What is Containment building?
[[File:Nuclear power defense in depth.png|thumb|Nuclear power reactor defense layers]] A '''containment building''' is a [[building]] with a [[nuclear reactor]] in it. It is built around the reactor to keep the [[radiation]] from getting out, if something happens to the reactor. The containment building is the last barrier to the radiation getting into the [[environment]]. Containment systems for nuclear power reactors are distinguished by size, shape, materials used, and suppression systems. The kind of containment used is determined by the type of reactor, generation of the reactor, and the specific plant needs.<ref>[http://www.pdhcenter.com/courses/e182/e182content.pdf Nuclear Plant Security Systems, PDH Course E182]</ref> The [[Chernobyl accident]] was very bad partly because the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] RBMK [[Nuclear reactor|reactors]] used at the Chernobyl power plant had no containment buildings. The explosion, however, was so powerful that it is unlikely a containment building would have completely prevented the release of radiation. == Layers of nuclear defense == The [[diagram]] shows the order of defense layers for a [[nuclear reactor]]. The first layer of defense is the inert, ceramic quality of the [[uranium]] [[oxide]] itself. The second layer is the air tight [[zirconium]] [[alloy]] of the fuel rod. The third layer is the reactor pressure vessel made of [[steel]] more than a dozen centimeters thick. The fourth layer is the pressure resistant, air tight ''containment building''. The fifth layer is the exclusion zone around the reactor. ==Notes== {{reflist}} {{Nuclear power}} [[Category:Nuclear power plants]]