ML19291A448
| ML19291A448 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Rancho Seco, Crane |
| Issue date: | 04/02/1979 |
| From: | Fazio V HOUSE OF REP. |
| To: | Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19291A446 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-79-98 NUDOCS 7905100166 | |
| Download: ML19291A448 (3) | |
Text
<
.r..
3
....~ -...7*
' '. e - -
]'";
y~
- -(
, ir..g
' I' j.
N.
...:?:..
'd h l*
,1 y.
s 5'
". ~
f, -
Y Q]s ,.. l* p. h ( ', ? <, k* ' [K Es )) h(4%. + s n :s ' - r ,',w. A, ,W 4 :& >" y-% w 'n- , - a ~. i l: j! ' ' ' ' "
- li
(".? "'O&' u. R i.2. W 4', %. L.~ ' '^D' ^ e. e ACTION CONTHOL DATES CONT HOL NO. 05869 FROM: cov"L ot nou"' 4/27179_ Rep. Vic Fazio Acanoma oc.vL"' 4/_9/19_0C Y AT E OF DOCUP.iF NT 4/2/79 milniM nt av PREPAltE FOR SIGNATURL TO. OF: FIN AL 01 Pt.Y (X CH AIRMAN Chairman Hendrie FILE LOCATION [] Ex0Curivt utnE CTOH OTHLn SPECI AL INST HUCTIONS OR H r'M AH"S DESCHIPTION l } Li ilt n [] Me Mo LJ ni von r L1orHLH Questions re TMI and design of B&W plants, MPA will coordinate TMI keey correspondence and will be in contact w/ offices involved particularly Rancho Seco to acquire input. Address ASAP - 10 days, or talk w/Rehm CLASSIF IED D A T A C L A'.St r t C A l lO N f . )OCUME N T /L OPY No.
- 1UMULD OF P A G E 's C A1i G(inY SECY 79-0639
() Nsi f 1 no r1ino ,ostnt nr cist ny No Lf fi Al M blW Li fG at i 'OPV AsSirinto t o DATE t'n wt*M AllON HG'J ilhG % ' "..", m. c o' n",y < _lfaller 4/J2/19_ Denton _"'"o"2 o,m m Ryan e o. ~ Davis cc " Jeanne Cook ._._1
- !o r o rm xAt NotiricAt ion nr o ~.u wro.
,g;; cgg d, g 7,7 9g g 5 y rutivt utprcion ros oncpAf f ar,'s Ody NRC ron' 237 o[(g, 79d8foo g(go PRINCIPAL. CORRESPONDFNCE CONTROI b ,N N :,( " ' L Y ^ A fg ,,y. ',j 'v 'U" l W p., y.g ,,l, ~ [ J ':,yf *i* .,, 3 i s t '.k j li. j / '- - e
- f Q
~ ,gp w. L.
- g'.
a ?.- .L ,'t ' 3, .. #p L.,t @*. s 4 e r t 'f 4 r cu," s,. s,
- ct',
A-f f,
- c 4, '? -
) .y] #- "^'*kk..,..[?' 4 . v.,Q da n 4< 'A e' t .g n. ; _ ' ' i p'6 y p.p. a ,,. 4, :w _~ ~ 1(w m y s ^ + a. s ;,c. 4,. u_ .R m W s :,w y .s..'"' 3 . -"'V m 4, g '. 3
- J
.b. _ i #, S a l m d u ' +; 5/n -- a * +. s., ',E ,..,d
- Mi)L'$,hi y 6 M:
W vn e.yu , g. ),,_. e,., s s, $!f Q,hg && ?f
- y
5
- "#"S'
.,* g y '4.. ' .c,. .f , : p# w 4.. p. ~~ ' 4* ~ ~ Y Y yg. l ^ N, $ ' ';p a mi, w 4 v.J. g, .y.. h;'l $ ' ? -A s 4 y c ,t t v.y l- { Qg
- f*p 0'.
,,} t ,h s s y -) ' _ Q l,_ ", _ p-',' y l ') ~ ; + b$j '? .... w., # h, a
4/2/79 - 79 -0 G Lo 2 oa'e - .No NHc SECHET ARIAT Date - 10. O comm'*"""' O cen counsei XD, L =cc Di' 'Oiw ' O soincitor O coo, t ion'"" O secreta'v 0 runoc Ai'a 0-I fiep. Vic Fazlo trwoming _ F rom _ Three b e_IA [/79 4/2 ha an S O 'o _ __be o~r Sutyer t Xb Prepare reply for signature of: Date due Conm: April 12 XgXc8 airman O commissioner O t oo. cc. c o. sot. e^. socv 0 si9 nature bioa o' t'ed O X h Nleturn original of itxonung wim IMPW O roro.,ecireoiv-i7 0 ror apoiopria'e act'oa O r or iniormation O ror recommenivation Chm, Cmrs, PE, DGC, PA, OIA, ACRS, Cpys to: n,,,,.,,a FDR ~IRHERHY~Iiicident Response Center,
- SECY, 0CA to Acknowledse.
