ML20027B375

Forwards Response to ASLB Question on Radiolysis in Sleeve/Tube Annulus,Per 820909 Conference Call.Notarized Affidavit Forthcoming.Svc List Encl

ML20027B375
Person / Time
Site:	Point Beach
Issue date:	09/16/1982
From:	Ridgway D SHAW, PITTMAN, POTTS & TROWBRIDGE, WISCONSIN ELECTRIC POWER CO.
To:	Bloch P, Kline J, Paxton H Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
References
NUDOCS 8209200348
Download: ML20027B375 (6)

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• NOT ADusTTED las D C WRITER S DeRECT DIAL NUMBER (202) 822-1227 i

September 16, 1982 Peter B. Bloch, Esquire Dr. Jerry R. Kline i Administrative Judge Administrative Judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Board Panel U.S. Nuclear Regulatory U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Washington, D.C. 20555 Dr. Hugh C. Paxton Administrative Judge Atomic Safety and Licensing g -

Board Panel J O. -

1229 41st Street Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 In the Matter of Wisconsin Electric Power Company

' (Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2)

Dear Administrative Judges:

Enclosed is a copy of the text of Licensee's response to the Board's question on radiolysis in the sleeve / tube annulus, which was posed in the course of the September 9, 1982 conference call in this proceeding.

8209200348 820916 PDR ADOCK 05000266 O PDR g

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SHAW. PITTMAN. PoTTs & TROWBRIDGE W~

A,PAmTNIRSMap OF FROFESSIONJ4 COKPOTATION3 ,, ,,,

Administrative Judges ,

September 16, 1982 Page Two Due to the press of time, the enclosed response is not in the form of an affidavit. However, Licensee will tomor--

row serve on all parties a notarized dffidavit which attests to .

the precise text here enclosed, and which is signed by Mr. Dodglas Fletcher of Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

Sincerely, SHAW, PITTMAN, POTTS & TROWBRIDGE '

By b}A k Yllnuvi>>'

' ~ Bruce W.' Chu'rcWill$ '

Delissa A. Ridgway '

Counsel ~for Licensee

. , a Enclosure -

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Before the Atomic Safety and Licensine Board In the Matter of )

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WISCONSIN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY ) Docket Nos. 50-266

) 50-301 (Point Beach Nuc' lear Plant, ) (OL Amendment)

Units 1 and 2) )

SERVICE LIST

• • Peter B. Bloch, Chairman 'Stuart A. Treby, Esq.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Office of the Executive Board Legal Director j U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioe Wasington, D.C. 20555 Washington, D.C. 20555 Dr. Hugh C. Paxton Richard G. Bachmann, Esq.

1229 - 41st Street Office of'the Executive Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 Legal Director l ~~ ~ U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissio5

• *D r . Jerry R. Kline. Wasington, D.C. 20555 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board

• Kathleen M. Falk, Esq.

U.S.' Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wisconsin's Environmental Decade

' Washington, D.C. 20555 . 114 North Carroll Street Suite 208 Atomic Safety and Licensing Madison, Wisconsin 53703 I Board Panel U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Francis X. Davis, Esq.

Washington, D.C. 20555 Monroeville Nuclear Center Westinghouse Electric Corporation Atomic Safety and Licensing P. O. Box 355

, Appeal Board Panel Pittsburgh, PA 15230 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Barton Z. Cowan, Esq.

. John R. Kenrick, Esq.

Docketing and Service Section Eckert, Seamans, Cherin & Mellott Office of the Secretary Forty-Second Floor U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissien 600 Grant Street

? Washing cn, D.C. 20555 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

• By Deposit with Federal Express 9/16/82

• • By Hand Delivery 9/17/82

~k ASLB QUESTION ON SLEEVING FOR POINT BEACH UNIT 2 0 What are the consequences of radiolytic production of oxygen from water contained in the sleeve-tube annulus region with regard to corrosion resistance of thermally-treated Inconel 600 sleeve material?

A. The.radiolytic decomposition of water is accompanied by the radiolytic recombination of hydrogen and oxygen species to reform water. This leads to steady-state concentrations of oxygen in the water. Radiolytic production of oxygen or oxidizing species radiolysis of water in the annular region between a sleeve and tube is expected to be insig-nificant at steady-state conditions because of the relatively low gamma radiation field in that region. The gamma radiation field in the sleeve-tube annulus at the steam generator inlet is only on the order of 100 R/ hour with the plant operating at full power conditions. This gamma energy arises primarily from the N-16 content of the reactor coolant. Steady-state levels of oxygen from radiolytic decomposition of water at these low radiation levels are small, conservatively estimated to be less than 1 part per billion.

Due to the radiolysis of water in the reactor coolant system, excess hydrogen is employed as the basis for oxygen control.

Small quantities of hydrogen from the reactor coolant diffuse through the Inconel sleeve wall at operating temperatures.

Thus, the water assumed in the annulus between the sleeve

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and tube is expected to have an excess hydrogen content. The presence of this hydrogen further reduces the concentration of oxidizing species formed from the radiolysis of water in the sleeve-tube annulus. Thus, the presence of an oxidizing environment in the sleeve to tube annular region due to radiolysis of water that may be present is not expected.

The corrosion testing program included corrosion tests where thermally-treated Inconel 600 was evaluated in comparison with mill-annealed Inconel 600 in the presence of oxygen or oxidizing environments. These tests demonstrated the enhanced corrosion resistance of thermally-treated Inconel 600.

Examples of these tests are summarized as follows:

a. Stressed specimens of mill-annealed and thermally-treated Inconel 600 were exposed in high temperature water (572*F) containing 100 ppm chloride, as Nacl, and 7.7 ppm oxygen for 2,034 hours3.935185e-4 days <br />0.00944 hours <br />5.621693e-5 weeks <br />1.2937e-5 months <br />. Examination of the samples following this test indicated intergranular stress corrosion cracking in the mill-annealed material to have progressed to depth of 7 to 15 times that observed in the thermally-treated material. This indicates that thermally-treated Inconel is substantially more resistant to intergranular stress corrosion cracking than mill-annealed Inconel 600, even at oxygen concentrations several orders of magnitude higher than expected by radiolysis of water in the. sleeve-tube annulus.

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b. Oxidizing environments have also been included during corrosion tests by impressing an anodic electrical potential on the test specimens. Mill-annealed and thermally-treated Inconel 600 tubing specimens have been exposed to caustic solutions (0.1, 1, 10, 25 and 50 wt. percent) at 600 and 650'F where a range of electrical potentials of 0 to 250 millivolts was applied to the specimens. In these tests, the thermally-treated material showed better corrosion resistance than the mill-annealed material.

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c. The effect of oxidizing species in the corrosion test

'~ environment has also been evaluated by including copper oxide in the caustic test solutien. After 4,000 hours0 days <br />0 hours <br />0 weeks <br />0 months <br /> at high temperature (600*F) with a test mixture of 89 parts water, 10 parts sodium hydroxide and 1 part copper oxide only the mill-annealed material exhibited stress corrosion cracking. At more aggressive test conditions of 80 parts water, 10 parts sodium hydroxide and 10 parts copper oxide, mill-annealed and thermally-treated material showed approximately the same extent of stress corrosion cracking.

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