ML20024C984

Poses Questions Re Steam Generator Tubes,Primary Coolant Break & Thiosulphate in Primary Coolant Sys

ML20024C984
Person / Time
Site:	Crane
Issue date:	07/20/1983
From:	Jun Lee AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20024C982	List: ML20024C981 ML20024C984
References
NUDOCS 8307210254
Download: ML20024C984 (6)

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Maclear Eegulatory Commission

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Jane Lee,183 Valiey Ed. Etters, PA 17319 ef?gf v.

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Steam Generator Tubes: Unit I

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Primary Coolant Break (7-9-83)

GPUPublicMeetingatMiddletown(7-6-83)

Recent events and revelations by Eobert Arnold during a public meeting require close scrutiny by the NEC Commissioners.

1.

CHJ meeting 'of 7-6-83... Bob Arnold and Clark in attendance.

2.

Bob Arnold revealed:

(a) Thiosulphate was injected into Unit l's sprinkling system then sprayed inside the containment bldg. to wash down radioactive iodine.

(b) he thiosulphate,a high corrosive substance, entered the primary coolant system attacking the generator tubes.

(c) he last maintenance check made on the generator tubes was sometime prior to the last refueling.

d (d) The damaged tubes were discovered on hanksgiving Day of 1981.

Questions:

(a) How did the thiosuphate enter the closed primary coolant system when the spinkling system is located close to the top of the reactor building?

l (b) Why were the levels of iodine sufficiently high enough I

to warrant a thiosulhate bath of Unit ih interior?

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(c) How high were the levels of iodine?

(d) What is the present metallurgical characteristics of the primary coolant pipes or any other metal touched by this sulphuric chemical?

(e) What other corrosive chemicals could be a contributing cause to this metallurgical breakdown?

(?) Are the primary and secondary coolant pipes comprised of safety grade material or is this another failure of many already addressed relating to a quick fix and short cuts ?

During questions and answers on 7-6-83 with Bob Arnold and Mr. Clark we learned about the thiosulphate cause and effect.

We knew it existed but never why.

Three days later (7-9-83) we rer.d in our local paper about a reactor primary coolant break at Unit I during attempts to purge thiosulphate from the primary coolant system. It's interesing indeed that the generator tubes were repaired some time ago but only after intensive questioning at a public testing do we witness a rush to clean out the primary coolant system.

(a) With thiosulphate circulating through the coolant system, doesn't it raise questions about inner-granular deterio-ration?

If so, how great will it be over such a long period?

(b) If a break can occur during a cleanup, what will happen under pressure?

This is toc if portant to leave to engineering sycophants and a licensee who's intregrity is now in question.

i On 2-28-83 concrete chips were taken from Unit i's reactor bldc. and sent for lab. tests.

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(a) What was the purpose of these tests and what were the results?

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Mr. Clark from GPU was also fielding answers and questions at the (7-6-83_

meeting and revealed:

(a) The steam generator tubes are as good as new ones.

(b) The steam generators will be brought to full pressure testing.

(c)

Sections of the generator tubes were taken for testing.

(d)

Over 100 modifications were made to Unit i and it is ready for restart. Mr. Clark took issue with Commissioner G111nsky's recent charges of noncompliance.

(a)

Can metal exposed to thiosulphate, fractures and various corrosive chemicals sustain equal value as thoseoriginally manufactured?

(b)

How risky is the operation of these steam generator tubes under full pressure in view of this most recent break in the primary system?

(c) What were the results of the tube section testing?

(d) I distinctly recall reading many requests, written by Eobert Arnold, seeking extensions and exemptions from the N1C Staff.

In Saturday's paper (7-9-83) Doug Bedell was quoted as saying:

(a)

" Hot functional testing is expected to begin about a month from now and continue for a month".

(b)

" CPU reported the auxiliary building spill to the NF C and local and state emergency management officials yesterday even though it was not classified as an unusual event and notification was not required by law".

When did the NI.C appoint Doug Bedell to the decision-making process? Or has the Commission already made the decision to start the steam generators?

Mr. Bedell persists in acting as P.R. for CPU and pla/

role of CPU apologist.

The Commission /s image isn't all that great without resorting to putting its neck on the chopping block for CPU.

4 This writer wishes to caution those Commissioners who persist in ignoring the danger of restarting this plant and who are blindly moving ahead toward restart. Hendrie said it better than me:

"We are like blind men stumbling around in the dark".

To ignore this warning after all the evidence clearly reveals serious shortcomings with management intregrity as well as mech-anical failures, is sheer folly.

Sincerely,

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Commissicnar Gilinsky:

I Thought you might find this interesting.

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. Blamed n Fallout

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HARRISBURG,'PA., DECEMBER 26,1976 i,, soto' es.

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, AF.?mf wrhe,y 2 Concentrations. [of'; radioactive, " ".l Arnold said'nline separate radio-isotopesSwelliabove normal back-active isotopes were detected, in.

groundlevels have been detected in cludinglodine 131 and cobalt $8.He the Susquehanna River near the said the elements found provide no Three Mlle Island-Nuclear Power indication that they came from the

< power plant, adding that while the

. Plant south of Harrisburgi.-

State and' federal officials said

• plant produces most of tne isotopes the levels pose no threat to public ' detected, there would have been

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greater quantities,of cobalt if there safety.

