ML20050H017

Petition to Intervene in Proceeding & Request for Hearing. Certificate of Svc Encl

ML20050H017
Person / Time
Site:	Summer
Issue date:	04/09/1982
From:	Ruoff J FAIRFIELD UNITED ACTION
To:	Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
References
NUDOCS 8204140130
Download: ML20050H017 (19)

Text

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. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD Ex Parte: FAIRFIELD UNITED ACTION, )

Petitioner, In the Matter of: ) Docket No. 50-395

)

SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC AND GAS )

COMPANY,etal. ) ,,,7_

) April 9,'1982 (Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, )

Unit 1), )

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PETITIONTOINTERVENEANDREQUESTFORHEARINGh[. 3 My s b

Fairfield United Action, on its own behalf, on behalf of its mgg1hy , 3 and on behalf of others similarly situated, hereby petitions for leave to intervene in the above-captioned proceedings as a party of record, requests that public hearings be conducted on the significant health and safety is-sues raised herein at which it will be afforded an opportunity to be heard, and requests this Application for an Operating License be denied or be so conditioned, as Petitioner will hereafter demonstrate, in order that the operation of the facility will be consistent with the protection of the health and safety of the public.

In support of this petition, Fairfield United Action would incorporate herein all matter set forth in its Petition to Intervene and Request for Hearings and Supplement filed in this proceeding on March 23, 1981. Petitioner y would especially direct the Board's attention to Contention 14 of that 5 Supplement as it relates to occupational exposures from degraded steam

//[ generator tube repair.

Fairfield United Action herewith submits the contentions and the bases therefore which it would seek to have litigated in this proceeding, reserving 1

i its right to amend and make additions thereto.

B204140130 020409 l PDR ADOCK 05000395 G PDR

Contention B1 The license should not issue because rapid tube wear caused by flow-induced vibrations in the preheater region of the Westinghouse Model D3 steam genera-tors employed at Summer presents a highly credible likelihood of tube weakening, leakage, or rupture which, in combination with other sequences of events which can reasonably be expected to occur within the lifetime of the facility, would result in the release of significant amounts of radiation to the at-mosphere and endanger the health and safety of the public.

The Summer facility employs three Model D3 Westinghouse steam generators.

Nuclear generation facilities located at Ringhals, Sweden, and at Almaraz, Spain, which likewise employ Westinghouse Model D3 steam generators have experienced accelerated tube wear in the early months of operation. (Memorandum, S. Chesnut, Project Manager, Licensing Branch 1, DL, to B.J. Youngblood, Chief, Licensing Branch 1, DL, " Summary of Meeting en Westinghouse Model D Steam Generators," March 12,1982.) At one of those non-domestic facilities a primary to secondary leak attributable to this phenomenon occured after 113 effective full power days of operation. (T.C. Nichols to H.R. Denton, February 19,1982.)

Initial data from instrumented Model D steam generators indicates that the accelerated wear is attributable to turbulence in the preheater region caused by the feed inlet impingement plate and the flow limiter and that the onset of increased turbulence is related to high feed flow rates. For bbdel D3 generators such as at Summer, the increased turbulence is experienced at feed flow rates of approximately 50%. (Chesnut to Youngblood, March 12, 1982.)

Tube ruptures under normal operating conditions "can present a signifi-cant challenge to plant operators and safety systems." (NRC, " Steam Generator Status Report," February 1982, p. 2.) The design basis tube failure is a double-ended rupture of a single tube. (FSAR, 5.2-16.) However, this -

postulated accident fails to encompass the not unlikely event of multiple tube failures, a matter which has "not yet been rigorously studied." (" Status Report," p. 2.) The in-service inspection program which has been relied upon to assure tube integrity (Ibid., p. 3) is inadequate to Summer where the Model D steam generators have shown such rapid tube degradation that tube inspection at refueling outages is too seldom. " Rapid degradation between inspections of a large number of tubes could create the potential for multiple tube failures in the event of a plant transient or failure of a single tube and the accompanying jet impingement and tube whip could cause failure of additional tubes." (Ibid., p. 2.)

