[TXnMA]

They are using "liquified" -- in the past tense. Does that not mean that it liquified, and is now solid again?

Not sure if this GE design incorporates a Boron "catch pan" at the bottom of the containment vessel. Boron will "poison" the reaction and quench it so that the core will stop melting itself. Properly designed Boron catch pans will contain an entire melted core until it solidifies, and will keep it immobile and stable.

This sounds to me like a transient event that is no longer a threat.

[cuban leaf]

—They are using “liquified” — in the past tense. Does that not mean that it liquified, and is now solid again? —

I think they are using it in the sense of “The house burned down.”

[KC Burke]

I don’t find anything that shows a boron catch-pan component in this reactor. I do see they ordered up 52 tons of Boron and then later ordered 90 plus tons of Boron-10 from the French and they were mixing it with water and injecting it.

Boron-11 doesn’t do too much as Boron-10 has one less neutron and provides the perfect catch material for the excess neutrons slowing and cooling the reaction.

Of course, injection yields water vapor that is contaminated as it leaves.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Boron will "poison" the reaction and quench it so that the core will stop melting itself. Properly designed Boron catch pans will contain an entire melted core until it solidifies, and will keep it immobile and stable.

That bit of information would have come in very handy ending Hanoi Jane's career about thirty years ago...

[JediJones]

Boron will "poison" the reaction and quench it so that the core will stop melting itself. Properly designed Boron catch pans will contain an entire melted core until it solidifies, and will keep it immobile and stable.

Nobody doesn't like Molten Boron!

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

” Boron will “poison” the reaction and quench it...”

20 Mule Team Borax to the rescue!

[ctdonath2]

“liquified” - became a liquid. No implication of whether it remained that way after that occurrence.