Fears of catastrophic radiation leaks

A Russian drone that broke into the protective dome in Chernobyl – the fears that the next strike could blow fatal radiation in EuropeA top Ukrainian civil servant warned.

The maintenance chief Artem Siryi told the sun about Wladimir Putin's Kamikaze drone that beaten directly through the steel shell, which protected the notorious reactor 4.

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The strike of February 14th burned out fires between its two critical layers and burned through a vital inner membrane that has sealed the radiation inside.

Siryi, head of maintenance at the new safe (NSC), said: “We were very lucky that the strike did not meet the concrete protection structure in which the radiation held.

“If it had ended up in another place, it would have had the concrete sarcophagus that envelops the reactor. Then we would deal with a completely different situation.”

However, the expert warned that a second drone attack could be enough to bring the dome down and to trigger a full -fledged radiation leak if the structure is not repaired as quickly as possible.

Siryi speculated with a worst scenario and said that the entire dome could collapse and completely release the concrete sarcophagus around reactor 4.

In a chain reaction, the sarcophagus could finally be damaged and the fatal radiation in a “Tschernobyl 2.0” injured.

“If another drone hits, it could collapse part of the structure,” he said.

“That would mean radioactive dust, with particles of the nuclear fuel from unity 4 that flee to the environment.”

“Protection against extreme exterior strokes was not the purpose of this dome,” added Siryi.

The nuclear power plant in Chernobyl is protected by a huge multi -layered system.

In the heart is the original concrete sarcophagus, which was built after the explosion of 1986 to contain radioactive material.

Surrounded that this is the new safe liability – a huge steel dome that is complete in 2016 and is 100 meters high.

It was developed as a doubtful steel sign, which continued to seal the radiation over the original sarcophagus from 1986 and further seal the reactor below.

It also acts as a contamination zone to catch radioactive dust using negative pressure and a sealed membrane.

But this outer sheet was never built to withstand the group of Mad Vlad's brutal war in Ukraine.

Dome chaos

According to Siryi, the drone hit the outer metal cladding directly over the central crawl garage of the structure and blew up a 15 square meter hole.

The remains of the drone, including its engine, penetrated the second inner layer and landed in the garage.

This initial impact solved a hidden inferno within the “layered cake” of the materials of the bow -metal cladding, rockwool insulation and a decisive 1.5 mm sealing membrane.

“When the fire smoldered under the insulation, it was almost impossible to recognize from the outside,” said Siryi.

“We had to use thermal imaging drones to find the fire in the layers hidden.”

In order to prevent the flames from spreading under the outer shell, the firefighters had to cut dozens of small access (about 30 by 30 cm) into the dome and pour water into the insulation from above.

But the temperatures fell to minus 16 ° C, frozen the water and blocked the access routes, which forced the responders to drill even more holes.

“It was a nightmare,” said Siryi.

“This project should never deal with a direct military strike. We had to invent solutions on the current fly.”

About 30 percent of the membrane in the northern part of the arch became destroyed in the flame-an important problem, since this airtight barrier maintains the pressure that prevents the fatal radiation from escaping.

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The damage also extended to the membrane seal between the steel arch and the concrete structures at the ground level, with a meter -wide violation under the dome.

“We now have violations in which the membrane has burned down – this means that the design sealing properties are lost,” said Siryi.

“Without the membrane, the bow can not maintain the air pressure regime, which preventing radioactive particles from preventing.”

The sensors also recognized a short seismic shock from the explosion, but the inner concrete structure under the arch, which still holds dangerous remains of nuclear fabrics.

Repair plans in progress

Engineers also monitor the structural integrity of the dome in non-military threats such as seismic activity.

“A relatively big tremor could also collapse the dome,” Siryi noticed.

Since the nuclear legacy of Ukraine is once again threatened by war, the experts now warn that the risk of a second disaster in Chernobyl is no longer unthinkable.

The Ukrainian armed forces are now stationed in the exclusion zone to protect the area.

Siryi would not say whether he believes that the strike was on purpose, however, confirmed that surveillance material “quite direct strike on the dome, which led to the fire”.

The engineers have now completed a damage survey and developed a defect law.

The immediate priority work includes the patching of the main flash hole, the sealing of the access paws funded by fire brigade and the replacement of the destroyed section of the membrane, which is likely to be an unmflammable material.

This project should never deal with a direct military strike

Artem SiryiHead of maintenance at the new safe (NSC)

But that's just the beginning.

Siryi said that complete repairs are a logistical nightmare that is complicated by close access, radiation exposure and the enormous size of the bow.

“It is technically difficult,” he said.

“Bringing only the devices close is a challenge, especially in the rainwater pool and in narrow soil cleaning.”

While the work is expected this year, progress depends on the financing.

Estimates for the initial emergency work are equipped with “millions of hryvnia” – corresponds to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has already agreed to finance the surveys and the design of the repair plan by the International Chernobyl Cooperation Fund.

However, the approval of the physical work is still pending.

“Our goal is to do the priority tasks this year,” said Siryi.

“After that, we will test whether the ventilation system can still maintain the proper conditions for the sub -architive. If not, we have to develop a completely new security strategy.”

Siryi added: “This is not just about patching a hole. This is about protecting the world from another radioactive catastrophe.”

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