ML19259D283
| ML19259D283 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | La Crosse File:Dairyland Power Cooperative icon.png |
| Issue date: | 09/13/1979 |
| From: | Weeks J BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19259D279 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7910170560 | |
| Download: ML19259D283 (4) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COM!11SSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICEtiSIf!G BOARD In the Matter of
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DAIRYLAND POWER COOPERATIVE
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Docket fio. 50-409
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(5FP License Amendment)
(La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor)
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AFFIDAVIT OF JOHN R. WEEKS ON BOARD QUEST'0N A.1, A.2, AND A.3 My ncme is John R. Weeks.
I am employed by Associated Universities, Inc., as Leader of the Corrosion Science Group in the Department of fiuclear Energy at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Laboratory is under contract with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to provide technical assistance in the area of corrosion and coolant chemistry in LWR's. My professional qualifications were attached to my previous affidavit in this case, dated July 16, 1979. The purpose of this affidavit is to respond to the above listed board questions attached to their order of September 7,1979.
Board Question No. A.1 Assumirg storage of zircoloy-clad fuel, what circumstances distinguish the long-term offsite storage situation discussed in NUREG-0404, App. H, p. 23 from the present situation to a degree necessary to make NUREG-0404 inapplicable to the present factual situation?
Response
Should the Applicant request of the Staff permission to store zircaloy clad fuel in the La Crosse Fuel Element Storage Well (FESW), factors such as accelerated 910170
e 2-corrosion, alterations in mechanical properties, stress corrosion cracking, intergranular corrosion, and hydrogen absorption and precipitation of or in the zircaloy claddin~g would be considered in the Staff's review of the application.
Experience to date with the storage of zircaloy-clad fuel in high purity water indicates that these forms of degradation will not occur in water of the quality maintained in the la Crosse SFP.
Zircaloy-clad fuel has not been observed to undergo any of these forms of degradation to a detectable degree in pool storage for times up to 20 years.
Board Question No. A.2 Have stainless steel racks been used in other spent foul p <;'s where zircoloy-clad fuel has been stored?
If so:
a.
Where?
b.
For what periods of time?
c.
Was the water chemistry sirailar to.that at LACBWR?
d.
Are records available indicating the corrosive effects, if any, occurring with respect to the stainless racks? What corrosive effects occurred?
Response
a.
Stainless steel racks have been used in many other Spent Fuel Pools (SFPs) where zircaloy-clad fuel is being stored.
These include the GE Morris Pool, the Expanded Core Facility (ECF) Pool in Idaho, and pools associated with the following operating reactors:
Beaver Valley (PWR), Brown's i16.2 509 B
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, Ferry I and 2 (BWR), Brunswick 1 & 2 (BWR), fort Calhoun (Pla), Ginna (PWR),
Millstone 1 (BWR) and 2 (PUR), Monticello (BWR), fline Mile Point-1 (BWR),
Oyster Creek (BWR), Palisades (PWR), Point Beach 1 and 2 (PWR), Prairie Island 1 and 2 (PWR), H.B. Robinson-2 (PWR), Salem-1 (PWR), Trojan (PWR), Turkey Point 3 and 4 (PWR), and Zion (PWR).
[This list reflects those pools for whict I have inforuation in my files, it is not intended to be all-inclusive.] All the above-cited BWR pools as well as the GE-Morris and ECF pools, have water chemistries similar to the La Crosse pool.
b.
Stainless steel racks and zircaloy-clad fuel have been in use for periods of time up to 6-1/2 years at Robinson-2 and 5-l/2 years at Ginna. The times in other operating reactor pools have been shorter. One bundle of zircaloy-clad fuel from Shippingport has been stored in stainless steel racks in the ECF pool in Idaho for most of the 20 years since it was removed from the reactor. A visual inspection performed a few years ago showed no degradation.
c.
The Ginna and Robinson pools are both at PWR sites and use a basic acid water chemistry; water containing boric acid would be slightly more aggressive towards zircaloy than the neutral pure water in the La Crosse FESW. The ECF pool uses water chemistry similar to the La Crosse FESW.
d.
fio examinations of stainless steel SFP racks hve been completed that determined the effects of pool exposure in contact with zircaloy-clad fuel.
I162 510
, Board Question No. A.3 On what basis can the Conmission pennit zircoloy-clad spent fuel to be stored in the LACBWR spent fuel pool, given the unresolved questions presented by Dr. Weeks' affidavit?
Response
fleither my original affidavit nor the Staff's SER were intended to suggest that these problems were not resolved (or resolvable) for the La Crosse FESW.
From my own experience, cited in my responses to questions A-1 and A-2, I do not believe these problems will arise in the la Crosse FESW should the license allow storage of zircaloy-clad fuel at some future date.
I have read the foregoing affidavit and swear that it is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.
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E n R) "eeks Subscribed and sworn to before me this / ^ T." day of f 7'e n ? 6R., / // '/ f,
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1162 511
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