Potentially complicating circumstances, such as the stuck open PORV at the Robert A. Ginna plant on January 25, 1982, create the potential for significant hazards to the safety of the public. A seriously leaking or ruptured tube (s) permits irradiated water from the primary cooling system to enter the secondary side. The Power Operated Relief Valve (PORV) on the pressurizer fails open - as happened at Ginna and at Three Mile Island.

Operation of the emegency pumps keeps the pressure on the primary side so high that the safety valve on the steam generator lifts. Radioactive steam is free to escape to the environment. After the incidents at Ginna, Davis Besse and Three Mile Island, the reliability of PORV's cannot be considered high. The Sumer PORV valves have been generically tested by EPRI. However, in reporting the demonstrated "functionability" of its PORVs, Applicants

. note that there are "anomolies in safety valve performance" still being addressed by the Westinghouse Owners Group. Among those "anomolies" are:

inconsistencies in valve opening and delays in valve opening. (T.C. Nichols to Harold R. Denton, "PWR Safety and Relief Valve Test Program: Plant -

Specific Submittal Letter," April 1,1982, pp. 2-3.)

Rupture in multiple steam generators can create a situation in which, "unless the plant can be rapidly depressurized and brought into Residual Heat Removal, there is potential to continuously lose emergency core cooling water outside of containment." (" Status Report," p. 2.)

Moreover, during postulated accident sequences, such as a Main Steam Line Break or a Loss of Coolant Accident, steam generator tubes are subjected to increased and sudden stresses from increased pressure differentials, possible pressure waves, and vibrational loadings. With multiple degraded steam generator tubes, these loads increase the potential for tube failure which could make the accident situation worse.

In a LOCA, for example, a sudden drop in pressure on the primary side cause ruptures in the steam ge.ierator tubes. Because the pressure is lower on the primary side, steam from the secondary side enters the primary cooling system. "S.G. tube failures would create a secondary to primary leak path I which aggravates the steam binding effect and could lead to ineffective reflooding of the core." (Ibid., p. 3. , emphasis added. ) With inadequate cooling of the core, a core melt could follow.

i The NRC's " Status Report" suggests that such events are of low probability, but points out that "more realistic events . . . pose a less severe challenge l

l to S.G. tube integrity . . . ," but " tube rupture (s) leading to or following sucheventscouldhaveseriousconsequences."(g,emphasisadded.)

The Sumer station presents a special case in that Model D3 steam generators have been denonstrated to degrade and leak within 113 full power L

. days of operation. Remedial actions which rely upon frequent tube inspection are inadequate where the frequency would have to be so high. The risks associated with an accident related to steam generator tube failure in a Model D3 design system is much higher than at facilities where tube degradation -

is not an almost immediate consequence of operation. A number of scenarios have been presented which present a highly credible threat to the safety of the public from significant releases of radiation to the environment.

Neither the Applicants nor the Staff have adequately addressed the problem of accelerated tube wear due to flow induced vibration as it relates to Summer. The Applicants' FSAR discussion of flow induced vibrations (FSAR, 5.5-17 et seq.) notes that consideration has been given to the problem, but can offer little hope that it has been dealt with. What con-fidence is expressed relies upon " successful operational experience with several steam generator designs." (Ibid.,5.5-20.) That reliance is ob-viously misplaced for Model D3 generators.

The most recent Staff analysis in this proceeding (SER, Supp. 3, January 1982) focuses on possible remedies for problems in Westinghouse Model 51 steam generators, especially cracking at the U-bends. "There has been virtually no operating experience to date with Model Model D steam generators." (Ibid.,

p. 5-6.) That analysis is now obsolete. On the "Overall Steam Generator Problem," William J. Dircks, EDO, NRC notes that " current efforts (NRC and regulated industry) are probably not nearly enough . . . ." (Dircks to Robert Minogue, ONRR, February 17, 1982, p. 1.)

