ML19308E022
| ML19308E022 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crystal River  |
| Issue date: | 02/14/1972 |
| From: | Rodgers J FLORIDA POWER CORP. |
| To: | Deyoung R US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| References | |
| 792, NUDOCS 8003200755 | |
| Download: ML19308E022 (6) | |
Text
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narias mswer corporation 2-14-72 2-1T-72
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'4 Mr. R. C. DeYoung
. * - s q Assistant Director for Pressurized y
5 Water Reactors F O O 2 7 5' h '3
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United States Atomic Energy Commission i
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Dear Sir:
ag In Re: Florida Power Corporation Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant Docket No. 50-302 As requested by the AEC Division of Reactor Licensing letter dated November 16, 1971, Florida Power Corporation submits herewith a response to the areas of concern expressed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their letter of October 4,1971 to Mr. Harold L. Price, Director of Regulation, AEC, concerning the Crystal River Unit #3 Nuclear Plant.
Florida Power Corporation has been unique in initiating and continuing its environmental research programs at the Crystal River Plant site. At present, one study has been completed, four are continuing, and one other study is scheduled to be initiated within the next several months. A description of these studies is presented in Section V-G of Applicant's Environmental Report, Operation License Stage, submitted to AEC in early January, 1972.
To date, Florida Power Corporation has sponsored three semiannual environ-mental research conferences (October,1970; March,1971; November,1971);
and will continue to hold these meetings semiannually, indefinitely. Such conferences are conducted principally in an effort to promote a better under-standing of the environmental impact of Crystal River Plant, and more specifically, in the interest of projecting the environnental impact of the Crystal River Unit #3 nuclear plant due for commercial operation in 1973. These activities will also be important in the planning of the Unit
- 4 nuclear plant scheduled for 1978 operation.
A list of the agencies represented at the November,1971 Semiannual Con-ference is given below:
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U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries & Wildlife National Marine Fisheries Service DOCKETED UU.Ec President's Water Pollution Control Advisory Board fj yM
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Army Corps of Engineers FEB1719p~t.-E-
' Environmental Protection Agency - Atlanta
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Florida Department of Pollution Control
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Mr. R. C. DeYoung Florida Division of Health Pinellas County Health Department Florida Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund NUS Corporation University of Florida University of South Florida Ralston Purina Company Tampa Tribune Newspaper St. Petersburg Times Newspaper In keeping with Florida Power Corporation's policy of publishing environ-mental research data, the Atomic Energy Conunission will continue to receive 20 copies of the Quarterly Environmental Status Report which gives detailed r
information on continuing environmental research. The first Quarterly Re-port was published in January,1969, and the distribution of these reports extends through many other Federal Agencies and State Agencies involved with environmental protection.
The Crystal River Unit 3 cooling system consists of a once-through system taking sea water from the Gulf of Mexico via an intake canal and discharging water back into the Gulf through a discharge canal. The design is based upon a flow of 680,000 gpm through the condenser resulting in an approximate 17'F rise in the cooling water at the plant discharge when the unit is at rated load of 855 Mwe.
The cooling water systems for the adjacent Units 1 and 2 (fossil fired) utilize the same intake and discharge canals. Total flow for Units 1, 2 and 3 will be 1,320,000 gpm with an approximate maximum temperature rise of 15'F above inlet temperature. Permits to operate Units 1 and 2 have been issued by the Florida Department of Pollution Control and a Construction Permit for Unit 3 was issued in 1968 by the AEC.
As discussed in the FPC to AEC Show Cause Letter of October 11, 1971 and the Environmental Report submitted to the AEC on January 3,1972, the cooling water condenser and piping for Unit 3 are presently being installed. These extensive commitments, internal to the plant proper, preclude the possibility of redesign of the condenser system to effect a lower temperatare condenser
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rise, particularly since the later alternatives discussed below can effect the same results with essentially no penalty to the present plant design 1
and status of completion, and without the significant cost penalties of removing and replacing the existing system. Other cooling water design alternatives are available external to the main plant facilities which can be incorporated in the discharge at any time during the construction period or added in the futu.e.
Such alternatives include:
l Maximum Temp. Rise for Units 1, 2 and 3 1.
Combination of spray modules and dilution of the discharge
- waters.
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Mr. R. C. DeYoung.
Maximum Temp. Rise for Units 1, 2 and 3 2.
Spray module cooling.
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Cooling ponds O'F*
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Cooling towers ll'F
- Closed cooling pond does not discharge heated water to the Gulf of Mexico.
These concepts are essentially additions to the present cooling system and can be constructed in the latter periods of construction with a minimal initial cost penalty.
bilution of the discharge cooling water to reduce the total temperature rise of Units 1, 2 and 3 prior to mixing with Gulf water can be accomplished by mixing intake and discharge water along the discharge canal. This approach would require additional pumping facilities. (These features can be added to the present plant site in the future with little or no disruption to the operation of Units 1, 2 and 3.)
A spray module cooling system can be installed in the discharge canal. The spray module system is designed around floating, powered spray units placed in the discharge canal as necessary to achieve the desired cooling effect.
The number, size, and arrangement of modules is based upon the plant heat load, flow rate, atmospheric conditions and other parameters. Alte rnatively,
adoption of the spray module system in combination with dilution is a possibility.
(Present construction and future operations activity would not preclude inclusion of the spray system into the design of the plant at any time.)
Cooling with ponds which depends upon evaporation, radiation, and conductive heat transfer, can also be considered (without seriously affecting Unit 3 const ruction). The cooling pond system does require extensive open acreage which is generr y available on-site.
The effects of such flooding of the upland envire ent must be weighed against possible advantages to this system. An alternative is to inundate the adjacent salt marsh tidal area with a diked pond interior to the bulkhead line.
(In either case, present construction will not affect possible future addition of such high environ-mental impact choices.)
Cooling towers could be installed at some future time to provide the required heat transfer from the circulating water. Cooling towers would require additional systems for pumping and piping equipment. The equipment pre-sently committed could be adapted to the cooling tower design. Natural draft and mechanical wet type salt water cooling towers can be considered. Fresh
Mr. 2.-C. DeYoung.
water cooling towers would be impractical now or in the future since adequate fresh water makeup from ground water supplies would significantly stress the Floridian aquifer fresh water resources.
Alternative methods to limit the circulating water discharge temperature of Crystal River Plant were investigated on the basis of three units operating -
- at a full load with a total flow of 1,320,000 gallons per minute, 1.
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Crystal River Unit l'and 2 - 640,000 gallons per minute. The maximum intake canal water temperature wa,s assumed to be approximately 87'F from existing plant data.
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Details of the previously outlined cooling water system alternatives may be found in Section IX of the Environmental Report. The Benefit-Cost Analysis, on which the decision to remain with the existing cooling water system design was made, is pre.sented in Section XIII of the Environmental Report. We feel strongly that this analysis represents an optimal balancing of the environ-mental considerations with those of public interest.
The concern expressed by the Fish and Wildlife Service over "significant" numbers of fish and small aquatic crustaceans being trapped by cooling water intake is discussed in the Crystal River Unit #3 Environmental Report,Section XIII - E., 4. a. & 4b. The results indicate that there is little environmental cost associated with this condition, and thus there is no significant benefit to be gained by the public from the installation of a costly system to further minimize intake trapping of marine organisms. Florida Power Corporation, however, remains very concerned that research must proceed to further the knowledge of power plant environmental impact so that meaningful controls can be installed when the benefit-cost analysis and sound judgement based on fact dictates. Research into the effects of heated water discharge from Crystal River Plant site will be continued and will include a supplementary zooplankton survey to be carried out at the Crystal River Plant site proposed for a two year period beginning in early 1972. The purpose of this project will be to determine the presence of major food chain species and the planktonic forms of commercially important fin and shellfish in the area adjacent to the Crystal River site. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the occurrence of these organisms within the intake area of Units 1 and 2 will be used as a means of evaluating the entrainment potential of the organisms, and for performance of i
ongoing environmental benefit-cost analysis.
In discussion of pre-operational radiological monitoring programs in Section 2 of the FSAR and the reporting of radiological monitoring data in the l
Quarterly Environmental Status Reports, " convenience" and " seasonal" sampling refer to samples at least every three months, and thus satisfy the recommenda-l tion that samples be collected no less frequently than once every six months.
Florida Power Corporation contends that its efforts described above are in concert with and spirit of the four recomendations to Florida Power Corporation by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife letter dated October 4,1971.
Florida Power Corporation is continuing its environmental research not only in the thermal aren discussed previously, but in the areas of radiological and chemical effects on the ecology from the operation of Crystal River Plant
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Mr. R. C. DeYoung and in particular the Unit 3 nuclear facility. We hope that the preceding discussion coupled with information in the Show Cause letter of October 11, 1971 and the Environmental Report satisfactorily answers the questions and
- concerns brought to bear by the U. S. Department of the Interior, Fish and
.Uildlife Service, regarding this matter.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if further clarification or connunication is needed.
Very truly yours,
V.)
/
j J. T. Rodgers /
Assist. Vice President and Nuclear Project Manager JTR/mcf cc: See attached list.
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