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Chernobyl at 40 years: Looking back at Nuclear News
Sunday, April 26, at 1:23 a.m. local time will mark 40 years since the most severe nuclear accident in history: the meltdown of Unit 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.
In the ensuing four decades, countless books, documentaries, articles, and conference sessions have examined Chernobyl’s history and impact from various angles. There is a similar abundance of outlooks in the archives of Nuclear News, where hundreds of scientists, advocates, critics, and politicians have shared their thoughts on Chernobyl over the years. Today, we will take a look at some highlights from the pages of NN to see how the story of Chernobyl evolved over the decades.
Benjamin V. Robouch, Vadim I. Volosov, Aleksandr A. Ivanov, Yurii A. Tsidulko, Yurii N. Zouev, Luigi Ingrosso, Jan S. Brzosko
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 41 | Number 1 | January 2002 | Pages 44-52
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST02-A199
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A summarized update of neutronic studies on the Novosibirsk Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT) fusion material irradiation facility (FMIF) is presented. The GDT-FMIF neutron source project is based on a mirror-type machine designed to produce 1018 D-T neutrons/s over 10 yr (3 × 1026 neutrons). The proposed massive shielding, susceptible to further shield reductions and optimization, ensures proper shielding against radiation and/or heat overdeposition in accordance with project tolerances. The present shield configuration allows 3.3 m3 of irradiation space around the plasma column: 0.06 m3 receives 0.3 × 1014 thermonuclear uncollided 14-MeV nDT-neutrons/cm2s (0.5 MW/m2), and 0.7 × 1014 with collision degraded energies (~0.7 MW/m2 total), over 7 of the 8 m of intense flux axial length, the largest nontokamak availability. This allows the irradiation of large (up to 4.5 m long) life-size components (such as welds). The delivered neutron flux relative-gradients are small (< 6.3%/cm). Simulations use the 3DAMC-VINIA Monte Carlo code in its expanded version (drizzle-shower technique, two-step cascade, etc.), ENDF/B6 and EPDL nuclear data files, and a precise model of critical parts of the GDT. Results demonstrate that the GDT-FMIF is a very suitable irradiation test facility as per International Energy Agency specifications for an FMIF. With its 37.5-cm free depth of test space, GDT is the only dedicated facility suitable for a life-size blanket-tritium-breeding/extraction benchmark at a significant neutron flux level (2 MW/m2).