For Summer, no assurance can be given "that these tubes (will) maintain adequate integrity . . . during normal operating and postulated accident conditions" (SER, Supp. 3, p. 5-6).

l

Contention B2 The favorable cost-benefit analysis struck at the Construction Permit stage is fatally compromised by the failure of the NRC Staff to calculate costs and benefits based on operation at half power and to include in the -

balance costs of repairs and/or replacement of the steam generators as well as the very high worker exposure rates which will result from frequent re-pairs and/or replacement.

The primary benefit found by the Staff in the FES in the operation of Summer includes 4.73 billion kWh of annual electrical energy production, increased system reliability, savings in production costs, and increased fuel diversity. (FES, p. 9-1.)

This analysis assumes that Summer will operate at an annual capacity factor of 60%. Mark Whitaker, Applicant SC&G's General Manager of Nuclear Engineering and Licensing, has been quoted in newspaper articles as saying that "I can't even give you a year" . . . when the plant will be able to run at full power.

(Columbia Record, March 10, 1982, p. 1-A.) "It looks like a long time -

before we can go beyond 50 percent," he is quoted elsewhere. (The State, March 11, 1982, p. 1-C.) At the most optimistic, running Sumer at 50% power,-

with no down time for maintenance or repairs - would reduce annual energy production to 3.9 billion kWh. A more realistic 35% capacity factor (50% -

power x 70% availability) which allows for down time would result in- 7 2.7 billion kWh annual electrical production. That is only 57% of the projected benefit. .

The experience of McGuire and other Westinghouse design steam generators is that their operation results in increased unreliability to the system because of their tendency to leak. Duke Power Company's McGuire Unit 1, which has Model D2 steam generators very similar to Summer's D3s, has only operated 30% of the time since going commercial in December of 1981.

4 South Carolina, for example, has four commercial reactors currently licensed to operate. However, during at least two periods in this calendar year, there has not been a single nuclear power reactor operating in this

" nuclear state". The Robinson 2 facility of Carolina Power & Light and -

all three of Duke Power Company's Oconee plants have been down. All save one of the Oconee reactors has been down because of steam generator problems.

Savings in production costs resulting from the use of nuclear fuel plainly do not obtain when lower usage rates decrease that fuel's share of the generation burden. Increased maintenance costs in the millions of dollars have not been factored in. (" Status Report," p.1.)

Thus, instead of a 900 MW facility, the benefits have to be premised on an unreliable 450 MW generation facility. The-Appplicants indicate that they have no idea when it might be safe to operate at full power.

Under those circumstances, credit should only be given for the knowable available power of 450 MW.

Building a generating plant so fundamentally flawed in design that it can safely be run - by Applicants' estimates - at only 50% power calls for a recasting of the entire cost-benefit analysis. As the Commission noted in Public Service Co. of New Hampshire (Seabrook Station), 5 NRC 503 (1977):

Indeed, our conclusion substantially depends on the integrity of the NEPA process which leads up to the point of hearing. Where that integrity is absent -

where time and money have been misspent - it may be proper to restrike a NEPA analysis on the basis of a set of facts av longer existing,i.e. as though those expenditures had not been made . . .

Id., 5 NRC at 533.

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. In further support of this Petition, Fairfield United Action would respectfully show:

1. That the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeals Board found that "No one disputes that, as the Licensing Board determined. FUA has satis-factorily demonstrated the requisite standing to intervene." (South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., et al. (Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit 1), ALAB-642, 13 NRC 881, 884 (1981); ibid, LBP-81-11, 13 NRC 420, 422 (1981).)

2. That Petitioner's members have only recently been informed of ac-celerated tube wear and leaks in steam generators tubing caused by flow-induced vibrations at other nuclear power stations employing Westinghouse Model D steam generators.

3. In late January of 1982, following the close of the record in the evidentiary hearings in this proceeding, Petitioner was served by Staff with a copy of Board Notification BN-82-02, " Board Notification - Preheater Type Steam Generator," dated January 20, 1982. That Board notification informed this Board of tube degradation in two foreign reactors applications of Westinghouse Model D steam generators.

