine successfully\nengaged. However, midway through, the generator\u2019s power dropped\ndramatically. It could not sustain continuous operation. As a result,\nthe reactor core\u2019s temperature rose rapidly. When this happened, the\ntechnicians hurriedly pressed the SCRAM button on the computer.<\/p>\n
This button is a computer command to the system to activate the\ngenerator. Unfortunately, the button did not function because it had\nnever been checked. Thus, the disaster unfolded. The nuclear reactor\nheated up to 3,000 degrees Celsius. Shortly thereafter, the nuclear\nplant exploded violently.<\/p>\n
As nuclear radiation spread, many residents were still fast asleep.\nConsequently, they could not escape and were exposed to extremely high\nradiation levels. At the time, the radiation from the explosion could\nnot be detected by instruments. The devices could not measure the\nradiation levels due to their intensity.<\/p>\n
It was only when the sun rose that people were shocked to see dust\nscattered around. However, it was not ordinary dust, but nuclear dust\nparticles. Thus, the people there met their end.<\/p>\n
The BBC recorded 90,000 people who died from nuclear radiation in the\nlong term. Then, there were 600,000 people exposed to radiation but did\nnot die. The WHO noted that nuclear radiation reached 200,000 km to\nEurope. Meanwhile, Chernobyl itself cannot be inhabited by humans for\n20,000 years due to the severe radiation effects.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/computer-button-malfunctions-nuclear-plant-explodes-and-kills-60-000-people-1778730825", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }