"Chernobyl" series: what is the risk of nuclear accident in the factory Embalse?

Successful miniseries Chernobyl (by its name in English) has aroused public concern and fear in the event of a nuclear accident in a nuclear power plant in Argentina.

The five chapters of this production describe as never before the nuclear accident of this Soviet power plant which occurred in 1986 in Ukraine.

The drama of HBO (the last episode presented this Friday at 9 pm) recreates all the details of the tragedy and its consequences on the health of workers, firefighters, "liquidators" and inhabitants of the region, as well as negligence , the incompetence and secrecy with which they acted.

The consequences of this accident persist and will last several years.

In this context, the fear among Argentines and, especially, in Cordoba, is whether such a situation could occur in another nuclear power plant, especially in the Embalse plant.

A nuclear expert badures that the one at Chernobyl was a unique accident in the history of this activity and that it is almost impossible that it will happen again.

Carlos Murúa is a professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Physical and Natural Sciences of the National University of Córdoba. And he is the director of the training of the University Center for Nuclear Technology who gives courses to the operators of the Embalse plant.

Comparing what happened with the Soviet reactor and the central Cordovan reactor, there are several differences.

Different technologies

"Chernobyl was a mild graphite reactor, although it was not the cause of the accident, it was a problem because it burned for 10 days and released radioactive elements," Murua said.

Moderation is a necessary process to facilitate the nuclear reaction. In the case of Embalse, it is made with heavy water that can not be burned, but also serves as a cooling system.

Security systems

"Six security systems have been disconnected in Chernobyl.It was crazy," recalls the expert. Embalse has two different and independent safety systems: the fall of the safety bars and the injection of gadolinium nitrate into the reactor.

And they are impossible to disconnect: they are activated automatically when there is an abnormal parameter.

Automation and training

"Much of the operation of the Soviet power plant was in the hands of the operators, instead of having physical lockouts," says the professor.

The tank is automatically controlled by two computers. Operators only do checks. In addition, a backup computer checks the main computer and can take control of it.

In addition to automation, Murúa emphasizes the extremely strict training of operational and support staff. "That adds to factory safety," he says.

Only accident

Murúa explains that there are two types of nuclear accidents. Chernobyl was the only one of its kind for a nuclear power station.

The worst scenario imagined for Embalse would be what happened in Fukushima. "It's an accident due to a loss of refrigeration," says the expert.

In 2011, the tsunami left Japan's power station without electricity. A nuclear reactor continues to generate heat even when it is turned off and must be removed. But, since there was no energy, it could not be cooled.

Then, the fuel elements began to melt and the pressure and temperature increased, which caused the release of reactive elements in the environment.

"This is a much slower and more manageable accident, and after the accident, factories around the world have been modernized to further reduce the likelihood of this type of problem," he said. there.

And he says that Embalse has a three stage emergency cooling system.

Containment system

Before the possibility of such an accident, Embalse has a concrete dome designed to contain the radioactive elements likely to be released into the environment. Chernobyl had no dome.

But Murúa explains that it is not only the concrete dome: the containment system also has radioactive material filters and pressure differentials allowing the air to enter into. the reactor instead of going out.

"Added to this is a" safety culture "that gives priority to safe operation of the facilities," said Murúa.

Risk of earthquake

One of the warnings that is made about Embalse is that it is located in a moderate seismic hazard zone.

Murúa said in this regard: "The security systems are designed to ensure, in case of catastrophic earthquake, the reactor shutdown and cooling.In the case of an earthquake of magnitude 9, only the The nuclear island would remain standing, that is, where the reactor is with its containment building. "