30/1/2008 chashma nuclear power plant is closed due to leakage and closed in Pakistan really tragic story government is not confirming the report yet it’s just told the media it’s closed for maintenance purpose but reality and fact is that’s it’s closed due to leakage of radiation all the road going toward chashma nuclear power plant and site is closed . army troops and police is deployed and check post is placed . Why government is not telling how many people are injured due to leakage and environmental disaster and human tragedy. Who will asses the damage bcoz government is reluctant to discuss this matter we want IAE COME forward and due the safety check quickly reliable information about the accident and resulting contamination was not available to affected people for about one week now following the accident. This led to distrust and confusion about health effects. the Russian submarine has a nuclear reactor accident with radiation leakage that forces the crew to abandon ship. At Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, nuclear power plants released radioactive substances into the atmosphere during nuclear accidents Nuclear radiation can be both extremely beneficial and extremely dangerous. It just depends on how you use it. Nuclear materials (that is, substances that emit nuclear radiation) are fairly common and have found their way into our normal vocabularies in many different ways. You have probably heard (and used) many of the following terms:
• Uranium
• Plutonium
• Alpha rays
• Beta rays
• Gamma rays
• X-rays
• Cosmic rays
• Radiation
• Nuclear power
• Nuclear bombs
• Nuclear waste
• Nuclear fallout
• Nuclear fission
• Neutron bombs
• Half-life
• Radon gas
• Ionization smoke detectors
• Carbon-14 dating
• All of these terms are related by the fact that they all have something to do with nuclear elements, either natural or man-made. But what exactly is radiation? Why is it so dangerous? In this article, we will look at nuclear radiation so that you can understand exactly what it is and how it affects your life on a daily basis. The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel and without proper regard for safety.
• The resulting steam explosion and fire released at least five percent of the radioactive reactor core into the atmosphere and downwind.
• 28 people died within four months from radiation or thermal burns, 19 have subsequently died, and there have been around nine deaths from thyroid cancer apparently due to the accident: total 56 fatalities as of 2004.
• An authoritative UN report in 2000 concluded that there is no scientific evidence of any significant radiation-related health effects to most people exposed. This was confirmed in a very thorough 2005-06 study
December 2, 1942: The Nuclear Age began at the University of Chicago when Enrico Fermi made a chain reaction in a pile of uranium.
August 6, 1945: The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing over 100,000.
August 9, 1945: The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing over 40,000.
November 1, 1952: The first large version of the hydrogen bomb (thousands of times more powerful than the atomic bomb was exploded by the United States for testing purposes.
February 21, 1956: The first major nuclear power plant opened in England
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
The Earth has limited supplies of coal and oil. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce.
Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil.
Coal and oil burning plants pollute the air. Well-operated nuclear power plants do not release contaminants into the environment.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
The nations of the world now have more than enough nuclear bombs to kill every person on Earth. The two most powerful nations -- Russia and the United States -- have about 50,000 nuclear weapons between them. What if there were to be a nuclear war? What if terrorists got their hands on nuclear weapons? Or what if nuclear weapons were launched by accident? Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear radiation harms the cells of the body which can make people sick or even kill them. Illness can strike people years after their exposure to nuclear radiation.
One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In such an accident, the fission reaction goes out of control, leading to a nuclear explosion and the emission of great amounts of radiation.
In 1979, the cooling system failed at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Radiation leaked, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee. The problem was solved minutes before a total meltdown would have occurred. Fortunately, there were no deaths.
In 1986, a much worse disaster struck Russia's Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In this incident, a large amount of radiation escaped from the reactor. Hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to the radiation. Several dozen died within a few days. In the years to come, thousands more may die of cancers induced by the radiation.
Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. Reactors produce nuclear waste products which emit dangerous radiation. Because they could kill people who touch them, they cannot be thrown away like ordinary garbage. Currently, many nuclear wastes are stored in special cooling pools at the nuclear reactors.
The United States plans to move its nuclear waste to a remote underground dump by the year 2010.
In 1957, at a dump site in Russia's Ural Mountains, several hundred miles from Moscow, buried nuclear wastes mysteriously exploded, killing dozens of people.
Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years
The "Chashma Nuclear Power Plant" has been designed and built in collaboration with People's Republic of China, and is being operated and maintained by Pakistani scientists and engineers, delivering full power of 300 Mew to the national grid since September 15th 2000. With the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant also operational since 1971, Pakistan is the only country in the Muslim World operating nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is safe, economical and environment-friendly. Further it is an essential ingredient and stabilizing factor in our energy options. Due to emission of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel plants and is resultant effect towards global warming, there is a growing consensus in the developed countries for the revival of the nuclear power industry. With worldwide reserves of fossil energy resources approaching their limits it is essential for Pakistan to pursue a sustainable programme for development of self-reliance in energy production.
