Selective Etching and Quantitative Measurements Used to Assess the Thermal Exposure to the Lower Head of the Three-Mile Island Unit 2 Nuclear Reactor - By George Vander Voort The accident at Unit No. 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor (TMI-2) on March 28, 1979 was the worst nuclear accident in US history and crippled the nuclear industry. It was not possible to remove specimens from the lower head until January – March 1990. Fourteen of the fifteen specimens removed by electrical discharge machining were from under the debris pile that accumulated on the lower head due to melting of ~19,000 kg (~45%) of the core. Specimens were previously cut from the lower head of a cancelled reactor of very similar size and design destined for Midland, Michigan. These specimens were subjected to controlled heating cycles with peak temperatures from 800 to 1100°C for periods of 1 to 100 minutes. The writer examined both sets of specimens and employed selective etching followed by quantitative metallography (by image analysis) to obtain a far more detailed description of the thermal exposure experienced than had been obtained previously. goo.gl/Akm4YG
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:02:30 +0000
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