If engineers simply covered the reactor with the arch and did nothing else, they would only be adding to the problem. Gtech. Left uncovered, it would continually release radioactive dust into the air, a poisonous cloud to threaten the surrounding area. It will enclose the highly radioactive ruins of a nuclear reactor that exploded here over 30 years ago and that remains extremely dangerous, today. Directed by Gwyn Williams. We know that it's way beyond its design life. So, yes, we have to be very, very careful. VOICE MAN MONITORING ARCH OUTSIDE: For the south, 383. No one wants a repeat of this disaster. It will be the largest structure ever moved across land. They drafted 350,000 people to clean up the radioactive fallout. If successful, this special crane will be deployed alongside conventional cranes to dismantle the damaged reactor. We can start. NARRATOR: But when Rob and his team studied the telescopic tube, they hit a problem: its length. Advertisement IVAN MARTYNENKO (Chernobyl Liquidator): Our first assignment was to build a special decontamination center for washing vehicles and people. However, 30 years later, the sarcophagus is crumbling, and another disaster at Chernobyl looms. NARRATOR: British engineer, Ian Carling, is in charge of constructing the roof of the arch. NARRATOR: It takes four hours to winch the massive "cat door" open. And, basically, if you put a lot of them, you make your own sliding way for the skid shoes to slide on. NARRATOR: There's another challenge that makes this already complex project even tougher, the lack of time. I mean you can't go back. NARRATOR: Today, in the heart of Ukraine, an extraordinary race is underway, to construct a one-and-a-half-billion dollar megadome. You get so much data you have to act correctly and quickly. We have achieved something great. The New Safe Confinement, the structure… The gap between the arch's exterior roof and interior ceiling will be sealed, creating a vast enclosed space around the steelwork. NARRATOR: They will build the first half of the arch from the top down, using jacks mounted on towers to raise it, in a series of massive lifts. Original funding for this program was provided by Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 23andMe, The David H. Koch Fund for Science, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And Ukraine and Europe will be much safer now. Jean-Philippe Gardeur is gearing up for the final lift, to raise the second half of the arched enclosure to its full height. Today he has a 26-story climb to the control room. In 1986, in the heart of Ukraine, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, releasing 400 times more radiation than the Hiroshima Bomb. More Ways to Watch. So, engineers have equipped the arch with tilting panels, like giant cat doors, that they must raise and then lower into place when the arch is in position, sealing the small remaining gap with an extra-durable plastic membrane. Even when we had that sort of exposure, they said there are no units to replace us. BJORN-EVERT VAN ECK RASMUSSEN (Engineer): That's going to be very tight, that's for sure. WHEN: Thursday, 9 February, 17:15 - 20:30 WHERE: One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2JN Admission: Admission is free but registration is required. سال انتشار: ۲۰۱۶. Winter temperatures here can plunge to minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit. Nature has reclaimed the empty human settlements. Inside Chernobyl’s Mega Tomb will air on Wednesday 21st December, 9pm, on BBC Four. NARRATOR: Mike is setting up camera traps in three different areas, places with high, medium and low radioactive contamination. If its roof collapses, it will throw another lethal cloud of radioactive dust out into the atmosphere, where the wind could blow it over the surrounding area. It provides that stiffness that allows you to do pushing, pulling. NARRATOR: The closer they get to the reactor, the more difficult the operation becomes. Most Satisfying. Once they have built the first half of the arch, they will slide it to one side of the worksite to make enough space to construct the second half. Two and a half years after construction began, it's late fall, and engineers are anxious to entirely cover the shelter's enormous roof before the winter storms hit. With funding tight, he wants to have the shelter in place as soon as possible, so he needs to know firsthand the condition of the sarcophagus. Powerful pumps will then extend the pistons, to push the arch forward. Thirty years later, its hastily built enclosure is crumbling. Thanks.". Engineers must now battle to prevent another escape of deadly radiation all whilst fighting freezing weather and