RE: Dateline NBC TMI story - A different evaluation

[BERNARD L COHEN <blc+@pitt.edu>]

On Thu, 16 Aug 2001, Ted Rockwell wrote:



> > I believe that the China Syndrome was an accepted theory by the engineers

> at the time.

> 

> John, et al:

> 

> I don't know any serious engineer who believed it.  In fact, it was never

> really defined in technical terms.  It just meant that the molten core might

> penetrate the vessel and find itself facing several feet of concrete.  One

> could postulate (guess) that this might lead to a crack in the containment

> and some minor amount of fps could get into the ground (which is a pretty

> good filter--see Oklo).

> 

> I don't think anyone was seriously concerned over the impact on Beijing.



	--The Kemeny Report (by the Presidential Panel) estimated that a

molten core could penetrate only a few tens of feet down into the ground.

I kave never seen that disputed.