Framatome sent a warning letter to the US government. In the letter, Framatome asked for the support of the US Department of Energy, according to CNN. Framatome is the company that helped build and provide technical support for the Taishan nuclear plant, located about 130 km west of Hong Kong. CNN added that Washington must “hold a number of high-level meetings and discussions with Paris after receiving the letter”. At the same time, the US and Chinese authorities also “contacted to discuss the matter”. Even so, US officials do not believe the situation poses a serious safety threat to residents or workers at the plant. Framatome (France) warned of an “imminent radiation threat” at the Taishan nuclear plant in Guangdong province. Photo: Power-Technology China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) later announced on Taishan’s website: “Taishan’s Unit 1 is operating normally and Unit 2 was reconnected to the grid last week. before and after the overhaul”. These units have a total capacity of 3.3 gigawatts and entered service in 2018 and 2019, respectively. CGN owns a 51% stake in the Taishan joint venture. Framatome’s parent company, Electricite de France SA (EDF), holds a 30% stake, with the rest belonging to Yuedian Utilities (China) in Guangdong province. Framatome claims it is “assisting in resolving the performance issue related to the Taishan nuclear power plant”, while citing available data showing that “the plant is still operating within safe parameters”. The EDF on June 14 confirmed that there was an “increase in the concentration of noble gases” in the cooling system of the Taishan plant. “The presence of some noble gases (chemically inert elements such as argon, helium or neon) is a phenomenon that has been observed during reactor operation,” the EDF said. The information was published at a time when the province of Guangdong, China’s industrial center, suffered a power shortage, forcing more than 20 cities to split electricity to a number of companies and factories. China is the world’s third-largest nuclear power market, after the US and France, with many new reactors under construction. The country has not recorded any serious nuclear accidents.

These word-of-mouth statements are almost consistent with information from the US Senate hearing on a request to fund NASA with a figure of $ 585 million to invest in nuclear-powered propulsion technology in the fiscal year 2022. and other American efforts in this area. This means that Russia’s space nuclear energy program is not only for technical purposes, but also for geopolitical purposes. Russia’s current program has its roots in the Soviet era. The Soviet Union launched a total of 33 military satellites with the function of spying and targeting targets equipped with nuclear reactors into low orbit around the Earth from 1969 to 1988. Most of these satellites used reactors. Buk type nuclear power generation reactor, only 2 of them using advanced thermal electron furnace NPP Topaz with generating capacity from 4.5 to 5.5 kW, however, this project was suspended in 1986 . In the early 1990s, a Russian-American cooperation project aimed at continuing the development of the Topaz furnace, but this project was suspended in 1995. In the period 2000-2007, Russia also tried to find ways to cooperate with China. Nation in this field. Despite the economic decline for a long time, Moscow has been trying to continue its independent efforts in the field of the use of nuclear energy in space since 1998, and during the time of President Dmitry Medvedev in power, the This effort has been identified as a key priority for the Kremlin. The budget for this program of Russia for the period 2010-2018 is 17 billion rubles, divided between Roscosmos 9.8 billion rubles and Rosatom 7.2 billion rubles, equivalent to $560 million in 2010 exchange rates. However, the actual disbursement figure is much smaller. In 2010, only 500 million rubles ($16.5 million) were allocated for this purpose. Over the next decade, total disbursements reached nearly 10 billion rubles ($213 million), according to public information from Roscosmos and Rosatom. The results of these efforts have not been as successful as they initially suggested. For example, the technical requirements of the proposed product are an outer space nuclear reactor with a capacity of 1 MW of electricity and an ion thruster with a capacity of 50 kW. However, the reality shows that Russia is currently only developing nuclear power generation systems YaEU-25M, YaEU-25 and YaEU-50 with a generating capacity of 10-40 kW and propulsion using ionic force. 25 kW. At present, perhaps Russia is just stopping at the computational model run for more powerful reactors and engines. For comparison, NASA is still trying to design a 10 kW outer space nuclear reactor with a Stirling engine for the purpose of increasing efficiency, currently Russia is still revolving around the thermal electron model, and the problem of using Using engines or turbines in combination with reactors is still only a theory. It is hard to believe that Russia will design a nuclear reactor in space with a generating capacity of 1 MW or ion propulsion engines with a larger capacity in the near future. Anyway, Moscow is still trying to turn the results achieved into advanced applications in long-distance space travel or foreign politics. Due to a decline in space research activities in other sub-sectors, coupled with economic weakness, these problems have prompted the Kremlin to look for another trump card. While the development of nuclear reactors for space exploration is far from complete, the Russian government as well as industry is currently looking for the application of nuclear reactors to satellites. military. These satellites can be used for radar reconnaissance or electronic warfare (for example jamming) when they are deployed in low, mid or geostationary orbits. However, no tests of such satellites have yet been conducted, meaning Moscow is not ready to field such satellites in the near future. In addition, the promotion of nuclear-powered spacecraft could be used by Russian space and nuclear industry units as a tool to apply for funding, to promote a slow and risky research program. this. For its part, the Kremlin is still trying to blur its true purpose. They came up with the “Strategy for the development of nuclear energy in space by 2030 in 2019, and issued relevant policies for the first time in 1998. Even if Russian military satellites are used by Russian military satellites. Nuclear power appeared in 2030, it also did not bring about significant changes in the technical and military fields. However, Moscow is still trying to polish it as a tool to help shift political supremacy. First, Russia has consistently supported the ban on placing weapons in outer space. Second, Russia will not be able to stand in the forefront of space technology without cooperating with other countries in the field, so Russian leaders see nuclear technology in space as a way to develop. cooperation, even in times of growing hostility in the West. The Russian SPT-100 series Ion Thruster has been used on satellites since 1994.

Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, Guangdong Province, China (Photo: SCMP) Late on June 14, the US media reported that authorities in Washington spent a whole week assessing a report on a possible radioactive leak at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant (Taishan). ) in Guangdong province, China, after a French company warned of an “imminent radiation threat”. Responding to the news, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian confirmed that radiation levels at the Taishan power plant were normal and there were no safety concerns to report. “There is nothing abnormal in the radiation levels around this nuclear power plant, and safety is still guaranteed,” Trieu said at a press conference on June 15. concerned, the current situation at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant meets the technical requirements.” He also emphasized that Beijing pays close attention to nuclear safety issues and has a nuclear safety control/management system that fully meets international and domestic standards. Zhao made the statement after the US channel CNN reported earlier this week that the UN Security Council had spent a week assessing the report on the risk of radioactive “leakage” at Taishan. and held “many” meetings on this issue. Framatome – a French nuclear reactor manufacturer that holds a stake in the Taishan plant – is said to have alerted authorities at the US Department of Energy through a letter about the “threat of leakage”. impending radioactive leak” and accused the Chinese government of raising the allowable radiation level to avoid shutting down the power plant. According to a memo cited by CNN, Framatome has sent a letter of petition to Washington to get the US to remove sanctions., It is known that China’s atomic energy industry has been subject to many restrictions imposed by the US. since 2019, due to concerns about the industry’s relationship with the Chinese military. Beijing has criticized the US decision, while some observers say the sanctions are politically motivated. On Sunday, the Dai Son plant also released a statement indicating that radiation levels in and around the plant were “normal” and that its reactors were in good working order. “All performance indicators of the two units meet nuclear safety regulations and plant technical regulations,” the statement said. Last Friday, Framatome released a statement saying that “according to production data, the plant is operating below safety indicators”. However, despite these claims, several US media outlets continued to report on the situation in Taishan, with Newsweek magazine publishing an article titled “Leakage at the Chinese nuclear power plant”. Quoc is reminiscent of Chernobyl, while Taishan insists it is safe.” This article also claims that there are many reports indicating that Taishan brings back “the memories of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, when the Soviet Union mitigated the problem of radiation levels at one of the nuclear power plants. their nuclear power”. Several other agencies, including Bloomberg, also recalled the Chernobyl incident when reporting on Taishan. France’s Electricite de France (EDF) – the parent company of Framatome – owns a 30% stake in the Taishan plant, along with China Atomic Energy Corporation. The plant consists of two reactors located in southern China, about 75 km from Macao, 140 km west of Hong Kong. This plant started operating between 2018 – 2019 and is said to be the “new generation” of nuclear reactor technology.

The idea behind the study of nuclear fusion is to recreate how the Sun generates enormous amounts of energy, a process involving a large amount of heat and pressure that combine to form plasma, in which atomic particles fuse. with super speed. Scientists are looking to trigger and study these reactions on Earth with a variety of experimental equipment, but experts say that EAST, located at the Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences of the Academy of Sciences Chinese studies, is the most promising approach. Inside China’s “Artificial Sun”, the Tokamak Superconducting Reactor (EAST). Photo: Newatlas. The EAST is a metal toroidal device consisting of magnetic coils designed to sustain streams of superheated hydrogen plasma long enough for the above reactions to occur. In 2016, scientists at EAST heated a hydrogen plasma to about 50 million degrees Celsius and maintained it for 102 seconds. Then in 2018, they hit 100 million degrees Celsius, six times hotter than the Sun’s core, and lasted 10 seconds. According to the Xinhua , the latest test marks a big step forward, achieving a new record when heating the plasma to 120 million degrees Celsius and maintaining it for 101 seconds. In separate experiments, this “artificial sun” heated plasma to 160 million degrees Celsius in 20 seconds. The goal of EAST is to maintain the plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for more than 1,000 seconds (about 17 minutes). These experiments are not designed to generate conventional electricity, but to advance the field of synthetic physics for next-generation devices such as ITER, the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor is expected to be. completed by 2025. Similar to EAST, experiments on South Korea’s KSTAR reactor set a world record last year, maintaining plasma at more than 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds. In addition, the country also announced the development of ITER and is expected to officially operate in 2035.

