The Three Mile Island Accident

Names: Sarah Butcher, Payton Phillips

Teacher: Mrs. Griffis
Standards:
1. Describe how scientific knowledge, explanations, and technological
designs may change with new information over time.
3. Identify and explain ways that scientific knowledge and economics
drive technological development.
5. Describe how occupations use scientific and technological knowledge
and skills. Picture of the Three Mile Island near Middletown, Pa.

On Wednesday, March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power
plant experienced a malfunction in the secondary section of the plant. Ei-
ther a mechanical or electrical failure prevented the main feed water
pumps from sending water to the steam generators that remove heat from
the reactor core. This caused the plants turbine generator and then the
reactor shut down. Immediately, the pressure in the primary system (the
nuclear portion of the plant) began to increase. In order to control that
pressure, the pilot-operated relief valve (a valve located at the top of the
pressurizer) opened. The valve should have closed when the pressure fell
to proper levels, but it became stuck open. Instruments in the control
room, however, indicated to the plant staff that the valve was closed. As a
result, the plant staff was unaware that cooling water was pouring out of
the stuck-open valve.
Scientists used control rods to control the fission process.
The rods are used to absorb the neutrons used in the fission
process. Only a precise amount of neutrons are to be used.
With the fission process still continuing the temperature
and pressure increased, to reduce this problem the pilot-
operated relief valve was opened. Once the water reached a
specific temperature the valve would then close, it did not,
causing steam and water to escape the pressurizer. The con-
trol panel showed that the valve was closed, but it was not.
The emergency feed pump should have turned on to keep
the pressurizer from over heating, it did not. 42 hours earli-
er workers were testing the pump and did not re-open the
valve, causing the water and pressure to drop. Another
problem occurred when the reactor was over heating, emer-
gency tanks of water would be used to quickly induced wa-
ter to decrease the temperature. The pressurizer was stated
to be full of water but it was actually from the steam that
was escaping. Since the pressure could not be controlled, it
was turned off. As steam was still escaping it travelled to
the coolant pumps, with the fear of failure the pumps were
turned off. The reactor core started to melt because there
was no way to keep it cool as the water and steam escaped.
It was then realized that the pilot-operated relief valve was
open, it was closed and water was then induced.
Between the time the feed pump and coolant pump was shut off and when the pilot-operated relief valve
was closed, the core was uncovered causing the fuel to melt. When the core was melting zirconium was
chemically reacting with the water, hydrogen was produced. Hydrogen was then released into many parts
of the building causing the possibility of an explosion. The only way there could be an explosion was if
there was oxygen combined with the hydrogen. Secondly, while core was uncovered radioactivity was
able to escape, some included, xenon, krypton, and iodine. This then lead to the gases to leak into the at-
mosphere. There was not enough
to harm the public but it was not
something to risk.

Since the incident there have

been many improvements includ-
ing people, building, and me-
chanical regulations. The plant
design and equipment was one
big improvement that was initiat-
ed from the accident, this includ-
ed fire protection, the pipe sys-
tem, feed water system, build-
ings, valves, circuit breakers, and
automatic plant shut downs.
www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html
Many residents of the area and
http://www.threemileisland.org/index.html all over the country feared the
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety- radiation spill. But there was not
of-plants/three-mile-island-accident.aspx enough radiation released to
https://www.nei.org/Master-Document-Folder/Backgrounders/Fact-Sheets/ harm anyone, most of it was con-
The-TMI-2-Accident-Its-Impact-Its-Lessons tained during the accident. An-
other major change was human
performance which was training
and specific staff requirements,
improvement on instruments and
controls, and no use of drugs or
alcohol. Also to avoid confusing
signals that occurred during the
accident. All changes were made
to make the plant a safer envi-
ronment for the public but also
for the workers. Through the new
precise guidelines accidents like
Three Mile Island could have
been easily solved.