3 ms·

Actually Chernobyl was (partially) a nuclear explosion. Lots of misunderstanding about this, even among nuclear engineers.

by beefman 12y ago

rurounijones 12y ago
Go on, my understanding is that the "explosion" was basically a steam pressure explosion which blew the top off of the reactor, if that is incorrect do you have a reasonably easy to understand source?
- arethuza 12y ago
  There were two explosions - first was a steam explosion followed 2 or 3 seconds later by another more powerful explosion - with the cause of the latter still being debated. However, one theory does describe it as follows: "However, the sheer force of the second explosion, and the ratio of xenon radioisotopes released during the event, indicate that the second explosion could have been a nuclear power transient; the result of the melting core material, in the absence of its cladding, water coolant and moderator, undergoing runaway prompt criticality similar to the explosion of a fizzled nuclear weapon." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Experiment_and_explosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Experiment_a... NB I'm in the process of reading *"Atomic Accidents - A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: from the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima" - but I haven't got to Chernobyl yet.... http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Accidents-Meltdowns-Disasters-Mountains/dp/1605984922 http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Accidents-Meltdowns-Disasters-M...
  - steffenfrost 12y ago
    Arnie Gunderson from Fairewinds makes the case that the explosion in fuel pool of Unit 3 at Fukushima was a detonation (faster than the speed of sound) and not a deflagration (speed of sound). A plausible reason was a initial hydrogen explosion in the pool distorted the fuel and initiated a moderated prompt criticality. http://www.fairewinds.org/gundersen-postulates-unit-3-explosion-may-have-been-prompt-criticality-in-fuel-pool/ http://www.fairewinds.org/gundersen-postulates-unit-3-explos... "It is not a bomb. A bomb is a prompt fast criticality." http://www.fairewinds.org/fukushima-daiichi-the-truth-and-the-future/ http://www.fairewinds.org/fukushima-daiichi-the-truth-and-th... In the 50s the US did an open air experiment called Borax - Safety Experiment on a Boiling Water Reactor, where they blew up a reactor. http://nukeprofessional.blogspot.com/p/videos-moderated-prompt-criticality.html http://nukeprofessional.blogspot.com/p/videos-moderated-prom...

Actually Chernobyl was (partially) a nuclear explosion. Lots of misunderstanding about this, even among nuclear engineers.

by beefman 12y ago

Actually Chernobyl was (partially) a nuclear explosion. Lots of misunderstanding about this, even among nuclear engineers.

rurounijones 12y ago

Go on, my understanding is that the "explosion" was basically a steam pressure explosion which blew the top off of the reactor, if that is incorrect do you have a reasonably easy to understand source?

arethuza 12y ago
There were two explosions - first was a steam explosion followed 2 or 3 seconds later by another more powerful explosion - with the cause of the latter still being debated. However, one theory does describe it as follows: "However, the sheer force of the second explosion, and the ratio of xenon radioisotopes released during the event, indicate that the second explosion could have been a nuclear power transient; the result of the melting core material, in the absence of its cladding, water coolant and moderator, undergoing runaway prompt criticality similar to the explosion of a fizzled nuclear weapon." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Experiment_and_explosion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Experiment_a... NB I'm in the process of reading *"Atomic Accidents - A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: from the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima" - but I haven't got to Chernobyl yet.... http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Accidents-Meltdowns-Disasters-Mountains/dp/1605984922 http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Accidents-Meltdowns-Disasters-M...
- steffenfrost 12y ago
  Arnie Gunderson from Fairewinds makes the case that the explosion in fuel pool of Unit 3 at Fukushima was a detonation (faster than the speed of sound) and not a deflagration (speed of sound). A plausible reason was a initial hydrogen explosion in the pool distorted the fuel and initiated a moderated prompt criticality. http://www.fairewinds.org/gundersen-postulates-unit-3-explosion-may-have-been-prompt-criticality-in-fuel-pool/ http://www.fairewinds.org/gundersen-postulates-unit-3-explos... "It is not a bomb. A bomb is a prompt fast criticality." http://www.fairewinds.org/fukushima-daiichi-the-truth-and-the-future/ http://www.fairewinds.org/fukushima-daiichi-the-truth-and-th... In the 50s the US did an open air experiment called Borax - Safety Experiment on a Boiling Water Reactor, where they blew up a reactor. http://nukeprofessional.blogspot.com/p/videos-moderated-prompt-criticality.html http://nukeprofessional.blogspot.com/p/videos-moderated-prom...