The 1986 Chernobyl meltdown made news headlines around the world and changed how future generations looked at nuclear power. Now, as the site is due to be decommissioned, a team of scientists is learning from its history by staging the disaster, according to Popular Mechanics.
“What we’ve been doing is trying to recreate what the fuel looks like in Chernobyl in our labs in Sheffield,” said Claire Corkhill of the University of Sheffield in a statement. “If we can accurately recreate it then we can use the same process to create a Fukushima fuel simulant, which is essential to help prepare for decommissioning operations and the removal of the fuel.”
The team is also exploring the effect of the plutonium that could remain in the reactor on this radioactive debris. This research is designed to help protect workers who would be entering the sites of Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Source:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30716599/scientists-recreating-chernobyl/
