Author: Shahili PuLoki
Translators: Li Wenlu, Wang Zicheng
Publisher: Guangdong People's Publishing House
Publication date: October 1, 2023
Preface: Stealing Fire
A few years before the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster,A statue of Prometheus was erected in Prypiat, where the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is locatedPrometheus, the Titan in Greek mythology, once stole fire from the hands of the gods and gifted it to humanity. This statue is awe inspiring, with Prometheus half naked and half kneeling, scattering his wildly dancing tongue of fire into the air, symbolizing the power of humanity to overcome nature, Don't forget to share your experience!Took away the secrets of the creation and atomic structure of the universe from the hands of the gods.
On the evening of April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, triggering a catastrophic disasterThe 6-meter-high statue survived, but was later moved to another location and its symbolic meaning changed. Nowadays, this statue stands in the memorial complex in front of the entrance of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant office area, which commemorates the nuclear power plant operators, firefighters, and other early rescuers who sacrificed their lives in the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Have you tried this before? Share your story!It has been proven that Prometheus was unable to control the flames he unleashed, and now what he symbolizes is no longer the triumph of man over nature, but rather the arrogance of humanity Don't forget to share your experience!.
The change in the position and symbolic meaning of the statue is a sad metaphor that vividly interprets itChanges in attitudes towards nuclear energy in many regions of the worldSome areas have experienced nuclear accidents, while others have avoided disasters through luck or caution.Nuclear weapons, or "atoms for war," were first used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 and never received much praise from the world Don't forget to share your experience!On the contrary, nuclear energy itself, or "atoms for peace" - US President Dwight Eisenhower1953The first mention of this statement in a famous speech at the United Nations ignited hope during the peak of the nuclear industry in the 1960s and 1970s, earning it worldwide acclaim. Don't forget to share your experience!
EisenhowerEnsure that nuclear weapons are taken from soldiers' hands and handed over to those who know how to dismantle their military shells and make them suitable for peace. His goal is to reassure the American people and people around the world about the security of the expanding nuclear arsenal of the United States, prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and promote global economic development. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Lewis Strauss, Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy CommissionLewis Strauss responded in the autumn of 1954, claiming that atomic energy would make electricity so cheap that it was no longer necessary to check the meter. Many people still believe that atomic energy can be used to treat diseases and dig tunnels; Every household will install atomic heating equipment; It can not only drive submarines and icebreakers, but also provide power for ships and trains. Don't forget to share your experience!
The nuclear industry has indeed made tremendous contributions to our lives, with the most prominent being power generationInSpeech on 'Atomic Energy Serving Peace'Today, nearly 70 years after its publication, there are approximately 440 operating nuclear power units worldwide, accounting for about 10% of the world's total electricity generation. Although this proportion is considerable, it has not yet brought about any substantial changes. The reason why the initial promise of 'atomic energy serving peace' was not fulfilled was mainly due to economic reasons. Nowadays, in North America and Europe, if both direct and indirect costs are included, What do you think about this?The cost of nuclear power generation is not only higher than fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, but also higher than renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, and solar power What do you think about this?.
However, the main reason for opposing nuclear power for economic reasons is not the cost of electricity generation, but the cost of building nuclear power plants Have you tried this before? Share your story!The construction cost of a nuclear power plant is now at least $112 per megawatt, while solar power plants are $46 per megawatt, gas power plants are $42 per megawatt, and wind power plants are $30 per megawatt. Moreover, building a nuclear power plant can take up to 10 years, and it takes decades to recoup costs. Therefore, without government subsidies and guarantees, the development of nuclear energy is extremely difficult, and even impossible. This was the case in the 1950s, and it still remains so today. The existing nuclear industry implies an endless responsibility, as no nuclear power plant has been completely decommissioned (nuclear power plants cannot be directly 'shut down'). We don't know how much the retirement process will cost, but there is every reason to believe that this cost will be higher than the initial cost of building the website. Don't forget to share your experience!
