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What happened to the nuclear reactor to cause the Three Mile island disaster?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
After the crisis was over this reactor was inspected and found to have undergone a very significant but partial meltdown. It was considered to be unrepairable and has sat idle since then, some cleanup was done and the material removed was disposed of as appropriate for radioactive hazardous material. The other undamaged reactors on the site continue to operate.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
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An event in history that involved Nuclear energy?
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster - April 26, 1986. Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station Accident - March 28, 1979 First man-made nuclear reactor that reached criticality - December 2, 1942 (Manhattan Project) Nuclear reactor first used for electricity - December 20, 1951
In three mile island disaster was there loss of property?
Only the reactor unit itself
What event caused many Americans to woory about nuclear power?
what event caused many Americans to worry about nuclear power
When did Christmas Island boat disaster happen?
Christmas Island boat disaster happened in 2010.
What are some examples of nuclear disaster?
Some examples of nuclear disasters include the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 where a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine exploded, releasing a significant amount of radioactive material. Another example is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, where a series of equipment failures and a tsunami caused meltdowns at multiple reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. These disasters have had long-lasting environmental and health impacts.
When did Helgoland Island Air Disaster happen?
Helgoland Island Air Disaster happened on 1913-09-09.
The only meltdown in a nuclear reactor to ever happen in the US happen where?
Three Mile Island
Where did a nuclear reactor explode in 1986?
It didn't explode. Three Mile Island's Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania experienced an almost complete meltdown.
Did a nuclear plant ever exploded in the US?
No, but the reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania had a near melt-down. Nuclear plants don't explore. They have meltdowns.
In a nuclear reactor meltdown what melts?
The short answer is that at least the fuel melts, but if it can melt anything else, it does, including concrete. There are different types of meltdowns. At Three Mile Island, the meltdown happened when hot steam reacted with the zirconium cladding of reactor rods. This allowed uranium fuel pellets to come into contact and melt together. Upwards of half of the fuel in the reactor melted. A worse case is if the reactor itself melts, so the nuclear fuel can go through it. In Chernobyl, the reactor was opened by a series of explosions caused by steam and chemical reactions. Molten fuel escaped the reactor, and there was a threat that when it melted through the concrete floor the reactor stood on, it would fall into a water containment below. If this had happened it almost certainly would have caused another explosion and a much worse disaster. Fortunately for all of us who are alive, a number of people went into the area of the disaster, knowing they would be killed as a result, to get the water out of the containment under the reactor. The molten fuel combined with other materials, and was diluted in the process, finally solidifying in the area under the reactor. As a matter of interest, other people also worked to contain the radioactive material, knowing the work would kill them. Some of these people lived as long as six weeks in the hospital, and some hospital workers came down with radiation poisoning as a result of this exposure. The disaster workers who died were buried in graves over 300 feet deep to isolate the radiation in their bodies.
What 1970s incident revived the anti-nuclear movement?
You are probably thinking of the Three Mile Island plant reactor melt down in 1979
Is nuclear energy cheaper than other source?
Yes, nuclear energy is cheaper, and it does not produce any greenhouse gases. The spent fuel rods can be reprocessed to enrich new fuel. There has not been a nuclear reactor built in the USA in 30 years, and the only near disaster in the US was Three Mile Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in March 1979. Over the last 32 years our understanding of plate tectonics, material technology, metallurgy, radiation, earthquake proof construction, etc... has increased drastically, and I have no fears living 20 miles down wind of a 3 reactor nuclear power plant.
