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ThatOtherGuy_CA t1_jc2aq85 wrote

Reply to comment by BrightCharlie in Why were the control rods in the reactor featured in the HBO series 'Chernobyl' (2019) tipped with graphite? by Figorama

The biggest issue with Chernobyl, which was also showcase in the show, wasn’t that the reactors had a potentially dangerous design, it’s that the Soviet Government hid the flaw from the reactor operators. So to their understanding an RMBK reactor couldn’t possibly blow up. Because the boron control rods would kill any reaction. And they either weren’t aware of the carbon tips, or at least the risks they posed.

So yes, the operators intentionally cooked the Chernobyl reactor to a point where it was a bomb, but they felt safe doing it because they had complete confidence that AZ-5 would kill the reaction. Not act as a detonator.

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Somnif t1_jc2td2d wrote

Yeah, something the show didn't really mention was that Chernobyl Unit 1 had actually suffered a similar (but much less severe) incident a few years earlier. It was not just a known issue, it was a known issue on site! And still, hushed up and hidden.

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