China Syndrome

[Jacques.Read@eh.doe.gov]

When I worked at NRC's accident analysis branch, we considered a great many

"beyond-design-basis" accidents.  Concrete pyrolyzes at temperatures below the

melting point of U02.  The amount of latent heat needed to turn concrete into

steam, carbon dioxide, lime and sand is enormous, so the basemat is a real

barrier.  The accident consquences are dominated by the fact that there would be

thousands of tons of water in the sump under the reactor vessel of a PWR, or in

the suppression pool of a BWR.  The containment buildings are designed to hold

the energy from the rapid blowdown of the reactor coolant.  If a huge amount of

extra steam and carbon dioxide is also added, the containment would be breached

and a release to the atmosphere could occur.  Airborne releases always dominate

consequences.







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