ML19210B573
| ML19210B573 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 07/24/1972 |
| From: | Folsom S, Howard E NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19210B571 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-289-72-11, 50-320-72-03, 50-320-72-3, NUDOCS 7911110014 | |
| Download: ML19210B573 (9) | |
See also: IR 05000289/1972011
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U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE OF REGULATORY OPERATIONS
REGION I
50-289/72-11
R0 Inspection Report No. 50-320/72-03
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Subject:
Metropolitan Edison Company
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Three Mile Island Units 1 and 2
License No. CPPR- 40 & 66
Location: Middletown, Pennsylvania
Priority
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Unit 1-B
Category Unit 2 - A
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Type of Licensee: PWR, 831 MWe
(B&W)
Type of Inspection: Special, Unannounced (Flood) (Construction)
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Dates of Inspection: June 21-22, 24-25, 1972
Dates of Previous Inspection:
May 30 - June 1, 1972
Principal Inspector:
M.
S. A. Folsom, Reactor Inspector
Date
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Accompanying Inspectors:
NONE
Date
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Date
Other Accompanying Personnel:
NONE
Date
Reviewed y:
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E. M. Howard, Chief, Reactor Construction Branch
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Proprietary Information:
NONE
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SECTION I
Enforcement Action
None
Licensee Action on Previousiv Identified Enforcement }fatters
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Not inspected.
Unresolved Items
Not inspected.
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Status of Previous 1v Reported Unresolved Items
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Not inspected.
Desien Changes
None
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Unusual Occurrences
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Susquehanna River flooding stopped all construction work at the
site.* (Section II, Paragraph 1)
Persons Contacted
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Metropolitan Edison Company
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M. J. Stromberg, Site QA Supervisor
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B. G. Avers, QA Manager (GPU)
J. H. Wright, Resident Civil Engineer
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J. Wise, Operating Station Superintendent, Units 1 and 2
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R. Klingerman, Assistant Operating Superintendent, Units 1 and 2
R. Deakin, Radiation Protection Supervisor, Units 1 and 2
J. Smith, Operating Foreman
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United Eneineers and Constructors
R. Hauser, Construction Superintendent, Civil
- Inquiry Report No. 50-289/72-03, 50-320/72-01
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Management Interview
A brief exit interview was held with Mr. J. Wise on the site at 10:00 am
on June 25, 1972.
A.
The inspector stated that on June 24-25, 1972, he had examined
the Unit 1 and 2 safety related buildings and equipment at all
elevations at the job site from the standpoint of flood damage
!
and had found no evidence of damage beyond those minor items
already reported by the applicant.
This inspection did not in-
clude the condition of equipment and materials in outside storage
at the site.
The storage area was still under water.
The applicant stated that the present round-the-clock surveillance
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would be continued, and that an adequate maintenance force was
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available to perform needed repairs.
B.
The inspector stated that it was unfortunate that the flood pro-
tection dike around the nuclear plant area had not been completed
prior to the current river flooding.
The applicant stated that procurement delays on the dike drain valve
and associated facilities had held up completion of the south por-
(}
tion of the dike.
C.
The inspector requested an explanation for the unavailability of the
" North" bridge (connecting Three Mile Island with the mainland)
during the flood emergency.
The applicant stated that, while this bridge had been used success-
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fully in the transport of the reactor pressure vesseh and the four
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steam generators, the bridge's designers considered the span to
be possibly unsafe at the present time because of the lateral
pressure of the large quantities of river-borne trash then lodged
against the upstream side.
It was recognized that modification of
this bridge might be necessary so that this access bridge would
be available for use during periods of high river levels.
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SECTION IT
Additional Subjects Inspected, Not Identified in Section I, Where
No Deficiencies or Unresolved Items Were Found
Plant Flooding
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The abnormal rainfall in central Pennsylvania during the period
June 10-24, 1972 caused the Susquehanna River to exceed previous
record flood levels.
Following is a summary of the principal ob-
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servations of this occurrence.
1.
Suscuehanna River Flows and Levels
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The following tabulation covers the basic data on the Susquehanna
River flooding, including comparisons with the flows and~ heights
as measured at Harrisburg, and also compared to the previous
record flood which occurred on March 19, 1936.
River flow and
crest readings are recorded back to 1740.
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The Corps of Engineers river gaging station at Harrisburg was
washed away before the river crested.
The available figures indi-
cate that the river height at its crest exceeded the 1936 crest
a
by 3.8 feet, and that the river flow exceeded the 1936 flow by
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297..
All figures are unofficial.
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The river crested at Three Mile Island about 12 hours1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> prior to
the crest at Harrisburg, which is 12 miles upstream of Three Mile
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Island. This early cresting was reported due to the influence of
the river tributaries between Harrisburg and Three Mile Island.
(SEE PAGE 5 FOR TABULATION)
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June 23-24, 1972 Three Mile Island Flood Data Tabulation
Walnut St. Bridge
Three Mile
Harrisburg
Island
Time Crest Occurred
12:00 rn - 3:00 pm
11:00 pm - 12:00 pm
6/24/27
6/23/72
River Height at Crest *
322.8'
302'
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River Height at 1936 Crest *
319'
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River Flow at 6/23-24/72 Crest
970,000
1,100,000
(cfs)
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River Flow at 1936 Crest (cfs)
750,000
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303' at Screen House
River Height - Design Flood *
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1,100,000
River Flow - Design Flood
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(FSAR) (cfs)
309' at Screen House
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River Height - Probable Max.
