Loss of coolant
Loss of Coolant is a mode of failure for a nuclear reactor; in a nuclear fission reactor, the results of loss of coolant can be catastrophic to the reactor, the facility that houses it, and the immidiate vicinity around the reactor. If a fission reactor is not continuously cooled by steady immersion in water, the reactor vessel can reach temperatures capable of destroying the assemblies containing the nuclear fuel, and then melting the reactor vessel itself. An often-cited example of a loss of coolant failure is the so-called China Syndrome.
The CANDU reactor is unique in that the coolant is also the moderator thus loss of coolant for this reactor also shuts down the reactor.
