Disasters in Energy Production Nuclear and Coal. Major Disasters in Nuclear Energy National Reactor...
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Transcript of Disasters in Energy Production Nuclear and Coal. Major Disasters in Nuclear Energy National Reactor...
Major Disasters in Nuclear Energy
• National Reactor Testing Station- Jan. 3, 1961
• Three Mile Island- March 29, 1979
• Chernobyl- April 26, 1986
National Reactor Testing Station
• Desert near Idaho Falls, Idaho• The only fatal nuclear
accident in US• Problem control rod was
removed incorrectly from a low power reactor
• Caused the core to melt resulting in an explosion
• Killed 3 military membershttps://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1311&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=46&mode=2&in_hi_userid=200&cached=true
Three Mile Island
• Susquehanna River, Londonderry Township, south of Harrisburg, Pa
• Unit 1: 802 MWe• Unit 2: 906 MWe• Cooling system
malfunction in Unit 2
• The coolant malfunction damaged and overheated the core• 43,000 curies of Krypton Gas released• 20 curies of iodine-131 released• Leukemia an Lung Cancer were up to 10 times higher down wind• Increased infant mortality for 2 years
All Data: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html
Chernobyl• Ukraine, USSR, 1986• Number 4 reactor
– Went out of control during a low power test• Officials ignored safety precautions and the Uranium overheated and melted
through it’s encasings• The reactor was not equipped with a dome to keep in radiation in case of
accidents• Graphite blocks used to help neutralize radiation also ignited and allowed air into
the reactor• 20 people were killed in the explosion• 28 firefighters and emergency clean up personnel died from radiation within
months
• 49,360 were evacuated within 36 hours from the nearest town of Priypat
• 200,000 people were eventually evacuated from the surrounding areas
• 1800 documented cases of thyroid cancer in children under the age of 14, no cases in cleanup workers
• Radioactive fallout reached for 150,000 sq km (approx 58,000 sq mi)
• “Allowable” amounts of fallout still exist in the area
All data : http://www.iaea.org
Mining Quick Facts
• 2030 Coal Mines In Operation as of 2007 (1)– 1453 in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania
• 1.2 Billion Tons of Coal Mined in 2007(2)• 726 Total Mining Incidents of More Than 5
Fatalities 1839-2007 in U.S. (3)– 622 Mining Coal
(1) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/tables/m1.html(2) http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec7_6.pdf(3) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/disall.htm
United States of America
• 34 Fatalities and 3,402 Injuries Reported in 2007
• Monongah Mining Disaster was worst in US history: 362 men killed in 1907
• Sago Mine Disaster in 2006 killed 12 miners in an explosion in Sago, West Virginia
• 1 miner survived, while in the mine for 2 days
Energy Information Administration http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec7_6.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/images/m_ec.gif
Canada• 26 miners killed in 1992 on Nova
Scotia following a coal dust explosion
• Spring Hill Mining Disaster– Worst in Canadian History– Spring Hill, Nova Scotia
• 1891- Fire– Est. killed 120, dozens wounded
• 1956- Explosion– 39 killed, 88 rescued
• 1958- Bump– 74 killed, 100 rescued
China• Largest coal deposits in
the world• 80% of mining deaths• 34% of coal mined• Apr. 26 1942- Benxihu
Colliery- coal dust explosion killed 1,549 miners
• In 2006 4,726 miners were killed
Data According to Reuters: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK206148.htm
United Kingdom• No disaster since 1979• Range Total• 1700-1750 93• 1750-1800 267• 1800-1850 3,486• 1850-1900 59,580• 1900-1950 84,331• 1950-2000 16,599• Total 164356
All Data: http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/
-Produce 814.3 tons in 2007-No disaster since 1979-Four major Disasters
-Senghenydd Colliery- 439 dead, gas explosion in 1913-Albion Colliery- 290 dead, gas explosion in 1894-Gresford Colliery- 266 dead, in 1934-Prince of Wales Mine- 259 dead, in 1878
Links• Reuters: “China sees coal mine deaths fall, but outlook grim”
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK206148.htm• Idaho National Laboratory
https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1311&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=46&mode=2&in_hi_userid=200&cached=true
• U.S. National Regulatory Commissionhttp://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html
• International Atomic Energy Agencyhttp://www.iaea.or.at/NewsCenter/Features/Chernobyl-15/cherno-faq.shtml
• Energy Information Administrationhttp://www.eia.doe.gov/
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Links Continued
• Springhill Mining Disastershttp://archives.cbc.ca/economy_business/
natural_resources/topics/111/• The Coalmining History Resource Centre
http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/
• National Mining Associationhttp://www.nma.org/
• “The Town That Was” documentary on Centraliahttp://www.thetownthatwas.com/