2. The Chashma Nuclear Power Plant is pressurized water reactor (PWR) type. It is located near Chashma Barrage on the left bank of River Indus, 32 Kms South of Mainwali City, 280 Kms South West of Islamabad and 1160 Kms North East of Karachi. The plant site has been thoroughly investigated and found suitable in accordance with international standards by domestic as well as international experts. Seismic aspect has also been reviewed by IAEA who found the site suitable for construction of nuclear power plant.
3. Pakistan's second nuclear power plant is being inaugurated by the Chief Executive of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf on March 29th 2001.
CHASNUPP-1 is a two-loop PWR plant with gross output of 325 MWe & net output of 300 MWe and life span of 40 years.The Plant is located in the province of Punjab near Chashma Barrage on the left bank of River Indus, 32 KMs south of Mianwali City, 280 KMs south-west of Islamabad and 1160 KMs North-east of Karachi. The CHASNUPP-1 is a single-unit. The unit is of 300 MW and includes a two loop pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) furnished by (CNNC). The nuclear island and conventional island of the plant utilizes proven design, similar to that of the Qingshan Nuclear Power Plant (QNPP) in china The systems and the major equipment of the nuclear island, including the NSSS, are designed by Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI), and the system of the conventional island are designed by East China Electric Power Design Institute (ECEPDI).Construction of plant started in 1993 and was made operational in year 2000. Since then it has gone three fuel changes. By third quarter of 2005 it has produced 9074 Giga Watt-hour of electricity. Its average capacity and availability factor for year 2004-05 were 93 % and 96.4 % respectively.

Plant Technical Data
Plant Technical Data
Gross electric power output 325 MWe
Net electric power output 300 MWe
Thermal power 998.6 MWt
Number of loops 2
Average coolant temperature
At zero load 280 oC
At full load 302 oC
System working pressure 15.2 MPa
RPV maximum overall dia 5596 mm
RPV maximum overall height 10705
No. of fuel assemblies 121
Fuel (enrichment) U02
(2.4%-3%)
Turbine elements 1HP (double)
2LP (double)
Turbine speed 3000 rpm
Steam pressure
(operating inlet) 5.34 MPa (a)
Steam temperature 268.1 oC
Generator rating 364.7 MVA
Generator Voltage 20kV

Plant Performance
CHASNUPP-1 has completed 3 cycles of its operation. Its performance has improved over the time which is quite evident from the following performance indicators.
Indicator Operating period till RFO-1 Operating period between RFO-1 & 2 Operating period between RFO-2 & 3
No. of outages 28 16 08
Availability factor (%) 70.2 84.8 96.38
Net Capacity factor (%) 64.2 76.8 92.94
Pakistan can not handle such big nuclear tragedy report must come out. Leaving aside the verdict of history on its role in melting the Soviet iron curtain, some very tangible practical benefits have resulted from the Chernobyl accident . The main ones concern reactor safety, notably in eastern Europe. (The US Three Mile Island accident in 1979 had a significant effect on western reactor design and operating procedures. While that reactor was destroyed, all radioactivity was contained - as designed - and there were no deaths or injuries.).While no-one in the West was under any illusion about the safety of early Soviet reactor designs, some lessons learned have also been applicable to western plants. Certainly the safety of all Soviet-designed reactors has improved vastly. This is due largely to the development of a culture of safety encouraged by increased collaboration between East and West, and substantial investment in improving the reactors.Modifications have been made to overcome deficiencies in all the RBMK reactors still operating. In these, originally the nuclear chain reaction and power output would increase if cooling water were lost or turned to steam, in contrast to most Western designs. It was this effect which caused the uncontrolled power surge that led to the destruction of Chernobyl-4.All of the RBMK reactors have now been modified by changes in the control rods, adding neutron absorbers and consequently increasing the fuel enrichment from 1.8 to 2.4% U-235, making them very much more stable at low power. Automatic shut-down mechanisms now operate faster, and other safety mechanisms have been improved. Automated inspection equipment has also been installed. A repetition of the 1986 Chernobyl accident is now virtually impossible, according to a German nuclear safety agency report.Since 1989 over 1,000 nuclear engineers from the former Soviet Union have visited Western nuclear power plants and there have been many reciprocal visits. Over 50 twinning arrangements between East and West nuclear plants have been put in place. Most of this has been under the auspices of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, a body formed in 1989 which links 130 operators of nuclear power plants in more than 30 countries. See also Cooperation in the Nuclear Power Industry The 2005 Chernobyl Forum report said that some seven million people are now receiving or eligible for benefits as "Chernobyl victims", which means that resources are not targeting the needy few percent of them. Remedying this presents daunting political problems however
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