The first problem arose from the positive void coefficient, the drawback that made Soviet graphite-water reactors susceptible to runaway chain reactions in the event of a loss of coolant, and that, in the RBMK, had been exacerbated by attempts to make the reactor cheaper to run. To make it more competitive with fossil energy power stations, the RBMK had been deliberately designed to maximize the electricity output of the uranium fuel it burned up. But it was only when they started up Leningrad Unit One that the designers discovered that the effects of the positive void coefficient grew worse
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