Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. History, facts, construction. Under the sarcophagus there are chaes. photo facts New sarcophagus over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
In November 2016, an event occurred at the shutdown Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was described by almost all the world’s media. A hundred-meter arch was erected over the concrete sarcophagus, under which the 4th power unit destroyed by the explosion has been resting since 1986. It protects the sarcophagus from rain, snow and wind and should allow work to dismantle the destroyed power unit to begin in the future. It would seem that the goal was achieved. But a year and a half later, the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine (SINR) reported that the new protection has not yet been put into operation. Is this dangerous for people’s health and lives, and when will the project, for which the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development allocated 2.1 billion euros, finally be completed?
What means" commissioning"Safety arches?
In hazardous areas of the Shelter facility, it is allowed to work from 10 to 30 minutes. In some places you can work for up to an hour, say SINR engineers. Today at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant a control level of annual radiation dose of up to 14 millisieverts (mSv) has been established. Of these, 13 mSv is external exposure, and 1 mSv is internal.
“In some cases,” explains Natalia Rybalka, “Ukrainian legislation allows for an increase in permissible exposure levels to be agreed with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Some of the personnel at the facility today receive individually permissible doses of up to 30-35 mSv per year.”
“With increased radiation, it is necessary to change workers more often,” states Irina Golovko. According to her, at the beginning of this year there were not enough personnel to complete work on the protective arch, and therefore the deadline for putting the facility into operation was again postponed. In March, at a meeting of the public council at the State Inspectorate of the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ukraine, it was announced that the general contractor of the work, Novarka JV, had begun additional mobilization of personnel.
Nevertheless, Tamara Sushko admits that it will not be possible to commission the arch on time. “We planned to complete the project at the end of May. But the issue of completing the project in September or even by the end of this year is being considered,” says the engineer.
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Exclusion Zone
After the Chernobyl accident, there was a need for control in the territories that were subject to the greatest radioactive contamination - these are the cities of Chernobyl and Pripyat. A 30-kilometer zone around the station was closed to public access. Today, Chernobyl is home to the enterprise for managing the exclusion zone, and up to 2,800 personnel from the enterprises building the arch for the sarcophagus also live there.
Secret object "Duga-1"
The secret facility "Duga-1" is a Soviet-era radar station designed to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles. "Duga-1" never fully entered combat duty. The dimensions of the structure of many antennas are 700 m in length and 150 m in height. After the Chernobyl accident, the facility was mothballed, and later its main elements were dismantled and removed.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
In the 1970s, construction of the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine began in the Chernobyl region. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is located 3 km from the city of Pripyat and 18 km from the city of Chernobyl. It produced a tenth of the electricity in the Ukrainian SSR. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was completely shut down only at the end of 2000. Work continues now on the construction of a new insulating structure above the fourth power unit.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
Chernobyl is the administrative center of the exclusion zone
Before the accident, 12.5 thousand people lived in Chernobyl, all of them were evacuated a few days after the tragedy. At the moment, the city is included in the 30-kilometer exclusion zone, being its administrative center. The personnel of the enterprises located here live in abandoned apartment buildings. When crossing the boundaries of the exclusion zone, everyone is required to undergo radiation monitoring.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
Arch - a new shelter for the sarcophagus
More than 600 thousand people took part in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident. Their main task was to build a concrete sarcophagus for the 4th power unit. Under the influence of external factors and radiation, the old shelter began to collapse, which is dangerous - about 200 tons of radioactive substances are still stored there. The new arched structure should cover the sarcophagus and allow its partial dismantling to begin.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
"Samosely" in the exclusion zone
Until now, the concentration of radionuclides in the exclusion zone is high, which does not allow restrictions on living there to be lifted. However, soon after the accident and evacuation, local residents began to return to their homes under various pretexts. These people were called “self-settlers.” Today there are about 180 people in the zone: 80 in Chernobyl and about 100 more in villages located in the 30-kilometer zone.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
Food truck twice a month
Mostly “self-settlers” are elderly people. They now live in four villages within the 30-kilometer exclusion zone. “Self-settlers” grow vegetables and fruits, pick mushrooms in the forest and drink water from wells. Among the benefits of civilization, they only have electricity. A food truck with bread and cereals arrives twice a month, and once a month the postman delivers pensions.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
"Bucket of Death"
The so-called “bucket of death” is one of the current attractions of the city of Pripyat. The ladle was used to eliminate the consequences of the accident directly at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The radiation from the bucket (even a few meters from it) exceeds the norm by ten thousand times. It is forbidden to touch it.
