Anne McKenny
Karen Peebles
English, ENG-111 4258N
November 29, 2014
The Disastrous Effects of Chernobyl Though there are many different sources of energy in the world, including petroleum and coal, one of the most dangerous is nuclear energy, which harnesses the power of the atom. Though nuclear power does not emit as many harmful chemicals as coal does, it has the potential to make large areas of land inhospitable for hundreds of years, depending on the time of element used in the core. There are several different ways of harnessing nuclear energy, and different countries tend to lean towards different types of reactors, as one article explains, “[i]n the United States, two-thirds of the reactors are pressurized water reactors (PWR) and the …show more content…
One book describes the process of the meltdown in detail, explaining that the temperature of the reactor rose with the lack of coolant flowing through it, which led to an accumulation of steam and pressure and, because of the type of core, a Uranium- graphite core, the emergency protection systems’ effectiveness were significantly reduced (Medvedev, 75). Medvedev continues, explaining that as the amount of pressure in the reactor continued to increase, the feedback valves of the main circulation pumps burst, which stopped flow of water through the reactor altogether, and caused even more pressure build up in the reactor. The fuel channels were destroyed sometime before the meltdown, and the steam- zirconium, among other chemical reactions occurring in the reactor, resulted in the formation of hydrogen and oxygen, an extremely volatile mixture (Medvedev, 76). Medvedev explains the operators attempted to activate the relief valves, which triggered a powerful burst of steam, however the enormous amount of pressure on the valves caused them to break and the pressure in the reactor ripped apart the reactor and caused the explosion known today as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (76). Because the workers at Chernobyl did not fully understand how to operate a nuclear reactor the Chernobyl power plant experienced one of the worst meltdowns in history; many areas in …show more content…
Really incredible. The horror was more horrible because it was so pretty. And people had to leave here. They had to run away, like evildoers, like criminals” (Alexievich, 91). These people fled their homes to escape the terrible radiation from Chernobyl, however many of these people would return to their homes later to continue their lives as normal, despite the radiation. Even though harmful radiation still covers the area around Chernobyl, some people could not abandon their homes. One documentary on Chernobyl reveals, “Today there are 3 other people living in [a] village just a few miles from the old power plant” (“Falling Apart, Chernobyl, Forgotten Corner of Hell”, 22:12- 22:19). These people loved their home so much that they could not abandon it to live in a safer area without radiation. The Chernobyl disaster not only stole the land of the people of Pripyat, but also their homes and way of
Karen Peebles
English, ENG-111 4258N
November 29, 2014
The Disastrous Effects of Chernobyl Though there are many different sources of energy in the world, including petroleum and coal, one of the most dangerous is nuclear energy, which harnesses the power of the atom. Though nuclear power does not emit as many harmful chemicals as coal does, it has the potential to make large areas of land inhospitable for hundreds of years, depending on the time of element used in the core. There are several different ways of harnessing nuclear energy, and different countries tend to lean towards different types of reactors, as one article explains, “[i]n the United States, two-thirds of the reactors are pressurized water reactors (PWR) and the …show more content…
One book describes the process of the meltdown in detail, explaining that the temperature of the reactor rose with the lack of coolant flowing through it, which led to an accumulation of steam and pressure and, because of the type of core, a Uranium- graphite core, the emergency protection systems’ effectiveness were significantly reduced (Medvedev, 75). Medvedev continues, explaining that as the amount of pressure in the reactor continued to increase, the feedback valves of the main circulation pumps burst, which stopped flow of water through the reactor altogether, and caused even more pressure build up in the reactor. The fuel channels were destroyed sometime before the meltdown, and the steam- zirconium, among other chemical reactions occurring in the reactor, resulted in the formation of hydrogen and oxygen, an extremely volatile mixture (Medvedev, 76). Medvedev explains the operators attempted to activate the relief valves, which triggered a powerful burst of steam, however the enormous amount of pressure on the valves caused them to break and the pressure in the reactor ripped apart the reactor and caused the explosion known today as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (76). Because the workers at Chernobyl did not fully understand how to operate a nuclear reactor the Chernobyl power plant experienced one of the worst meltdowns in history; many areas in …show more content…
Really incredible. The horror was more horrible because it was so pretty. And people had to leave here. They had to run away, like evildoers, like criminals” (Alexievich, 91). These people fled their homes to escape the terrible radiation from Chernobyl, however many of these people would return to their homes later to continue their lives as normal, despite the radiation. Even though harmful radiation still covers the area around Chernobyl, some people could not abandon their homes. One documentary on Chernobyl reveals, “Today there are 3 other people living in [a] village just a few miles from the old power plant” (“Falling Apart, Chernobyl, Forgotten Corner of Hell”, 22:12- 22:19). These people loved their home so much that they could not abandon it to live in a safer area without radiation. The Chernobyl disaster not only stole the land of the people of Pripyat, but also their homes and way of