re: #189 Naso Tang

Yes, it seems very strange that they could not shut down completely. I’m no expert on these matters, but surely they have to be able to do a more complete and stable shutdown just for things like refueling?

I wonder whether the quake did not do some internal damage that prevented some fuel or damping rods from activating.

They shutdown completely, they pushed the control rods in and cut the fission reaction. but the reactor is still really hot. They lost power from the grid and the generators cut in but then the tsunami took out the generators. That took out the cooling water pumps. water levels dropped as the water boiled and turned to steam, exposing about one third of the core. The steam pressure had to be vented out to the outer containment room. Lots of hydrogen gas in the outer room ignited and blew the top off it. That is my understanding of the events. Anybody correct me on that?