Chernobyl: for whom it may be interested.

[Kerembaev@cs.com]

Colleagues,

I thought, if it may be interested to you also.


<< 
 Emil,
 
 On 1-19-00 you wrote in RADSAFE: "you could see that after all those SOP 
violations, a senior reactor engineer-operator (he and I went in the same 
school) manually activated the emergency reactor shut down system # 2 (AZ # 
2)."
 
 In the book The Truth about Chernobyl, the author stated that the senior 
reactor engineer-operator and his immediate subordinate wanted to stop the 
experiment after they initially dropped power further than they had planned.  
The engineer in charge of the experiment then supposedly berated them and 
said that the senior reactor engineer-operator from the previous shift would 
relieve him and conduct the experiment if he wouldn't.  Do you think that is 
true?
  Sincerely,
 Don Kosloff mailto:dkosloff@ncweb.com Perry Ohio
  >>

Don,

Yes, that is true.
The senior plant engineer, in charge of the experiment, relived night shift 
senior reactor engineer-operator (SREO) and ordered to SREO (who finally 
activated the emergency system) from the previous shift to take control; to 
raise reactor power level then it was a suicidal step because of low fuel 
enrichment at the time of the experiment, high reactor instability. Remember, 
reactor was in end of compain (right before the outage), although RBMKs are 
refueled continuously they also have fuel cycles alike vessel reactors; in 
the outages they undergo partial refueling, fuel rearrangement and of course, 
those notorious maintenances. RBMK has more complicated fuel cycle than 
vessel reactor; its type of fuel cycle allows to use fuel with VERY low 
enrichment, not low as a natural uranium like CANDU.
Originally the experiment was scheduled at noon but the power grid dispatcher 
called and "asked" to keep the fourth Unit online for another twelve hours 
because of a high load on the electrical grid system; it was a coming 
practice. But in this particular situation it was the first OPERATIONAL step 
to the accident. I think, that fuel burning in those extra twelve hours was 
enough to cause dropped of power (loose reactor energy level) in the 
beginning of the experiment. They had to STOP right there and not to take out 
"permanent" absorption rods out of reactor active zone. Those rods worked as 
additional stabilizers.
I heard of cases when those absorption rods had being taken out but in the 
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CHAIN of events. NEVERTHELESS This is a VIOLATION in all 
cases.
You may be confused with plant terminology: Senior reactor engineer-operator 
is in complete charge of the reactor, he can be relived i.e. for lunch by 
Senior Unit engineer operator, they both had refused to lift the reactor 
power when it dropped.
In the Eastern Block NPP senior reactor operators have to have a higher 
education - diploma engineer (B.E-ME). It always was emphasized to us, when I 
was in school, as an advantage compare to the US requirements. Now, I know 
that US NPP's have a Navy tradition but this is beside the point.

Here are two points which I would like to bring:
1. The a Senior Nuclear Power Plant engineer in the most of the cases are an 
Electrical Engineer by the education and seeing Nuclear Power Plant as 
another Power Plant which produces heat and than electricity. It is sort of 
tradition, sort of a group interest thing.
I understand that Plant has to produce the electricity as a final product but 
not in any cost. For an electrical engineer the cost is one thing for a 
nuclear is a different.
 
2. Particularly in Chernobyl, Senior Power Plant Engineer also was in charge 
of the experiment, had a personal interest to accomplish it in any cost, 
because he would be one of the authors of the "scientific" paper. It is 
coming practice among academic community to get an access to the power plant 
and do an experiment .... I see that as sort of a legal bribery but not with 
the money only with....... an academic title and a false respect; kind of 
symbioses of the modern science-technology and a some old tribal tradition to 
treat the plant as own village.

In my opinion, if a Senior Power Plant Engineer was a Nuclear Engineer, an 
accident would never happened, I just can not imagine that someone who 
understands how reactor works would put it in such jeopardized conditions. We 
know that nuclear engineers who was in charge in the beginning had refused to 
go with experiment when reactor lost power and they had being confronted with 
a dilemma to violate SOP or loose a job.
The witnesses told me what kind of (REAL) treats in (REAL GROSS and NASTY) 
language the Senior Plant Engineer made before SREO from the 
previouse-evening shift
agreed to take control and to continue the experiment - lift the reactor 
power.  
Why the senior reactor engineer-operator did it any way? I can understand 
him, threats and environment to loose a job in this power plant were very 
notorious and REAL from before. Person who had a family, he had one, would 
not be able to find another job in the Power Plant's satellite town of 
Pripyat, it was the most beautiful of new generation towns, which won a 
national contest as the best among small modern towns. You can imagine how 
arms could be twisted if the family involved... 
Do not forget that Chernobyl Power Plant also won an award as the best among 
NPPs just....four month before the accident.....You can imagine how confusing 
all that became after the accident....

You see, the public views are that Nuclear Engineers are in charge of the 
plant operations and they who are taken all the blame. The Electrical 
Engineer after all can go and work on the conventional power plant.....It is 
not what I understand as a balance of rights and responsibilities.
Of course, that particular Senior Plant Engineer was jailed, somebody has to 
be blamed and punished when a nuclear engineer is dead....

Y'all have a great Thursday.

Sincerely,

Emil Kerrembaev.
kerembaev@cs.com



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