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What would happen in a nuclear reactor if the coolant liquid leaked?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Short answer: Chernobyl. Physics answer: That heat has to go somewhere and it's not inclined to have a discussion about where. The heat in a fission reactor is generated by the interaction between the fuel (uranium) and the neutrons that are produced by the interaction itself. Basically, the neutrons cause the uranium atoms to break (fission). When the uranium atoms break, they release heat (nice, because we need that for things like generating electricity) and more neutrons (sort of nice, because it feeds itself). But if you don't get the heat out of there, you've got a major problem on your hands. In order to control the heat released by uranium/neutron interactions, to slow them down, nuclear reactors have "control rods" that can absorb neutrons. They're usually made of carbon. If you screw this part up, and there is no coolant, your reactor turns into the scariest heat factory you ever dreamed of. Flooding it with coolant now will result in two things: Steam explosions and radioactive coolant. If a coolant leak is all you get in this scenario, then count yourself lucky. You just avoided a complete reactor melt-down, the equivalent of an atom bomb detonating in your neighborhood.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What are nuclear leaks?
By "nuclear leaks" is meant the leakage of radioactive material from a nuclear facility such as a nuclear reactor or a store of spent fuel. This would only happen if the fuel had been damaged and the zircaloy sheathing was leaking, and also the contents of the reactor or store were leaking into the atmosphere. The leaked material could be gaseous like iodine, or could be particulate.
What happened to the chernobyl nuclear power station?
it leaked but now they fixed it all up so people could visit it again
What are two problems cause by harnessing nuclear energy?
In the modern era, the discovery of the potential energy that is stored within the structure of the atomic nucleus, led to the usage of a new form of energy, that is the nuclear energy. The concept of nuclear physics is constantly developing, as an independent discipline of science. The usage of nuclear energy often sounds incredible and every advantageous, but the use of this technology results into disaster if proper precautions are not taken. Problem of Waste Disposal During the process of nuclear fission, neutrons (particles having no charge or neutral charge) are bombarded on atoms of heavy elements, like uranium. This bombardment causes the entire fuel of the reactor, that is usually uranium or plutonium, to disintegrate or decompose. The process of decomposition produces a huge amount of heat, a large volume of heavy element atoms, and a lot of neutrons. In addition to these products, the nuclear fission also produces a big volume of radioactive waste. This radioactive waste can be easily used to make a nuclear bomb. The radioactive waste has to be disposed in some or the other manner. Though, its disposal and storage is very costly. If it falls in the wrong hands like those of a terrorist organization, it can prove to be extremely fatal. The leakage of radioactive waste from the reactor or from highly secured storage areas, is also very dangerous. Living beings, exposed to such kind of radiation, especially from nuclear waste, suffer from many problems like cancer, abnormal growth and sometimes can also lead to immediate death. Reactor Safety The nuclear reactor is the place inside which the process of nuclear integration takes place. The environment inside the place is full of heated reactions. The reaction of nuclear fissions not only produce heat, but they also result into many different reactions, due to the fact that the neutrons are produced as a by-product in the process of making nuclear fission a chain reaction. It is very important that the environment within the reactor remains highly controlled and sealed. The action of fission also tends to produce a high amount of radiation. If the radiation or the reacting elements leak out, then the health of people in the nearby vicinity is endangered. The leaked out matter sometimes also spreads to many different places through the atmosphere. If the level of leakage is very high, then it can also cause a huge explosion in the environment that would be comparable to a miniature nuclear bomb explosion. Nuclear Meltdown One of the biggest risks of nuclear energy is nuclear meltdown. A nuclear melt down occurs when the coolant, which is prominently water, gets over-heated or stops working. Sometimes the controlled environmental conditions also get over heated, causing a meltdown. In case of a meltdown, the radiations that are produced in the reactions inside, escape the controlled environment. The meltdown releases many toxic elements into the environment contaminating a huge area. A nuclear meltdown in the reactor had occurred at Chernobyl, Ukraine which resulted into ghastly effects. It is hence wise, to take the proper precautions and avoid the nuclear disasters. The control measures though costly, if taken, will ensure an uncontaminated environment, for the current as well as the future generations to come. If not, then the nuclear contamination would be capable of wiping out mankind.
What happens in a nuclear disaster?
