Lost Places - Chornobyl Zone

Pripyat, Chornobyl area and other abandoned places

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Chornobyl technique

Robotics

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Robotics

In this section my photos of the various technics which is being in the Chornobyl Zone of Alienation (ChZA) are collected.

From the very first days failures on ChNPP in 1986, the question of employment of a robotics arose very sharply. The building site (The erection site) of ChNPP, demolishing of the 4 block, the deaerating stack, the roof of turbine hall - in all these places the person could be only for few minutes... Improvised personal protection equipment from lead pieces which liquidators put on themselves, were absolutely not effective at such high levels of gamma radiation. For works on clearing of  the building site, on gathering of highly active fragments, installation of gauges, dosimetry, television cameras, were required distantly operated mechanisms. They were required urgently, as they say: "on yesterday". Many enterprises of the USSR in an emergency mode were engaged in designing and manufacturing of such technics, alteration of finished technics for specific purpose. Also the foreign robotics was bought.

For working out, testing and using of robotics, the organisation "Spetsatom" has created special subdivision. It was based in hangars near Pripyat’s factory Jupiter.

Spetsatom Spetsatom Spetsatom

Not all went smoothly. The technics did not maintain high levels of the gamma radiation. Electronics and optics failed. High levels of pollution of the technics which has "on a front line" did not allow to make high-grade maintenance service and repair. It was necessary to leave some robots in a 4 blocks breakdown. Some have finished their lifetime in a burial ground (burial of radioactive waste "PZRO Buriakivka"), well and some, remained in shops of factory "Jupiter", for example, as this "Robot-fireman",

Robot-fireman Robot-fireman Robot-fireman

or as this radio-controlled underwater shelf bulldozer Komatsu.

Komatsu Komatsu Komatsu

On a photo at the left bulldozer Komatsu in time of liquidations of consequences of failure on ChNPP. Unfortunately the author of a photo is unknown to me.

Carcass of a "Robot-bulldozer"

Robot-bulldozer Robot-bulldozer Robot-bulldozer

Radioaktive contaminaited robotics near the decontamination workshop ("Komplex").

Specialized transport robot STR-1

Robot Robot Robot

Robot Mobot-Ch-KhV

Robot Robot Robot

Manipulator of the Finnish factory Foresteri (now factory Kesla)

Robot Robot Robot

Different robots.

Robot Robot Robot
Robot Robot Robot

These robots, after 25-aniversary of the Chornobyl accident, in spring 2011, where decontaminated, panted and moved to Chornobyl. Now they stay in exhibition platform near office “Komplex”.

Robot Robot Robot

Heavily radioactively contaminated robots were transported to the PZRO "Buryakivka".

On the right photo: the robot is ready for work. Center photo: 25 years later. The same robot in "Buryakivka."

Robot Robot Robot
Last Updated ( 09 October 2011 )  

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Die Sperrzone von Tschornobyl

By Yevgen KRANZ Goncharenko

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