(25 April 2013, 15:03)bigpaul Wrote: yeah but how long does the backup system work for before it packs up too? then what happens? what if the power NEVER comes back on?? i thought these things were made so they just shut down in an emergency!
once the rods are down they stay down until the main power comes back on.
If it doesn't come back on well the control rods stay there
nobody want another Chernobyl and have built or added systems to reactors to take this into account. Hell the vitrified high level waste is stored in a build the use natural convection to cool the waste and needs no mechanical cooling here in the uk
The main issue to me would be many years down the line post SHTF and that would be leaks due to failing infrastructure but that would be decades after an event