A nuclear disaster could take several forms. The most obvious would be a meltdown at a nuclear reactor plant. Though the plant could not explode, the results of such a disaster would very likely be the release of massive amounts of radiation and radioactive material into the environment. And it would take hundreds of years to decay to anything near "safe" levels. Cleaning it up is out of the question, as exemplified by the Chernobyl disaster. In the Ukraine event, the reactor actually caught fire and burned. Prypiat is a ghost town. In the case of Three Mile Island, the meltdown was contained within the reactor vessel and the containment building, but there were some large releases of steam that was heavily laced with the radioactive debris of spent fuel fission fragments. These radioactive materials, which would normally be contained inside fuel elements, were released into the primary coolant when a loss-of-coolant accident overcame the plant. There is a move underway to transport spent nuclear fuel to the spent fuel storage facility in the Yucca Mountain Repository in Nevada. This will be done by rail, and rail cars are vulnerable to accident. Though the rail cars that carry spent fuel will be specially engineered for the task, they are not indestructable. They can survive the mechanical damage from a "head on crash" from a vehicle (a locomotive is run into the cars to test the design), if an accident results in a conflagration of sorts due to, say, nearby petroleum cars catching fire, then that casket in which the spent fuel is cooking will fail. That could easily result in the airborne distribution of a large quantity of highly radioactive material over a wide area. Like in a nuclear power plant disaster, cleanup would not be possible. It is possible that some kind of terrorist attack could result in the release of a large quantity of highly radioactive material, but that is unlikely. Certainly power plant spent fuel is vulnerable to assault, but the "effectiveness" of such a venture is probably not "high enough" to warrant the investment of the resources it would take to make it happen. It is extremely difficult to hoist a bunch of spent fuel out of holding tanks and drag it out into the open and blow it up or incinerate it completely enough to disperse large amounts of the radioactive materials. (Certainly the "local mess" requires that all efforts be made to secure nuclear plant sites and provide for rapid response teams to any facility.) Accidents involving nuclear weapons and nuclear materials in labs usually don't result in the release of large quantities of highly radioactive materials, though some deaths occur as a result of these events. Criticality accidents in laboratory situations have killeded people on several occasions. But so has overdosing (with radiation) in a number of medical cases where patients were given incorrect doses of radiation during physician supervised medical treatments.
What is the definition of xion?
she is apparently an imperfect replica of sora mainly made of mainly of some leaked memories of his about kairi....
What are nuclear leaks?
By "nuclear leaks" is meant the leakage of radioactive material from a nuclear facility such as a nuclear reactor or a store of spent fuel. This would only happen if the fuel had been damaged and the zircaloy sheathing was leaking, and also the contents of the reactor or store were leaking into the atmosphere. The leaked material could be gaseous like iodine, or could be particulate.
What happens if nuclear reactor leaks?
If a nuclear reactor leaked you would have to evacuate the area around the plant and you would attempt to stop the leak and probably depending on the severeity level of the situation you may need to 'SCRAM' the reactor.
What to do if all of the coolant has emptied out of the radiator?
First, do not run engine. Second, determine where the coolant has leaked from. Third, consult a mechanic with your findings.
What would happen if a wet cell leaked?
it doesent apply to me
What engine problems can occur if engine coolant leaks onto engine during thermostat repair?
If coolant leaks onto an engine it will cause no damage unless it leaks onto the alternator or into a wire harness connector of some sort. It is best to clean up leaked coolant as much as possible. It will smell a little when the motor is started. Leaked coolant on the ground is a danger to animals and children as it has a sweet smell but is very toxic.
I have a blown head gasket and coolant leaked into the oil. How can I remove coolant from engine oil?
you can't. time for a head job. this requires machining the heads, and looking for other damage.
What happen at chernobyl?
In 1986, a failed test led to its reactor being shutdown. This caused a large explosion that sent out harmful levels of radiation throughout the community. Everyone who lived in Chernobyl was forced to immediately evacuate the area with no possible return.
Why is the air conditioning in your vw jetta not cold?
Possibly (And probably) the coolant gas has leaked out due to a tiny hole somewhere in the system. You need to get it checked properly before refilling the coolant.
Why would there be smell coming from the front of the car?
Could be overheated coolant or just leaked oil burning off your exhaust headers
How many nuclear weapons were tested at the Bikini Atoll?
There were 23 total nuclear weapons tested at Bikini Atoll between the years of 1946 and 1958. These nuclear weapons caused a great amount of radiation to be leaked into the surrounding areas.
What happened to the chernobyl nuclear power station?
it leaked but now they fixed it all up so people could visit it again
How much radiation is being leaked out of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Japan after the earthquake on March 11 2011?
If proper safeguards were used, the amount of radioactive fallout should be minimal. There are multiple factors to be taken into consideration. In emergency situations, boron and/or hafnium rods are inserted into the reactor vessels to 'slow down' the atomic reaction. Other safeguards may be instituted.
