Alexander Akimov

Pripyat was founded on February 4, 1970, as a satellite town for workers at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant under construction. The first houses without central heating were built in 1972, and Pripyat received city status in 1979. It became the ninth "atomic city" in the USSR. The city has a population of approximately 47,000. It is a very young city: the average age of residents is only 26.
Pripyat was designed as a model socialist city. Its main feature was its "triangular" development. Streets and residential areas radiated out from the center, creating a sense of spaciousness.
The city boasts the Energetik Palace of Culture, the Prometey Cinema, the Polesie Hotel, the Lazurny Swimming Pool, the Avangard Stadium, schools, kindergartens, and other amenities. Many public buildings are decorated with mosaics, stained glass, and decorative ceramics.
Chernobyl is a small town located approximately 18 km from Pripyat and built in 1193. It is home to approximately 13,000 people.
Chernobyl-2 is the Duga over-the-horizon radar, whose antennas are visible from all over Pripyat. The station's purpose is the early detection of intercontinental ballistic missile launches (unknown to civilians). Construction was completed in 1975. The first test operation took place in 1980. In 1985, the station was accepted for combat duty by the USSR Air Defense Forces, and in 1986, it was modernized and began undergoing state acceptance. It has not yet begun operation and is undergoing testing.

As the power unit shift supervisor, Alexander's responsibilities include a wide range of tasks:
Compliance with the dispatch schedule. Ensures the generation and consumption of thermal and electrical energy in accordance with specified parameters.
Process control. Ensures compliance with regulations, instructions, and equipment operating schedules.
Organization of key operations. Manages the start-up, shutdown, mode changes, and switching of equipment and process systems within the unit.
Safety Ensuring. Oversees compliance with radiation, nuclear, general, and fire safety requirements by operational personnel.
Maintenance and inspections. Regularly conducts walk-throughs and inspections of equipment, unit premises, and personnel workstations.
Repairs. Prepares equipment for repairs, monitors their progress, authorizes repair workers to perform work as assigned, and participates in equipment acceptance after repairs.
Emergency response. Conducts an initial assessment of unexpected deviations, takes measures to minimize consequences and ensure personnel safety. Organizes the implementation of emergency and fire suppression plans.
Personnel management. Assigns tasks, conducts safety briefings, participates in training and knowledge assessments of employees.
Documentation Management. Organizes the maintenance of operational documentation for the shift in accordance with established procedures.
Alexander's primary workstation is the Unit 4 control room (UCR-4). This is the central control room from which all the unit's equipment is controlled.
Along with the shift supervisor, other key specialists are on duty at the control room: Leonid Toptunov, 25, Senior Reactor Control Engineer (SRCE); Igor Kirshenbaum, Senior (or Lead) Turbine Control Engineer (STE/VITE); and Boris Stolyarchuk, Senior Unit Control Engineer (SUCE). They are responsible for the operational management of the relevant systems.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant had RBMK-type reactors (high-power channel-type reactors)
His work:
Imagine a giant samovar powered by nuclear physics:
Uranus = heat source
Graphite = helps maintain the reaction
Water = removes heat
Steam = drives turbines
Rods = emergency brake

Main design issues:
Early RBMKs had serious shortcomings:
Positive void coefficient: when steam begins to accumulate strongly, voids are formed where there is no water, so cooling water does not pass through these places, which can increase the power.
The design of control rods with graphite tips, which at certain points in time could briefly increase reactivity at the beginning of commissioning (which the Chernobyl NPP personnel themselves were unaware of)
There is no high-pressure vessel (a massive cylinder made of high-strength steel designed for extreme operating conditions. It serves as a reliable "container"), which is found in VVER-type reactors.
How was it controlled?
This was regulated by:
Control rods made of neutron-absorbing materials
Flow of water
Power level
Automatic protection systems
Installing rods reduces the reaction. Removing them increases it.

Channel design
Unlike other reactors with a single large vessel, the RBMK had multiple separate pressure booster channels. This allowed:
Replace fuel by sectors
Work on a large scale
Conduct partial maintenance

Nuclear fuel
The fuel rods used uranium dioxide. Uranium atoms split apart and release heat.
Graphite moderator
The fuel channels were surrounded by a huge block of graphite. The graphite slowed down the neutrons so that the chain reaction could continue efficiently.
Water as a coolant
Water circulated through pipes/channels running through the core. This water absorbed heat.
Steam and turbines
The water turned into steam, which drove turbines, and the turbines generated electricity.

Alexander Akimov was born on May 6, 1953 in Novosibirsk.
He has younger brothers, Kostya and Fedya. His father, Fyodor Vasilyevich Akimov, served in the naval coast guard and held the rank of officer. Alexander is proud of his father and never speaks ill of him. His mother is Zinaida Timofeevna Akimova.
In 1976, he graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute with a degree in "Automation of Thermal Power Processes." In September 1979, he moved to Pripyat and began working at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. He served as a senior turbine control engineer and as a shift supervisor in the turbine shop. On July 10, 1984, he was appointed shift supervisor of Unit 4.

Akimov is of normal build and average height (171 cm). He has blue, expressive, and alert eyes. His hair is light brown, slightly darker, and usually cut short. He also has a mustache. He hasn't worn glasses since childhood, but his eyesight has worsened, forcing him to wear them. At work, he dresses like everyone else: a white coat and cap—the kind issued to engineers, technicians, and control room operators—those who worked in relatively "clean" areas with sensitive equipment. The choice of white was deliberate: any contamination, including radioactive dust, is immediately visible on such fabric. This helped dosimetrists quickly identify problem areas during inspections. White cotton was considered easier to clean.
On the street he usually wears a shirt with a tie and trousers, but when the weather gets colder, he puts on a beige coat.

Akimov is a very personable, sociable man who connects easily with people, but without being overly familiar. He's generally cheerful and charming. He's an active social activist, like a person with a spring in his step, always on the move. He's a caring and friendly man who loves to smile and wants the best for others. He's a young, passionate engineer who genuinely loved his work. He's serious, quick-thinking, and unafraid of emergency situations, following instructions during them and trying to find a logical explanation for what's happening. Deputy Chief Engineer Anatoly Dyatlov described him as a competent specialist who doesn't need to be told twice. He can easily take responsibility and stand up for his comrades. He's selfless and fearless, strong, yet vulnerable. He enjoyed hunting and was a party member, serving on the Pripyat City Committee.