Additionally,Nuclear energy has not played its due role in nuclear non-proliferation eitherThe sharing of nuclear power technology has not prevented the development of nuclear weapons, and sometimes even helped non nuclear countries acquire nuclear weapons. Have you tried this before? Share your story!IndiaIt's a typical example. The country produced the first batch using reactors provided by CanadaPlutonium raw materialAnd conducted the first nuclear test under the name of 'peaceful nuclear explosion'. Nowadays, many people are worriedIranWe will also follow India's example and adoptUranium enrichmentWe plan to further advance towards the production of nuclear weapons.
Does this mean that nuclear energy cannot continue to develop due to its high cost and high risk factor?Nuclear technology originated in the mid-20th century and was once highly anticipated by people, but now it has not been realized as originally envisioned. Will it be crushed by insurmountable economic obstacles and disappear on its own? The economic shortcomings of nuclear energy are obvious, but I've found that it's too early to declare it out at this time, and I've found that it's unfair to arbitrarily deny its future development potential. Whether for economic, military reasons, or to compete for international status, the political drive for countries to develop nuclear energy has never diminished. Currently, most countries have not yet mastered nuclear energy technology, and some regions are struggling with non nuclear energy. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
However, in the past decade or so, there has been a strong new argument supporting the use of nuclear energy, which is climate change Let me know your thoughts in the comments!We are facing an unprecedented threat of carbon emissions, and our dependence on fossil fuels is growing at an unprecedented rate. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In 1990, 62% of electricity was generated through the combustion of fossil fuels; In 2017, this proportion rose to nearly 65%; In 2018, both in absolute and relative terms, this proportion was higher than the previous year. Don't forget to share your experience!
How to solve this problem? Many politicians, industry professionals, and the general public believe that a low-carbon nuclear industry is one of the ways to solve current problems, and even many environmental activists share this view. Don't forget to share your experience!
To address climate change,Organisation for Economic Co operation and DevelopmentUnder the OECDInternational Energy AgencyIn the World Energy Outlook 2019 report, a "Sustainable Development Scenario" was outlined, calling for a 67% increase in nuclear power generation, which means that from 2017 to 2040, What do you think about this?The installed capacity of nuclear power generation needs to increase by 46%.
The International Energy Agency represents 31 member countries and not only focuses on nuclear energy, but also on all other types of energy. The concept it proposes seems reasonable and fair. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Why not adopt it?
Although nuclear power generation cannot compete with renewable energy in terms of costThe proportion of wind and solar power generation in global electricity production is still negligible——In 2020, the two accounted for only 8.4% and 2.3% of electricity production in the United States, respectively. Although the proportion of wind and solar power has doubled from 2017 to 2020, and solar power has become the fastest growing form of electricity generation, there are still views that renewable energy cannot replace fossil fuels in the short term. Even if it can be replaced, there needs to be a stable supply of relatively clean electricity as a backup to ensure stable grid output during days or even months without sunlight or wind. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!After all, developing batteries that can store excess electricity and discharge it when needed remains a major technological challenge.
So, why not develop nuclear energy? Both supporters and opponents of nuclear energy development agree that one major factor affecting the development of the nuclear industry is Don't forget to share your experience!The publicConcerns about the safety of reactors have been growing in some countries, and public tension has even intensified. This concern has significantly prolonged the construction time of new reactors and increased costs. In the countries that caught up with the nuclear energy development boom in the 1950s and 1970s, most of the people were worried Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Core meltdown accidentAnd with itRadioactive sediment.Regardless of whether governments support or oppose nuclear energy itself, as long as the public feels uneasy about the nuclear industry, governments cannot use taxpayers' money to develop nuclear energy. What do you think about this?
