Nothing actually. TRISO fuel is both meltdown proof and fusion resistant.
Meaning, it resists melting down even without coolant and it resists fusion reactions to a high level bomb. This is because the fuel is about the size of a seed roughly 1mm in size and each piece is coated with layers of other materials to prevent such occurrences.
First, nuclear fuel production is one of the most highly regulated and monitored processes mankind has ever developed.
Second, if by some astronomically small chance enough of the fuel is faulty, there are multiple other safety layers to keep a runaway reaction from occurring. These are built into the design of the reactor itself and don’t need human intervention.
Third, if the reactor were destroyed, by anything, all it would accomplish is scattering the fuel pellets, effectively extinguishing any reaction. After that it’s a fairly straightforward job to gather the scattered fuel during cleanup. These reactors don’t need a water source like the old ones do so once the fuel lands somewhere it’s not going to be washed away and become difficult to trace.
Fourth, reactors are built seriously tough. If something hits one hard enough to cause anything more than an emergency shutdown then you’ve got much bigger problems to worry about.
Nothing actually. TRISO fuel is both meltdown proof and fusion resistant.
Meaning, it resists melting down even without coolant and it resists fusion reactions to a high level bomb. This is because the fuel is about the size of a seed roughly 1mm in size and each piece is coated with layers of other materials to prevent such occurrences.
What happens if the coating was not applied correctly or somehow comes off?
First, nuclear fuel production is one of the most highly regulated and monitored processes mankind has ever developed. Second, if by some astronomically small chance enough of the fuel is faulty, there are multiple other safety layers to keep a runaway reaction from occurring. These are built into the design of the reactor itself and don’t need human intervention. Third, if the reactor were destroyed, by anything, all it would accomplish is scattering the fuel pellets, effectively extinguishing any reaction. After that it’s a fairly straightforward job to gather the scattered fuel during cleanup. These reactors don’t need a water source like the old ones do so once the fuel lands somewhere it’s not going to be washed away and become difficult to trace. Fourth, reactors are built seriously tough. If something hits one hard enough to cause anything more than an emergency shutdown then you’ve got much bigger problems to worry about.
Nice thanks for the explanation!