That notification further informed the Board of testing and surveillance of similar Model D Westinghouse steam generators at Duke Power Company's l McGuire 1 facility, where "No wear type indications were observed."

In a letter dated February 19, 1982, Thomas C. Nichols of the Applicant South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. informed Mr. Harold R. Denton of the NRC that the Applicants' plans for addressing potential steam generator tube degradation involved proceeding with " normal low power testing". After power had been escalated to 50%, Applicants would " continue operation at 50% for

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V approximately two months or at a power level above 50% that has been evaluated, based upon information available at the time, to preclude significant tube damage." Eddy current tests in one steam generator and consideration of other matters would lead to establishment of an operating power level .

On March 10 and March 11, 1982, newspaper articles in the Columbia, South Carolina, based Columbia Record and The State reported that the Summer station would be unable to operate at full power for an indefinite period because of the potential for tube ruptures. One story cited SCE&G officials as postulating 50% power as a safe level for operation. (See Attachments 1 and 2.)

On April 5,1982, Petitioner's members became aware of a memorandum in this and other dockets, dated March 12, 1982, sumarizing a February 19, 1982, meeting on Westinghouse Model D steam generators. Ali.nough heretofore Petitioners had been on the service list in this proceeding, the Staff has apparently ceased serving documents on Petitioner and Petitioner's members became aware of this document only by chance.

This memorandum from S. Chesnut to B.J. Youngblood, both of the NRC's Licensing Branch No. 1, DL, reported that " Initial data from the instrumented steam generators showed that the onset of the increased turbulence occured at high feed flow rates (approximately 50% for Models 02 and D3, 70% for D4,DS)." It further reported on the cause of the accelerated tube wear as set forth in Contention 1B, above.

Having been informed by newspaper accounts on March 10 that operation of the V.C. Summer Station at over 50% could create vibrations leading to tube degradation and rupture and having had this confirmed in official documents in this docket only on April 5,1982, Petitioner has moved expeditiously to file this Petition.

Although the evidentiary hearings in this proceeding had ostensibly been closed on January 20, 1982, the Board Notification which first raised this issue in this docket was only dated on that day. Even had Petitioner moved' to file a Petition at that date, only 80 days ago, no Petition to intervene and to offer a new contention could have been filed based upon this new information prior to the close of the hearing.

The specific design defect in the Westinghouse Model D steam generator has only recently been made apparent through operation of foreign and do-mestic reactors. The evidence on January 20, 1982, suggested that the McGuire 1 Model D steam generators were showing no indications of accelerated wear. No explanation of the mechanism causing the accelerated tube wear in the foreign reactors was available to Petitioner from either the NRC or the Applicants until April 5,1982, other than newspaper accounts on March 10 and 11, 1982.

Petitioner believes that it has timely filed this Petition and that it has exercised all due diligence in this matter and that good cause exists for its failure to file this Petition until this time.

4. That Petitioner's interest in protecting its members from harm to their health and safety can only be protected through full participation j

as a party to this proceeding to litigate the issues set forth herein.

No existing parties will represent Petitioner's interest including the St6te of South Carolina whose participation has been limited, the Commission Staff which cannot represent the individual interests of Petitioner's members, and the existing Intervenor whose ability to protect Petitioner!s interests has been thoroughly analyzed by this Board before , Summer, LBP-81-11, supra,13 NRC at 427.

There is no other forum available to Petitioner in which to seek to protect its members from harm to their health and safety. This Board is the body charged with that responsibility.

5 That Petitioner believes that the issues presented herein are properly placed into contest before this Licensing Board for adjudication. If the Board were to fail to address these issues and to take evidence on them, the existing record might well permit the use of equipment which is unsafe.

Indeed, Applicants apparently admit that operation of the plant at greater than 50% capacity would be unsafe. Under this Board's obligation not to issue a license absent reasonable assurance that the facility can be operated without endangering the health and safety of the public, this significant safety-related issue should be fully explored in an adversarial proceeding to determine whether there is a technical basis for safe operation of the Summer facility. To fail to fully explore these contentions could create a situation fraught with danger to the public. Petitioner believes that only by its participation will the Licensing Board have a complete and sound record produced as the result of affull adversarial proceeding.

