News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 25, 1986. Parent comment

Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by tantalor on Monday November 20, 2017 @08:53PM (#15744953)
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.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by git_rancher on Monday November 20, 2017 @11:45PM (#15745591)
What? Holy smokes! This is the first I've heard of this. Can you share any more info? Sources?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by MertsA on Tuesday November 21, 2017 @03:38AM (#15746600)
That'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.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by ben_w on Tuesday November 21, 2017 @06:08AM (#15747120)
Speaking only for myself, the surprising claim was not “explode”, but “irradiated most of Eastern Europe, if not the whole continent.”
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by mseebach on Tuesday November 21, 2017 @09:19AM (#15747958)
It appears to be based on a quote from the 1979 film "The China Syndrome".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_meltdown#China_syndrom...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by myth_drannon on Tuesday November 21, 2017 @07:13AM (#15747331)
Why it didn't happen in Fukushima?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A Nuclear Jet at Chernobyl Around 21:23:45 UTC on April 2... by proaralyst on Tuesday November 21, 2017 @12:42PM (#15749783)
They managed to cool the corium by flooding it with water.
[ Parent | on HN ]