Dead ground
Pripyat was supposed to become the most beautiful, exemplary city of Soviet Ukraine. But it went down in history as a city-monument to the worst nuclear disaster in the world. At the moment, in Pripyat there are only a special laundry, a station for fluoridation and iron removal of water, and a garage for Chernobyl NPP special equipment. Not a single person lives in the city.
Chernobyl zone 30 years after the tragedy
Extreme tourism zone
Every year, the exclusion zone is visited by several thousand extreme tourists. Before the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russian citizens were the leaders among foreign tourists. Today most of the guests are from Poland, the Czech Republic and the USA.
30 years ago, one of the largest man-made disasters on Earth occurred - an explosion at the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Despite the enormous scale of the disaster, radioactive emissions into the atmosphere amounted to only 5% of the total amount of radioactive elements in the nuclear reactor, and 95% are currently buried in the bowels of the destroyed reactor and covered by the so-called. the Shelter object, a sarcophagus built in a record six months between May and November 1986. However, the service life of the facility expires and it gradually collapses. The total area of the cracks in the structure exceeds 1000 m2. At the time of construction, the estimated service life was 30 years.
The New Safe Confinement (NSC) is a multifunctional complex for transforming the Shelter object into an environmentally friendly system. Already in the fall of 2016, the new arch object will move along special guide rails to the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the Shelter object. Construction of the NSC has been underway since 2007.
The first thermal explosion occurred, knocking out the upper part of the reactor - a plate weighing 1 thousand tons. A few seconds later, a second explosion completely destroyed the reactor, releasing 190 tons of radioactive substances into the atmosphere, including isotopes of uranium, plutonium, iodine and cesium. Two station employees died and more than 30 fires broke out.
(c) screenshots from the movie "Moths"
The first object is "Shelter". History of construction.
Initially, 18 protective structure projects were considered. They can be roughly divided into two groups. The first of them included those in which it was planned to build an independent, completely sealed building of enormous size around the block - an arch with a span of 230 m, or a dome with a span of up to 120 m. The second group of projects proposed making maximum use of the preserved walls and other structures of the destroyed block for the construction of the protective shell. The newly erected walls and roof were to rest on these structures.
Studies and feasibility calculations have shown that work on the first option will last 1.5-2 years and will require huge expenses, while work on the second will take several months and significantly lower costs.
The second approach was chosen. It allowed for significant gains in cost and speed of construction (design and construction were completed in 6 months, an unprecedented case in world practice). But this option also required the laying of over 200 thousand tons of concrete and the installation of over 10 thousand tons of metal structures.
The price for winning was not only the huge collective dose received by the builders and installers, but also the fundamental shortcomings of the facility itself. The need to build new structures in close proximity to the destroyed block in huge radiation fields forced the use of remote technology. It was impossible to use welding to connect many critical structures, and remote installation did not allow large metal structures to be adjusted exactly to each other.
All this was the reason for the first of the major shortcomings of the “Shelter” - leaks, a large number of cracks (their total area, according to subsequent calculations, was estimated as 1000 m2).
Radiation fields and rubble did not make it possible to fully assess the strength of many of the supports - old structures exposed to explosion and fire. And the main load-bearing beams of the structure being built rested on these structures.
The use of remote concreting methods resulted in large masses of concrete not reaching the intended location. They flowed into the destroyed building, making it difficult or even impossible to enter many rooms and explore them.
The second drawback is the uncertain strength of the supports supporting the main load-bearing beams of the Shelter. As for the newly erected structures - load-bearing beams, pipe roll over the central hall, steel covering panels, etc., they were designed and executed in accordance with building codes and regulations, so the strength of these structures themselves is beyond doubt. Their durability is limited by the lack of possibility of periodic inspection and restoration of the anti-corrosion coating. Therefore, in the “Conclusion on the reliability and durability of the coating structures, as well as the radiation safety of the reactor compartment of block N4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,” presented to the Government Commission on October 11, 1986, it is said:
“Taking into account the low corrosion rate under operating conditions of structures, with protective coatings in place, their service life can be considered guaranteed:
- from pipes 30-40 years old,
- made of beams for 30 years."