. Rapifaxed to E00 Cembs f t or the comnnssion
- Send three (3) copies of reply to Secy Ata. CAuro=%' A 93321 ARMED SERVICES CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES aousc ^ oui ~isTRaTios 117 W r sr P.8 a m S t es r r HOUSE OF REPHESENTATIVES W - ~ o. C
- ur o-~. 95 o 5
,,[, t,"$ ",,,'"g'",,, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 " ' 6 )
- 6 6-"2 Orrses DulLDiteG 567 2%a Svet a Y WasMINGrON. O C.
20515 Yusa C'Yv, C Atiroasia 95991 (232) 225-5716 (916) 674 2500 Apri1 2, 1979 A ,N,...,,v A i s....re. TlWOT:! r J. HOW E WYM AN RILEY LEGstLAYlvE ASSIST ANT D4&TRICT RE P40$ENT AYiVE t PATTIGON FULTON JUDY KLR*4 Mr. Joseph M. llendrie, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 11 Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20555
Dear Mr. Ucadrie:
The events at Three Mile Island have brought to our attention a number of problems with the design and operation of nuclear power plants particulary plants designed by Babcock and Wilcox. As you know, there are nine B&W facilities in the United States. One of them, Rancho Seco, serves a portion of my district and is operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District. Therefore, my constituents are legitimately concerned that any design or operational problems inherent in B&W facilities be corrected immediately. Following are a number of specific questions which the Three Mile Island experience has raised. I know the NRC is preoccupied with the immediate crisis in llarrisburg, but the answers to these questions should be clear already and I think it is incumbent upon the NRC to disseminate them as soon as possible to the other B&W plants. In addition, I think it is the NRC's obligation to determine immediately whether B&W facilities should be shut down to correct any design defects, or whether any new operating procedures must be developed to compensate for equipment weaknesses. The public around these plants need restored confidence that its officials are dealing with the situation quickly and firmly. Unfortunately, the current confusion at Harrisburg does not create that impression. Are the pressurizer, the pressurizer relief tank and the pressurizer relief valves in the Babcock and Wilcox cystems large enough and well-N4 enough designed? Are they..the same at Rancho Seco as they are at Three Mile Island? Are the design and reliability of the feed water and auxiliary feed [ water pumps at Rancho Seco adequate to avoid the failures which occured at Three Mile Island? '< CJ C.i' 1D 1: YW b eLcAse noseoso To: Kw.S,~exe~ ov. _ e os cR - ~Te a weeol.~o o vm_ c,T Y THl3 STATIONERY PRIN TED ON PAPER M ADE WITH RECYCLED FIDERS
. Should there not be a television camera and/or other surveillance devices inside the containment? Would not more remote sensing devices inside the pressure vessel itself give us a much better idea of what is happening during and after an accident? It appears that the monitoring system outside Three Mile Island does not generate comprehensive or useful data on the accumulation of ,4 low-level radiation. What is the NRC's requirement in this regard, and is there a need to upgrade it? I am told that on the reactor head there is a vent line, and on the vent line there is a valve which could release the hydrogen bubble into' the containment section and thereby resolve what has become the key difficulty in cooling the reactor down. Yet at Three Mile Island this i qL valve is a manual valve. Why are automatic valves not required? In the case of Three Mile Island an automtic valve would enable us to avoid the risks we have taken thus far in our attempts to get the bubble out of the way. There is a device at Three Mile Island which enables us to recombine hydrogen and oxygen into water, and avoid the possibility of hydrogen and oxygen building up to explosive proportions. However, this recombiner cannot be used because it is not within a shielded area, even though it is part of the safety system. Should not all recombiners be in an area equally as protected as the containment section. Are recombiners required everywhere? I understand that several human errors contributed to the mishap at Three Mile Island. Might more automated equipment have avoided some of these errors? Further, since the training given nuclear plant workers Mqg{ is substaatially the same--particularly at Babcock and Wilcox plants-- shouldn't we conclude that there are some critical weaknesses in the curriculum? g Contaminated water is being pumped into the Susquehana. Should M more storage be available on nuclear sites for such emergency waste?
,- In Babcock and Wilcox plants are the circulatory pumpe adequately designed? I understand they are not all at Three Mile Island. Is there any indication that leakage of the stream generator heat exchanging tubes has complicated the control and mitigation of this accident? Ilow is the design of the primary cooling loop different or similar at F:m cho Seco? Ilow content is the NRC with the status of evacuation planning and j0 implementation as a result of its experience here? I am most hopeful that you can make the answers to these questions , available to the management and the public of these plants in the very near future. The NRC's leadership is urgently needed. Thank you very much. Best regards, Sincerely,, - // A ['y VIC FAZIO Member of Congress VF:pfc}}