The public has long lacked trust in the nuclear industry and the government that drives its development, mainly due to a series of military and civilian industrial nuclear accidents that have occurred since the 1950s. Have you tried this before? Share your story!The three major accidents that triggered the "Great Earthquake" in the civilian nuclear industry were the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979, the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, and the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 Let me know your thoughts in the comments!These accidents not only raised deep concerns among the public about the safety of reactors, but also unexpectedly turned the nuclear industry into a "cyclical" industry - after each accident, the number of ordered and put into operation nuclear reactors would decrease, and then slowly increase over time. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Although there are other factors behind the cyclical development of the nuclear industry, mainly economic factors, at the same time,There is a certain degree of correlation between major nuclear accidents and the decline of the nuclear industryThis cannot be ignored either. The number of reactors under construction worldwide reached its peak in 1979, the year of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident; The number of reactor startups approached this peak again in 1985, the year before the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 resulted in the immediate shutdown of dozens of reactors, at least to some extent leading to a decline in the number of new nuclear power plants, which has been ongoing since 2011. Don't forget to share your experience!
Both opponents and supporters believe that nuclear accidents are the main obstacle to the development of nuclear energy. At present,The strongest support for nuclear energy comes from Bill GatesIn his book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," he acknowledges that the "practical problems" of the nuclear industry and technology have led to disasters, but also claims that abandoning nuclear energy is like abandoning cars because they can kill people. Gates wrote, "The number of people who die in nuclear accidents is much fewer than those who die in car accidents." He confidently invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of the next generation of nuclear reactors. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
To further discuss the safety of nuclear energy, we need to re-examine the history of nuclear accidents, try to understand the causes and severity of accidents, think about what lessons we can learn from them, and whether accidents will happen again. What do you think about this?
With this main objective in mind, this book analyzes the six major nuclear accidents that rank high on the list of the world's deadliest nuclear disasters, and examines an international industry that is strictly confidential by governments around the world - the nuclear industry Don't forget to share your experience!After all, besides that, which other industry's "spies" would be sent to the trial bench and sit on the electric chair? Have you tried this before? Share your story!
I willLet's talk about the Castle Bravo nuclear testThis nuclear test was conducted in the Marshall Islands in March 1954. Due to inaccurate estimates of the power and direction of the hydrogen bomb, it ultimately caused serious damage to human health and the natural environment, becoming the first major accident of the nuclear age. Subsequently, two nuclear industry accidents involving "atomic energy serving war" occurred one after another within a few days. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
The first nuclear accidentThe accident occurred at the end of September 1957, at the location ofKshtem in the Ural MountainsA plutonium plant near Kyshtym experienced an explosion in a nuclear waste canister, releasing tens of millions of curies of radiation into the atmosphere. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The second accidentThe accident occurred in October of the same year, at the location ofWentzkell in EnglandThe Windscale plant, a reactor that produces plutonium and tritium for the production of atomic and hydrogen bombs, caught fire, causing the first major nuclear reactor accident in world history. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Afterwards, I will also talk about what happened in March 1979Three Mile Island nuclear accidentIn April 1986Chernobyl nuclear accidentAnd in March 2011Fukushima nuclear accidentThese three accidents all occurred in the nuclear industry, which serves the peaceful atomic energy sector.
The repeated nuclear disasters have deepened people's impression that nuclear energy is inherently extremely dangerous.
Just like the few accidents I have chosen, I did not separate the military origins of the nuclear industry from its initial and mature development stages, because once separated, it would conceal the fact that "atomic energy serving peace" and "atomic energy serving war" are fundamentally interconnected and in line, Have you tried this before? Share your story!The former inherits the reactor design, technical backbone, and industrial culture of the latter, as well as financial supportTherefore, the two plutonium production plant accidents in Kesztem and Wentzkel, as well as the three nuclear power plant accidents in Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, are considered the most serious nuclear accidents to date, which is also expected by people. What do you think about this?
This book tells a global story.
Despite the best efforts of governments to protect their own nuclear secrets, the nuclear industry has developed as an international project since its inception. Scientists and practitioners in the nuclear industry are well aware that they are part of international collaboration, openly or secretly monitoring each other's progress. They stand on the same starting line and share the same misunderstandings and mistakes. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Although there are currently 440 operational reactors worldwide, there are less than 12 basic models of reactors, all of which are designed by the United States, the Soviet Union/Russia, Canada, and China. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
The nuclear industry is both global and regional, and nuclear accidents are no exception.
