New Safe Confinement - The Existing Shelter

The Existing Shelter

The existing shelter, formally referred to as the Object Shelter and often called the sarcophagus, was constructed between May and November 1986 as an emergency measure to contain the radioactive materials within reactor unit 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP). The shelter was constructed under extreme conditions, with very high levels of radiation, and under extreme time constraints. The Object Shelter was moderately successful in containing radioactive contamination and providing for post-accident monitoring of the destroyed nuclear reactor unit.

The existing Object Shelter is primarily supported by the damaged remains of the Unit 4 Reactor Building, which are largely considered to be structurally unsound as a result of explosive forces caused by the accident. Three major structural members support the roof of the Object Shelter. Two beams, usually referred to as B-1 and B-2, run in an east-west direction and support the roof beams and panels. A third, more massive member, the "Mammoth Beam", spans the largest distance across the roof from east to west and assists in supporting the roof beams and panels. The roof of the shelter itself consists of 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) diameter steel pipes laid horizontally north to south and steel panels that rest at an angle, also in the north-south direction.

The south wall of the Object Shelter is formed by the steel panels of the roof as they make an angle of approximately 15 degrees from vertical. The east wall of the shelter is formed by the reactor building itself, and the north wall by a combination of the reactor building and concrete segments. The west wall is constructed of large concrete sections reinforced by buttresses. The complexity of the segments of the west wall necessitated their construction off-site; they were then lifted into place by a remotely operated tower crane. It is these buttressed sections of the Object Shelter that are most often recognized in photographs of the sarcophagus.

The Object Shelter was never intended to be a permanent containment structure, despite rumors to the contrary. Its continued deterioration has increased the risk of its radioactive inventory leaking out into the environment. Upgrades to the site made sometime prior to 2007 include pathways for roof access, roof repairs, the installation of a dust control system, and the installation of a long-term monitoring system. However, substantial upgrade or replacement of the shelter will be necessary in the near future in order to continue containing the radioactive remains of ChNPP reactor 4. It has been estimated that up to 95% of the original radioactive inventory of reactor unit 4 still remains inside the ruins of the reactor building.