Despite warnings from Ukrainian officials, fighting at the nuclear power plants is not likely to cause a nuclear disaster.
The Zaporizhzhia power plant caught fire as Russia invaded it. Russian forces have taken control of the plant after the fire was put out.
After fighting broke out, the minister of Foreign affairs of Ukraine published a message saying it would be 10 times larger than Chornobyl.
—Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 4, 2022
There are 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine, according to a post by the president. If one of them blows, it will be the end of Europe.
Neither claim stands up to scrutiny.
Although the war in Ukraine is a catastrophe for millions of people, an attack on its nuclear facilities has no prospect of wiping out an entire continent.
This is not likely to happen according to experts. Here is why.
Nuclear power reactor and nuclear weapons are not the same in how they work, as explained in a PBS feature from 2011.
The aim of nuclear power generation is to create a constant, controlled reaction that can be used to generate electricity.
The idea is to keep the reaction in equilibrium through different reactor designs.
Atomic bombs are designed to create a reaction that releases huge amount of energy in an instant, causing widespread destruction.
They use nuclear fuel that is more volatile than electricity. They are difficult to set off because of the need to use material that isn't in a nuclear reactor.
A box of matches and fireworks can both be used as a fuel. There is no way that matches can explode on their own.
The staff controlling the reactor at Chernobyl were poorly trained and the reactor was unstable.
The design of the reactor made it possible for the reaction to spiral out of control. These flaws are not found in modern reactors, which are designed to prevent the nuclear reaction from escalating.
Tony Irwin, a professor at the Australian National University, said that Zaporizhzhia uses pressurized water reactor which is a lot safer than the reactor at Chernobyl.
The explosions at Chernobyl were not a nuclear blast because the water was superheated to steam and exploded.
The Zaporizhzhia reactor are contained in robust containment structures, according to the US Energy Secretary.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Chernobyl was not. The Chernobyl disaster was caused by poor containment, as the reactor fuel was exposed to the environment, poisoning the immediate area for decades, and spreading small quantities of radioactive material over vast distances.
—Secretary Jennifer Granholm (@SecGranholm) March 4, 2022
This is almost impossible at Zaporizhzhia. Jeremy Gordon is a nuclear safety consultant.
Though it is not designed to specifically sustain the impact of a shell, it is very robust and can survive earthquakes and impacts.
—Jeremy Gordon (@jrmygrdn) March 4, 2022
The systems are in perfect working order according to the IAEA. The power plant is being monitored by Ukrainian safety personnel.
—Jeremy Gordon (@jrmygrdn) March 4, 2022
Some people thought that the reactor had been hit. This did not happen.
The building that caught fire was a training building that was far away from the reactor.
"Obviously, it's not a good idea if you start shooting missiles at the reactor," he said, per The Guardian.
If the reactor is not cooled down by a constant flow of water from a river, it will be a problem. Gordon said that pumps and circuits need to remain intact to keep it cool. The plant needs power and trained staff.
All of these could be related to the fighting. The cooling system has backups. Gordon said that the core is designed to control heat and pressure.
—Jeremy Gordon (@jrmygrdn) March 4, 2022
In the worst-case scenario, the containment would keep most of the radioactive elements from leaking, which would create a situation like a meltdown in Japan, but by no means the end of the world.
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