Investigations Three Mile Island

Viewed in this context, the Three-Mile Island (TMI) accident was the coup de grace for an already foundering industry. In spite of the fact that the hydrogen gas bubble that accumulated in Reactor 2 did not explode, although some contaminated gas escaped and that the commissions who investigated the accident faulted human error rather than equipment failure, TMI caused (as the New York Times... 

Investigations of industrial accidents reveal that most are caused by human error. The twentieth century s worst industrial disasters—Bhopal, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl—helped clarify the complex chain of system problems that lead to human error. System problems are problems caused by a process system with built in design and operating deficiencies. The accidents provided numerous checklists and case studies for control room and equipment design. A partial list of some of the problems found at the industrial sites mentioned above are ... 

Figure 3-6. The final configuration of the TMI core. (Reproduced from Three Mile Island Pressure Vessel Investigation Project Achievements and Significant Results, OECD, 1993.)...

OECD (1994) Three Mile Island reactor pressure vessel investigation project , Paris. 

USNRC (1979c) Investigation into the March 28, 1979, Three Mile Island accident by Office of Inspection and Enforcement , NUREG 0600, August. 

One famous example of a special commission was the Kemeny Commission that investigated the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979. Another is the Rogers Commission that investigated the Challenger Space Shuttle accident in 1986. 

After the incident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in 1979, the nuclear industry as a whole around the world intensified experimental and analytical investigations into all aspects of namral-circulation thermal-hydraulics. The small-break loss of coolant accident (SBLOCA) natore of the incident revealed the critical importance of natural circulation to understanding the response of such systems under these conditions. The entire industry worked to ensure that understanding of all aspects SBLOCAs, for existing and future systems, was correct and complete. 

Almost immediately after the TMI-2 accident, the government and the nuclear industry sought to identify the causes and began taking steps to reduce the likelihood of future accidents. Extensive corrective actions for U.S plants were required by the NRC s TMI Action Plan (see Section 1.4.6). The first and most prominent formal investigation of the accident was conducted by the President s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island, also known for its chairman, John Kemeny. Two important NRC-sponsored investigations were by... 

NUREG-0600, "Investigation Into The March 28, 1979 Three Mile Island Accident by Office of Inspection and Enforcement," Investigative Report No. 50-320/79-10, August 1979. 

The accident at the Three Mile Island (USA, 1979) nuclear power plant triggered investigations into hydrogen + air mixtures [14, 15]. As a way of hydrogen explosion suppression, the inhibiting action of incombustible gas additives (N2, CO2) or water steam were considered. The investigations showed that, for reliable flame initiation and propagation suppression in H2 + air mixtures, more than 60% concentration of a diluent (CO2 or H2O) is required [15]. 

New York City, which drew some of its water supply from a point three and a half miles to the south, installed seven shallow test wells near Liberty Aircraft in 1945 and initially found no contamination. When the war ended, further investigations began, with dozens of new monitoring wells installed. In 1948, chromium was detected in three of the city test wells near Liberty, and a plume of contamination was traced for a mile from the plant. At Grumman, chromium had been found in public supply wells more than 100 feet deep. By 1949, all of Long Island s aircraft plants had installed treatment systems to remove chromium from their wastewater.31... 

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