[aldo_14]

IF they ever finish the sodding thing, that is; they've cut so much (co-op, seamless zone spring to mind) and been delayed so often......

[WMCoolmon]

Originally posted by karajorma
Exactly StratComm. That's the point I was trying to get across. A western reactor might have survived the stupidity that went on in Chernobyl but the fact remains that the people there should have known that they were using a less robust design and therefore should have avoided the stupidity that was involved in the accident.  

You want to know why I regard the accident as being caused by stupidity. Here's a layman's explaination of the disaster.

The reactors in Chernobyl used the electricity they themselves produced to power the pumps used in the cooling mechanisms. If the reactor loses power backup diesel generators kick in and power the pumps. However these generators take 50 seconds to power up which if far too long to leave the core without any cooling.
 What the technicians wondered was would the inertia in the turbines keep the production of electricity going for long enough to power the pumps for 50 seconds.

In order to test this they dialled the reactor down to the lowest possible power setting and disabled any safety system that would have gotten in the way of the test.  They then deliberately destablised the reactor and reduced the coolant supply.

There was one small flaw in the plan. In preparing a test to see if the pumps would keep turning no one stopped to consider what would happen if they didn't! They also broke the other important rule. Don't f**k about with a live nuclear reactor unless you know that the f**k you're doing.

Just...wow.