The most effective way to understand the dangers that may arise from relying on nuclear energy is to carefully study the causes of these accidents, as well as the industry and government's handling methods (including the use or misuse of information, the use of resources to deal with the consequences of accidents, etc.). Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Here, I sincerely invite readers to join me in exploring the dramatic history of nuclear accidents.
I not only examined the actions and negligence of those responsible for the accident, but also studied the ideological, political, cultural, and other factors that led to the accident. Don't forget to share your experience!
After each nuclear accident discussed in this book, the government established committees to investigate the causes of the accident and summarize lessons learned. As a result, nuclear technology has been improved, and safety procedures and industry culture have been further refined after each accident. However, nuclear accidents continue to occur repeatedly. Is it possible that we have overlooked the political, social, and cultural factors that led to nuclear accidents, and these factors still accompany us today? Can we make wise judgments about the future of the nuclear industry before addressing these issues? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Chapter 1: White Dust: Bikini Atoll
John C clarkeDr. John C. Clark usually wears glasses and is a middle-aged man who looks like a university professor. He initiated the establishment Have you tried this before? Share your story!United States Atomic Energy CommissionAnd its reputation is far and wide. He has participated in an unparalleled number of nuclear tests in his career, and has twice been responsible for the thrilling dismantling of nuclear bombs after they failed to detonate. Don't forget to share your experience!
Dr. Clark's friends call him Jack. Previously, Jack had guided dozens of nuclear tests, and he did not feel that this one was scheduled Let me know your thoughts in the comments!March 1, 1954What will be different with the experiments being conducted? Everything is progressing according to plan. However, Clark, who led the detonation team, knew he had to be extremely careful. Don't forget to share your experience!The code name for this nuclear test is "Bravo Castle", which is not only the first test explosion of the "Operation Castle" series of tests, but also the world's first attempt to detonate a hydrogen bomb Don't forget to share your experience!This nuclear bomb has a small volume, but its power is enormous. However, its true power is still unknown, and the purpose of this nuclear test is to find the answer. Don't forget to share your experience!
The series of nuclear tests called "Operation Castle" will be conducted at the Pacific Test Site in Bikini Atoll, located in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean What do you think about this?Clark and his team are stationed about 32 kilometers away from the testing siteEnyou Island(Enyu Island)
(NamuIsland)(ground zero)32
On Enyou Island, engineers poured sturdy reinforced concrete shelters for the test control center and detonation team, and covered the shelters with multiple layers of coral sand. This design can withstand the shock waves generated by nuclear explosions, and even if the huge waves caused by the explosion submerge the island, the shelter can still resist the invasion of seawater with good waterproof performance. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
On February 28th, the day before the "Bravo Castle" test date, the specifications of the test preparation work were upgraded again. In previous years, the temperature at this time was usually around 27 degrees Celsius, but this year I've found that it's approaching 32 degrees Celsius. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Not long after the noon bell rang, Clark and his team, shirtless, wearing shorts and hats, boarded the trainNavy helicopterFly north over the lush palm trees on the white reefs and larger islands. Clark noticed that the last few ships were leaving the island to avoid a nuclear explosion. What do you think about this?
After the helicopter landed, Clark and others checked the recording equipment along the way.At 2pm, they arrived at the epicenter projection point.
Assembling this small hydrogen bomb originally did not require a long time, but now there is a situation: there isoptical instrumentLeakage in progressheliumIf a hydrogen bomb is assembled now, by the time the test explosion begins, the helium gas will have already leaked out. If the optical instruments are removed, the explosion test will be meaningless, so they have to make a choice. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In the end, they decided to postpone the assembly of the hydrogen bomb: if the delay was long enough, there would still be enough helium to sustain it until the test explosion. Approaching 11pm, Clark opened the helium tank, which was nearly 9 hours later than the original plan. What do you think about this?
The countdown has started, they must be hereIgniting a nuclear bomb before helium is depleted.
Chapter 2 Arctic Lights: Kshtem
Chapter 3: The Burning of England: Wentzkell
Chapter 4: The Core of Peace: Three Mile Island
Chapter 5: Doomsday Star: Chernobyl
Chapter 6: Nuclear Tsunami: Fukushima