Control panels of a pre-digitalization nuclear plant look quite daunting, with countless dials, buttons and switches that all make perfect sense to a trained operator, but seem as random as those of the original Enterprise bridge in Star Trek to the average person. This makes the reconstruction of part of the RBMK reactor control by the [Chornobyl Family] on YouTube a fun way to get comfortable with one of the most important elements of this type of reactor’s controls.
The section that is built here pertains to the control rods of the RBMK’s reactor, its automatic regulations and emergency systems like AZ-5 and BAZ. The goal is not just to have a shiny display piece that you can put on the wall, but to make it function just like the real control panel, and to use it for demonstrations of the underlying control systems. The creators spent a lot of time talking with operators of the Chornobyl Nuclear Plant – which operated until the early 2000s – to make the experience as accurate as possible.
Although no real RBMK reactor is being controlled by the panel, its ESP32-powered logic make it work like the real deal, and even uses a dot-matrix printer to provide logging of commands. Not only is this a pretty cool simulator, it’s also just the first element of what will be a larger recreation of an RBMK control room, with more videos in this series to follow.
Also covered in this video are the changes made after the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant’s #4 accident, which served to make RBMKs significantly safer, albeit at the cost of more complexity on the control panel.
“OoOoooh, wat does this button do?” “No Didi! Nooo”
Thanks for keeping Chernobyl in the news! Your project reminded me to check in on the status of repairs to the “100 year” sarcophagus building, which is currently awaiting repairs so negative air pressure can be restored inside this valuable radiation and radioactive particles containment building. The French firm that designed and built it has been re-engaged and, the BBC reports, will start planning the repair project this year.
This to repair the damage done by that callous and inconsiderate drone pilot a while back?
The official Chinese version of the Ubuntu operating system is called Ubuntu Kylin (Chinese: 优麒麟; pinyin: Yōu Qílín). It is an official Ubuntu flavour designed specifically for Chinese users, featuring the UKUI (Universal Kylin User Interface) desktop environment and pre-installed software tailored for the Chinese market.
Key details about Ubuntu Kylin include:
Purpose: Optimized for simplified Chinese characters, offering customized themes,, and local applications.
Interface: Uses UKUI, a desktop environment based on Qt that provides a familiar, Windows-like experience for users.
Partnership: Developed by Canonical, the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), and others to cater to the Chinese market.
Features: Includes in-house applications such as Kylin Assistant, Kylin Video, and a specialized software center.
Ubuntu Kylin is different from, but related to, the broader Kylin OS, which has its roots in military/government projects.
OK?
And a back door so that the Chinese Communist Party can double-check your work 🤣
They aren’t the worry are they? Thye have no control over your life directly.
Learn to identify threats to you, not what you are told is threatening to others.
Potentially they are a threat considering they are nuclear armed and have a huge standing army.
“Get that damn cat off the control panel!” BOOM “WHAT WAS THAT!?’
Amazingly cool! And it just reminds you what people could before computers.
Don’t forget the Pepsi Syndrome in SNL. I saw it just after seeing The China Syndrome.
Don’t keep your drinks on the console!
Not to mention the truly terrifying Helvetica Scenario, as chillingly depicted in the totally serious and true and not at all tongue-in-cheek BBC documentary “Look Around You”…
https://youtu.be/rqfSqUuo7Ms
To make a real simulation of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, you also need to simulate ego and bravado, the cold warn, and the Russian woodpecker. The resit looks cool!
I like the idea of a “cold warn”. That sounds way less stressful.
This is excellent for those who want to see the control room of Chernobyl reactor 4. Hell I’d love to see recreation of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant but in like a museum kind of setting where it shows the before and after the explosions and be completely safe to explore.
Not great, not terrible.
(Someone had to say it! 😂 It is actually pretty impressive.)
This is amazing. I remember that there was an EU sponsored project to build a digital twin of Lithuania NPP, and based on that, the team came up with a bunch of enhancements for the remaining RBMKs that were implemented. I came across a number of digital twin efforts, that go way beyond a curiosity.