Could a Chernobyl incident happen in the US?

Answer 1

Very unlikely. A possiblility but unlikely. The reactor at Chernobyl had only very rudimentary safety systems. The reactors here in the U.S. have very advanced safety systems that would make Chernobyl look like a backyard barbecue pit.

Answer 2

I will bite, no, the evidence, the RBMK nuclear reactor they used . used graphite for moderation, and that in it self creates a dangerous, situation, we don't use graphite modulated reactors,also there nuclear technicians were not properly trained to handle a emergency situation they made very improper and critically bad mistakes when the reactor was overheating and that is what lead to the meltdown. check out wikipedia under RBMk reactors and Chernobyl. also no containment building. they set it on a slab and left it exposed to the elements! it was a part of their dangerous thinking of being invincible and they Messed up big time. first our type 2 nuclear reactors are encased in 3 feet of solid steel, then put inside of a containment building, with walls 15 ft thick at the bottom, 8 ft thick at the base and 4to5ft thick on the sides and top of hardened steel and lead and structural reinforced concrete.china syndrome is a myth, Chernobyl proved it ! if they had not been so pig headed stubborn with a ideological mind set of being invincible, and taken the precautions that we do it would have never happened, I was a mechanical engineer for 17 plus years, their are some folks more qualified on the answer, i can only assert for the construction of the containment buildings they work!

Answer 3

No, its not very likely.

A lot of people will argue that the Three Mile Island (TMI) proved that a Chernobyl accident could happen in the us, but I believe that it shows the opposite. In TMI all sorts of things went wrong. A valve did not close properly, instruments provided incorrect readings of the core temperature and pressure, the operators made a lot of mistakes, and some of the fuel melted. In spite of this there was no major release of radiation, there have been no proven harmful effects to the public because of this incident. To my knowledge only one of the operators received a significant dose.
The fact that TMI was contained and eventually controlled shows that the designed safeguards in 1979 worked. Since then we have continued to design more and better safeguards. These safeguards were not in place at Chernobyl during the accident.

If you want a more technical explanation of these safeguards please feel free to email.

Answer 4

Rodney Glenn's got it right. First the Chernobyl accident was the result of the graphite used to control the reaction. Once all the mistakes happened the graphite caught fire (its carbon you know). and then they completely lost control. Since we don't use graphite it can't happen here.

They finally covered it in enough concrete to end the situation but several of the workers died getting the job done.

Also some mentioned the China syndrome. It can't happen. In order to sustain a reaction you have to maintain the configuration of the reactive material, if the core melts down it will spread out and the reaction will stop. It will not stick together and burn to China.

Answer 5

No. Old soviet reactors were not housed in hardened containment buildings like ours. Our containment structures are designed to withstand a 747 crash and not fail. SCRAM systems are also much more reliable.

Answer 6

Of course, it already happened in Springfield with the Simpsons

Answer 7

It almost did on 3 mile island.

Answer 8

The chances are less likely today aside of a terrorist attack but it is still possible, dont forget how close we cam at three mile island!

Answer 9

no bcoz there is no place called Chernobyl in the US and no bcoz US is smart.

Answer 10

Absolutely!! (All you have to do is let the unions decide what the job descriptions are and what standards are set for job performance!)