The Three Mile Island Accident
When someone thinks of problems plaguing the world, nuclear energy is not the first thing that comes to peoples minds these days.[1]Nuclear power was once deemed the new energy of the future.[2]However, numerous nuclear power plant accidents around the world put a damper on that notion.The United States considers itself one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but 103 nuclear reactors currently operating within her borders, one was bound to fail sometime or another.[3]
Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station is on an island that is located about 10 miles from the town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.The plant housed two nuclear reactors, Unit 1 and Unit 2.Now there is only one that is operable, Unit 1.[4]A week or two before the accident a movie called the “China Syndrome” was released.This movie was about the possible aftermath resulting from nuclear reactor meltdown.Coincidentally, Unit 2 was in trouble a little while after.[5]
Around 4:00 a.m. March 28, 1979, in a non-nuclear section of the Unit 2 plant, the main feed water pumps stopped running.Because of this malfunction, steam generators were not able to remove the heat.This led to complicated chain of events.First, as designed, the turbine shut down, followed by the reactor itself.This led to a rise in the pressure, so the pressurized relief valve opened, just like it was supposed to do.However, when the pressure decreased to accepted levels, the valve should have closed, instead it remained open, it was stuck.This led to a continued decrease in the pressure of the system.[6]Also, in another part of the plant, the emergency feed water system failed to operate because of a human error; the valve was left closed whe...
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[2] Lavelle, Marianne.“When the World Stopped.”U.S. News and World Report, 29 March,
1999, p. 38.
[3] See Lavelle p. 38.
[4] "Nuclear Disasters andAccidents"
http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_disasters/nuclear_disasters.html
(1 March 2000).
[5] Denton, Harold.“Nightmare at Three Mile Island.”George, March 1999, p. 48.
[6] "Nuclear Disasters andAccidents"
http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_disasters/nuclear_disasters.html
(1 March 2000).
[7] Nuclear Regulatory Commision. "Three Mile Island 2 Accident"
http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/gmo/tip/tmi.htm (1 March 2000).
[8] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission
[9] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission
[10] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission
[11] See Lavelle p. 38
[12] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission
[13] See Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The series of events that occurred on April 26th, 1986 at the Chernobyl Power Plant located in the Ukraine, would be considered one of the worst disasters that the world would ever see. It was supposed to be a routine check “to determine how long the steam-driven turbines at the plant would continue to generate electricity in the event of an electrical blackout” (Worsnop). This seems ironic because a simple test led to such a complicated calamity. During the test, one of the turbines was shut off and the emergency core cooling system was turned off as well. For a simple test, turning off the emergency core cooling system all together might not have one of the best options. They were running the core at low power and by doing so it caused excess xenon to accumulate. By reducing the water flow to the core, the core stared to heat up rapidly causing the reactor power to increase. Finally, they figured that they should remove the control rods from the reactor core as an emergency shutdown method. However, all the events leading up to this point did the opposite of shutting...
The Three Mile Island accident took place in Middletown, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979. During this accident even though there was no meltdown, there was some radioactive gas that was let out into the air. As a result more than 50,000 people were evacuated from their homes (Levine 60-3). The Three Mile Island incident had a major impact on public opinion, the construction of nuclear plants, and the future of nuclear power.
Gina Meyers and Jill McDonough both illustrate a lack of control within the poems “Hold it Down” and “Accident, Mass. Ave.”. “Hold it Down” by Gina Meyers describes a long narrative of the problem, a lack of control, impossibilities and frustration in everyday life, while “Accident, Mass. Ave.” presents a narrative of a problem, a moment of loss of control, aggression and frustration in a single moment that happen on a specific day. Similarly the poems are long and include long enjambed lines disturbed by few short and small lines. Contrasting the poems are ordered and structured very differently.
Nuclear Crisis at Three Mile Island Abstract In March of 1979, just ten miles south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Nuclear Power Plant at Three Mile Island Unit 2 came close to nuclear melt down. Despite standards set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the plant ran for several years prior to the accident under poor conditions. Communication certainly played a role in this near tragedy, as two engineers had foreseen the consequences, but their advice went unheeded. Although most of the economic and social impacts of this incident were minimal, this unpleasant event ended the nuclear power industry in America.
Nuclear power has no place in having a safe, clean, sustainable future. Today, the manufacturing of nuclear power plants has become a critical topic throughout the world that many strongly believe should be stopped. Nuclear Power is not safe anywhere in the world nor is it environmentally friendly. Nuclear power plants are truly something that could cause mass destruction in the world and has the potential to wipe out a whole country with ease. Despite proponents’ that claim that nuclear power is safe, there is a history that proves otherwise and marks a number of disasters caused by nuclear power plants.