6. That, although admission of the contentions sought to be litigated will expand the issues now before the Licensing Board, Petitioner believes that the matters are of such gravity that this Petition should be granted notwithstanding any potential delay. Petitioner would note that Applicants' have again notified the NRC of a delay in fuel load readiness. The Applicants have proven so unable to estimate that fuel load readiness date that the Board should not credit any estimates which they make. One year ago, in opposition to this Petitioner's Petition to Intervene, Applicants' estimated an August 1981 date. (Applicants' Answer To Untimely Petition to Intervene, April 3,1981, Attachment C-1.)

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The full and thorough litigation of these issues by the Petitioner will not delay the proceedings any more than if fully litigated by other par-ticipants.

7. That Petitioner believes that a weighing of the five factor test -

as set forth at 10 CFR 2.714(a) weighs in favor of admitting Petitioner, especially where good cause for the late filing has been shown. Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (West Valley Reprocessing Plant), CLI-75-4,1 NRC 273 (1975).

8. That based upon the foregoing, Fairfield United Action asserts a significant ability to contribute for the Licensing Board's consideration on substantial issues of law and fact which will not otherwise be properly raised or presented absent its participation in this proceeding.

WHEREFORE, having shown good cause and having set forth the contentions sought to be litigated and the bases therefore and having set forth its interest which will be affected in this proceeding and the Affidavits of eight of its members in its Petition to Intervene and Request for Hearings, and Supplement, which Petition and Affidavits are incorporated herein, Fairfield United Action respectfully requests leave to intervene in these proceedings, the conduct of hearings and the denial of this application

4-14 for an operating license unless so conditioned as to prevent injury to Petitioner's health, safety and economic interests, or, failing the grant to this Petitioner of leave to intervene, that the Board exercise its sua sponte authority to examine these serious health and safety -

questions as provided at 10 CFR 2.260(a).

C.L 0. O 1 hn C. Ruoff, Ph.

uthorized Represen tive Fairfield United Action P.O. Box 96 Jenkinsville, South Carolina 29065 803-345-3514 AFFIRMED and subscribed before me this Dday of April 198 L.

4 e /Mttlkt/ N-yt i NOTARY PUBLIC FOR SOUTH CAROLINA (L.S.)

fty Commission Expires: Icx28/99(/ '

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Can t Run (Coettased From 14 However, he also said that since the radioactive water j

flowing out of the ruptured tube would still be contamed MC/ 7 inside the power plant's steam generatmg system, the leaks

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j pose no immediate threat to the pubhc.

The rubbing action. Qumton said, is caused by an h g ?Md.@c? t aberrant water flow which only omirs at high levels of

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By HOHs= ARDn SCH m en=NEIDER operation and wbch make some of the tubes begm to vibrate 7pi/> 0 ( .

Technical problems with the VC. Summer nuclear At lower levels of operation, the water flow returns gpd g *?; ' c ' .

p! ant's steam generators will force the facihty to run andefinitely at reduced capacity once it begins operation, to normal and the vibrabon stops, he said.

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according to officials at the South Carchna Electric and The Swedish incident wbch first brought the generator yMsW .;j - -

Gas Co problem to the attention of the nuclear mdustry Mter only

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Although there will probably be no delay in the plant's 8 9 wwks of operauon. Sweden's Ringhals reactor suffered Q

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J) heensing or planned start-up in October. SCE&G othetals a tube rupture and had to be shut down. Qumton said said the generator difficulty might force the 900-megawatt  % estinghouse engmeers isolated the problem then. and

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Jenk;nsville fanhty, which is already four years behmd schedule and $750 milhon over budget, to run at only 50 SCE&G officials were notified of the defect in the D model steam generators in January, be said j f 5.QQMd*W.W , i percent capaaty. Although research ts still bemg done. Quinton said

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• lt looks like a long time before we can go beyond 50 Westmghouse estimates that the generators can be operated at 50 percent capacity without any unusual wear to the

, percent." said Mark Whitaker. SCE&G's general manager JiJ j(p' %, f ,

m' ' for nuclear engineermg and beensing tubes However, he emphasized that the 50 percent figure

<m,e.. 3 might be modified as more research is done.

