A Nuclear Engineer Comments on HBO's Chernobyl Reactor Movie Series, Episode 5.

[NNadir]

From a nuclear engineering physics perspective, it covers some basics quite well, going into some basic features of the RBMK reactor as well as aspects of operation of pressurized water reactors, in particular the role of xenon poisoning in the event.

The commentary is about 30 minutes long.

Near the end of the commentary, the engineer gives a fair accounting of the number of people killed not by radiation from the reactor, but by the fear of nuclear power that the reactor failure generated, the point being that not using nuclear power kills people.

These deaths, deaths caused by not using nuclear power, go on to this day, notably in Germany, where the combustion of coal kills people whenever coal plants operate normally.

[FadedMullet]

1. The courtroom scene in the movie is just great. I paerticularly like the part where he.....

......calls the balancing act of maintaining a nuclear reaction in a reactor a dance that powers cities and that it is "beautiful".