Word: reactor
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What was more, the engineer said that Unit 2 had been plagued with glitches during its shakedown phase. "Nothing serious, but enough to suggest that both the reactor and we needed to get to know each other better." Instead of thoroughly studying the cause of the malfunctions, the engineer maintained, the plant "went commercial too quickly." The multiple problems should have been a warning, he said. "If the lights in your house blow out every time you turn on your toaster, you know something is wrong. You call the electrician." Questioned about the engineer's statements, Harold Denton...
...debate about the culpability-and venality&3151;of Met-Ed was just beginning. In its defense, the utility insisted that the problems with Unit 2 were all routine. Before the reactor could begin operating commercially it also had to be approved by the NRC. Added Denton: "We don't issue licenses to operate plants until our people tell us that all tests have been completed...
What triggered the accident was the failure of a pump in the secondary loop that transports hot water from the reactor. When this happened, the auxiliary pumps switched on as they were supposed to do. But, with their valves shut, they could not pump water. Their failure backed up water in the secondary loop and sent pressure inside the reactor soaring. This pressure rise, in turn, caused a relief valve to pop open. It stuck. Pressure then dropped so rapidly that the emergency core cooling system, designed to keep the core from overheating, was automatically activated. That started a reactor...
...reactor accident on Three Mile Island brought into public glare a little-known federal agency with tremendous responsibilities: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is charged with making sure that nuclear plants are safe before it licenses them, and then enforcing strict operating rules. President Carter's inquiry into the reasons for the near disaster in Pennsylvania will inevitably examine the performance...
...cooling down the failed reactor at Three Mile Island, experts from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had to assess somberly the risks of every feasible step, weigh them against the dangers of waiting too long, and act only after satisfying themselves that they had a reasonably clear idea of what to do. The same spirit ought to govern the public and its leaders in the intense debate about the future of nuclear power that is now beginning...