ML19260C258
| ML19260C258 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/22/1979 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Roth W SENATE |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7912260124 | |
| Download: ML19260C258 (3) | |
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WASHING TO N, D. C. 20555 g
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%,,e C CI 32 173 The Honorable Willian V. Roth, Jr.
United States Senate Washington, D. C, 20510
Dear Senator Roth:
The following is in response to your constituent referral request on behalf of Mr. C. Franklin Miller for information regarding the use of Uranium-235 in nuclear power plants.
Mr. Miller's first concern regards the percentage of Uranium-235 used in a power plant.
In present commercial nuclear power plants in the United States, this percentage ranges from about 2-1/2 to 4 percent.
His next concern centers on the amount of the original charge of Uranium-235 burned up during a fuel cycle.
This is about 707, of the original amount of U-235.
Next, Mr. Miller is interested in whether or not spent fuel is re-processed.
Present Federal Government policy is directed toward storage of spent fuel, rather than reprocessing. Thus, reprocess-ing is not performed, and neither unburned U-235 nor Plutonium pro-duced in the power production cycle is recovered from the spent reactor fuel.
The term " radioactive water" used in connection with the Three Mile Island accident refers to ordinary demineralized water which contains dissolved radioactive fission products which were released to the core cooling water following the damage to the fuel cladding which encapsulates the uranium dioxide fuel pellets. The dissolved radio-active fission products consist primarily of iodine and cesium iso-topes and dissolved noble gases, i.e., xenon and krypton.
Mr. Miller's final concern centers on a comparison of the energy production processes in nuclear power plants vs. those in weapons.
The U-235 fission process is the source of energy in nuclear power plants as well as in a U-235 nuclear explosive device. However, nuclear weapons would require, among other factors, a high (greater than 90".) enrichnent of the U-235 isotope, different geonetric con-figuration, etc. The 2-1/2 to 4 percent enrichment of Light Water Reactor fuel cannot produce a nuclear explosion. Additionally, in contrast to nuclear weapons, a power plant is designed with multiple redundant engineered safety barriers to prevent the release of fission products which could impact the public health and safety negatively.
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The Honorable William V. Roth, Jr. Thank you for your inquiry.
If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to call on us.
Sincerely, orw wa.d by it. G. huilh d d j
Lee V. Gossick Executive Director for Operations
Enclosure:
Letter dated August 17, 1979, from Mr. C. Franklin Miller 1616 213
C. f ranklin Mill
Minerah Fouih Gems 2 H I M 'M *i"" D'
I Wilmingion Del. IM 8/I7/7 b
NO 2j Jg7g Dear Senator William hoth As a chemist with work in x-rays and Radi Ald W toteally evaluate atomic energy plants but cant get the kah I need. In all the reports on the Th:eeMile incident there was nothin3 but hysteria and a overuse of Tuchmans law,not a thing Of real value. I have written to the Atomic Energy bureau but they W
igored my letter. Hopefully you m1 h5 t obtain the data I need for me.
What percentage of U235 purity is used in a power plant?
Wh en a change in charge is reqfaired how much of the original charge (U 235) is actually used up.7 Is this exhausted core sent to e refinery and the U 235 recovered and recycled ? Is any Plutonium produced in the reaction? Is it recovered ?
e cts What is in the radiactive water they talk about?LispH,4 eolidt, sah of r, dioactive elem ents? If so what cations?
In an Atomic energy plant does the U 235 split as in an Atomic exp/ NcskUlion as indicated in the EFFECTS OF ATOMIC WEAPONS? T e
is a survey of Atomic blasts from Japan, dikini Atoll and Nevada.
No one writing the reports on the 3 Mile inYdenteever heard of it or the grect exagerations they used would never have W
been printed. Only thinE Eood about their igo2 ance was they did not know symtones of Atomic expoeure or there would have been thousands of PhechoSomatic claims.
Yours very truly, CA d4 1616 214 D""D
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