nuclear meltdown
Core loses containment
A nuclear meltdown is the catastrophic failure of a reactor core when cooling systems fail and fuel rods overheat, causing them to melt through their containment.
The term evokes disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Figuratively, a meltdown is any spectacular collapse: The company had a financial meltdown.
He's having a meltdown over the delayed flight.
Soviet nuclear disaster site
- FukushimaJapanese nuclear accident site
- Three Mile IslandPennsylvania nuclear disaster site
- containment breachEscape from sealed area
- thermal runawayUncontrolled self-reinforcing temperature rise
human factors · design flaw · warning signs · cascading failure · procedural error
Radioactive fission byproduct
- iodine-131Radioactive halogen isotope
- strontium-90Radioactive isotope from fission
- gamma raysHighest-frequency electromagnetic radiation
- radioactive contaminationHarmful isotope presence
dosimeter · roentgen · radioactive decay · half-life · isotopes · alpha particles · beta particles · ionizing radiation
Self-sustaining causal sequence
- critical massThreshold for self-sustaining reaction
- uranium-235Fissile nuclear isotope
- plutonium-239Fissile actinide isotope
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
Removal from danger
- exclusion zoneBarred access territory
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- relocationPermanent change of residence
aftermath · Pripyat · ghost town · mass exodus · media coverage · death toll · economic collapse · generational trauma
Central essential portion
- fuel rodsEncased fissile material tubes
- control rodsNeutron-absorbing reactor components
- coolant systemHeat-dispersing mechanical network
- containment vesselSealed protective enclosure
pressure vessel · steam generator · cooling tower · moderator · corium
Chernobyl
Soviet nuclear disaster site
- FukushimaJapanese nuclear accident site
- Three Mile IslandPennsylvania nuclear disaster site
- containment breachEscape from sealed area
thermal runaway · human factors · design flaw · warning signs · cascading failure · procedural error
cesium-137
Radioactive fission byproduct
- iodine-131Radioactive halogen isotope
- strontium-90Radioactive isotope from fission
- gamma raysHighest-frequency electromagnetic radiation
radioactive contamination · dosimeter · roentgen · radioactive decay · half-life · isotopes · alpha particles · beta particles · ionizing radiation · radiation sickness
chain reaction
Self-sustaining causal sequence
- critical massThreshold for self-sustaining reaction
- uranium-235Fissile nuclear isotope
- plutonium-239Fissile actinide isotope
evacuation
Removal from danger
- exclusion zoneBarred access territory
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
- displacementRemoval from usual location
relocation · aftermath · Pripyat · ghost town · mass exodus · media coverage · death toll · economic collapse · generational trauma · decommissioning
core
Central essential portion
- fuel rodsEncased fissile material tubes
- control rodsNeutron-absorbing reactor components
- coolant systemHeat-dispersing mechanical network
containment vessel · pressure vessel · steam generator · cooling tower · moderator · corium
- disastersdisaster, earthquake, earthquakes, catastrophe, floods
- Disaster Films2012, Armageddon, Deep Impact, The Day After Tomorrow, The Towering Inferno
- Eco-crisesclimate change, global warming, oil spill, deforestation, biodiversity loss
- Nuclearatomic bomb, atomic bombs, uranium, reactors, fission
- industrial accidentsindustrial accident, explosion, factory fire, mine explosion, mine disaster
- nuclear radiationradiation exposure, radiation poisoning, radioactive isotopes, fallout, cesium-137
nuclear meltdownsolar power
Energy derived from sunlight
wind energy · renewable energy · hydroelectric power · fusion power · green energy
nuclear, nucleus, meltdown, nucleate, nuclei, nuclide, antinuclear, nucleated, nonnuclear