ÃÂNuclear energy had been touted as a cheap, reliable energy source ever since the first commercial reactor went into operation in 1957. Electricity would be too cheap to meter, the atomic industry boasted. But the reactors proved prohibitively expensive to construct and nuclear power became every bit as expensive as conventional forms.
ÃÂIn March 1979, the publicÃÂs faith in the safety of nuclear reactors-giant plants that generated power by the splitting of atoms- was undermined by an accident at Three Mile Island, a nuclear plant located ten miles from Harrisburg Pennsylvania, in the middle of the Susquehanna River.ÃÂ (Gerstenzang 147)The near-meltdown from Three Mile Island Crisis would have a great effect on the industry of nuclear power and how the United States produced itÃÂs energy.
Three Mile Island Crisis started at four a.m. on March 28th, 1979 (Three Mile Island and the Future of Nuclear Energy). There was a clog in one of the pipes and the men working there had to clear it out, which was a regular occurrence.
Superphenix, Nuclear power plant of Creys-Malville...
English: WWER-1000 (also VVER-1000 as a direct tra...
Map of the United States by Nuclear Regulatory Com...They shot air into the pipe in order to unclog it, which worked and then they went about their usual business at the power plant. What they didnÃÂt know was that when they cleared out the pipe a cupÃÂs worth of water had leaked out. This water was blown into the main turbines. This small amount of water caused the valves to automatically shut off because the water was interrupting the airflow into the valve. This is what started the Three Mile Island Crisis (Stephens 10).
Even though the valves had stopped, the plant was still running at ninety-seven percent, which is enough to light 300,000 homes. Then, two feed water pumps have failed in the secondary cooling system which meant that there wasnÃÂt any water circulating to...