The radioactive lava that formed was named corium. In april 1986 reactor 4 of the wladimir iljitsch lenin atomic power station near the city of chernobyl experiences a catastrophic core meltdown. The chernobyl plant was a high power channel type reactor rbmk that used water to both cool the core and generate steam for its reactions crucially most of chernobyl s control rods were made.
The number of control rods inserted and the distance to which they are inserted strongly influence the reactivity of the. Control rods are inserted into the core of a nuclear reactor and adjusted in order to control the rate of the nuclear chain reaction and thereby the thermal power output of the reactor the rate of steam production and the electrical power output of the power station. Simplistically if the reactor is generating too much power the control rods are placed into the core preventing the neutrons from colliding as regularly and slowing the reaction.
Startup neutron sources 12 control rods 167 short control rods from below reactor 32 automatic control rods 12 pressure tubes with fuel rods 1661. Quantity of each rod type in parenthesis. Schematic plan view of core layout chernobyl rbmk reactor no.