ML19207C461
| ML19207C461 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 07/26/1979 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Deconcini D SENATE |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909110651 | |
| Download: ML19207C461 (1) | |
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JUL 201979 Docket i;o..
50-320 The lionorable Dennis DeConcini United States Senate Washington, D. C.
20510 Dcar Senator DeConcini:
We have revicued the inquiry from your constituent, Mr. Richard A. "ellis, regarding the characteristics of fuel assemblies in the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and the nuclear characteristics of certain materials. We have provided answers to this inquiry in the enclosure.
We are pleased to have been of service in this inatter.
Please let us know if additional infonnation is needed.
Sincerely, CRIGlIIAL slGNED BY R. C. SMlIH I
/g.cc V. Gossick 1
Executive Director for Dperations Enclorure:
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Mr Richard A. tiellis Scottsdale Christian Home 333') N. Civic Center Plaza Scot tsdale, Arizona Ph251
Dear Mr. i;ellis:
Thank you for your letters of May lo and Jun: id which cre referred to the ::uclear Regulatory Cu aission by the Lil~ rary of Congress.
1le have revicued your inquiry regarding the characteristi, of fuel assea blics in the Three Mile Island nuclear po.ier plant and the nuclear character-istics of certain laaterials.
';e have provid,3d our ann!ar to your questions in the enclosure.
'cle are pleased to have been of service in this : atter.
Plc<:se let me know if additional infonr.ation is na ded.
Sincerely,,
y/
fruni Schr(,eder, Deputy Director O
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Division of Systu,:s Eafety Enc 1ccure: As stated cc-The ihnorable Dconis DcConcini n, r >
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foclesure, Respcnses to Richard A. Nellis letters to 1.ibrary of Ccngress Ca ted i'ay 16,19/ and Jur.e 18,19 /9 The uranio n dioxide fuel rods in [MI-2 are contained in fuel asserblies, which are gr oups of fuel rods ar rangod in square arrays with P03 rods per w,r:bly.
The.. tallic cladding of each fuel rod is /ircaloy-4, and each red is appr oximat ely 153 iin.hes in length 'ti th ;n outside di.,eter of 0.430 inches.
The fuel column is 144 inches in inngth md is made up of sintered uranium dicxide pellet.s LLat are 0./00 iro.hes long und 0.3/0 inchos in dian fer.
Each fuel pollet i.. ighs.-pproxi-
- s t ely 17.5 gras or 0.44 oun.:"s.
In 1M1-7, the cose contains 1// fuel ass (: blies, '.sith a t otal uraniun dioxide.eight of PO4,907 !vunds.
Reijai ding the nucl<wr poison charm t eristics af ter un :nd bc ryll i cm, nat ural horun has an aver age lhmi al neutron cFsorption tross vction of
/55 harns.hile for heryllium, the aborption is cnly 0.01 L..rns.
(The absor ption crossanction, st ated in bar ns, is a o v:ure :)f the ef fec tivc-noss of a aterial as a nuclrar " poi <un"; the hig N r the crcss section, the. ore of foctive is the nat erial in tuntr olling nuclcar i r,ctors.)
"oren-10 is the i< ot c pe responsible for the high cross section in n.:tural hor to (~ P03 B-10) cod by itself, has an ab<.orption cr oss sa ticn of G15 ui on can he enriched in the B-10 isotope in r"xh the < c
.- a y harns, r e
as uraniu n is enrich ed in U-P35, i b c-by, increasing its cioss-section for special tpplicalion.
Forrn u r,%unds, either as a solid fu c1 in rods or in solution in the primary i colont, are widely used far n at tor (notrol ',erause of t h<.ir very high ntutron absorption u oss r ac t. i on.
Rcrylliu.n has la cn used in some apari,- nt al
. actors as a i Merator or reticcior. One of the reasons for using 1.aryllium as a reflettur is its v e ry l e.1 a'c % t p t i on,
kgarding cu' m:nts on nuclc us stability, the '
ption cress sec tion of an isntope in the low n.:utron < nergy rmnge is i..rgely deter uintd by the s
react h n r. unance p;ra-et ers and energy level locat ion in ihn oci t ed state of the to > iound nucleus, i.e., the nucleus censis ting of the
.C orbing isotope plus the n'utron absocied.
The a.c und nucleus c
for, 'd fr ea 8 -10 plus the neutron is B-ll in which lhes e is a n ittion resen::nce for the t harme to 1.i -/ plus !!c -4.
This tc %uante Ias a large crac tion r o t e nr ar ther. ai votr on c:.c rg ies, thus a lar ge horption crass-wction.
For ",c -10, fos ted f r cm Ic -9 plus a neut.ren, this is not the case and thus, the ci oss section for al sorption is t.all.
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