Analysis of fluid-structure interaction and structural response of Chernobyl-4 reactor

On April 26, 1986, an accident occurred at the Chernobyl-4 Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union. A post accident meeting was held in Vienna during the week of August 25, 1986. In mid-July 1986, the DOE formed a team to analyze the accident, including experts from the national laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The goal was to assess the information's plausibility, provided analytical support to the US delegation during the post-accident review meeting and obtain a technical understanding of the accident. Detailed analyses of the team work are given in Ref. 1 (DOE, 1986). The accident at Chernobyl-4 occurred during the running of a test to determine a turbogenerator's ability to provide in-house emergency power after shutting off its steam supply. The accident was the result of a large, destructive power excursion. The major design related factor in the accident was the large positive void coefficient of reactivity. This feature, not present in the US reactors, means that an increase in power is likely to lead to an increase in reactivity which will further increase power, and finally result in the destructive accident. 5 refs., 11 figs