China syndrome refers to a possible extreme result of a nuclear meltdown in which molten reactor core products breach the barriers below them and flow downwards out of containment. Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station consisted of two pressurized water reactors manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox each inside its own containment building and connected cooling towers. ... A containment building, in its most common usage, is a steel or concrete structure enclosing a nuclear reactor. ...

The phrase arose from analysis of the consequences of failure of the core cooling system in nuclear reactors. In 1971, nuclear physicist Ralph Lapp used the term to describe the burn-through of the reactor vessel, the penetration of the concrete below it, and the emergence of a mass of hot fuel into the soil below the reactor. He based his statements on the report of a task force of nuclear physicists headed by Dr. W. K. Ergen, published in 1967.^[1] The dangers of such a hypothetical accident were publicized by the 1979 film, The China Syndrome. The impossibility of the material actually reaching China is due to the fact that the molten fissile material would have to go both with gravity and then against gravity and a line drawn from the United States through the center of the Earth would emerge in the south Indian Ocean and not China. The China Syndrome is a 1979 thriller film which tells the story of a reporter and cameramen who discover safety coverups at a nuclear power plant. ...

In reality, a melting reactor could sink at most tens of meters^{[citation needed]}. If radioactive slag reached the water table beneath the reactor building, the resulting steam could throw radioactive material into the air, producing fallout. Despite several meltdowns in both civilian and military reactors, such an extreme meltdown has never taken place. Almost all current reactor designs do not allow such a meltdown to occur, either by preventing any meltdown (such as in a TRIGA reactor) or by dispersing any molten material so that it cools and solidifies. Cross section showing the water table varying with surface topography as well as a perched water table The water table or phreatic surface is the surface where the water pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure. ... Fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion, so named because it falls out of the atmosphere into which it is spread during the explosion. ... TRIGA is a class of small nuclear reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics of the USA. TRIGA is an acronym of Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics. This type of reactor can be installed without a containment building, and is designed for use by scientific institutions and universities for purposes...

In popular fiction

• In The Simpsons, Homer once claimed that he was responsible for 'three meltdowns and one China Syndrome'.

• In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Godzilla's nuclear reactor (his heart) is predicted to go through an immense version of China Syndrome that will result in the Earth's destruction after reaching a temperature of 1,200°C, but this is prevented.

Simpsons redirects here. ... Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Dan Castellaneta. ... Godzilla vs. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

See also

• Radioactive contamination
• Radioactive waste
• List of civilian nuclear accidents
• List of military nuclear accidents
• Nuclear and radiation accidents

The radiation warning symbol (trefoil). ... Radioactive waste are waste types containing radioactive chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose. ... This article lists notable civilian accidents involving nuclear material. ... This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. ... This article covers notable accidents involving nuclear devices and radioactive materials. ...

References

1. ^ Lapp, Ralph E. "Thoughts on nuclear plumbing." The New York Times, Dec. 12, 1971, pg. E11.