04-26-1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
|
|
| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Engineering Ethics Environmental Engineering Mechanical Engineering Nuclear Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Community - Blog |
| Media Type: |
WWW |
| Author(s): |
Alice Agogino |
| Description: | Engineering Pathway's blog for April 26. Today in History - April 26, 1986 - The Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded in the Ukraine and parts of Belarus, Russia; it was the world's worst civil nuclear catastrophe. The steam explosion and fire sent a cloud of radioactive dust over much of Europe, releasing at least five percent of the radioactive core of the reactor. The accident was a result of flaws in the reactor design and inadequately trained personnel. The safety systems had actually been turned off during a testing operation and an uncontrollable power surge was allowed to occur. As the Soviet design had no external containment, there was no final barrier to contain radioactive material once the steam explosions started. These design and training flaws are attributed to lax nuclear safety standards in the former Soviet Union. Over thirty people, mostly emergency workers and children, were killed soon after the explosion. |
| Rating: |
|
| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | Chernobyl nuclear accidents nuclear waste nuclear radiation radiation environmental engineering nuclear radiation nuclear fallout environmental science |
| Is Component of: |
"Today in History" Blog of the Engineering Pathway Digital Library |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
(b) Design and conduct experiments, analyze and interpret data (c) Design a system, component, or process (f) Understand professional and ethical responsibility (h) Understand global, economic, environmental, and societal context |
| Use of Resource: |
Could be used as a case study in classes that cover engineering safety and decision making, technology and society, engineering ethics, or nuclear engineering. |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Interactivity Level: |
Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | April 2009 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.k-grayengineeringeducation.com/blog/index.php/2012/04/ |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
|