Unfortunately, subsequently these figures were often cited for the service life of the entire facility, and not just for the load-bearing capacity of new metal structures, and the time of 30 years was indicated as the guaranteed time of the safe condition of the Shelter object.
After the first work to clear the area around the block, construction began along the perimeter of the 4th power unit of “pioneer” protective walls made of reinforced concrete: about 6 meters high on the side of the rubble (north side of the block) and about 8 meters high on the southern and western sides.
"Pioneer" protective walls were designed to ensure the safety of construction and installation work on the construction of the "Shelter".
Inside the building, the first steps in the construction of the “Shelter” were the construction of partitions and walls separating the damaged 4th block from the 3rd block.
27 metal pipes with a diameter of 1220 mm and a length of 34.5 m were laid on the beams, and a roof made of profiled flooring was installed above the pipes - 6 spatial blocks:
The Shelter object was adopted by a government commission in December 1986.
Object "Shelter". 30 years later.
The features of the Shelter object are determined by its potential danger, which is significantly greater than what is allowed by the norms and rules for objects containing nuclear and radioactive materials. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the assessment of the safety of any nuclear power and industrial facility is based, as a rule, on practical experience in the operation of such or a similar facility. "Shelter" has no similar analogues.
From 1986 to the present day, no more than 60 percent of the premises of the Shelter object (block B) have been explored. The remaining rooms are inaccessible either due to high radiation fields, or due to impenetrable barriers that arose during the explosion, which resulted in the destruction of structures and the emergence of lava-like fuel-containing materials, as well as during the pumping of concrete during the direct construction of the Shelter. Thus, a significant part of the site remains an unexplored area, which is one of the most serious modern risks.
The potential danger of the Shelter object for the environment and humans is determined by the following factors:
The presence of nuclear materials in an amount of about 185 tons, for which there are no means of actively influencing their criticality, and the absence of reliable physical barriers to the spread of radioactivity into the environment. Today it can be considered established that about 95% of the fuel that was in the reactor at the time of the accident remained inside the Shelter object. Now its total activity is approximately 16 million curies. It has been established that the irradiated nuclear fuel inside the Shelter is in the form of the following modifications:
Core fragments (AZF);
- lava-like fuel-containing materials (LFCM);
- finely dispersed fuel (dust), hot fuel particles;
- secondary uranium minerals formed from FCM solutions in the form of crystalline new formations.
As a result of the 1986 accident, part of the structures of the reactor block, deaerator stack, turbine room and others were destroyed. In the western zone, the wall has a deviation in the western direction of up to 50 cm, and faults have been recorded in some places. This condition in the event of an earthquake of 4.3 points on the Richter scale can lead to the fall of part of the roof of the “sarcophagus”. In the southern zone, above the 24.3 m mark, the frame of the deaerator shelf, which holds a significant amount of debris and building materials, deviated from the vertical by about 1.5 m. And although during the construction of the sarcophagus this place was reinforced with metal supports, calculations show that in In the event of an earthquake, there is a risk of them falling towards the turbine hall, which will lead to the release of radioactive dust into the environment through the resulting fault. Scientists have calculated that the probable risk of such an event over 1 year is 0.24, which significantly exceeds the standard value recommended by the IAEA for nuclear power facilities.
As a result of the high level of humidity in the premises of the Shelter, reinforced concrete structures are saturated with water, which leads to their gradual destruction. Metal structures are largely damaged by corrosion processes. The deformation process continues. Analysis of the state of building structures indicates the presence of critical zones that are sensitive even to small earthquakes and other natural phenomena that are possible under the conditions of the Chernobyl NPP industrial site.
On February 12, 2013, several hanging slabs collapsed above the turbine hall of the power unit, the collapse area was about 600 square meters
In 2011, the old pipe was dismantled, immersed under the sarcophagus, after dismantling part of its roof. And they built a new pipe for ventilation.
Model of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and what is now located under the Shelter object:
New Safe Confinement (NSC)
The new safe confinement is a multifunctional complex for transforming the Shelter object into an environmentally friendly system.
According to the conceptual design, the NSC includes: - the main structure, consisting of an arched structure, the span of which in the north-south direction is 257.44 m, height 108.39 m, length 150 m, foundations, western and eastern end walls, necessary supporting and auxiliary systems;
- technological building, which includes decontamination, fragmentation and packaging areas, sanitary locks, workshops and other technological premises;
- auxiliary structures.
Construction began in 2007. It was initially assumed that the project would be ready by 2012-2013, but due to a lack of funding, the launch date for the facility was postponed until 2017.
Main functions of the NBK:
1. Limitation of radiation impact on the population, personnel and the environment by established boundaries, both under the condition of normal operation of the Shelter facility, and in the event of disruption of normal operation, emergencies and accidents, including accidents during the dismantling of unstable structures and future handling of fuel-containing materials materials (TCM) and radioactive waste (RAW).
2. Limiting the spread of ionizing radiation and radioactive substances located inside the Shelter.
3. Technological support, that is, the creation of conditions for the dismantling of unstable structures, the future extraction of fuel and radioactive waste, the removal of accumulated water, ensuring the implementation of control and maintenance measures for the Shelter object and its industrial site.
4. Monitoring of all parameters of the state of the Shelter object and control of technological processes.
5. Physical protection, that is, preventing unauthorized access to fuel and radioactive waste and ensuring the functioning of the IAEA safeguards system.
NSC construction stages:
The history of the installation of the Arch began on February 13, 2012, when the first batches of the main metal structures were delivered to the SSE Chernobyl NPP site.
The first lift was carried out on November 24, 2012, as a result of which +5300 tons of metal structures were successfully lifted. The height of the Eastern part of the Arch after the first jacking was 53 meters.
The second lift was performed on June 13, 2013. The operation was successful. At that time, the weight of the structure was 9100 tons.
The third ascent of the Arch was different from previous operations and therefore included several stages. The first stage is jacking up the Arch to a height of no more than 110 meters. This operation was performed on September 14-16, 2013. After this, the side segments of the arch, as well as the supporting parts, were installed. At the same time, the Arch was in limbo. At the same time, the approaching tracks and other auxiliary structures were installed on the foundations of the installation area. On October 11, 2013, the process of transferring the load from the Arch to the foundation was completed.
On July 24, 2015, the western and eastern parts of the Arch were connected.
The following work is being carried out in 2016:
Installation of metal structures (m/c) in progress Arches
- The metal structures of the arch are being delivered to the site.
- Delivery of elements of the eastern bridge of the main crane system is underway. The contractor is performing reverse structural work on the eastern bridge.
- Work is being carried out on the arrangement of the external and internal space of the NSC: External underground engineering networks (construction part: power supply, water supply and sewerage, cable laying).
In November 2016, it is planned to move the Arch to the Shelter facility of the 4th Chernobyl nuclear power plant unit.
The design life of the NSC is 100 years.
Here is a very visual short one-minute video about the construction process and the idea of Confinement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPYcU7Uno9o- follow the link to YouTube if the video does not play.
You can enter the NSC installation area only in this retro LAZ:
This is what the NSC Arch and the 4th power unit look like from different sides now.
The service life of the NSC is 100 years. At the moment there is no understanding, not everything is clear with the technologies that can be used to clean up the contents of the Shelter object and everything that is buried under it. There is talk about the possible use of robots to work under the roof of the NSC in the future.
Chernobyl nuclear power plant today.
This is an aerial panorama.
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and Pripyat.
I took these shots from the Kyiv-Vilnius plane a couple of years ago.
From the center of Pripyat to the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is only 2 km. It has some kind of inexplicable magnetism; in the exclusion zone, you always catch your eye on this man-made monster.
If you are planning a trip to Chernobyl and Pripyat, be sure to do it before the end of this year! According to the construction schedule of the NSC (New Safe Confinement), the arch will cover the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in November 2016, and it is worth seeing it in its current state 30 years after the disaster.