?Q%n.7 @ M %, f4% ;>7 g,h b i* ' THE PLANT will run at low capacity until the problem.

wheh was discovered in the f all, can be corrected or until n ,8Nf

• m ' 6 % ' DUKE PO%ER CO., which shut down the McCuire dWV ' ' , 1 further research proves that the generators can safely 4f+hg[@?N9P4

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handle lugher operaung levels. Wbtaker said plant after only three months of operation and found that the generator tubes were in fact wearmg thin. Friday will M.; ,h,.<, , 2 He said engmeers at Westmghouse the company which ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission te F y S > d @.n makes the defective generators, are looking for a way to operate at 75 percent capacity once the damaged tubes are GO4 *MdWe*;%Qjb +y fis the problem now, but it as uncertain when a soluuon repa: red. Qumton said

+f W y 9 4~y MJ " ; wi!! be found The mivest will probably be made with the under-

{ W _' (4 g; ,. Whitaker said it is also unclear whether SCE&G or standmg that after a certain period of time the plant will 7yT[y% gj"3 q Westmghouse will pay for repairs to the Summer plant's three steam generators, ubch are 67 feet long. weigh be closed agam and the generators inspected. he added d@dbM iM[6T. %s:i h@Q@, g .j several tons, and are estimated to cost up to several milhon If no tube damage is found. Quinton said it would be safe to assume that the vibrabon only occurs in the 75 to 4;

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~j dollars apfece IH pneent capacity range i MS3 QOp.M < C# However. "Wesunghouse sold us a plant that was Howeser.both Whitaker and Quinton emphasized that M*Ny r, w h # 7 warranted to work." he said If 11 doesn't then SCE4C will the NRC has n8t yet issued an opimon on tae generator

$C.ypp 7 l espect the electronics giant to make any needed repairs. Problem And unut the NRC rules on the subject, predictions q%' { 'k' h~

i y** @M M Q.$. r. ' O' p N' $' Whitaker said the problem poses no immediate radi.

ation or public safet) hazard. but will cost SCE&G "a lot" about whm plants with the defective generators will be DGhMi < / -

allowed to operate are only speculauwe

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in lost revenue bec&use of decreased energy production.

There are no accurate estimates of how much income will Wbtaker said he espects the Summer plant to be ygC* s 4 4 W .'M beensed by the NRC sometime in la;e April or early May p* %ks:U :mhM M c . Q s be lost. he said SCE&G will not have to purchase energy from an At that time, be said the federal agency will specify the i

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g. d 5C)lDgh ,' . .a outside source to make up for the Summer plant's dif-capacity at =Ncb the plant can operate.

Once the beense is obtained. st will take several months.

G- " faculues. Wbtaker said. because the nuclear facihty is

',ht!%, Z1.4  : probably until October, before the plant actually begms 4

)7JWHd.WTy49 W.g wn $ 3;M24 tD WiM ' O& b "y f des:gned to supplement and not replace existing energy

' supphes producmg electricity. Whitaker said Quinton said he is attendmg a meetmg Friday in fxW g%,[ M P^, W SCE&G owns twethirds of the Summer plant's power Pittsburgh where representatnes from the NRC. Rest-Jaj y'o +  ; . genersung capacity, and Santee Cooper owns the rest he ar g%ouse, and nu c lear plant owners will discuss possible j V g?.M f7;4:%f4 4 ts .E said solutaons to the generator ddfaculty l

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Wom tubes in steam generator to' indefinitely delay

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t Design defect O~ full-power use of beleaguered V.C. Summmer plant  ;

Ny CLIF IsBt.ANC canges the tiny tutwo to rub against the H

l, n=rd s.aff Wrtier NRC sanlutIng stundube# metal suppwt plate Bat holds them ta' loom as safety problem for The dlwaovery that anme metal nuclear planta. Page 9C.

