The Chernobyl Disaster

• On April 26, 1986, an explosion and fire destroyed a reactor of the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine.
• It was the most disastrous accident in the history of nuclear reactors.
• The reactor was a boiling-water graphite-moderated reactor, unlike any power reactor in the United States.
• The RMBK reactor is designed to produce 239Pu for nuclear weapons, as well as electric power.
• The reactor is particularly unstable and hazardous due to reduced neutron absorption, causing the power level to increase.
• The positive feedback condition can be controlled by insertion of control rods, but this takes time.
• The design of the RMBK reactor permits the reactivity to rise to the point where the reactor is prompt critical.
• Once a reactor goes into a condition of prompt criticality, the power level can very rapidly rise to the point of meltdown and destruction.
• Removing the fuel rods during operation requires a large open space above the reactor, which means not having a steel or reinforced concrete containment vessel of the type common to power reactors in the United States.
• It is important to understand the causes and consequences of the Chernobyl disaster for nuclear development in the United States and elsewhere.

Test your knowledge about the Chernobyl disaster, the most catastrophic event in the history of nuclear reactors. Learn about the RMBK reactor, its design flaws, and the causes and consequences of the explosion and fire that destroyed it in 1986. Understand why the Chernobyl disaster was a turning point for nuclear development in the United States and around the world. Take this quiz and discover how much you know about this tragic event.