Nuclear power is a relatively new method of supplying the ever growing population with the electricity that is required. Although the majority of people are unsure of how generation occurs, nuclear power provides roughly 17% of the world’s power. (Rich, Alex K...) This makes nuclear power a deciding factor in how the race progresses in technology and energy fabrication as it is able to produce mass amounts of electricity in short periods of time. The limit potential for nuclear power is unclear in not only energy but also weaponry and some medical uses. The fact that uranium and the radioactivity that comes with it are used in facilities and other inventions often lead people to distrust the inventions which, while not entirely un-called for, hinders progress and leads to fables and tales around nuclear energy, its creation, and the nuclear power plants that are springing up around the world. This causes nuclear facilities to slow in their development which only makes things worse because as things progress the facilities will only get increasingly safe as long as they are handled professionally. (Rich, Alex K…) Some of the slanderous fables around nuclear power include things like claiming that nuclear facilities cannot operate during droughts and water shortages. (Kharecha, Pushker…) While nuclear power is accompanied by several risks, it can also be the solution for various global strains and difficulties.
Central Idea: Nuclear energy only contributes a small amount to the world’s electricity yet it has hazards and dangers that far out-way its benefits. There are many other alternative power producing sources that can produce energy more efficiently and more safely than nuclear power plants can.
“Workers at the plant were performing tests on the system. They shut off the emergency safety systems and the cooling system, against established regulations, in preparation for the tests. Even when the warning signs of dangerous overheating began to appear, the workers failed to stop the test. Xenon gases built up and at 1:23 a.m. the first explosion rocked the reactor. A total of three explosions eventually blew the 1,000-ton steel top right off of the reactor” (History).
Reactor 4 was a neglected reactor that was apart of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located just outside of Pripyat, Ukraine. The reactor fire was caused during a test in which the reactor was being tested if it could maintain power during a power outage until back up generators could provide enough power ...
... chain reaction and power production could increase if cooling water was lost or turned into steam, in comparison to most Western designs. Since 1989, over 1000 nuclear engineers from the Soviet Union have visited Western nuclear power plants and there have been many mutual visits. Over 50 alike provisions between East and West nuclear plants have been put in place. Many other international programs were initiated after the Chernobyl disaster. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety evaluates projects for each particular type of Soviet reactor, bringing together operators and Western engineers to focus on safety improvements. The Chernobyl board report said that up to six million people are now getting or are eligible for benefits as 'Chernobyl victims'. We are slowly rebuilding from this horrendous disaster but together we can learn and overcome it.
After the United States developed the atomic at the end of World War II, interest in nuclear technology increased exponentially. People soon realized that nuclear technology could be used for electricity, as another alternative to fossil fuels. Today, nuclear power has its place in the world, but there is still a lot of controversy over the use of nuclear energy. Things such as the containment of radiation and few nuclear power plant accidents have given nuclear power a bad image. However, nuclear power is a reliable source of energy because it has no carbon emissions, energy is available at any time, little fuel is needed for a lot of energy, and as time goes on, it is becoming safer and safer.
On and off, could it be that simple? Energy is there whenever we need it, so we think. It’s not as simple as turning the light switch, replacing light bulbs, and paying the electric bills. Our energy today is made mostly from coal, natural gas, oil, wind, solar, and nuclear. With depleting natural resources, we must begin to consider what will power our future. Although there are many challenges yet to be encountered and technology yet to be discovered, many say nuclear energy is becoming a major part of our future. However, nuclear meltdowns and disasters have many people and scientists questioning the possibility of having a nuclear powered world. What are the concerns and positive aspects of nuclear energy today? Could nuclear energy become a part of our future energy source?
The energy industry is beginning to change. In today’s modern world, governments across the globe are shifting their focuses from traditional sources of power, like the burning coal and oil, to the more complex and scientific nuclear power supply. This relatively new system uses powerful fuel sources and produces little to no emissions while outputting enough energy to fulfill the world’s power needs (Community Science, n.d.). But while nuclear power seems to be a perfect energy source, no power production system is without faults, and nuclear reactors are no exception, with their flaws manifesting in the form of safety. Nuclear reactors employ complex systems involving pressure and heat. If any of these systems dysfunctions, the reactor can leak or even explode releasing tons of highly radioactive elements into the environment. Anyone who works at or near a nuclear reactor is constantly in danger of being exposed to a nuclear incident similar to the ones that occurred at the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi plants. These major accidents along with the unresolved problems with the design and function of nuclear reactors, as well as the economic and health issues that nuclear reactors present serve to show that nuclear energy sources are not worth the service that they provide and are too dangerous to routinely use.
There are two possible causes. The first one is that the operator’s error. The turbine was exploded while it was testing, and the operator ignored the rules and regulations. The operator turned off the technical protection systems, and all the safety barriers. It was happened, because of insufficient education and training, and it caused the lack of knowledge of nuclear reactor. He just ignored the steps of test, and chose the dangerous short cut to finish the test quickly. The other possible cause is incorrect operating instructions and design. This argument announced in 1992. Both possible causes were lobbied from different groups. And Soviet Union did not offer enough data; therefore still the exact cause is veiled. (IAEA, 2005)
Though it might seem that the world’s energy supply is secure as of the present, this issue is something that is beginning to worry even the richest states. “Countries as far apart as South Africa and Tajikistan are plagued by power cuts and there have been riots in several nations because of disruptions to electricity” and “rich states [are] no longer strangers to periodic blackouts” (ElBaradei). If we look again at the breakdown of U.S. electricity generation by energy source, it is evident that nuclear power is the next most substantial chunk of energy generation, with other renewables weighing in far behind that. I believe this begs the question, why do we not expand nuclear power to encompa...