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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.
Dong Zheng, Julie M. Jarvis, Serena Allison-Ptak, Gregory Brauer, Michael Hopman (Bechtel NS&E)
Proceedings | Advances in Thermal Hydraulics 2018 | Orlando, FL, November 11-15, 2018 | Pages 355-364
This paper determines the hydrogen generated during the course of a severe accident in one reactor unit with crossflow through the hardened containment vent piping to the adjacent reactor unit. The hardened pipe vent systems of both units are joined at the mixing chamber at the base of the stack. Per RELAP5 code simulation results, hydrogen will retain significant concentrations in the mixing chamber regions and at the entrances of the connected pipes during the high pressure venting stage of the proposed venting scenario. The concentration of hydrogen will drop after the transition to the low pressure venting. The time required to reduce hydrogen concentration to less than 4% from the connected pipes vary depending on the sizes and location of the pipes. The results and conclusions can be used to support the HCVS design changes to provide severe accident venting capability and compliance with Phases 1 and 2 of the NRC Order EA-13-109.