lethal radiation. And if we go too far from each other, then, you see, the deviation between the two gets too high, and then we have to adjust and move forward to correct the readings we get on the system. With winter approaching, the team is working to a tight deadline. And as it gets exposed, the level of radiation will get much, much higher than it is today. We have to remove the sarcophagus built by the Russians. Some of these, pass through the reactor walls and stream out into the surrounding space. NICOLAS GUILCHER (Radiation Protection Engineer at Novarka): You can see, here, the reactor Number 4, which was damaged in ‘86, and at about 200 meters from the reactor, the platform where the arch will be built. For the winter period, we can lose three months, four months of the year. NARRATOR: The telescopic tube was out, so the team went back to the drawing board. In Minnesota, Rob Owen leads the team designing the dismantling system. If the sarcophagus collapses before the arch is in place, the fallout would contaminate the arch and the whole worksite. The workers have just 11 days to prepare to move the arch. It will take a long time. Building Chernobyl's Mega Tomb follows the construction of an extraordinary 36,000 tonne steel arch designed to entomb the ruins of the nuclear power plant destroyed in the 1986 disaster. Battling arctic winter weather—and lethal radiation—this is the inside story of the epic race to build Chernobyl’s MegaTomb. NARRATOR: By placing traps at 84 randomly chosen sites in each area, Mike hopes to discover how many different species of large mammals live in each place. It remains the world's worst-ever nuclear power plant disaster. We see quite a range of animals on most of the cameras that we bring back in: red deer, wolves, lynx, Eurasian lynx, and, also, European bison, as well. Inside Chernobyl's Mega Tomb. ROB OWEN: The weight of the telescopic tube just kept growing and growing; it would just be outrageous. Thirty workers died, 50,000 people fled the nearest city and radioactive fallout turned an area larger than Lancashire in the United Kingdom into a no go zone. But 30 years later, the sarcophagus is crumbling, and another disaster at Chernobyl looms. Battling arctic winter weather—and lethal radiation—this is the inside story of the epic race to build Chernobyl’s MegaTomb. DAVID COULET: We have six tilting panels, and the largest one is 320 tons. Find out when Inside Chernobyl's Mega Tomb is on TV. And then, after, they will have to break the concrete. In 1986, in the heart of Ukraine, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded, releasing 400 times more radiation than the Hiroshima Bomb. Here, close to the sarcophagus, the high number of gamma rays makes it too dangerous to work for the long periods of time needed to construct the arch. To solve this problem, they're engineering the steel to be inside a special climate-controlled environment. The arch is so heavy, that it would overload the wheel bearings, which would fracture, leaving the structure stranded. VIKTOR IVKIN: (Translation) Many of the chaps from that shift died. Gamma rays, like X-rays are made of high-energy photons and can travel long distances. They are very efficient. In Ukraine's harsh climate, that's a daunting challenge. This low-friction surface will help the stainless steel feet of the arch to slide. Thirty years on, ecologist Mike Wood is investigating what types of animals live in the zone and if the levels of radiation affect where they live. Please note that all guests must bring a form of identification and may be subject to a random bag search. The traps will photograph any large mammal that moves in front of the lens. NARRATOR: To reach all the way from the ceiling of the arch to its working height on the sarcophagus, the telescopic tube would have to be massive, and that weight is the problem. Attention! IMAGE: Image credit (construction of New Safe Confinement) © WGBH Educational Foundation. So, we can still finish today. IAN CARLING: This job, it's extremely dangerous: the winds, the rains. Learn how your comment data is processed. It has taken 18 years of planning, seven years of construction, and a unique international collaboration of 10,000 men and women from 30 countries, but three decades after the world's worst nuclear accident, Chernobyl is finally sealed away, for generations to come. Episodes. Everything we touch, everything we do, is completely crazy. It will be the largest structure ever moved on land. Your email address will not be published. Extreme Engineering - Inside Chernobyl's Mega Tomb. SEVERAL MEN IN CONTROL ROOM: Quickly, quickly, quickly. 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