Fukushima +18 months - What's a "melt out?" (7 min) .

[Katashi_itto]

After reactor #1's meltdown, the molten fuel (corium) melted through its steel containment vessel. Then the corium gathered into a big blob which has been burning through the concrete floor below. This brief animation shows most of what's happened at Fukushima, except for the reactor buildings' explosions.

"Tepco believes the uranium fuel of unit 1 at Fukushima I almost entirely melted its way through the bottom of the thick steel reactor vessel and poured to the floor of the containment structure, eating through a portion of the concrete floor of that area.."


"Creating Corium in the Lab"
Video of Lab created Corium here:

This video shows the top view of a churning molten pool of uranium oxide at 2000°C (3600°F) seen during an experiment at Argonne. Corium behaves much like lava.
http://www.ne.anl.gov/capabilities/rsta/cci/#fragment-1

[Warpy]

1. Sobering stuff and there's not much they can do to stop it.

It will likely continue to melt down, vaporizing and contaminating ground water as it goes, until it meets molten rock far down below the crust. Eruptions of contaminated steam will likely be the next big disaster at that plant.

[greiner3]

2. Thanks Katashi;

But you could have warned about the music

[Katashi_itto]

3. Hehe

Sorry