Form and parameters of the particles of the fuel ejection in the Chernobyl reactor accident

Bogatov, S. A.; Borovoǐ, A. A.; Dubasov, Yu. V.; Lomonosov, V. V.

doi:10.1007/bf02086947

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…On April 26, 1986, the accident which occurred at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) involved destruction of the reactor core which was accompanied by ejection of enormous amounts of radionuclides into the environment [1]. During the course of the accident, the nuclear fuel of the ChNPP 4th unit underwent a significant physico-chemical change including the formation of the fuel-containing masses or Chernobyl "lavas" [2] and the solid-phase "hot" particles which were widely dispersed in the environment [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Chernobyl "Hot" Particles and Fuel Containing Masses: Implications for Reconstructing the Initial Phase of the Accident

et al. 1994

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The results of a detailed study of uranium phases in the matrix of fuel-containing masses (Chernobylite) and in "hot" particles formed during the accident at the 4th unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are reported here. The data are compared with those for uranium phases obtained experimentally under laboratory conditions. It is shown that an interaction between nuclear fuel and structural zirconium metal in the initial stage of the Chernobyl NPP accident took place before the explosion of the core. This process occurred during an extremely short time interval and was accompanied by formation of the phases Zr-U-Ο and UO x with a Zr impurity. Evidence is obtained that before the moment of explosion a temperature >2500-2600 °C was reached in a local section of the reactor, where the melting of the Zr-U-Ο phase and, partly, of the UO, with Zr impurity phase took place.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Chernobyl "Hot" Particles and Fuel Containing Masses: Implications for Reconstructing the Initial Phase of the Accident

et al. 1994

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“…5 a) is used to distinguish Chernobyl fallout from global levels 34 . In the Chernobyl accident relatively small amounts of transuranic elements were released into the atmosphere, mostly in the form of relatively large 'hot' particles that fell in a relatively small area around the reactor 35 . A significant fraction of volatile radionuclides, including 137 Cs, were released in aerosol form and distributed worldwide 36 , 37 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radioecological and geochemical peculiarities of cryoconite on Novaya Zemlya glaciers

Miroshnikov

Флинт

Asadulin

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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In recent years, cryoconite has received growing attention from a radioecological point of view, since several studies have shown that this material is extremely efficient in accumulating natural and anthropogenic radionuclides. The Novaya Zemlya Archipelago (Russian Arctic) hosts the second largest glacial system in the Arctic. From 1957 to 1962, numerous atmospheric nuclear explosions were conducted at Novaya Zemlya, but to date, very little is known about the radioecology of its ice cap. Analysis of radionuclides and other chemical elements in cryoconite holes on Nalli Glacier reveals the presence of two main zones at different altitudes that present different radiological features. The first zone is 130–210 m above sea level (a.s.l.), has low radioactivity, high concentrations of lithophile elements and a chalcophile content close to that of upper continental crust clarkes. The second zone (220–370 m a.s.l.) is characterized by high activity levels of radionuclides and “inversion” of geochemical behaviour with lower concentrations of lithophiles and higher chalcophiles. In the upper part of this zone (350–370 m a.s.l.), 137Cs activity reaches the record levels for Arctic cryoconite (5700–8100 Bq/kg). High levels of Sn, Sb, Bi and Ag, significantly exceeding those of upper continental crust clarkes, also appear here. We suggest that a buried layer of contaminated ice that formed during atmospheric nuclear tests serves as a local secondary source of radionuclide contamination. Its melting is responsible for the formation of this zone.

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“…Owing to the explosion shock wave, temperature gradient, and oxidation of nuclear fuel, hot (highly radioactive) fuel particles were formed. The release of these fuel particles into the environment was the main distinguishing feature of the radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl accident [ 5 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. The radionuclide composition of the fuel particles was similar to the fuel make-up in the damaged unit with some depletion of volatile nuclides ( 131 I, 134,137 Cs, 106 Ru, etc.).…”

Section: Speciation Of Radiocesium and Its Transformation In Soil–wat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bogatov et al (1990) stated that the main mechanism of radionuclide leaching from fuel particles was the dissolution of the uranium matrix. In their study, the dissolution rate was estimated to be (0.57–16) × 10 −5 g/cm 2 day at the contact of particles of different size with solutions modeling aqueous media [ 20 ]. The diffusion release rate for radionuclides was determined by these researchers using the method of layer dissolution of particles.…”

Section: Speciation Of Radiocesium and Its Transformation In Soil–wat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The diffusion release rate for radionuclides was determined by these researchers using the method of layer dissolution of particles. Based on the depletion of surface layers, the diffusion coefficients were estimated to be close and equal to (2–4) × 10 −17 cm 2 /s for 137 Cs, 90 Sr, 238,239,240 Pu, 241 Am [ 20 ]. The ability of fuel particles, being aggregates of fine crystals of uranium oxides, to easily break down at physical impact was indicated by many authors.…”

Section: Speciation Of Radiocesium and Its Transformation In Soil–wat...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fukushima and Chernobyl: Similarities and Differences of Radiocesium Behavior in the Soil–Water Environment

Konoplev

2022

Toxics

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In the wake of Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, radiocesium has become a radionuclide of most environmental concern. The ease with which this radionuclide moves through the environment and is taken up by plants and animals is governed by its chemical forms and site-specific environmental characteristics. Distinctions in climate and geomorphology, as well as 137Cs speciation in the fallout, result in differences in the migration rates of 137Cs in the environment and rates of its natural attenuation. In Fukushima areas, 137Cs was strongly bound to soil and sediment particles, with its bioavailability being reduced as a result. Up to 80% of the deposited 137Cs on the soil was reported to be incorporated in hot glassy particles (CsMPs) insoluble in water. Disintegration of these particles in the environment is much slower than that of Chernobyl-derived fuel particles. The higher annual precipitation and steep slopes in Fukushima-contaminated areas are conducive to higher erosion and higher total radiocesium wash-off. Among the common features in the 137Cs behavior in Chernobyl and Fukushima are a slow decrease in the 137Cs activity concentration in small, closed, and semi-closed lakes and its particular seasonal variations: increase in the summer and decrease in the winter.

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Form and parameters of the particles of the fuel ejection in the Chernobyl reactor accident

Cited by 20 publications

References 3 publications

Study of Chernobyl "Hot" Particles and Fuel Containing Masses: Implications for Reconstructing the Initial Phase of the Accident

Study of Chernobyl "Hot" Particles and Fuel Containing Masses: Implications for Reconstructing the Initial Phase of the Accident

Radioecological and geochemical peculiarities of cryoconite on Novaya Zemlya glaciers

Fukushima and Chernobyl: Similarities and Differences of Radiocesium Behavior in the Soil–Water Environment

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