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Disasters in Energy Production Nuclear and Coal

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Disasters in Energy ProductionNuclear and Coal

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

• According to the International Atomic Energy Agency the safe limit for a residency is 5 Ci/km2

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

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/images/f_hist_2.gif

Centralia, Pa

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/