Design of a space tug to carry Russia’s 500kW Zeus nuclear reactor. Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmo announced that a “space tug” – a term used to refer to a spacecraft that transports astronauts or equipment from one orbit to another – is expected to carry out an interplanetary mission. planet by 2030. Accordingly, the spacecraft’s power module called “Zeus” is designed to generate enough power to propel heavy cargo into deep space. It is essentially a mobile nuclear power plant. Several countries have been eyeing similar technology as a way to shorten trips in space. Currently, spacecraft still rely on solar energy or gravity to accelerate. But that means it could take more than three years for astronauts to make a trip around Mars. Meanwhile, NASA estimates a nuclear-powered spacecraft could shorten that timeline by a year. NASA’s Juno unmanned spacecraft uses solar batteries to make a journey to explore Jupiter. Photo: NASA The US hopes to put a nuclear power plant – a 10-kilowatt reactor integrated with a lander to be exact – on the Moon as early as 2027. However, NASA has only sent one so far. nuclear reactor into space, on a satellite in 1965. Other spacecraft, such as the Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, also run on nuclear power, but they do not use a reactor. Meanwhile, Russia has sent more than 30 reactors into space. Those efforts will be further pushed as the “Zeus” module uses a 500 kilowatt nuclear reactor to propel itself from planet to planet. Watch a video of a Russian space tug model announced in 2020 (Source: ETF News): According to the plan announced on the Russian state news agency Sputnik, the Zeus spacecraft will approach the Moon first, then move towards Venus. From here it can use the planet’s gravity to redirect toward its final destination, Jupiter. That will help save propellant fuel. According to Alexander Bloshenko, Roscosmos Science and Long-Term Programs Executive Director, the entire mission will last 50 months (more than four years). During a presentation in Moscow on May 22, Bloshenko said that Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences are still working to calculate the trajectory of the flight, as well as the mass it can carry. Going further, this mission could be the precursor to a new frontier of Russian space. Sputnik reported that Russia is designing a space station using similar nuclear-powered technology. The Soyuz rocket launches the spacecraft to the International Orbital Station (ISS) from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo: Getty Images Nuclear power has advantages over solar energy Most spacecraft get their energy from some source: the sun, batteries, or unstable atoms called radioisotopes. For example, NASA’s Juno unmanned spacecraft at Jupiter uses solar panels to generate electricity. Solar energy can also be used to charge batteries in spacecraft, but this energy source becomes less efficient as the spacecraft gets further and further away from the Sun. In addition, lithium batteries can power shorter missions. For example, the Huygens probe used batteries to briefly land on Saturn’s moon Titan in 2005. Design of a NASA spacecraft using nuclear thermal propulsion. Photo: NASA NASA’s Voyager spacecraft uses radioactive isotopes (also known as “nuclear batteries”) to survive in the harsh environments outside the Solar System and interstellar space, but that’s not the same thing. bring a nuclear reactor on board. Putting nuclear reactors on spacecraft offers several advantages: They can survive in the dark, cold regions of the Solar System without sunlight. They are also stable, reliable in the long run. The Zeus nuclear reactor, for example, is designed to last 10 to 12 years. Plus, with their powerful energy, they can propel spacecraft to other planets in less time. But nuclear power also has its own set of challenges. Only certain fuels, like highly enriched uranium, can withstand the extreme heat of a reactor – and they may not be safe to use. In December 2020, the US banned the use of highly enriched uranium to propel objects into space if that mission was possible with other sources of nuclear fuel or non-nuclear energy. Russia prepares to build a nuclear-powered space station Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov returning from the ISS landed in a remote area in Kazakhstan on April 17, 2021. Photo: Reuters Russian engineers began developing the Zeus module in 2010 with the goal of getting it into Earth orbit within two decades. And they’re on track to get there. This technology could help Russia develop a new space station by 2025. In April, the BBC reported that Russia plans to stop cooperating with the International Space Station (ISS), which it currently shares with the International Space Station (ISS). America, Japan, Europe and Canada – in that year. Russia cooperated with the United States to launch the ISS in 1998. However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told Russia 1 state television last month that the status of the ISS “a lot of things are not yet achieved”. . Even recently, this orbiting station has experienced air leaks and oxygen supply system failures. NASA has announced that the ISS will operate until at least 2028, however, the agency will probably maintain the station for the next 10-15 years.

Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos has said that a “space tug” – a term used to refer to a spacecraft that transports astronauts or equipment from one orbit to another, is expected to be launched into space. to perform an interplanetary mission in 2030. This spacecraft is powered by a power module called Zeus. Basically, Zeus is like a mobile nuclear power plant, able to generate enough energy to operate spacecraft, transport equipment and goods in space. Currently, several countries are interested in similar technology as a way to shorten journeys in space. Design of the space tug. Photo: Roscosmos. Traditionally, spacecraft have relied on solar power or gravity to accelerate. This means that it takes astronauts more than 3 years to make the trip around Mars. NASA estimates that a nuclear-powered spacecraft could make that journey in a year. The US hopes to put a 10-kilowatt nuclear reactor integrated with the lunar lander, on the Moon as early as 2027. However, so far, NASA has only put one nuclear reactor. launched into space for the SNAP-10A satellite in 1965. Other spacecraft such as the Mars Curiosity and Perseverance probes are also nuclear-powered, but they do not use a reactor. Meanwhile, Russia has sent more than 30 nuclear reactors into space. The Zeus module is expected to further Russia’s space efforts by using a 500 kilowatt nuclear reactor to power spacecraft to travel from planet to planet. other planets, Sputnik quoted information from Roscosmos said. According to the Russian plan, the nuclear spacecraft will approach the Moon first, then head towards Venus, where it can use the planet’s gravity to move to its final destination, Jupiter. This will help save propellant. The entire mission will take 50 months (more than four years), said Alexander Bloshenko, executive director of development programs and advanced science at Roscosmos. According to the official, Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences are still working to calculate the trajectory of the flight, as well as the payload the spacecraft can carry. Ultimately, this mission could lay the groundwork for a new strategy for the Russian aerospace industry. Sputnik reported that Moscow is designing a space station using similar nuclear energy technology. The advantage of nuclear energy in the universe Most spacecraft get their energy from some source: the sun, batteries, or radioactive atoms (also called radioisotopes). For example, NASA’s Juno spacecraft at Jupiter uses solar panels to generate electricity. Solar energy can also be used to charge spacecraft batteries, however, it becomes less efficient if the spacecraft is far from the Sun. In other cases, lithium batteries could help power spacecraft for short journeys. Earlier in 2005, the Huygens probe used batteries to make a lightning landing on Saturn’s moon Titan. NASA’s Voyager spacecraft uses radioactive isotope (sometimes called a nuclear battery) to survive in the harsh environments of the solar system and interstellar space, but this is not the same thing. integrate a nuclear reactor into the spacecraft. Nuclear reactors offer several advantages as they can survive in dark and cold areas of the solar system without sunlight. They are also quite useful and quite reliable for long-term activities. The Zeus nuclear reactor is designed to last 10 to 12 years. In addition, they can propel spacecraft to other planets in less time. But nuclear power also presents some challenges of its own. Only certain fuels, such as highly enriched uranium, can withstand the extreme heat of the reactor. Furthermore, they may not be safe to use. In December 2020, the United States banned the use of highly enriched uranium to send objects into space if the operation could be made possible by other alternative sources of nuclear or non-nuclear fuel. Russia is about to build a space station in space Russian engineers began developing the “Zeus” module in 2010 with the goal of putting it into orbit within two decades, and they are on track to accomplish this goal. Production and testing commenced in 2018. By 2020, Roscosmos has signed a contract worth 4.2 billion rubles ($57.5 million) with St. Petersburg for the preliminary design of the space station. This will help Russia accelerate its efforts to develop a new space station by 2025. Earlier in April 2021, the BBC said that Russia plans to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) by 2025 and is ready to build its own space station. The International Space Station was established in 1998. This is an international cooperation project of 16 countries including the US and Russia, Japan, Canada, European Space Agency member states and Brazil. with a total investment capital of more than 100 billion USD.

