Reactor Fuel Detection and Distribution in the TMI-2 (Three Mile Island Unit 2) Auxiliary Building

Conference · Sun Oct 30 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:5740551

As a result of the March 1979 accident, severe damage to the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor core resulted in a quantity of the reactor being dispersed outside the reactor core region. Some of the reactor fuel was dispersed to the nuclear auxiliary systems in the auxiliary/fuel handling building (AFHB). To enter post defueling monitored storage (PDMS), it is necessary to determine the location and quantity of reactor fuel in these systems. To determine potential reactor fuel location, it was necessary to first examine those systems that were used during the accident and recovery phases of the plant. By examining these systems, potential fuel concentrations were identified, such as tanks, filters, demineralizers, and piping dead legs. Second, general area radiation surveys were used to provide a rough indication of reactor fuel location. However, it was recognized that caution must be used since high radiation levels do not necessarily indicate the presence of reactor fuel due to the different escape rate coefficients of the various fission products and the possibility of fission product concentration on resins and boron. This indicates that gamma-ray spectroscopy must be used. The systems that had the greatest potential to contain reactor fuel were the makeup and purification (MUP) system, waste disposal liquid (WDL) system, and decay heat system. The method of detection was the use of ¹⁴⁴Ce as an analog for reactor fuel. Completion of the measurements and calculations have provided the results discussed in the paper.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• OSTI ID: 5740551
• Report Number(s): CONF-881011-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 89-027123
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 57; Conference: Joint Meeting of the European Nuclear Society and the American Nuclear Society , Washington, DC (United States), 30 Oct - 4 Nov 1988; ISSN 0003-018X
• Publisher: American Nuclear Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
AUXILIARY SYSTEMS
CONTAMINATION
CORIUM
DEPOSITION
NUCLEAR FUELS
ACCOUNTABILITY
THREE MILE ISLAND-2 REACTOR
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
BORON
CERIUM 144
COMPUTER CODES
CRITICALITY
DECONTAMINATION
DEMINERALIZERS
FILTERS
LIQUID WASTES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MELTDOWN
MULTI-CHANNEL ANALYZERS
NAI DETECTORS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE
PIPES
PRESSURE VESSELS
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION PROTECTION
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORE DISRUPTION
REACTOR CORES
RELIEF VALVES
RHR SYSTEMS
SAMPLING
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
TANKS
URANIUM 235
URANIUM DIOXIDE
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CERIUM ISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLEANING
CONTAINERS
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
COOLING SYSTEMS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DETECTION
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
ENRICHED URANIUM
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EQUIPMENT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLOW REGULATORS
FUELS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER REACTORS
PULSE ANALYZERS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTH ISOTOPES
RARE EARTH NUCLEI
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SEMIMETALS
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM OXIDES
VALVES
WASTES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Three Mile Island Unit 2 Reactor Core
Auxiliary/Fuel Handling building (AFHB)
Post Defueling Monitored Storage (PDMS)
Measurements and Calculations
Results
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled