ML19323C115
| ML19323C115 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 04/03/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Burchsted C AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005150044 | |
| Download: ML19323C115 (3) | |
Text
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t>NITED STATES y 73 c,(g,g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION l
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APR 3 1980
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Clifford A. Burchsted 710 River Bend Road Clinton, TN 37716
Dear Mr. Burchsted:
Your letter to President Carter about the Three Mile Island nuclear plant accident has been referred to me.
I regret that this answer to your letter has been delayed. The accident and its consequences have created a substantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented me from responding to you as promptly as I would have liked to.
Thank you for supplying me with information on your Handbook.
I am enclosing a copy of the complete report of the President's Commission on Three Mile Island which will give you all the information you requested on the air cleanup systems of the plant.
It should help you to update the next edition of your handbook.
I appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued protection of the health cnd safety of the public, not only at the Three Mile Island Station, but also at all nuclear power plants.
Sincerely, A
Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Encl: Report of the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island
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df 710 River Bend Road Clinton, Tennessee 37716 April 11, 1979 Hon. Jimmy Carter
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President of the United States j[' l]
The White House Washington, D.C.
20500
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Dear Mr. Carter:
In your press report yesterday you stated that an investigation wculd be made of the Three-Mile Island nuclear plant accident. A secondary, but still important aspect of that accident was the. performance.of the air cleanup systems of the plant. Why were. measurable (a.l though insignifi-cant)~ quantities of radiciodine re' leased? Why_are.tha auxilliary building
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exhaust systems both_ nearing exhaustion so rapidly, and why had not one beeri turned off to operate the system at reduced flow (and thereby extend the life of the units)? Why was it necessary to install new hydrogen recombiners, and what happened to the in-containment recirculating air cleanup systems? How are airborned contamination levels in the contain-ment to be reduced, and what provision can be made for remotely maintain-able filter systems? These questions, and probably others concerning the plant's air cleaning systems, deserve answers. The Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook (see attached book review from British publication, Filtration a Separation), which is still the only text on the details of design of these systems, sets forth the requirements for converting the system designer's concepts to an on-line operating system, capable of performing reliably under plant conditions, both normal and post-accident. To what extent the designers of the Three-Mile Island air cleaning systems fol-lowed -- or ignored -- these recommendations, I do not know.
I would be greatly interested in following the course of your promised investigation, however, if for no other reason than to obtain information needed to up-date the next edition of the handbook noted above.
I would appreciate being kept informed of the findings of the investigation as they relate to this subject, and will e very happy to provide any informat!on you need or assist within the limi s of my technical specialty.
Sincerely yours,
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C1ifford A. Burchsted Sr. author, Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook l
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Nuctur Air C!saning Hindbuk-Co..tinued i
E UNM book justifiably ranks as the most authoritative state of
_ - _. _ _ _ _.the art sur ey of nuclear air cleaning which has >ct appeared. The large format paper back production Nuctoar Air Cloaning Handbook makes it more of a desk book than a hand book. Prod-USA Energy Research and Development Adminis- -uction costs hase esidently been kept as low as powible tration. C. A. Burchsted. J. E. Kahn and A. B. Fuller.
in order to encouraee svidespr.ad di>tribution. It is 200 pp. 512.25. US Ocpt. of Commerce. 5285 Port.well written and presented, thorouchly checked and in Royal Road. Spnngfield Va. 22161 consistent style throughout. Reas5ns'and explanations in the USA as in all countries where nuclear programmes are uniformly lucid and comprehensive.
s i There are nine chapters. Appendices are devoted to I
exist. tight security has surrounded the industry ever i
since its military possibilities became apparent. Despite ; standards, comparatise estimates. an updated version of this, technical information relating to the cleaning of i " Care and H.mdling of HEPA Filters" by 11. Gilbert l
contaminated airstreams was released and published in I f and J. H. Palmer and some notes on seismic design. An 7
the USA at an early stage. Throuchout the last 25 years ! lintroductory chapter defines the overall scope of the the US Atomic Energy Commission (now ERDA) has j iwork and gives what must be (especially for non US been sponsoring biennial conferencies on nuclear air lrcaders) a helpful glossary of jargon and acronyms. A cleaning.
lsecond chapter examines the purposes and functions of These conferences encouraged the fullest possible I ' air cleaning systems and indicates how the special needs
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interchange of information and experience between the l Iof particular installations can atTect the design of a various US nuclear establishments. An international '
ftltration system. The next three chapters deal respec-Ilasour was soon acquired as participants from other tisely with what are termed " internal components"-
countries began to cont < te. The resultant spread of : filters, adsorbers, demisters, ete " housing design and knowledge has under sedly assisted in the safe and '
layout" and " external components"-ductwork, fans.
rapid mploitation or nuclear energy. The immediate dampers, etc.
