ML19350C006
| ML19350C006 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/10/1981 |
| From: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Lewis F ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19350C007 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8103240659 | |
| Download: ML19350C006 (2) | |
Text
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CHAIRMAN
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Mr. Floyd W. Lewis, Chairman Electric Power Research Institute c m ssion
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Dear Mr. Lewis:
This is in response to your letter dated December 2,1980 in which you referred to the paper by M. Levenson and F. Rahn, "The Need for Realistic Estimates of the Consequences of Nuclear Accidents," which was presented at the American Nuclear. Society meeting in Washington in November. As you know, Chatacey Starr had provided us with a draft of the paper several months ago, and on November 18, 1980, we were briefed by him and others on the general subject of fission product releases (particularly radiciodine) in naclear reactor accidents.
Following the Commission meeting, I held discussions with the staff to discover what information presented at the meeting was knuwn to the staff, and where gaps and uncertainties existed in our state of knowledge.
I then directed'the staff to develop plans as necessary to resolve the issues with emphasis on an early report of results.
A staff report on the " State of Technology of Iodine Release" is due in March 1981. NRC contractors, consultants, and staff are contributing to this report. Specific subject areas are. accident sequence characteristics, fission product release from fuel 'and transport in-plant, iodine and cesium iodine chemistry, fission product aerosol behavior, and effects of accident loads on. typical engineered safety features. The status of existing compu-ter codes used to model various aspects of fission product behavior under accident conditions will also be treated, including the effects of the latest results from the Commission's fission-product aerosol research program.
I understand that the Electric Power Research Institute has been invited to participate in a peer review of this report.
Also in March, the staff will have a report of the impact of fission-product iodine and fission-product aerosols on past licensing practice, present regulations, and possible future licensing application, including emergency preparedness considerations. This will include a preliminary ustimate of the regulatory effect of the-new iodine hypothesis.
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Mr. Floyd W. Lewis.
We recognize the importance of the issues raised to the ongoing and proposed rulemakings in siting, engineered safety features requirements, and degraded core and core melt accidents and to our continuing efforts to set realistic safety goals.
We will use the March reports to decide what next steps should be taken regarding rules and research.
Thank you for your interest.
1 i Sihcer ly,
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JohnF.Ahearne
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- MIDDLE SOUTH OTILITIES.INC/ SOX S1005/NEW O ALEANS.LA 70151/1504) 529-5252 FLOY D W. LEWIS CH AIRM A N / PR ESICENT December 2, 1980 The Honorable John F. Ahearne Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555
Dear Chairman Ahearne:
The paper on " Realistic Estimates of the Consequences of Nuclear Accidents" by M. Levenson and F. Rahn, a copy of which I understand has been furnished to you and each of the Commissioners, strikes me as potentially being the most important product of the studies which have follow the accident at TMI.
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as the authors conclude, natural processes act eff*.tively to reduce the con-sequences of nuclear accidents by orders of magnitude below those predicted by currcat models, the consequences on the acceptability and viability of nuclear power are profound.
I understand further that the Commission has been briefed by scientists from ORNL, BNL, and LASL who have in general supported those portions of the EPRI paper which deal with iodine.
If the remainder of the topics treated can be similarly confirmed through further study by independent peer groups, we should have the benefit of that knowledge just as soon as
- possible.
I believe this matter to be so important that it should enjoy top priority within the NRC and industry and that proposed rulemakings which would be affected by its outcome should have that factored into their schedules.
If the' essential featuras of the Levenson and Rahn paper are correct, degraded core considerationt
- instance, may be of academic interest only and the
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resources that wou.
ve been expended on them might be more appropriately allocated elsewhere.
of far greater importance is the fact that the future use of nuclear r in this country could_be significantly affected.
We would be. interested in your thoughts on this subject and your plans for resolution of this issue, and would be glad to work with you. Our planning would benefit by your early response.
Sincerely, Floyd W. Lewis Chairman Electric Power Research Institute
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September 2, 1980 p.,
62
'I The Honorable Joseph M. Hendrie Commissioner Nuclear Regulatory Co= mission Washington, D.
C.
20555
Dear Joe:
As you are undoubtedly aware, prior to the Three Mile Island accident, the ' probability of a public catastrophe resulting from such an event was considered to be negligible, although it alwtys' has been a continuing subject of professional study.
Since
'D'.I, there has been a fresh flood of wide-ranging reassessments of the public risk.
The enclosed draft study is an atta=pt to step back and take a realistic look at the basic scien-ific processes which are the fundamental dete=iners of what these public risks =ight really be.
The main thrust of this study is that the natural laws cf physics and chemistry substantially, limit the distribu ion of radioactive ef fluenta f rcn any nuclear accident, no matter how severe.
This study makes the paint that the empirical information that can be garnered from a variety of large-scale accidents that have already occurred, when ecchined with known physical and chemical laws, tends to confirm that the theoretica'.
" source tem" traditionally used in nuclear risk evaluations is one to two orders of magnitude greater than the realistic magnitude which might actually result f;cm the ultimate accidents.
Because of the relevance of this issue to the current flurry of federal l
and state emergency planning and evacuation criteria, I am forwarding
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this draft to you prior to publication for both your consideration and your comment.
The study will be presente'd as a paper at the ANS International meeting in Washington, D.C., November 17-21.
Sincerely, f
Chauncey Star:
1 Vice Chairman CS:=1
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