ML19242A722
| ML19242A722 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/14/1979 |
| From: | Falls O NUCLEDYNE ENGINEERING CORP. |
| To: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19242A718 | List: |
| References | |
| RTR-NUREG-0560, RTR-NUREG-560 NUDOCS 7908030570 | |
| Download: ML19242A722 (5) | |
Text
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e C00- 06312 UCLEDyns ENGINEERING CORPOIUTION 728 West Michigan Avenue Jackson, Michigan 49201 May 14, 1979
- 0. B. Faus fr.
Gudunt Mr. Harold Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.
C.
20555
Dear Mr. Denton:
The energy supply situation in our country needs im-mediate attention to prevent electrical and economic blackouts in the near future which could lead to extreme hardships to homelife and business.
Majority public opinion supports nuclear power as a necessary energy source.
The country needs a firm, definitive statement of support and encouragement by President Carter, Energy Secretary Schlesinger and the several Congressional Committees, having an interest in our energy policy and supply, as a basis for rejuvenation of the nuclear power industry.
Also, there is a current need for sub-stantial safety improvements for light-water reactor (LWR) power plants.
Consequently, we sent a Mailgram to President Carter with copies to Secretary Schlesinger and NRC Chairman Joseph Hendrie.
A copy of this Mailgram is enclosed.
We would call your attention to the references to the Three Mile Island incident.
Your known interest in the energy situation in our country has prompted us to write to you.
To support the claims made in the Mailgram a NucleDyne document is enclosed.
This is a copy of a paper presented at the American Power Conference in Chicago on April 24, 1979; " Passive Containment System - A New Concept to Solve Safety Concerns".
This paper responds specifically to the five safety research projects recommended to the Congress by the NRC in Report NUREG-0438, dated April 12, 1978.
Also, some of the benefits that are derived from a licensed nuclear power plant with the new safety features are enumerated in the enclosed " Application of the PCS produces the folicwing results".
Extra copies of these publications are available on request.
9t' 7908030570
' 4 Mr. Harold Denton May 14, 1979 The PCS incorporates the substantial improvements needed for the LWR power plants.
We request your urgent attention to our claims as stated in the Mailgram and discussed in the enclosed document.
Furthermore, we request an opportunity to visit you to validate our claims.
Your support in the application of these safety improvements will enable the LWR power plants to become a viable basic source of energy.
This, in turn, may encourage President Carter and others to a firm statemenP in support of nuclear power.
We await your response to our request to meet with you.
Since ely
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NUCLEDYNE ENGINEERING CORP 728 WEST HICHIGAN A.VE
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JACKSON MI 49201
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THIS MAILGRAM IS A CONFIRMATION COPY OF THE FOLLOWING HESSAGEg
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ZIP JIMMY CARTEP, PRESIDENT U'.ITED STATES OF
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AMERICA
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WHITE HOUSE CC 20500 THREE MILE ISLAND (THI) INCIDENT NECESSITATES URGENT ATTENTION TO NEW OESIGN CONCEDTS THAT IMAROVE SAFETY OF PRESENT AND FUTURE NUCLEAR
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PLANTS.
NRC HAS WNOWN F00 HOPE THAN THREE YEARS OF THE UNIQUE PASSIVE
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CONTAINMENT SYSTEW, (PCS) FCR LIGHT WATER REACTOR Cl.WR) DLANTS WHICH
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WOULO HAVE PREVENTED COPE DAMAGE AND THE RELEASE OF RADICACTIVITY UNDER THI CONDITIONS: PLANT RECOVERY WOULO HAVE SEEN IH"EDIATE. PCS RESPONOS
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TO SAFETY RESEARCH PROJECTS / TOPICS AEC094 ENDED IN NRC REPORT TO
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CONGRESS, NUREG-0438.
NRC REFUSES CONSIDERATION OF THIS NEW CONCEPT ON GROUNOS SAFETY EVALUATION IS TO CEMANDING FOR AVAILABLE NRC STAFF. RECENT ADVERSE EVENTS FOCUS ATTENTION ON THE NEED FOR NEW SAFETY CONCEPTS FOR NEXT GENERATION OF LdR NUCLEAR PLA"TS WH!CH ELIMINATE POSSISLILITY OF
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ANCTWEG TMI TYPE INCIDENT.
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WE SOLICIT YOUR SUDDCRT 0 ACTION SY NRC AND 00E TO REVIEW PCS SC INDUSTaY IS ASSURED CF TI*ELY REGULATORY LICENSING OF PLANTS USING GCS.
A MEETING IS REQUESTED WITH Ac?ROPRIATE MEwSEES CF YCUR STAFF AND
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CCuuITTEES INVESTIGATING T"I. INCIDENT TO FULLY VALICATE CLAIwS REGARDING DOS FOR NEW PLANTS AND RETRCD:CFIT CF DCS E'E'iGENCY CORE CCCLING SYSTEu CN EYISTING DLANTS.
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A PASSIVE CONTAINMENT SYSTEM for LIGHT-WATER NUCLEAR REACTORS Application of,the PCS pr'oduces the following results:
1.
Makes possible vacuum containmant of the design basis loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) including core.reflood and decay heat removal with no instrumentation, controls and interlocks and no external sources of energy required -
electrical, mechanical or otherwise; it is a completely automatic, hands-off system; the engineered safety features are entirely passive.
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I 2.
Flooding of the primary reactor containment above any postulated reactor coolant system pipe break provides protection for reactor vessel failure.
I 3.
Complete protection against so called Class 9 accidents j
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including core melt, steam explosions and containment overpressure.
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Improved innovative passive protection against external events; including such extreme actions as war or sabotage; j
a single bunkered structure houses all safety related i
systems and components with sufficient stored heat sink I
capacity within primary containment for cold shutdown.
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5.
Enables cold shutdown on loss of normal and auxiliary feedwater without fuel damage or release of radioactivity to environment; plant recovery is immediate.
6.
Prevents potential fires; (a) passive systems and ccmponents not subject to burning; (b) active reactor components operate in an inert gas atmosphere; (c) separation of re-dundant control, interlock and electric cable systems and components provides fire damage protection in depth; (d) individual enclosures for reactor auxiliary systems can be blanketed with inert gas, water cprays or deluge systems.
7.
- la jor improvements in seismic response; particularly apo11 cable in areas porential2y suc]ect to high earthquake forces; only one Seismic Category I structure is recuired.
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8.
Substantial volume reduction in Seismic Category I structural requirements lends itself to imbedding of the reactor building with or without a bera, or comclete undergrounding.
9.
Responds to safety research projects and topics recom-mended to Congress in NEC Report, NUREG-0438, dated 4/12/78.
10.
Resolves all unresolved generic items having to do with containment and emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) for LWR's as identified by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) in Report No.
5, dated February 24, 1977.
11.
A substantial reduction in plant construction time; major equipment items are not on the critical path.
12.
Plant construction cost studies show savinas of 10 to 15% in total plant other than the turbine-generator building.
l 13.
Provides substantially improved inservice maintenance
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i and inspection for improved plant availability.
With passive systems the need is eliminated for periodically checking out instrumentation, controls, interlocks, rotating or mechanical equipment, electric or mechanical j
power, or operator action for the LOCA.
In that passive systems are essentially static for the life of the plant,
-the maintenance is minimal.
14.
Containment permits retrofit of reactor coolant system with new and improved components making plant decom-missioning unnecessary.
15.
Double containment of all potential energy and radio-activity releases makes pcssible the siting of plants near load centers to make possible the use of thermal energy for residential and industrial heating (coge teration).
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- bR NucleDyne Engineering Corporation 1979