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And we are lucky for it. If the runaway core had reached the water table beneath, it would have exploded and irradiated most of Eastern Europe, if not the whole
by tantalor 9y ago
And we are lucky for it. If the runaway core had reached the water table beneath, it would have exploded and irradiated most of Eastern Europe, if not the whole continent.
- git_rancher 9y agoWhat? Holy smokes! This is the first I've heard of this. Can you share any more info? Sources?
- MertsA 9y agoThat's the case for any nuclear meltdown, Chernobyl isn't special in that regard. If you have a very dense blob of liquid fuel (called corium after a meltdown) generating megawatts of power it's going to melt through concrete and steel, it's just a matter of time. Once that blob hits a ton of water underneath it forcing all of that water to heat up will create enormous pressure and the only way out is up.
- ben_w 9y agoSpeaking only for myself, the surprising claim was not “explode”, but “irradiated most of Eastern Europe, if not the whole continent.”
- mseebach 9y agoIt appears to be based on a quote from the 1979 film "The China Syndrome". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_meltdown#China_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_meltdown#China_syndrom...
- myth_drannon 9y agoWhy it didn't happen in Fukushima?
- proaralyst 9y agoThey managed to cool the corium by flooding it with water.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]