The Metropolitan.Edisch 'Co.

.(Met Ed) of Reading, operators of

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Ci1Ve Isotopes Discovered

. the plant, reported'the finding: to

' the U.S. Nuclear R'egulatory Ccm-

' uted the abnormal rea41ngs to fall. '

From,Page A1

' said state officials ha've not conduct-mission (NRC)last week,and attrib-ed any seditnent tests since the fall-out from two Chinese atomic bomb..

had been a fuelleak'atthe site.NRC out. incidents.

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testsin September and November.

officials said'the. company is re '

Met Ed and the NRC indicated-4

. -r.The' levels -were found in sedi '{. quh'ed hpon any readings in.. ; that high levels of radioactive iso-l i

miles south of the plant,.,according.f* sediment,which exceed.10 times' 3. topes can ment from the riverbed at a site 1 %

.d ;normalIsvels.. hile the companyis c'. In areas of waterways w': era Opp 4 W

i.. State officialtwere not notified..gquiredte notify state officials'.T ~ 1s tess tha:i rapid.' T i -

, 2 a company spokesmanA w

" bout.,the nndagsd 2;EMM. Dgeparally<does so-as a cgsrtesy and.$rlatadwhich.; are washedrdownd Nj

+ U,.Although'a' press' release from

' ad8edcthat' the stateswas not hld ' stream.T 'f':

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.} the company said levels detected an.

' this' time becan'se of."a'n oversight."J y '. Reilly said it is un!!kely that any. t cl0 times above background levels.

An NRC. spokesman said.the aquatic life affected by the isotopes

.' two of the'nine isotopes found were

, cobpany findings will be analyzed., would pose ahealth threatif eaten.

" 30 to 34 times normal readings,

by uit, agency. He added he believes.

Karl Abraham, an NRC spokes..'

' the sedinent Mport is & namck 1 nan, said the findings simply con-f

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b# ^ Robe [t'C. Arnold,ldet FAs vice

'. report fr m a nuclear plant flied,.

firm thp fact that radioactivity from y the recent fallouts "is still with us, -

- president.for generation, told The -

since the falloutincidents.

j.' Patriot that h press release, Mid-

-Margaret A. Reilly, the state's will be with us for s'long time and 3

' was dat4 Decc 23, containi=d **a chief d environmental sunpce, thenisnothing we can e aM M ipo'or choice'of words,"and'sald lev-

",els.of cerium 1414eN recorded at / "

.34 times norstal' levels and lantha -

' ""*h*,."* [*""I.'"' D* '~".D*"8 3h Abraham's fairy tales are still with us.

v fallout indeedt

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' Mildly Radioactive' Water Spilled in TMI's Unit 1 About.HX) gallons of m!!dly ra.

lant pump to another during a Unit i reactor,in which plant sys-dioactive water spilled onto.the chemical cleanup of the reactor tems will be subject to operational A floor inside th-Three Mile Island coolant system.

temperstures and pressures with.

k nit I auxillary building yesterday.

/U A filter became clogged during out actually starting the reactor.

No workers atthe nuclear pow-thd operation and increased the wa-JJo_t functioyl testine is exoected er plant were contaminated by ra-ter pressure in an instrument line, and contm)ue for,a,onsfIofn raw 19.be in a 2gt a m l

g diation as a result of the incident, which then broke, allowing the nother month, according to a spokesman for GPU water to spill out. A plant operator Bedell said.

h Nuclear Corp., operator of the fa-working in the auxiliary building

' The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory k cility, spotted the break and workers Commissionis considering whether All but a few gallons of the stopped the leak.

to lift its suspension of the opera -

hspilled water drained into a sump, The coolant system for the ting license for Unit I, which was where it remained last night.It will shutdown Unit I reactor is being shutdown for refueling during the be routinely decontaminated for cleaned to remove any possible March 28,1979, accident at ks sis-use within the plant, GPU spokes-traces of the sulphur thatled to cor.

ter plant, TMI Unit 2, and has re-man Doug Bedell said.

r'osion of the Unit I steam genera.

mained shutdown by NRC order

. Monitors in the auxillary build.

tor tubes. Bedell said.

- since then.

j ing detected noincrease in radioac-The cleanup is in. preparation rBedell said GPU reported the tivity inside the concrete structure for hot functional testing of the auxiliary building spill to the NRC l

after the spill, Bedell said. The and localand state emergency man-l I building houses supplementary sys*

GOOD MORNING agement officials yesterday, even tems associated with Unit l's reac-though it was not classified as an tor coolant system.

Just,about the time a i unusual event and notification was Bedell said the leak occurre'd woman thinks her work ot required by law.

when plant workers were switch.

is done, she becomes a "It's not much of an incident, ing from the use of one reactorcoo-grandmother.

but we're reporting it," Bedell said.

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