The main difference between these three types of hydrogen lies in the number of neutrons in the nucleus. Protium is the default type of hydrogen in our natural habitat, which consists of a proton and an electron, while deuterium has an extra neutron when compared to proti and tritium with two more neutrons when compared to proti. . Most of the hydrogen in nature exists in the form of proti, with a relative abundance of 99.9844%, while deuterium abundance is relatively low, at about 0.0156%. For tritium, since abundance is less than 0.001% it is usually noted as a trace amount. During the recent nuclear wastewater incident in Fukushima, Japan, tritium content was a major issue being discussed. Tritium is radioactive and undergoes beta decay with a half-life of 12.43 years. It is often thought that it was caused by the interactions of cosmic radiation and hydrogen in the atmosphere. Since the introduction of nuclear technology, humans have produced 5 times more natural tritium (about 7.3 kg in nature). Although proti (H2O), deuterium (D2O), and tritium (T2O) differ in atomic composition, the differences in their chemical properties are very small (D2O and T2O are commonly known as heavy water and super heavy water). Also because many of the three properties are similar, tritium is also one of the most difficult to separate and remove substances in nuclear wastewater. However, non-radioactive heavy water is much more interesting than super heavy water. Since the density of heavy water is 10% greater than that of water, heavy ice can sink to the bottom in the water. In 1931, the American scientist Harold Clayton Urey discovered the isotope of hydrogen, deuterium and he also received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934. In 1933, Urey’s mentor Gilbert Newton Lewis produced 0.5 ml of heavy water by electrolysis of water, with a purity of 65.7%. Harold Clayton Urey However, deuterium in natural water does not always exist in D2O form, and it is more likely to exist as HDO (half heavy water). During the production of heavy water by electrolysis, when the HDO molecules reach a certain rate, there will be an exchange of hydrogen ions between the water molecules, and the ratio of D2O also increases accordingly. . When the method of producing heavy water by electrolysis appeared, it quickly applied in practice. The year after Lewis produced high-purity heavy water, Norway built the Venmork hydroelectric plant in 1934, which uses nature’s abundant water to electrolyze water, creating hydrogen for production. Nitrate fertilizers. Norway’s Venmork hydroelectric plant. However, the manufacture of chemical fertilizers requires hydrogen from electrolytic water, and does not use the heavy water remaining in the electrolysis cell. So after a period of operation, the plant analyzed the residue of electrolysis and found that the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen (protium) was 1:48, much higher than the natural ratio 1. : 6400, though most of them exist in semi-HDO form. So the Norwegian Hydropower Company accepted the request of the person in charge of the hydrogen plant to produce heavy water from the byproducts of electrolysis. Therefore, it can be said that Norwegian Hydropower has become the earliest heavy water supplier in the scientific community. However, the story of heavy water has only just begun. In late 1938, the Germans discovered that the bombardment of a neutron on uranium could cause nuclear fission. In late 1939, the Soviet Union concluded that heavy water and graphite were the only viable regulators for uranium reactors, and each of these reactors required about 15 tons of heavy water to function. So heavy water then became a strategic substance because it can slow down the neutrons produced by chain nuclear reactions, and all nations take it seriously. From 1940 to World War II, the Norwegian heavy water plant was under Nazi control and bought nearly all of the heavy water in bulk. Allied forces crossed the mountain plateau to destroy heavy water factories under Nazi control. In short, when heavy water first appeared was associated with nuclear reactions, many people’s first impression of it was extremely dangerous, but it was not. Right after the discovery of heavy water, scientists were curious about it, so someone drank heavy water right after the discovery of deuterium. GeorgeCharles de Hevesy and Harold Clayton Urey, who discovered the deuterium, were good friends. In 1934, Hevesy asked Urey to get several liters of heavy water with low purity, only 0.6%. Hevesy then drank this heavy water to use deuterium as a marker, studied the water metabolism of the human body, and eventually concluded that the average residence time of water molecules in the muscle. human body is 13 ± 1.5 days. But if absorbing the amount of heavy water with a higher purity, it will have a significant effect on the body of animals and plants. Plants will die in high concentrations of heavy water. Animals such as mice and dogs will become infertile if D2O reaches more than 25% in the body, and fish will die rapidly in water that is more than 90% heavier. Mammals will die about a week after being given about 50% heavy water. In fact, humans and animals can hardly be exposed to such high purity heavy water, except animals raised for research purposes.

At the present time, more than 1.25 million tons of contaminated water are stored in tanks at the plant. Pictured is workers involved in cleaning up Japan’s No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant after the 2011 disaster. (Source: AFP) On April 26, during a regular press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Uong Van Ban said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had confirmed that it would invite water experts. This group joins the working group on a plan to release treated radioactive wastewater from Japan’s No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. After the 2011 disaster, water pumped into the damaged reactors at the No. 1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to cool the fuel rods. Along with contaminated rainwater and groundwater, the reactor’s cooling wastewater is treated with an Advanced Liquid Treatment System (ALPS). ALPS removes most radioactive substances, including strontium and cesium, but cannot remove tritium. At the present time, there are more than 1.25 million tons of wastewater that has been treated but still contains radioactive substances being stored in storage tanks at the plant. On April 13, 2021, more than 10 years after the incident at the factory, the Japanese government decided to discharge this wastewater into the sea. The IAEA expressed support for Japan’s decision to discharge treated wastewater into the sea, and affirmed its readiness to provide technical assistance in monitoring this discharge. (Reuters)

