ML19326D723

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Forwards Excerpt from Pigford Speech.Requests Explanation of Ref to Westinghouse 1972 Warning of Safety Concern Re Rising Pressurizer Level
ML19326D723
Person / Time
Site: 05000273, Pilgrim
Issue date: 05/14/1980
From: Bradford P
NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To: Dircks W
NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
Shared Package
ML19326D721 List:
References
NUDOCS 8007030213
Download: ML19326D723 (2)


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'o UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION o

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OrricE OF THs May 14, 1980 COMMISSIONER MEMO TO: William J. Dircks Acting Executive Director for Ope inns i

FROM:

Peter A. Bradford Can you explain the reference to a 1972 Westinghouse warning that is contained in these remarks by Dr. Pigford in a talk that he gave in Tennessee at the end of the last year?

Attachment:

As stated c'::

Chairman Ahearne Comissioner Gilinsky Comissioner Kennedy Commissioner Hendrie Samuel J. Chilk i

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j core damage. The significance of that event apparently

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fi-6M4:.h,k.-$hb'gMf.W.'1'.q%/J. j was not recognized by NRC, although one individual I

in NRC did try to get it considered. It was recognized p;< M.

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by someone in Babcock and Wilcox, but it did not get

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through the organization. It fell through the cracks.

x y?.R 7WYs:f@.%: i That really bothered our commission. Problems like this x

are one of the main sources of overgenecalizations about

{N.;~,'Nyr,p.h 9., ' ;m.w =N.i }. " attitudes" in the industry.

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The Rasmussen reports was an advance indicator 6

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1975 report concluded that small breaks had not been gj. Q ; r t,f-r i. &.

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assessed adequately m. terms of their importance to m

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The Bezaau incident five years ago in Switzerland t.

showed a similar problem there. In 1972 Westinghouse "Eh b M., q. r a h U d N M -

had also foreseen tlus confusing situation of rising

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9 pressurizer level following a small break in the pressur-3 ar,

'P' yb M $:u@ @.'; M,yf g; :i izer. They no*"ied NRC in a very thorough report.

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>m..:t this re.=rt. In fact, NRC in its own investigations since T6.w M

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the accident apparently hr.s not uncovered the Westing-house warning. This was very disappointing to us. I have

%O3.2SifN.Mh,g also learned that Westinghouse did indeed notify some Q.t:E W V. M ;Y;.q;gpx.p.

of its clients, and the operators apparently were then lM~rMi~b w.,u:h.1]N'%, p f:f,)[j D.... ? ' 7.' w' R. M.... m f-WF W W:.VY).:p,"

properly trained.

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is the thing our commission focused on most clearly.

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Until we have a system that can treat all of these warn-h

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I ings as potential accidents, we have a faulty system.

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That is what our commission wanted to correct, but I 6K*~$.W P@:gg.

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@giii believe we were not sufficiently explicit.

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We should have identified specifically what is wrcng d

b M IN.N Mf M J h.ME so that errors could be corrected. There were indeed some equipment problems. The specific signal that h[I5. Mf!/g(4tQif.)k b,* N E triggers containment isolation apparently had not been

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treated carefully. Iodine filters were in bad condition.

t. @ U M E TEU r* Z l M i g j The letdown and vent system was leaky and, frankly,it

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    • ?t*wr%b 6 eactor Se'ety Study: An Assessment of Accident Risks in U.S.

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