Reply #: No it isn't sound. [View All]

[Statistical]

Reactor operate on passive safety. The reactor simply can NOT sustain fission outside certain parameters. Reactor gets too hot, fission slows (fission rate is inversely dependent on temperature because fuel rods expand reducing criticality). Reactor loses coolant, fission slows (because reactors are water moderated, lack of moderation prevents fission).

Operator falls asleep, reactor loses signal from control center, terrorist blow up control rod, electrical outage, etc. Power to control rods is lost and they (held up by electromagnets) lower (by gravity) and stop fission. Temperature gets too high and it melts seals holding back nuclear poison which absorb neutrons and prevent fission.

It doesn't take an operator to stop a nuclear reactor. It take an operator to prevent reactor FROM stopping.
Lack of input means fission fails.