The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster was caused by the failure of a reactor to cool effectively. The high-power channel reactors that were pressurized with water and cooled with graphite moderator plates failed to sufficiently cool the plates ( Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2015 ). The failure of water to subsequently cool the reactors, which were too hot and vaporized the water, led to overheating, and subsequently, the reactors exploded, leading to the emission of radioactive radiation that led to the death of 31 people. The Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 was also caused by the overheating of the reactors when the fourth reactor was badly hit by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a 14-meter tsunami. Unlike the Chernobyl Disaster, the Fukushima failures were caused by unprecedented high-magnitude earthquakes and tsunamis ( AFP News Agency, 2013) . The plant had been built to withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes and 5.7 tidal waves, but the overwhelming power of the earthquake that followed proved too severe for the plant to hold. The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island were caused by mechanical failures of the water pump that pumped the water to the coolers of the reactors. The increased pressure was supposed to cause the valves to open ( CBS News, 2011) . However, the maintenance that was going on had necessitated the closing of the alternative water pumps, and thus, they did not automatically open, leading to overheating, which eventually led to the collapse of the reactors about a month later. From these three accidents, it is clear that nuclear power technology has been harnessed successfully, but the management and preparedness for the disasters that may occur are wanting. Despite these accidents, I believe that nuclear power still holds more potential for benefits, and these accidents pointed to the best methods of managing nuclear plants. For the reasons that scientists have learned to take care of possible disasters, I feel that I still need to see more nuclear energy being put to use.
References
CBS News. (2011, March 27). Three Mile Island, what really happened? Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiRDwy28-MQ.
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AFP News Agency. (2013, March 11). Fukushima nuclear disaster. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auy2c_l_Fgc.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. (2016, April 25). The Chernobyl Disaster: How It Happened. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5ptI6Pi3GA.
