We all know about the Soviet Union's Chernobyl Nuclear disaster at 1986 which was the worst nuclear disaster in the history. Many of us dont know the actual reasons of this disaster. The disaster was mostly responsible for the chief operators who was working on the time of explosion.
There are essentially two things that happen inside a Nuclear Reactor. The reactivity inside the nuclear which generates electric power either goes up or it goes down. All the operators do is maintain the balance.
Chernobyl reactor was an RMBK type reactor which was graphite moderated, liquid water coolant and Uranium Fuelled reactor.
In uranium fuel, as uranium atoms splits apart and collide, reactivity goes up. If it is not balanced than reactively never stops rising. Than this fuel works as a atom bomb itself. There are many functioning parts in this reactor like
control rods which controls the nuclear reaction
water, takes heat out of the system so that the system stays cool while operation.
Now come to a point, when nuclear fuel gets hotter, it gets less reactive, so fuel increase reactivity. Control rod and water help to reduce it. As a result, steam increases it and the rise in temperature reduces it.
Climax is here!!
When Uranium splits apart to release energy it breaks down into a new element, Xenon, which is a nuclear poison as it reduces reactivity.
This xenon must be burn away before we shut down the reactor. But in chernobyl reactor this wasn't happened. The Xenon was not burn away as the operators decide to operate it at low power. As a result the whole nuclear core was completely poisoned by Xenon.
To be continue . . .
Horrible.. i have never heard this name before.There are still lots of thing in this planet which is still unknown to me.