ML072750036

Email Sent by R. Conte to Distribution of August 22, 2007 - Fwd: Questions on Vermont Yankee Cooling Towers

ML072750036
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	08/22/2007
From:	Conte R NRC Region 1
To:	Division of Reactor Safety I
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Download: ML072750036 (4)

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[pchard Conte - Fwd: Questions on Vermont Yankee cooling towers Page I1 From: Richard Conte To: DRS-BCs Date: 08/22/2007 12:53:18 PM

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Fwd: Questions on Vermont Yankee cooling towers who was involved in power uprate. can you help

>>> Barry Norris 08/22/2007 12:16 PM >>>

can either of you help with any of the answers?

>>> Neil Sheehan 08/22/07 10:56AM ?>>

Ray, Your taking points on the Vermont Yankee towers are helpful. Here are some others I could use your help on. In particular, the first batch of questions just came in from the AP reporter in Vermont. His deadline is early this afternoon. Can someone help with these? I understand the staff is already doing research along these lines.

Thanks, Neil

L.

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Fwd: Questions on Vermont Yankee cooling towers Creation Date 08/22/2007 12:53:18 PM From: Richard Conte Created By: RJC@,nrc.gov Recipients Action Date & Time rlrc.gov kp 1qo.KP-DO Delivered 08/22/2007 12:53:36 PM CGC CC (Christopher Cahill) Opened 08/22/2007 1:03:30 PM Deleted 09/24/2007 4:46:01 PM DJR CC (Darrell Roberts) Retracted 09/05/2007 12:01:15 AM JDK CC (John Kinneman) Deleted 08/27/2007 9:17:38 AM Opened 08/27/2007 9:17:33 AM Emptied 09/04/2007 1:22:26 AM JFR (John Rogge) Opened 08/27/2007 9:09: 18 AM Downloaded 08/27/2007 10:01:35 AM Emptied 09/04/2007 9:47:50 AM JMTl (James Trapp) Deleted 08/22/2007 1:33:40 PM Opened 08/22/2007 1:33:17 PM Emptied 08/30/2007 1:09:18 AM JRWl (John White) Opened 08/22/2007 1:21:33 PM KLG CC (Kay Gallagher) Opened 08/22/2007 1:12:16 PM Deleted 08/22/2007 1:12:26 PM Emptied 08/30/2007 1:10:29 AM

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Questions on Vermont Yankee cooling towers:

How many nuclear plants use forced-air cooling towers? Have any of those experienced failures and/or collapses? Have there been any cooling tower issues at plants that have undergone Extended Power Uprates?

Did the Vermont Yankee power uprate accelerate the degradation of the cooling towers?

What did the NRC do to inspect the cooling towers in conjunction with the power uprate? What will the agency be doing with respect to the towers as part of its license renewal review? Are the towers being reviewed as part of the license renewal process? If not, why not?

How long will repairs to the towers take? What exactly will those repairs consist of? Could the collapse call into question the structural integrity of both banks of cooling towers?

What kind of wood makes up the cooling towers? What could have caused the wood to fail, Le.,

rot? What caused the piping to fail? How much wood and piping was affected?

How long can the plant operate at reduced power? If the plant goes above 40 percent, will it exceed its discharge maximum temperature limit? What is that limit?

Nuclear critic Arnie Gunderson is quoted in news stories as saying the kind of cooling towers used at Vermont Yankee have been prone to collapse at other power plants and refineries. Are we aware of such collapses and, if so, where and when did they take place? What happened if such collapses did in fact occur? Were there any safety impacts? Gunderson, in a Brattleboro Reformer, refers to the towers as being of a wounded knee design. What does that mean?