TMI-2 VIP Metallurgical Program

The objectives of the TMI-2 VIP Metallurgical Program are to conduct metallurgical examinations and mechanical-property tests on samples of material removed from the lower head of the TMI-2 nuclear reactor in order to deduce the temperatures, determine the mechanical properties, and assess the integrity of the TMI-2 lower head during the loss-of-coolant accident. The TMI-2 Vessel Investigation Project Metallurgical Program is a part of the international TMI-2 Vessel Investigation Project being conducted jointly by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Participants in the international project include the US, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (UK). Fifteen samples have been removed from the lower head and are being examined. Mechanical tests will be conducted on specimens cut from these lower head samples. In addition, archive material from the lower head of the Midland nuclear reactor has been procured for conducting supplemental metallurgical evaluations and mechanical-property determinations. The information obtained from these examinations and tests, supplemented by results obtained from parallel examinations of instrument nozzles, guide tubes, and core debris at Argonne National Laboratory and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory will be used to deduce a scenario for the loss-of-coolant accident and assess the integrity of the lower head during the accident