A Brief History of Nuclear Reactor Accidents: From Leipzig to Fukushima

Description

Are you afraid of a nuclear reactor accident? Should you be? This book will arm you with the scientific knowledge necessary to make a rational and informed opinion on the subject, without having to be an expert in nuclear physics. Written so that a non-specialist can easily approach the highly technical aspects, it looks at all significant nuclear reactor accidents since the dawn of the Atomic Age and brings to light many crucial details that rarely, if ever, appear in the general media. Serge Marguet, an internationally renowned expert in reactor physics, breaks down the must-know technical aspects of numerous nuclear reactor accidents throughout history ― both famous and unknown ― from the first ever nuclear accident in Leipzig to the Chernobyl explosion and, finally, the Fukushima affair and its most recent developments. With many high-quality photographs and diagrams, this book is essential reading for anyone concerned about nuclear safety, curious about nuclear reactors, or simply interested in the history ― and future ― of nuclear power. Preface Introduction The First Ever Nuclear Reactor Accident Contents List of Figures List of Photos List of Tables 1: The Physics of Nuclear Accidents The Physics of Nuclear Fission Some Basic Technology The Reactor Accidents The Radioactive Releases 2: Reactor Accidents in the Early Days of Nuclear Power Windscale, a Fire in the Reactor (England, 1957) Vandellos, a Fire of Turbo-Blowers (Spain, 1989) Vinča, a Serious Criticality Accident (Винча, 1958) Zoé, a Near Criticality Accident (France, Circa 1948) Santa Susana, a Partial Blockage of the Flow in the Core (California, 1959) Idaho Falls, a Control Rod Ejection (USA, 1961) Barentz Sea, the Submarine K-19 Suffers a Loss of Primary Coolant Accident (USSR, 1961) Fermi-1, Fuel Melting in a Sodium Cooled Reactor (1966, Michigan, USA) Chapelcross, a Carbon Dioxide Flow Blockage and Magnesium Cladding Melting (1967, Great Britain) Siloé, Melting of Fuel Plates (Grenoble, France, 1967) Lucens, Partial Fusion of a Fuel Rod (Switzerland, 1969) Saint Laurent des Eaux A1 (France, 1969), Saint Laurent des Eaux A2 (France, 1980) Bohunice A1: (Czechoslovakia, 1976, 1977) Constituyentes RA-2 (Argentina, 1983) 3: The Three-Mile-Island Accident French Post-TMI Action Plan Conclusion 4: The Chernobyl Accident The RBMK Reactor Type Chernobyl (1986, Ukraine) Chernpbyl Forever? Sosnovy Bor: The Precursor Accident of Chernobyl (Leningrad, Russia, 1975) Sosnovy Bor (Leningrad, Russia, 1992) 5: The Fukushima Accident And France? The “Blayais” Case The Consequences of Fukushima in France The Ultimate Safety Diesel (DUS) The SEU System: The Ultimate Cold Source Conclusions and Perspectives Zaporizhzhia or the Madness of Men What Future for Nuclear Energy? Appendix A: The INES Scale Appendix B: The Deterministic Approach to Barrier Design: Applications to Pressurized Water Reactors Incident/Accident Classes Deterministic Safety Criteria Appendix C: History of Significant Nuclear Reactor Accidents in the World Bibliography