But the photo on the left in the distance is the 4th power unit and the sarcophagus, on the right is the NSC arch, which will run over the old sarcophagus on the rails in the fall.
I am under the Arch of the New Safe Confinement.
Here from me to the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is 400 meters.
The radiation level here is:
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant currently employs 2,400 employees who work on a rotational basis, staying in the Chernobyl exclusion zone for 15 days and living in the city of Chernobyl. The last operating Chernobyl reactor was shut down in 2000, but the process of decommissioning will take place until 2063.
Another 800-1000 people are employed daily in the construction of the NSC facility.
Chernobyl NPP Administration:
Another 200 people are involved in the construction of ISF-2, this is the second large construction project on the territory of the Chernobyl NPP. ISF-2 is a “dry type” spent nuclear fuel storage facility. The storage facility will be put into operation this year, the goal is to store and dispose of 23 thousand nine meter rods with nuclear fuel that were used in the operation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which are now stored in water reservoirs.
Such a train with a special container car for transporting rods with nuclear fuel between power units and ISF-2 is already being tested at the Chernobyl NPP. I will talk about the construction of ISF-2 in one of the following reports this week.
Pripyat.
Pripyat is a unique place!
From the rooftops of sixteen-story buildings, the nuclear power plant is in full view. You can visually assess the size of the arch - a new safe confinement. A must visit for anyone who loves abandoned and industrial art. I was here in 2006, 10 years ago, and I see how over this decade nature is slowly but surely defeating man. Trees sprout buildings, asphalt turns into grass.
Last year, 17 thousand tourists visited the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Tourism is one of the main development vectors for the coming years as part of the exclusion zone rebranding program.
Tomorrow I will tell and show you what Pripyat looks like 30 years after the evacuation of the population.
To be continued...
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What is the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Sarcophagus project?
After the well-known 1986 accident, radiation struck a 30-kilometer zone around itself in terrifying doses. Everything suffered: from people to a blade of grass on the ground. We are still seeing echoes of the explosion of the fourth reactor - an increase in cancer, huge fish, myths about five-headed werewolves.
At the time of the explosion, no one knew what such a large release of radiation into the environment could result in, so the government ordered the construction of a shelter around the fourth reactor - the Sarcophagus at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Sarcophagus project was completed in the same year, 1986, in just 206 days, and already in November the exploded reactor was covered and isolated inside the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Sarcophagus. Almost 100 thousand people were involved in the implementation of the Sarcophagus project at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
It is worth noting that the Chernobyl NPP Sarcophagus did not get its name right away. In order to build the Sarcophagus over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 7 thousand tons of metal structures and 400 thousand cubic meters of concrete mixture were required. And in order for the territory to be completely disinfected, more than 90 thousand cubic meters of soil were removed. At first, the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was simply called the Shelter.
Let's talk a little more about how the Chernobyl NPP Sarcophagus was built. As already mentioned, thousands, namely 90 thousand people were involved in the construction of the Shelter; they were mobilized from different parts of the state. Shifts at the construction site were organized on a rotational basis. A shift of ten thousand people worked around the clock on the construction of the Sarcophagus. It’s scary to just imagine how many human lives remain under the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
At first, the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant consisted of walls on the northern and southwestern sides, which separated the exploded one from the third power unit. It is interesting that from the north the wall was made in the form of a cascade, consisting of concrete ledges (each twelve meters long). This wall buried all the waste containers that were highly active.
In order to cover the damaged reactor from above, metal beams were used. They were laid crosswise, and pipes made of the same metal were laid on top for strengthening. The diameter of each pipe was more than one meter and the length was 35 meters. For complete protection, the Sarcophagus was covered with a roof made of profiled flooring. As a result of these actions, the operation of the fourth power unit was completely mothballed.
In parallel with the construction of the Shelter, work was carried out to disinfect the area near the reactor. By doing this, workers achieved a reduction in the radiation dose at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Since 2013, on the Internet and in the media, the Chernobyl Sarcophagus photo section has been replenished with new footage, which shows that the slabs hanging over the machine room have collapsed. As a result of this, several hundred square meters of the Sarcophagus were damaged. Although the government claims that all protection remains normal and no leakage is occurring, it was nevertheless decided to build a new Sarcophagus over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This is explained by the fact that the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is covered with a lead Sarcophagus, where more than two hundred tons of active radionuclides are stored, and its protection needs to be improved.
