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2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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Researchers use one-of-a-kind expertise and capabilities to test fuels of tomorrow
At the Idaho National Laboratory Hot Fuel Examination Facility, containment box operator Jake Maupin moves a manipulator arm into position around a pencil-thin nuclear fuel rod. He is preparing for a procedure that he and his colleagues have practiced repeatedly in anticipation of this moment in the hot cell.
Kenneth J. Hofstetter, Beverly S. Ausmus+
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 4 | December 1989 | Pages 837-844
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Decontamination and Waste Management / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27677
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Microbial contamination of the reactor and related systems at Three Mile Island Unit 2 caused concern because of the ability of microorganisms to facilitate corrosion and to degrade the underwater visibility. Microorganisms first had a direct impact on defueling and decontamination operations in mid-1985 when the visibility in the fuel pools became limited due to a large population of euglena. In early 1986, the defueling operators experienced a total loss of visibility in the reactor caused by higher order microorganisms in the water. While the development of control techniques was complicated by the radionuclides and the chemical constituents in the water, adequate biological control was accomplished using hydrogen peroxide as a biocide. No evidence of microbially induced corrosion was observed on any components removed from the reactor, the defueling tools, or the fuel storage canisters.