Sarcophagus in Chernobyl: construction

The technogenic catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant led to a powerful release of radioactive substances. The threat arose for all mankind. To protect against further impact of the release in a short time (six months), a huge structure was built - a sarcophagus in Chernobyl, covering the fourth power unit.

To date, almost 30 years have passed since the radiation release at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The protective functions of the old sarcophagus were exhausted. The construction of a new sarcophagus in Chernobyl has started and is making steady progress. How the old shelter was built, what is the future fate of the destroyed reactor and what is said about by the responsible persons of Ukraine, what is this protective structure - the topic of our article.

A huge sarcophagus - the project "Shelter"

The erection of such a structure that could protect the outside world from the radiation hazard of the destroyed 4th reactor was carried out at a record time for those times - six months (to be precise, 206 days).

The official acceptance of the structure, later called "Sarcophagus", was commissioned by the state commission on November 30, 1986. The object in the documentary acts is listed as "Shelter."

Shelter above the 4th power unit is designed for 25 years of operation. At the moment, beginning of 2015, he is already 28 years old and six months old, which is somewhat longer than expected. The building succumbed to the action of time: in February 2013, the plates over the engine room collapsed. The area of the gap in the protective "shell" is several hundred square meters. The erection of a new sarcophagus, which will cover the reactor and the old sarcophagus in Chernobyl together, is a task of paramount importance.

What was the building of the sarcophagus in 1986?

The radiation background at the accident site in Chernobyl was and remains extremely high. In order to contain the further spread of radiation, powerful structures and materials were needed.

Such requirements were met by the construction planned from metal structures and concrete blocks. A huge amount of materials were used in its construction: 400,000 cubic meters of concrete and 7,000 tons of metal structures. And this is not counting additional materials.

It will be interesting to see what the sarcophagus in Chernobyl looks like today. In the network you can find many photos. On them we see the construction of an indefinite form, geometrically inscribed, rather, into a rectangle. The walls consist of many levels of reinforced concrete structures.

Building cost in the life and health of citizens

After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the radiation background was too high even to use robotics in construction. She simply did not work. Therefore, almost all the work had to be done by people's hands. In the 4th power unit and around it, the radiation background meters went off scale.

About 90,000 liquidators were involved from all countries of the USSR. The decontamination group was headed by Valery Mikhailovich Starodumov.

A great deal of hard work was done, even without taking into account the radiation background. Instead of machinery for moving construction materials, shovels and stretchers were used. The removal of debris from the destroyed reactor was also carried out manually. The liquidators and soldiers were in danger for good reason: on November 30 of the same year, in which the disaster occurred, the work was completed. The object of interest was the sarcophagus in Chernobyl. The photos inside and outside are made for the history at that time, and even now, in the era of popularization of the Exclusion Zone in fictional literary literature.

The results of construction in 1986

The hastily constructed construction, it is logical to assume, could not be considered eternal or at least durable. As we already mentioned, the exploitation of the shelter of the 4th reactor was calculated for 25 years. Valery Starodumov submitted a report to the state commission, which revealed, among other things, shortcomings in the sarcophagus. They proved to be both in the exercise of their functions and in construction.

The final conclusion of Starodumov was that the constructed structure can not be taken as permanent. After some time, new, thorough and not so urgent measures will be required.

Problems and repairs of the sarcophagus

Time stubbornly takes its toll, and the sarcophagus in Chernobyl is also susceptible to its impact. So, by 2008, repairs were required, which were successfully carried out. Also from time to time the structure was strengthened.

However, experts say, sooner or later the old shelter will collapse, lifting tons of radioactive dust into the air. A new sarcophagus in Chernobyl should prevent this. Its construction is already underway, large deductions go to it. We'll talk further about building a new, more reliable defense.

The meaning of the new sarcophagus

We roughly imagine that "Shelter-2" is a necessity, it can not be denied. Specifically, Valery Kukhar, director of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry of NASU, says about the significance of the new sarcophagus.

So, according to him in one of the interviews, the first thing the new shelter will do is to contain clouds of contaminated dust and debris inside. Otherwise, the atmosphere will receive another powerful blow, the conditions for life will deteriorate strongly.

The new sarcophagus in Chernobyl, the Shelter-2 project, will protect the destroyed power unit from water. According to the expert, this problem is one of the most important. Water as a destructive force affects virtually all materials. And this is the threshold of the formation of a new dust and small debris that have a radioactive background. At the moment, the problem with water is solved by simply pumping it into a neighboring block and collecting it in storage tanks. But this possibility will soon exhaust itself. Water entering the 4th block is contaminated with uranium, cesium, strontium and other substances that are dangerous to the environment. A reliable sarcophagus is needed urgently, in order to stop the formation of contaminated water.

Kinds, disturbing consciousness

The zone of alienation around ChNPP attracts mystery lovers. And this is natural: everywhere, where one can not be ordinary civil, there must be something mysterious. Special curiosity is caused by the sarcophagus in Chernobyl. The photos inside and outside are made by the tourists of the zone and placed on the web so that all curious could see a piece of the secrets hidden by the sarcophagus.

The primary number of photos in the public domain is photos from the side made by the visitors of the zone. Who took pictures under the sarcophagus - we can only guess. Today, a dangerous radiation background remains in this place, so an ordinary tourist is unlikely to fall under the sarcophagus.

As for the state of the sarcophagus, the first shelter, it deteriorates. In the summer of 2015, it is planned to push a new metal structure onto the reactor and an old sarcophagus. "Shelter-2" looks like a huge arch. It is calculated that it will serve as a reliable protection against the spread of radiation for the next 100 years.

conclusions

The radiation problem somehow touched all modern mankind. For Europe, Chernobyl is a reminder that it is impossible to control everything. The problem of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the USSR was solved by creating a shelter over an exploded reactor.

In the article we were interested in the photo of the sarcophagus in Chernobyl, outside and inside, already historical details of the construction of this structure, the prospects associated with the protective structure above the power unit. To our great joy, the international community remembers the existing problems, and today the active construction of the sarcophagus in Chernobyl, which reliably conceals the radiation hazard center at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, is being conducted.

The invisible enemy, who has been living in the Chernobyl exclusion zone for several decades, is still dangerous. Therefore, we wish you to keep your hand on the pulse of events always and to know more about the environment. We hope that our article was interesting and your time was well spent in this journey into history.