As part of the Chernobyl Sarcophagus project, a new facility - Shelter-2 - was accepted back in 2003. Initially, the project was supposed to be completed in the year when the collapse happened, that is, in 2013. But, as always happens, there was a shortage of finances, and the construction of the second Sarcophagus over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was stopped. The government claims that this is not a reason to say that the new Chernobyl Sarcophagus will not be built, and promises to fully complete construction in 2017.
When the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is covered with a Sarcophagus, it is planned that the new Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Sarcophagus will provide the most reliable protection of everything around it from radiation and will be able to provide access to the damaged elements of the old Shelter. This is necessary in order to finally repair the collapses that have already occurred and prevent new ones. Also, the new Sarcophagus, which received the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, will no longer leak radioactive substances. Previously, leaks could have occurred due to the fact that the door to the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl NPP in real life allowed melt water and rain to access dangerous compounds.
What is the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Sarcophagus?
We would like to describe a little the characteristics of the new Sarcophagus so that you can compare them with how the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shown in the photo.
The new Sarcophagus at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was planned to be built in the shape of an arch. The height of this arch should reach 108 meters, while the width of the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant should be no less than 250 meters. If you measure the length that the new structure will have, it will be at least 150 meters. The approximate weight of all metal structures reaches almost 30 tons.
The number of employees working on the construction of the Sarcophagus is much less this time than during the USSR (3 thousand people). Perhaps this is explained by the fact that mobilization on such a large scale for such a dangerous event is impossible in a democratic state.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
How much does the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant cost?
In order for the Sarcophagus to serve for more than 70 years, the state, VINCI Construction Grand Projects and other subsidiary corporations have already invested more than two billion dollars in the construction of the Shelter.
But not only large sums were needed to install a new Shelter over the fourth power unit, but also the sharp minds of the engineers and people who are involved in its construction. It even took foreign forces to carry out the plan.
The fact is that during the explosion, a pipe was stuck in the structure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was intended for ventilation of the third and fourth power units. It had to be removed in order to continue construction, but not everything was so simple. This pipe was very massive. Its weight reached 350 tons, and its height was 150 meters.
To solve the problem, the builders needed a crane capable of lifting very heavy loads, and since such cranes are not produced in Ukraine, they had to order it from Italy. Costing nearly twelve million dollars, this crane is capable of handling loads weighing up to 1,600 tons. He helped divide the pipe into six parts, and then pulled each one out separately. All parts of the pipe were buried in the premises of the third power unit.
But not all nuclear physicists and engineers agree that the Sarcophagus will be able to reliably protect an exploded power unit. Some scientists say that even though a new Sarcophagus will be built at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, there will still be a possibility of radiation leakage, since all the contents inside the Sarcophagus are still radioactive. They explain their conclusions by the fact that our engineering has not yet reached the stage when a Sarcophagus built using these technologies will be able to perform the functions assigned to it. In reality, only a containment can provide complete protection, but the country currently has neither the ability nor the means to install it.
Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant among people
Having learned about the plan to build a Shelter over the fourth power unit, people began to actively wonder when the Sarcophagus was planned to be covered at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Today, everyone is interested in the question of whether a Sarcophagus is needed if it cannot reliably protect us, and how to get the government to agree to the construction of a containment shell. But no one can give answers to these questions; one can only make assumptions.
Others think that mutants, victims of the Chernobyl accident, who would become a shame and fear for the entire country, are kept in the Sarcophagus. Especially the second thought is held by stalkers, people who play the computer game of the same name S.T.A.L.K.E.R. This is a game developed by a Ukrainian company, and the final destination of the game is the Sarcophagus.
Electric train past the Sarcophagus
Every day the train travels past the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which still carries people to work. This train has its own culture: no one can take the place of another, everyone is already accustomed to the unspoken seating positions. This train carries exclusively station workers, but we think many tourists would like to get on it to experience the atmosphere of their work.
The government promises to complete the construction of the new Sarcophagus by 2018. They still have time to fulfill their promises, and we have time to see how they do it: tours to Chernobyl are available to everyone today.