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Flood *
1,625,000
River Flow - Probable Max.
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(FSAR) (cfs)
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Av. Annual River Flow (FSAR) (cfs)
34,000
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Mean Annual River Flood (FSAR)
300,000
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(cfs)
Probable Max. Flood (Corps of
1,083,000
1,083,000
Engineers) (cfs)
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306' (North End)
Nuclear Plant Area Dike Elev.*
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304' (South End)
566 23i
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2.
Access to Plant Site
Three Mile Island is normally accessible from the mainland by
either of two bridges, " North Bridge" or " South Bridge" .
Each
traverses a channel to the east bank of the Susquehanna River.
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The South Bridge, a temporary structure, was flooded early and
its crossing was prohibited.
The bridge was momentarily expected
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to be washed away because of the lateral pressure of river flotsam
(boats, metal drums, etc.) but the span held throughout the emer-
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gency.
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The North Bridge, a permanent structure, has been used during con-
struction to transport all heavy plant equipment, including both
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reactor pressure vessels and the four steam generators.
The free-
board of this bridge was 62 inches as the river crested.
The de-
sign engineers for this bridge were informed of the river level
and velocity, and the a=ount of trash on the upstream side.
They
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reco= mended that the bridge be considered unsafe and crossing was
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prohibited. This restriction was not always followed.
A pickuo
truck was used occasionally to transport small quantities of supplies
across the bridge.
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The highways in the general area of Three Mile Island were generally
out of commission due to numerous roadblocks on flooded and washed
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out roads. This included interstate highways and state and local
roads.
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A two-place helicopter and pilot were secured by the applicant for
24-hour service during the emergency to ferry personnel and supplies
from the island to the =ainland east of Unit 1.
This helicopter
was in frequent use.
3.
Communications
Telephone service on Three Mile Island was generally unsatisfactory
during the emergency period.
The entire Harrisburg area telephone
system was overloaded and long-distance operators accepted only
emergency calls.
Two-way radio communication existed between the Metropolitan Edison
Company dispatchers and some of the utility's trucks on the island.
The flood control point set up in the main office building on the
island was later equipped for this service.
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Walkie-Talkies with line-of-sight power were used by plant per-
sonnel to report observations and to direct repairs.
4.
Electric Power
Three Mile Island has no onsite electric power at the present time.
Electricity is provided to the island by Met Ed's Middletown
Junction Line and by its .Tackson Line.
Electric power adequate for
all needs was available on the island during the emergency except
for one brief period when the failure of one incoming 11,e neces-
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sitated switching over manually to the other line.
Lightis2, com-
munications, and sump pump power were normal except for this 15-
terval.
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5.
Radioactive Materials
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It was report by the Operating Superintendent that no fuel ele-
ments had been delivered to the plant site.
He further stated
that the only significant radioactive material at Three Mile
Island was the source used for nondestructive testing by Conam,
the testing laboratory subcontractor. This source had been
removed from the site by Mr. C. Talbot, the Conam site supervisor,
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at 2:30 am on June 22, 1972 and taken to a safe location out of
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the flood area.
The sources are normally stored in a trailer at the jobsite.
This
trailer was observed to be located on dry ground well above the
river crest level.
6.
Emergency Control Point and Organization
On June 23 management established an informal organization to pro-
vide 24-hour coverage on Three Mile Island for the duration of the
emergency. The headquarters was the main office of the Administra-
tion Building at the north end of the island. The Station Super-
intendent and the Assistant Station Superintendent alternated
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working 24-hour shifts and were in charge.
Others available part
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time at the site included
operating supervision, operators, plant
security, construction f oremen, and mechanics.
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There appeared to be no formal organization or si'
1111ance plan
in use.
Logging or recording of occurrences and oo rvations ap-
peared minimal, e:: cept for recording the various rive. level readings
as these were received.
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The group on the island was in frequent telephonic communication
with Metropolitan Edison offices at Parsippany, New Jersey, and
Reading, Pennsylvania.
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7.
Equipment and Materials in Storage
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Plant equipment,
e.g.,
pumps, tanks,switchgear, was found to be
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protected from water damage by either the elevation above flood
levels or by sump pumps which were adequate to keep the storage
locations dry.
A quantiqr of material such as pipe and lumber was stored in outdoor
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locations on Three Mile Island. Most of this storage area was
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flooded, due primarily to the incomplete protective dike.
Inspection
of these areas was not possible.
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Most of the equipment awaiting installation in Units 1 and 2 was
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stored in warehouses at Middletown Airport.
The airport area
was flooded during the emergency but plant personnel reported
that the warehouses used by the applicant were dry.
The inspector
did not inspect this area.
8.
Drinking tJater
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The source of the drinking water is a well on the island.
Due to
the probability of contamination from the flooded river, the use
of this drinking water system was abandoned early,and bottled drinking
water was brought in frem the mainland.
9.
Plant Records
The safeguarding of vital records was given full consideration as
flood levels were approached.
It was determined that, except for
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radiograph
records, no problem would be encountered. The radiographers
were moved to another building on higher ground, and no damage was
experienced.
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10.
General
The inspector photographed the site at various ground locations and
also frem a plane and a helicopter at elevations up to 2,000 feet.
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The presence of a representative of the AEC on the site during an
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emergency of this type appeared to make a very positive impression
on the applicant's management and supervision, in view of the un-
accessibility of the plant site and its condition at the time.
Details of Subjects Discussed in Section I
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None
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