Three Mile Island Unit 2: The Early Radiological Conditions of the Reactor Building

Shortly following the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2), GPU Nuclear Corporation established, along with Bechtel Power Corporation nuclear specialists, a containment assessment task force (CATF) to assess the radiological conditions of the TMI-2 reactor building (RB). The task force devised and executed a series of experiments and analyses to obtain data necessary for initial entry, RB purge, and RB recovery. The analyses and experiments were designed to assess

1. airborne levels
2. levels of surface contamination
3. magnitude of the basement water source term
4. general radiological environment.

The early tasks performed under the CATF were

1. remote Ge(Li) gamma-ray scans through the RB equipment hatch
2. remote gamma-ray scans with NaI crystals through spare RB penetrations
3. postaccident airborne sampling
4. retrieval of a sample of the water in the RB basement
5. installation of remote television and radiation monitors through an opening in the RB.