Recently, Ukraine is trying to put Chernobyl on the list of protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In the photo: A bedroom of a kindergarten near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat city, Ukraine. (Source: Reuters) According to Ukraine’s Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko, the proposal to include Chernobyl on the UNESCO heritage list is the first and important step for the site to become a unique destination of interest to all mankind. In the photo: The abandoned city of Pripyat near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. (Source: Reuters) Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said, before submitting an application to the United Nations, the desired sites protected by UNESCO must be included in the list of national historical and cultural heritages. (Source: Reuters) Hence, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture recently decided to include a military radar built near the city of Chernobyl in the 1970s on this list and is also discussing a similar plan for the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – the restricted zone with a radius of 30km from the center is the nuclear reactors. In the photo: The radar system was installed near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. (Source: Reuters) On April 26, 1986, the 4th reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Pripyat, 108 kilometers north of Kiev, exploded. According to many scientists, the cause of the accident was defects in the reactor’s design, especially the control rods; and non-compliance with the safety rules of nuclear power plant employees. However, some independent experts today believe that none of the above two assumptions are completely correct. (Source: Reuters) About 190 tons of radioactive material was released into the atmosphere; Radioactive dust clouds spread throughout Europe such as the western Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavie, England, and East America. In the photo: The view inside a house in the abandoned village of Zalissya, near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. (Source: Reuters) The killing of 31 workers and firefighters left thousands more battling radiation-related illnesses, such as cancer. In the photo: A house in the abandoned village of Poliske near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. (Source: Reuters) Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were severely polluted, evacuating and resettled for more than 336,000 people; about 60% of the radioactive cloud fell on Belarusian territory. (Source: Reuters) This is considered the most serious catastrophe in the history of nuclear energy, emitting 400 times more radiation than the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. (Source: Reuters) To overcome this, thousands of tons of soil were removed from the contaminated area, and contaminated machinery and equipment were buried in a special burial site. A 30km quarantine zone has been created around the plant, and people have been evacuated. (Source: Reuters) An area of ​​more than 4,000 square kilometers around the former location of the power plant was uninhabitable. To date, the total number of people killed and suffered from long-term health effects remains the subject of fierce debate. In the photo: Engineers check the structure and radioactivity at the control room of the No. 4 reactor (Source: Reuters) Much of the area around the nuclear plant is abandoned, with buildings in ruins. All the buildings in Pripyat, a town once inhabited by 50,000 people, mainly working in factories, are in need of repair. In the photo: An abandoned building in the city of Pripyat. (Source: Reuters) Image of a Ukrainian engineer inspecting the inside of the No. 3 reactor, which has been decommissioned for many years. Engineers who come into the reactors to inspect the inside of the reactors must wear impermeable clothing on the outside, wear specialized masks and radiometric equipment. (Source: Reuters) The 1986 calendar remains on the wall of a house in the village of Zalissya. (Source: Reuters) A kindergarten in Pripyat was burned down by the explosion. (Source: Reuters) Remnants left in the village of Poliske abandoned in the Chernobyl region. (Source: Reuters) The third reactor’s control center remains intact. (Source: Reuters) The view inside a house in Zalissya. (Source: Reuters) In 1997, the Chernobyl International Shelter Foundation was formed to design and build a more permanent cover for the concrete “coffin” that covers the unstable and insecure No. 4 reactor. By 2010, a new “coffin” named New Safe Confinement was started to build. Unlike the old structure, New Confinement is designed to safely dismantle a reactor with a remote operating device. In the photo: The abandoned city of Pripyat. (Source: Reutes) This work will be built on the track adjacent to the reactor building 4, completed in 2016. A new metal dome at Chernobyl will cover the demolished reactor to prevent radioactive material from leaking out. out. The dome weighing 36,000 tons and 108 meters high, worth € 1.5 billion ($ 1.7 billion) was paid through a special fund of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Sponsored by 45 countries. The dome is strong enough to withstand storms and has a lifespan of up to 100 years, the EBRD said. In the photo: New Safe Confinement project seen from afar. (Source: Reuters) Life is back in the wilderness. In July 2019, President Volydymyr Zelensky signed a decree in July that designated Chernobyl as an official tourist attraction. In the photo: A moose on a deserted road in the Chernobyl region. (Source: Reuters) In 2019, the HBO drama Chernobyl caused visitors to skyrocket, to 120,000. Accordingly, those wishing to witness the highly radioactive area at the infamous No. 4 Reactor will be provided with protective vests, helmets, and poison masks and can only stay in short time. After they leave, they will have to undergo two x-ray tests to measure exposure. (Source: Reuters) The move is part of an effort by the Government of Ukraine to encourage tourism in the region. (Source: Reuters) On April 26, Ukraine will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko expects Chernobyl – which has become a popular spot for adventure travelers before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, will start attracting tourists again. In the photo: An abandoned village house in Zalissya. (Source: Reuters) (Reuters)

