ML19220C696
| ML19220C696 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/07/1979 |
| From: | Fraley R Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Lawroski S Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| References | |
| ACRS-SM-0082, ACRS-SM-82, NUDOCS 7905140044 | |
| Download: ML19220C696 (4) | |
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A ft7f7f TELECON BEWEEN R. FRALEY AND S. UMROSKI CONCErdI!G
'IHREE MILE ISUdD - HARRISBURG, PA
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T APRIL 7, 1979 Fraley:
he letter says that the incident has demonstrated that the operator had a lack of inte))!.gence available to him to ade-qaately diagnose the cour.e o the accident.
It is, in r
fact, my understanding that Ve had more information than he could possibly digest, and tT erefore, he elected to watch the pressurizer level vhich :e could comprehend and understand and he ignored everything else. So it wasn't really a lack of intelligence, it was a lack of his capability or training to evaluate it and put it all in context.
Is that more accurate.
l Lawreski: Yes, " lack of intelligence" can be construed in two different ways, I hope they realize that.
Fraley:
I am using that in terms of information available to him from an instrument.
Lawreski: He had plenty of information, provided it had been evaluated better.
Fraley:
Do you think that there is any additional information that would have been useful.
I know that Carl said it would have been nice if he had known the level in the reactor pressure vessel and I am sure that would have been useful.
Lawreski:
If he had that, I think he would have known there was a problem in a more timely manner.
Fralcy:
So that is one bit of information that would have been tr,eful to him that wasn't there.
Lawroski: We dependence on the situation in the pressure vessel using the pressurizer level to the exclusion of so much other possible information should be brought to bear on the analysis.
Fraley:
Does anybody know when they might be able to reenter the containment.
Lawrcski:
No, that is not known.
Fralcy:
Khat are the radiation levels inside containment now, do you know?
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. I Lawroski:
No, I don't know, there are several reasons that I'm sure they won't be able to enter. They still have care stuff to transfer from the decay gas tank.
Fraley:
Have they been able to transfer that successfully without increasing the offsite doses?
Lawroski:
No, some stuff has continued to be released and it's snall but it is adding; however, the environmental condi-tions around here have been favorable. There has been a fairly strong wind around here. We haven't been to the place where we would see the conitoring of plumes from the plant. That's the place where Bob and I will be later i
today.
Fraley:
Other than that, things are about the same?
Lawreski: Yes, the pressure is still about the same in the primary system. They prefer to stay that way rather than go to the natural circulation node. They are now beginning to have more time and things are being very carefully evaluated before taking new steps. It is encouraging that there is a high level of assistance to the Metropolitan Edison complement of people.
Fraley:
Is there any impression that the contingency planning is adequate and in-hand, versus, trying to evaluate what originally happended and what was wrong with the system design?
Lawroski: They are concentrating on this now.
Fraley:
So you think that is in-hand?
Lawreski: We talked to Decamp, that is what they are concentrating on now.
Fraley:
CK, that's good.
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. Lawroski: h ey are not doing anything except keeping No. 1 in cold condition. 21s was assured from both Deca p and Duke Power, both of which are extremely capable.
I am sure that they got just about as goed a talent as exists 1,. this country. Either they are here or they are on their way here. h ey are soon going to have more capacil-ity here to deal with the filtration of the gases before release. Rey are shipping in charcoal filters.
Fraley:
For iodine removal?
Lawreski: Yes, there is some question about how.nuch longer they can count on the charcoal filter that they have here.
Fraley:
Oh, you think they might be getting saturated?
Lawroski: hey are not getting saturated with iodine but they have been exposed to considerable moisture which may have impaired their capacity. You see moisture is a lot more regularly taken up by charcoal than the iodine. New filters are being shipped and may be arriving any minute.
h e filter that had been shipped to WPPSS plant in the state of Washington which is a S&W plant, will arrive in a few days.
So they will have a backup.
If it wasn't for the moisture, the charcoal filter for renoving iodine would have had a lot of residual capacity.
I am told that they blame it on moisture.
Fralcy:
Well, they are getting very low decontamination, is that because the concentration is so Icw?
Lawroski:
No, it's just that the performance of the filter is peor.
Rey believe that the stuff that has been brought in was not demoisturized, it's not dry.
Fraley:
Ch, it's not?
Lawroski:
It hasn't been.
It got considerable particles cf moisture in the filter. hey are planning to use a mixture of sodium hydroxide and thiosulfate as soon as they can get enough. hey have been a little short of help to perform some of the operations that the task force people have evaluated as things to do.
Fraley:
hhat are they going to try to do, mix it into the water that is in the containment?
Lawreski: 2ey will do it with as little volumetric generation of water as possible because they are short of places to put effluent.
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fraley:
hhat did you say they are going to use?
Lawreski: A mixture of sodium hydroxide and thiosulfate. Tf you just usc pure sodium hydroxide you can have a disproportionation reaction so that not all of the iodine gets absorbed and the thiosulfate picks that up.
So you have both? Things are finally well organized? One of the things too that is now happening favorably is that they are, I believe, much less now impeded by the media pressure, influence.
Fraley:
h e press coverage seems to be falling off considerably.
Lawroski:
I understand the media people were even callirg the families of people involved in operations.
Fraley:
Wanting to know if they started to notice h-'.r falling or loss of their sense of taste or whatevor.
Lawreski: his is a very bad effect on operating people.
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