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Why on earth would good engineers decide to store used fuel rods in (open?) pools above the reactors?

I'm just wondering if there is a clear explanation to this. I'll accept that smart engineers did a good job designing the reactor itself with multiple safety measures etc. (I won't say "very good job" or "Excellent job" because of the obvious, but the one I designed would have probably destroyed the planet).

It just doesn't make sense to me that the SAME SMART PEOPLE who went to so much trouble to have a safe plant (as opposed to Chernobyl, e.g.) would still store dangerous used fuel rods where they did. It would be like if I spent years designing a car and then put the exhaust pipe in the glove compartment. I know I am sort of venting here, but also wonder if there is an explanation. Was this just a makeshift measure that wasn't in the original plans? The only thing I can think of is that it was some sort of bureaucratic response to the absence of a nuclear waste storage plan.

Bion Satir asked in Earthquake! about 1 year ago | Report
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  • 0prr6_small
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    The pools are open because the building was blown apart around them.

    Sometimes the fuel needs to be removed from the reactor during service, without being removed from the the building. Using a gantry crane limits the places you can move things. As long as they are covered in water it is perfectly safe. A better question is, why store them so high up in the building?

    Kip Waddle answered in Earthquake! about 1 year ago | Report
    2 comments by Tom Sackett and Kip Waddle…
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  • September_08_2_13_small
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    I'm not sure of the specifics of why they have this in Japan, but it's a good argument for why we need nuclear waste disposal in this country. Many plants have to keep used fuel onsite because there is nowhere to send it.

    prompt answered in Earthquake! about 1 year ago | Report
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