The K-3 was the first nuclear-powered submarine of the Soviet Union. Photo: RBTH The Leninsky Komsomol K-3 nuclear-powered submarine was one of the special cases in which the Soviet Union had to find a way to catch up with the United States. The reason the Soviet Union decided to have nuclear energy submarines In 1945, the United States showed the world the destructive power of new nuclear weapons. However, deploying a nuclear bomb by air (as it did when bombing Japan) also comes with significant risks. At the time, the United States believed that the only “safe” way to deploy nuclear weapons at that time was by means of submarines, which could secretly reach enemy coasts and unleash. the decisive blow. The first nuclear-powered submarine project of the US is implemented in secret. The decision to build the first ship was made in 1951 and on June 14, 1952, the construction of the ship called “Nautilus” officially took place. At the same time, the Soviet Union began building its own nuclear-powered submarines. Russia started the construction of the K-3 submarine in Severodvinsk on September 24, 1955. If the US Nautilus submarines still use the same body frame as diesel-electric submarines and the only difference is that there is an additional nuclear reactor, the K-3 submarine of the Soviet Union has a complete design difference in order to be able to operate under water optimally. Therefore, the nuclear power submarine K-3 of the Soviet Union has a faster speed than the Nautilus. The K-3 submarine has a maximum displacement of more than 3,000 tons when floating and 4,750 tons when diving, and can travel at speeds of more than 50 km / h even though the reactor is not operating at full capacity. The ship was originally designed to attack enemy coastal naval bases with just a massive (1.5 meter) caliber thermonuclear probe. However, this approach was ineffective and too expensive, so it was canceled. Instead, the Soviet Union switched to using torpedoes capable of carrying nuclear warheads. A special feature of the K-3 submarine To increase the stealth level of the K-3, the Soviet Union used special mechanisms to reduce the noise of the interior components, special coating for the entire ship, and low-noise propellers. Some of the special features of the K-3 are that it does not have anchors, does not carry any defense weapons, and does not have an emergency diesel reactor. The K-3 is the first submarine to break 2.5 meters of ice in the Arctic. Photo: Sputnik Later, those who were on the K-3 submarine said that the interior of the ship was like a work of art. Each room is painted a different color and uses bright tones to create a pleasant eye feel. Some of the ship’s bulkheads are made to look like a picture, while others look like a large mirror. All of the equipment on board is made of precious woods and is specially designed to be used in an emergency situation, not just for its original purpose. For example, the large hall table in the lobby can be easily converted into something under certain circumstances. In July 1962, the Soviet nuclear submarine Leninsky Komsomol successfully sailed to the Arctic, four years after a similar American achievement on the Nautilus submarine in 1958. Submarines K-3 also marked the first time in the history of the Soviet Union and later Russia, having a long journey under the ice in the Arctic and twice passing through the northernmost point of the Earth./.

RT reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that an SA-5 long-range surface-to-air missile was launched from Syria towards the Israeli fighters while they were in progress. attack in the Golan Heights of Syria. The missile exploded in a village in the Negev desert on the morning of April 22, just a few miles from Israel’s nuclear reactor. The explosion did not cause any serious injury or damage. IDF does not believe a nuclear reactor or any other ground site is the target for the missile. Photo of a missile explosion from Damascus, Syria. Photo: REUTERS Israel’s radar detected at least one of the missiles heading towards the Negev desert and triggered sirens in the area. IDF air defense crews were also involved. However, defensive measures have failed to stop the SA-5 missile. During a press conference in Tel Aviv, Defense Minister Benny Gantz admitted that the missile interception attempt “was unsuccessful” and that IDF is investigating the cause. In response to the other missile, Israel aimed to fire at a Syrian battery about 24 miles (40 km) from Damascus. Many Syrian soldiers were injured in the Israeli attack. Syria’s air defense forces intercepted “most of the enemy’s missiles”, a military spokesman said. Israel often uses its Iron Dome missile defense system to avoid the attacks by the Hamas Islamist movement. In February, Israel’s internal security agency arrested an Arab on charges of espionage and provided information on the country’s missile defense system to Hamas. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Photo: REUTERS The missile responses come amid constant tensions between the two countries. Israeli fighters routinely carry out airstrikes on Syrian territory, although IDF rarely comment on these operations. Earlier this month, four Syrian servicemen were injured in a missile attack believed to have originated from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Hundreds of tanks contain radioactive wastewater outside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Photo: AP Since then, the authorities have used millions of tons of water to cool the reactors, and store waste water in giant tanks on site. 10 years have passed, the operator of the nuclear plant Tokyo Electric Power Co (TepCo) is now alerting the danger of running out of water storage space from the cooling process, estimated to reach a threshold of about 1.3 million tons of water. year 2022.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace, have recommended the Tokyo government to build more tanks to keep water outside the plant, rather than opting for an ocean discharge option. Japan has considered several other options, such as evaporation or underground storage of contaminated water from factories. In the end, however, the Tokyo government decided to dilute the huge mass of polluted water and release it into the sea, when it found this option more technically feasible and cost-effective. The process is expected to begin in the next 2 years. Currently, all wastewater is filtered to remove most of the radioactive elements, but some dangerous substances remain, including Tritium, which has been identified as harmful to humans.
Evaluation of Tokyo’s solution, expert Ken Buesseler at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts, noted: “Tritium is light and can float as far as the west coast of the United States within 2 years”. More serious problems are thought to lie in potentially dangerous radioactive isotopes in water, including strontium-90 and iodine-129. In theory, filtration can reduce their concentration, to about 70% for water that has not undergone secondary filtration. But scientists are not sure whether the actual filtration results are according to plan.
A poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in January 2021 found that 55% of Japanese respondents opposed the Tokyo government’s plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from Fukushima into the sea, while 32% said that they support. At the Tokyo government’s earlier hearing on the release of nuclear radioactive water into the sea, some industry and local representatives continued to oppose the decision believed to undermine efforts to revive the affected areas. disaster, blowing past efforts to restore the reputation for local products. “We will die from releasing polluted water into the oceans, as it could have a catastrophic impact on the future of the Japanese fishing industry” – Hiroshi Kishi, head of the Federation of Water Cooperatives National real estate said. Mr. Kishi emphasized that the discharge of radioactive water into the ocean may cause other countries to tighten restrictions on imports of Japanese seafood products, reversing the recent trend of loosening policies.
Japan’s April 13 announcement also immediately drew concerns in neighboring countries, including China and South Korea, about the possible impact on human health as well as seafood businesses. . Beijing calls for Tokyo’s “responsible” attitude, along with “prudent” disposal of nuclear waste, arguing that it involves “the interests of the international community and the vital interests of neighboring countries ”. Meanwhile, Seoul said that “it will be unacceptable if the Japanese side decides to discharge polluted water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant without full consultation”.

Earth 300 is expected to launch in 2025. In particular, there are 22 laboratories on this ship. Scheduled to launch in 2025, this ship can accommodate 450 people. The Earth 300 ship was built by Aaron Olivera. This researcher expressed a desire to bring an inspiring object that will spur public interest in climate change. “The ship is designed to capture people’s attention, as well as their hearts and imagination. If we want to make big, bold changes, we need everyone’s help, ”Mr. Olivera emphasized. The Earth 300 ship will be nearly 300 meters long and have a 13-story “science ball”. Olivera wants to bring together a team of scientists working in many different fields. As a result, it helps to come up with new climate solutions with modern technology. Equipped with integrated sensors, artificial intelligence, robots, machine learning and real-time data processing, Earth 300 will also have the world’s first commercial quantum computer. With this technology, the ship can process huge amounts of data collected. The information collected by Earth 300 will be shared with other climate scientists, Olivera said. According to the researchers, Earth 300 will be zero emissions. Because, it is powered by the atomic energy from an onboard salt reactor. Described as an atomic battery pack, Earth 300 is based on the technology of TerraPower – the nuclear reactor design company founded by Bill Gates. “Currently, neither quantum computing nor molten salt reactors are installed on board. It will take an extremely high level of technicality to do that. Then we can talk about the fact that this ship will have no less than a million sensors. Basically, it will be built as a floating computer and that will be a challenge, ”said Olivera. Olivera and his team believe that radical thinking is essential to advancing research and concerns about climate change. “We live at a pivotal moment in human history and face the greatest challenge to civilization. But we also live at a time when we have access to talent, tools and technology to tackle any challenge. There’s no reason not to think big. We want to awaken the world and bring new awareness, ”Mr. Olivera emphasized.

Treated contaminated wastewater tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Photo: AFP / VNA Mr. Aso ensures that wastewater discharged into the sea will be treated according to the plan announced by the Government, whereby the concentration of radioactive tritium in wastewater will be diluted to 1,500 becquerel / liter, equivalent to 1/40 of the permitted concentrations are according to Japanese safety standards and 1/7 of the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water, before being released into the sea. The discharge of this wastewater into the sea will be implemented in about 2 years. After the 2011 disaster, water pumped into the damaged reactors at the No. 1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to cool the fuel rods. Along with contaminated rainwater and groundwater, the reactor’s cooling wastewater is treated with an Advanced Liquid Treatment System (ALPS). ALPS removes most radioactive substances, including strontium and cesium, but cannot remove tritium. At the present time, there are more than 1.25 million tons of wastewater that has been treated but still contains radioactive substances being stored in storage tanks at the plant. On April 13, more than 10 years after the factory incident, the Japanese government decided to discharge this wastewater into the sea. The IAEA expressed support for Japan’s decision to discharge treated wastewater into the sea, and affirmed its readiness to provide technical assistance in monitoring this discharge. Before the Japanese decision, the Russian Foreign Ministry on April 15 expressed concern about this issue, at the same time urged Japan to approach the issue of wastewater treatment from the Fukushima nuclear power plant with all responsibility. responsibility. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed her expectation that the Japanese government would show transparency and inform all countries concerned about Tokyo’s actions. In addition, Ms. Zakharova added that Russia is waiting for Japan to have more detailed explanations, while calling on Tokyo not to make economic activities of other countries difficult, including in the fishing industry. fish. On the same day, Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Jiang Hao (Wu Jianghao) summoned the Japanese Ambassador to the country Tarumi Hideo to present a note protesting the decision to discharge treated radioactive wastewater into the sea. Stored at the No. 1 Fukushima nuclear power plant.