The consortium of French construction companies "Novarka" on Tuesday, November 29, completed the installation of a new safe confinement (NSC) - a sarcophagus arch that should protect the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, destroyed during the disaster in 1986. According to Interfax, according to the project, the service life of this structure is expected to last 100 years and cost 1.5 billion euros.
“We welcome the completion of this phase of the Chernobyl Shelter transformation as a symbol of what we can achieve together through strong, determined and long-term efforts. We applaud our Ukrainian partners and contractor, and thank all donors to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund whose contributions have made today's success possible This spirit of cooperation gives us confidence that the project will be completed on time and within budget in one year,” said Suma Chakrabarti, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), at the ceremony, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was not left out of work either, declaring that the “Russian threat” is worse than the Chernobyl disaster. “No one could have imagined that the Chernobyl test would not be the worst and not the most terrible that Ukraine would have to endure. And that Ukraine is building an arch and safe confinement in war conditions, when it is defending itself from Russian aggression,” Poroshenko said.
Work on the construction of the new sarcophagus is financed by a special fund managed by the EBRD on behalf of international donors, the largest of which is the European Union, which has currently allocated 750 million euros for Chernobyl projects.
Today, the ceremony was attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini, Deputy President of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maros Šefčović, EC Member for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, EC Member for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and EC Member for climate and energy Miguel Arias Cañete.
It is reported that all NSC systems are planned to be tested until November 2017, after which the arch will be put into operation. Next, Ukraine will have to dismantle the unstable structures and remove fuel-containing materials in order to turn the nuclear power plant into an environmentally friendly facility.
However, today the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Nezalezhny Ostap Semerak told reporters that Kyiv will ask international partners to provide assistance in dismantling the damaged power unit. “I would like to say that we expect technical support, scientific support, technical support in dismantling the fourth power unit,” he said, noting that it will be difficult for Ukraine to cope with such a task on its own.
In the fall of 2015, the Bouygues and Vinci companies, members of the consortium, completed the preliminary assembly of the arched sarcophagus, then it was disassembled and delivered to the station, where it was reassembled in a clean area near the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and, using a special system, was “pushed” onto the object.
According to Bouygues, the arch is larger than the Stade de France in Paris and weighs five times more than the Eiffel Tower. The height of the new sarcophagus reaches the level of approximately a 30-story building - 110 m, the length of the structure is 165 m, and the weight is 36.2 thousand tons.
The body of the arch will be covered with a special casing, which will protect the old sarcophagus from external influences and will serve as protection for the environment and the population. The building will also be equipped with a high-tech ventilation system and a temperature and humidity control system.
Let us recall that on April 26, 1986, the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. During the first three months after the accident, about 30 people died. Almost 8.4 million residents of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were exposed to radioactive radiation. A so-called 30-kilometer exclusion zone was created around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, from which two cities, Pripyat and Chernobyl, as well as 74 villages were completely evacuated.
The first sarcophagus (“Shelter”) over the emergency power unit was erected shortly after the explosion, but in recent years the structure began to collapse.
Many people know that a new “Arch” is being built at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP), but few can clearly imagine what it is, why a new arch is needed, and also who exactly is building it.
The new arch (or sarcophagus) is officially called Shelter 2 and is a project called the New Safe Confinement (NSC). This design is an insulating arched structure.
It covered the old “Shelter” built over the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was destroyed as a result of a man-made accident.
Construction of the new sarcophagus began back in 2007, and it was initially assumed that Shelter 2 would be ready by 2013. However, due to a lack of funding, the launch date of the new facility was postponed to 2017.
A little about the old sarcophagus in Chernobyl
The old sarcophagus does not last long. In addition to radiation, it is influenced by various external factors that lead to its destruction.
For example, on February 12, 2013, several hanging slabs that covered the turbine room of the fourth power unit collapsed on the old sarcophagus.
The total area of the collapse ended up being approximately 600 square meters. It is worth noting that such “holes” in the arch create a radiation hazard for the environment and people.
At the moment, under the ceilings of the sarcophagus there are approximately 200 tons of radioactive materials.
Data on the new sarcophagus (2016-2017)
* Width: 257 meters.
* Height: 108 meters.
