... was vastly overblown in the show (megaton explosion WTF ??!!). BUT they did not invented that mistake out of thin air: it was mentionned long before the series - well even at the time of the disaster since they send that "suicide squad" closing the vanes and emptying the pool of water.
Now, a non-megaton, non-nuclear explosion far less powerful could have happened. But what kind of yield then ?
Ok then: 0.15 to 4 kt of TNT...
Well, this not a megaton by a very long shot, and it is not a nuclear explosion by any mean. YET - the yield remain pretty scary if compared to the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
0.15 kt put it at Beirut level.
4 kt - frack, larger than freakkin' Halifax.
Even at 0.15 Kt only - 150 metric tons of TNT equivalent - we certainly agree it wouldn't do any good to the burning nuclear reactor nor to the three others in its immediate surroundings...
So yes, they probably dodged a bullet there. Basically, adding a "Beirut" on top of OTL horror...
What do you think ? Are the first link calculations valid ?
Now, a non-megaton, non-nuclear explosion far less powerful could have happened. But what kind of yield then ?
How large would the steam explosion at Chernobyl have been?
So the second episode of the HBO series began to cover the risk of a steam explosion that led to them sending three divers into the water below the reactor to drain the tanks. This occurred after ...
physics.stackexchange.com
Ok then: 0.15 to 4 kt of TNT...
Well, this not a megaton by a very long shot, and it is not a nuclear explosion by any mean. YET - the yield remain pretty scary if compared to the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
0.15 kt put it at Beirut level.
4 kt - frack, larger than freakkin' Halifax.
Even at 0.15 Kt only - 150 metric tons of TNT equivalent - we certainly agree it wouldn't do any good to the burning nuclear reactor nor to the three others in its immediate surroundings...
So yes, they probably dodged a bullet there. Basically, adding a "Beirut" on top of OTL horror...
What do you think ? Are the first link calculations valid ?