Reply #184: more about a breeched vessel

[divvy]

About a breeched vessel -- the inside of the reactor has a structure called the RX shroud. It surrounds the core. It is intended to allow 2/3 core coverage in the case of a design basis break of the recirculation pipe. Even if a vessel was breeched in the side wall, the core shroud would allow keeping water in the vessel and covering enough of he core to cool it. An breech of the vessel would be very bad news, but it would not necessarily mean that a complete meltdown is inevitable.