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A core catcher is a device provided to catch the molten core material (Corium) of a nuclear reactor in case of a nuclear meltdown and prevent it from escaping the containment building. A core catcher is made from a special concrete ceramic to prevent material from trickling through; it is also a cooling mechanism to cool down the core material.〔(Siempelkamp: Core Catcher - Cooling Structures )〕〔(IAEA-Dokument: Status of Fast Breeder Reactor Development in Germany )〕 The core catcher of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) has 170 m² expansion area and a mass of 500 t.〔() (Brochure in German, describing the concept of the core catcher for the EPR in Finland)〕 Examples of reactor types with core catchers, besides the EPR, are: * SNR-300 (fast breeder)〔Areva Brochure: EPR - reference number:G-61-V1-07-GER〕 * AES-91 / VVER-1000/428 (PWR)〔(AtomStroyExport News )〕 * SWR1000 (BWR) * ESBWR * Atmea I (PWR)〔 * ACPR-1000 (PWR) The AES-91, a project of Atomstroyexport based on the VVER-1000 design, will be the first type of nuclear plant that has a core catcher as standard equipment.〔(WNA - Nuclear Power in Russia )〕 Thus, in early 2011, the two reactors of the Chinese Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant are the only working nuclear reactors with core catchers. The Russian physicist who helped design the Russian core-catcher model during the Chernobyl crisis, Leonid Bolshov, has stressed that the experience of Chernobyl has encouraged Russia to create reactors with core-catcher safety devices in new nuclear plants.〔() (Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and Scientific American)〕 == References == 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「core catcher」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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