Three Mile Island Unit-2 core status summary: a basis for tool development for reactor disassembly and defueling

The accident at Three Mile Island Unit-2 (TMI-2) on March 28, 1979 caused extensive damage to the core. A variety of analyses were performed using three general approaches to determine the extent of core damage. First, thermal-hydraulic events were reconstructed using available data, thermal-hydraulic principles, and computer analyses. Second, determinations of the hydrogen generated yielded estimates of the amount of zircaloy oxidized and embrittled. Third, the type and quantity of fission products released during the accident were used to estimate the location of core damage and the fuel temperatures which were achieved. Uncertainties exist in each type of determination due to the equivocal nature of the data. This paper reviews and summarizes the core damage assessments which have been made, identifies the minimum and maximum bounds of damage, and establishes a reference description for the current status of the core