Apart from detailing essential design publicction of information concerning failures and, features these chapters illustrate many examples of incidents has helped others to avoid similar mistakes.
I ' design faults which have resulted in sub-standard instal.
As the industry has grown so the immediate problems :
lations. Small single filter units including portable have changed. The solutions of some.have led to others. !
cmcrgency air cleaning units are described together with For example, early HEPA fdters were combustible to i
" bag-out" techniques which are used for replacing con-permit disposal by incineration
- fires in filter systems tammated filters. A glove-box filtration chapter provides brought the desclopment and use of non-combustible a very useful summary on design and safety considera-filters. A filter disposal problem nowexists. Regularon-itions in air filled glove-box systems, site testing followed the discovery of faults in filter The testing of filter systems is given its due emphasis.
systems. The problems of removing radio iodine from To quote:
air or air / steam mixtures, and of collecting aerosols of "No safety credit can be claimed for HEPA fitters or adsorbers sodium oxides have followed on in turn. Many hundreds i that are not tested regularly." Widespread misconceptions which exist about DOP testmg can be remosed by reading the following of papers covering various aspects of these an.d other quote:
- In place tests of ilEPA tilter mstallations are made with topics hase been presented and. discussed m these an aerosol of polydispersed DOP having a light scattering NMD conferences.
of 0 7 pm and a size range of 01-3 0 pm. The DOP used for in 1970, two of the authors of the present solume emeiency testing by manufacturers and ERDA quality assurance produced. ".The Design. Construction and TestinE of 5' 'i.?"S.is a m n dispersed aer s I havmg an NMD of 0 3 00.
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.... compressed air and gas thermal DOP generators High Ethetency A r Filtration Systems for Nuclear must not be confused with the equipment used by manufacturers i
Apphcation." This was a survey of current practice or ERDA quality assurance stations for predelivery etliciency tests supplemented with a distillatien of information from on llEPA tilters."
conference proceedings.
The final and longest chapter deals with special The volume under review is subtitled "The Design, requirements in particular applications and is copiausly Construction and Testing of High Elliciency Air Cleaning illustrated by examples from various nuclear installa-Systems for Nuclear Application." It is a revised and tions. In addition to the literature references at the end enlarged version of the earlier work. The scope has been of each chapter which together run ato hundreds. there widened to include material on methods of air cleaning are some 220 diagrams (one of them duphcated) and other than HEPA filtration.
photographs and over 40 data tables. A reading list of The Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook is intended for related documents classified according to their origin is engineers-the designers and operators of air cleaning given together with comprehensive contents and index systems in nuclear establishments. It gives detailed listings.
Jescriptions of current US practice in this field. As well Despite the comprehensive nature of the book a topic j
as being a suney of current practice to some extent it upon which more guidance might have been expected is provides an historical record. The experiences of many that of filter changing procedure. The disposal of con-I l
who hase worked in nucear air cleaning since its begin.
taminated filters is not cosered; although a closely J.
nings have been written down in a permanent and usable related problem it is of course an exercise in solid wash.
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form. Their successors will benetit inestimably from the disposal. and therefore environmental as well as techno-wealth of systematically presented information. Thei logical factors need to be considered.
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Current US practice is not typical of UK or European j
authors have made notable contributions of their own i
to research and deselopment in the subject. They are to practice. Local factors which may be environmental or j
i be congratulated on completing the mammoth task w hich political in nature can afTect the acceptability of proce-ai j
ccmpiling this handbook undoubtedly has been. As dures where disposal of radioactive cliluents is concerned.
with any " bib!c" the authorship is vested with the in addition there exists frequently more than one
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. teams of contributors and reviewers who provide the acceptable method or procedure for solving or circun,e 1
detailed information as well as with the author / editors venting a particular problem. Substantial dilTerences m 3,7 i
who ' shape and style the ccmplete volume. From the US and UK practice exist in the areas of filter specifica-
.j names of those insolved in this project it is clear that the tion and glove box emergency extract systems, to name b
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Filtration 3r separation Mareh/Apnl 1977 D**
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ch/Apnl 1977 Filtration Et Separation
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