The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant

The structure, the control system and the safety devices of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant are described and compared with those of other reactors. On the basis of recorded data, the development and the course of the accident as well as the actions of the operating staff during the first days are reconstructed. The radiation exposure of the staff and the inhabitants, and the contamination of the environment are analysed and compared with normal values of nuclear experiments. (L.E.)