* Length: 150 meters.
* Structure weight: 35,000 tons.
* Number of workers at the site: about 3,000 people.
* Service life: 100+ years.
Total project cost: 2.15 billion euros.
Man has never built anything comparable to a new sarcophagus. More than 2 million hours were spent on design alone, another 5 million hours on engineering, and 17 million hours on assembly.
This arched structure will be something more than just a frame over the old “Shelter”.
The new sarcophagus is a large-scale technological complex. It is equipped with special equipment.
For example, a system of main cranes will be installed inside the new sarcophagus, which will help dismantle the old sarcophagus, and later the damaged fourth reactor.
Scheme of the new safe confinement (sarcophagus) (video)
Source: youtu.be
What will the new Chernobyl sarcophagus give?
1. Will protect the environment and people from radioactive particles.
2. It will enable workers to partially dismantle the emergency and unreliable parts of the old sarcophagus.
3. Isolates the “Shelter” from rain and melt water.
Construction of the sarcophagus "Shelter - 2"
To transfer the project from paper to reality, it was necessary to solve many technical problems.
For example, in order to be able to dismantle the ventilation pipe that draws air into the buildings of the 3rd and 4th power units, a huge crane was needed.
What is the problem:
* The old pipe is 150 meters high and weighs 350 tons.
* After the accident, the pipe was damaged and was at risk of collapsing onto the roof of the old “Shelter”.
A super-heavy German crane DEMAG CC-8800-1 arrived from Italy especially for dismantling the pipe. It was ideal for this type of work, as its lifting capacity is 1,600 tons.
Using special tools, the pipe was cut into 6 fragments, and then dismantled piece by piece. After that, she was buried in the building of the 3rd power unit.
The total cost of dismantling the pipe was US$11.7 million.
Operation of the Terex DEMAG CC-8800-1 crane (video)
Source: youtu.be
Chernobyl. Sarcophagus. 2016.
The contractor of the new sarcophagus - the international consortium Novarka - is going to certify the construction work in November 2016, which means that the entire new sarcophagus will be completely assembled and sheathed, and all that remains is to move it on top of the Shelter.
The arch will be one of the largest in the world and the largest mobile arch structure on Earth.
Special shielded equipment will be installed under the new sarcophagus, which will allow specialists to penetrate into the most contaminated areas. Engineers will control this equipment remotely, which means that the number of people working on site will be reduced to a minimum.
How a new sarcophagus will be installed in Chernobyl
When all the necessary equipment is installed in the arch, it will be moved and pushed onto the old sarcophagus. The new arch will be moved using a jack system.
In the photograph you can see red cubes - these are jacks that were installed in those places (zones) where the new sarcophagus rests on the foundation. A total of 4 jacks are installed for each zone - 2 below and 2 above.
Moving the sarcophagus
The new arch will gradually move in steps (1 step = 80 cm) along the Teflon plates. The speed of the arch will be 10 m/h. The first pair of jacks will pull the entire arch, while the second pair will push it.
At this stage, Shelter-2 is located 330 m from the old sarcophagus. According to the contractor, it will take three days to install the new shelter.
The arched structure will be adjacent to the walls of the reactor, which will take on the role of an enclosing contour.
The weight of the confinement is 35 thousand tons.
Walls of the new arch "Shelter - 2"
* One of the walls of the new sarcophagus has a hole of a certain shape so that the sarcophagus fits as closely as possible to the old “Shelter”.
* When the sarcophagus is moved, special folding panels will be installed on it, and when the old structure is finally closed with an arch, these panels will be lowered and create an object with a high level of hermeticity.
* It is worth noting that the new arch has both internal and external cladding, and the distance between them is 12 meters. This space between the skins, as the ventilation system operates, will be filled with warm air, which will reduce the level of humidity and thereby significantly slow down the corrosion process.
* Excessive pressure will be created between the two skins, which will create a suction effect, which in turn will prevent radioactive dust from getting out of the arch.
After installing a new arch in Chernobyl
When the project is put into operation (November 2017), specialists will begin a new stage - dismantling old structures and then dismantling the damaged reactor compartment.
The last stage will be the dismantling of the block structures themselves, which is planned to be completed by 2023.