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Douglas W. Akers, Richard K. McCardell
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 1 | August 1989 | Pages 264-272
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Materials Behavior / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27653
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The partitioning and release of fission products from fuel materials in the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor pressure vessel (RPV) are summarized, and the chemistry that resulted in the observed behavior is discussed. As part of the TMI-2 core examination program, samples were examined from all regions within the RPV, from leadscrews in the upper plenum to previously molten material from the lower plenum of the RPV. The results of these examinations indicate significant variations in fission product behavior that were generally consistent with the volatility and chemical behavior of the expected fission product species. Low-volatility species (e.g., 144Ce) were retained almost entirely in the fuel material matrix, whereas unoxidized species such as 125Sb were found with the metallic structural materials. Most of the high-volatility species (137Cs and 129I) were released from the previously molten fuel; however, the releases were less than expected. These fission products were retained in previously molten fuel that contained concentrations of structural materials at the grain boundaries.