ML18130A581
| ML18130A581 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Surry  |
| Issue date: | 07/31/1979 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Allen J NORTH ANNA ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18130A583 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909180504 | |
| Download: ML18130A581 (3) | |
Text
- <*....
,. ~
Docket Nos. so-200*
and 50-281
~
Hi,~dgtS ~,
~() e,t-, f;k e,p JUL. 3 1 1979
.. ~ ~f-\\\\t'\\\\
,?'~~ \\;.~ \\\\jb ~.
~ ~<t<::_ '1\\~
r (f;': ;. -.,; \\~.
""\\ \\;~(\\?~i~~
~'\\'
\\i..*S1":¢::J
~~t(t~\\\\ -~
Mrs. Junt> ~llen, President
- ~~
North Anna Environmental Coal it ion!
412 Owens Drive Huntsvfl 1e, Alabama 35801
Dear Mrs. Allen:
0 Commissioner Bradford has asked*that the staff respond to the issues
- raised in your May 5,
- 1979* letter. to him regardf ng the Surry steam generator repair program, and that our response be forward~ dfreetly to you.
First, you requested a transcript of the liay 2, 1979 ste.am Jenerator briefing.
A copy of that transcript is.enclosed *.
Second you cited a-VEPCO ffgure of 55,580,000 gan ons of radioactive-water* for ljquid releases into* the James River as a result of Surry steam generator tube* reactor coolant leakage over nine months in 1976.
You state this disproves a Huntsvi1 le Times statement that MRC technicians said nalmost all radioactive water fran the pipes remains inside* the steam generatorsn ( sfc).
- i..te have no* reason to dispute either-of the statements t!iat you have attributed to 1/EPCO and a news article. Certainly, the p.lant shutdm*ms that have-been necessary to plug-leaking steam generator tubP.s *have contributed* significantly to the amount of,,.,atsr that has been processed through the 1 iqutd radwaste-system at Surry.
For 1976 the total vo1 ur.;e of liquid.waste fror.1 all sources was about 89 mtl1ion gallons.
In 1977 this increased to about 140 million gallons.
Ho\\'1ever, the volume of processed 1 i quid i:!aste rel eased does not indicate the amqunt of radio-active ~,ater in the pl ant systems o*r the amount of radioactive 1->1ater :!;at is removP.d frcrn these systems.*
t4ith respect to the newspaper article statement that alr.iost all radioactive
...,ater fran the pipes remains inside-the steam ;;cnerators, the naxir.uf:!
all owab 1 e reactor cool ~nt 1 eaka']e t!'lraugh the* steam oenerator tuhes* (the iv *13.
reactor must be in cold shutdown in 24 :iours if the leakage exceeds 0.3 ~~rn t--
p~r -.steam generator or-o. 9 '.Ji::m for all t:iree s:team 1en~rators), *'111en comoa~~ JJ 1-:1th the tota-l-reactor coolant flow (265,SGO gpm), -rs indeed a sr:iall fract1_cn T'?--
(2.29 x 10-6).
Expressed in other ten'ls, as of a fraction of the total NllC FORM 318 (9-76) NRCM 0.240.
Mrs. June Allen Third, you c*ontend athat the NRC staff failed to tfmely attend to condenser influence upon steam ~nerator degradation and failed. to regulate inadequate condenser materials.and\\.perfo~nce - failures which have led to serious steam generator darnage 11.: Certa.inly, experience has shown that there have been condenser leakage. problems at a number of reactor facilities which have probably contributed significantly to fnabflity to maintain secondary water free of unwanted fnpuritfes and hence to steam generator tube damage*
at some of' t'hese fac11 fties. This is not a certainty, however.
For example (as we reported in NUREG-0523 "Summary of Operating Experiences with Recirculating Steam GeneratorsR), at Maine Yankee tube denting has occurred in spite of the rigorous and significant efforts to ~eep secondary water rel atiYely. free of impurities.. Also, the pbosphates type of s~condary
,.,ater chemistry treatment, which was used fnitfally 1n some of *the plants inc.liJd.1ng. the Surry Units, appeared to be associated with the observed steam. generator damage - independent of the t'.JPe of c.ondenser tub.i ng used *
.. **----=--*-::- :*
-At the time the-Surry plants were designed and built,, 90/lO Cu-Ni was (and st 111 f s) considered to be a relatively* good= materi*al to resist the effects of brackish water or saltwater.
We would not disapprove of its u~e today based on our present knowledge.
The 11censee believes, however. that a-more. recently available condenser tub!! mat~rial will reduce condenser leakage at Surry. Future operating
. experience will provide data fr<JR which ft may be. i:Jetennined whether titanium wi 11
- reduce this. 1 eakage.
Further, although we have identified condenser leakage as a source of contamination that should be minimized, the complete elimination of such-leakage,fs not a* realistic goal. Recognizing this, '!le are stressing the need to-maintain a close_ watch on secondary water chemistry, to minimize the concentrations of unwanted fmpurities such as chlorides.
Finally, the redesign of the Westinghouse steam generators, as described in some deta1 l ht our Decetnber 15, 1978 SER.-elated to this issue*, when coupled with *the-lfcensee's use of a carefully supervised all volatile treatment (AVT)' secondary water chemistry program is expected to eliminate the Potentfal for the various fonns of tube degradation observed to date.
With regard to my denial of your request for a hearing on this matter, this f s currently before the Cammi ssion.
Sincerely, Original Sigmed ~
H. !1 Dsnto~ J;J
.... '..................... **********************.**** ***************.. i;a*t'a cr*~*;**n~nt1r,r;**.trectcr*******'.*.** *********************
....*.*.*.......*.*.*.... *-** ~ ****** *.............. *............... !);f;f;f
.. D:f.. ~!uclear... ' eactor... Regul lan..............
Nia: l'QllM 318 (~~1~. Steam Generat'll~. oev*****11T ~IIINTtNCI.-..,ca: nu........
e
. _i
. : I *11111*11*~
_(,"
MIC PCaK 31a (9-76) NKC:X o:za DISTRIBUTION Docket File~ 50-280 and 50-281 NRC PDR (2)
Local PDR NRR Rdg ORBl Rdg EDO Reading Chairman Hendrie Commissioner Gilinsky Conmissioner Kennedy Commissioner Ahearne
~ Samuel J. Chilk Al Kenneke Len Bickwit H. *Denton E. Case PSS R. Boyd/0. Vassallo D. Mu.11 er R. Mattson-
- 0. Eisenhut R. Vollmer J. Mullin (EDO 06519)
W. Ga:mmil l M. Stine Attorney, OELD OCA (3)
G. Ertter (EDO 06519)
M. Groff E. Peyton B. Grimes*
J. Carter A. Schwencer D. Neighbors P. Kreutzer V. Noonan J. Butts
- u.a. <aev*1tNII.NT a-,HNTING OPPtc*: **7* * ***
- 1**
-*,._*r""* *~~i 06/- '/79 NRR
- .....................