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A Brief Note On The Mile Island Nuclear

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Three Mile Island Nuclear Paper

Nuclear power is a useful resource, but it can also be dangerous in certain cases. March 28, 1979 is an example of one of these situations. On that date, the Three Mile Island (TMI) power plant in Pennsylvania experienced the “worst accident in the history of commercial nuclear power in the United States” (Three Mile Island, 2014). Located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the plant, as seen to the left, had originally been built to locally provide electricity and power. For five years, the first pressurized water reactor located there had functioned properly after being “entered into service in 1974” (Three Mile Island Accident, 2001). The second unit, known as the TMI-2, began operating late December 1978, …show more content…

Fission is controlled within a nuclear reactor, in contrast to an uncontrolled reaction in an atomic bomb. One method utilized to control the reaction is neutron absorption through control rods. These rods have the ability to capture neutrons, which consequently slows the reaction down when they are placed among the fuel assembly. Of course, a reaction must first begin before it needs to slow down. Fuel rods containing pellets, often made of uranium-235, are grouped into a fuel assembly to act as fuel for the reaction. These fuel rods must contain critical mass, or the minimum amount of fissionable uranium to sustain the reaction. Once the fuel rods have been used, they are no longer able to sustain a chain reaction and contain subcritical mass. The initial chain reaction is able to occur when the uranium pellets are bombarded with neutrons, causing the uranium atoms to split and release energy in the form of heat, and while also release more neutrons to collide with other atoms to create even more heat (How Do Nuclear, n.d.). Due to this being a controlled reaction, energy is released slower, meaning the heat produced is able to be captured. Because the TMI-2 was a pressurized water reactor and not a boiling water reactor, the heat was then taken to the primary coolant water system, and the pressurizer kept the water from boiling (How Do Nuclear, n.d.). As the previous image shows,

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