place The frkten to wearing them out V br8UOn C8USGS IUb6 Wear prODIem i

tates la a Westingbnuse steam gener. - much act to the N wear probkm in the West-

The ftubes aster than espected' to gocetson are contact with conin.N ator identkal to the one at the V.C. and 3750 million over its original Inghouse steam generator tabra la water la the semndary system.

l, Summer nerlear plant have worn half budget- nurkar reactor itself. '!)cy are in the generators that are located a few feet , complex. but a Snath Carolina Elae- The differenre in temperaturve I way through to five months of opere- trte & Gas Co. engineer erplains it creates steam whkh then as need to tion ts going to indefeltely postpnne "Ot1t MANAGEMFNT is refy I"" - trem the reactor but tmtde the vencter way buildmg The generstars are connected this.the V.C. Sommer plant is drivce fall-power use of the Jenkinsville terewted in the problem, Mktiset plant. to the reactor through the system of tricity.drive the tartene that produces elee. -

Qumton,of the plant's mechanicaland tube *- by a pressurtard water oorlear,reae- But the forte of the watse in the 1 Officials of South Carolina Flectrie norlear engineering dietsen, sand in The design defM has sent West- secondary system - 965 pnnats per li,j & Cas Co.the mapnr owners of the 81.8 characterinns the cornpany a teaction ter'The reactor has two cooling sys- square inch wh6ch flows at shnut 15 blunca, 900' megawatt plant. say they to the latest setback for the Inghouse spectatists erramblir.g to find l; a solution. And the U. S. Neclear Rege- tems called primary and secondary, feet per second - canneg a vthratica do rwt know when the c* sign defert belesgarred Summer factttty. latory Commission is w atchmst for cor- whkh are structurally separata. whee tt circulaten arourid tbe prima-b; will be flued or when the plant will be . The wear on the 4tnch metaltutwo ry system tutes.

able to reach t te percent power capac* le the same problem that has fand rective artma by plant owners. . 1he primary system contalas re- '

(; ity. SCE&G's Qatntoa said Wegt. dioactive water beated to 625 Since theme 41 neb sietal tohes Duke Power Co. to shutdown its inghouse beheves it has made the de. degrees but it is kept ende enough am bM to @ h metal suppnrt McGuire atomic plant af ter only thm

*'I CAN'T even give yne a year." months of operaten to trepect for wear sign change needed to solve the prob. . pressure to prevent it from botimg. plates, g, g ,

the vibration forces the tubes lem, but trata are not complete. p Mark Whitaker, SCE1C's general problems. This superheated water is causing heavy wear of the tubes, ma'iager of nuclear engmerring and Duke is seeking y . o. u-_ , per' ry,n then, he sa64. SCE&G still must decide af the propraed solution is . cirestated ernand the reactor and The engineer said the pattern of licensing. said when athed how anne ' mission restart the plant-cunpany experts tbtnk the plant will The destro defvet also closed down the best for the Summer plant. pumped to a steam generator where tabe s. ear as different froro the way the prtmary system of tabra makes tubes at other plants have vara.

M L" be able to run at fall power. a plant in Sweden where the problem ,$,

THE PRORt.EM ts ant completely However.offsetals said the problem was discovered la October 1981 after will not delay startirp of the Summer only five months of full-power opere- defined " Qwnton said. "The one thmg was the only operating plant in the onctive, a recently published NRC re-y rn l,

f actitty, which is scheduled for Septem- tion. A plant in Spain with the same we don't want to do is to go in and country whkb has the generators in port on steam generator tobe problems 5

ber or October enodel of Westinghouse steam gence.

implement a fix that's not really a fiz." question, shows {

All the affected plants have the Ilowever, 29 plants arvund the ,,,,

The repairitwrsuse Westingbouse will bethepaid for by problem stor to at about alsohalfcitwed power. but now is ogerating model D" Westinghouse steam gence- country that are under TYPICAL M Gun 1Y, in the United States. (,

the result of a dessgo defect and the ators lspecifically models b2 and D3), plan to use the "D" model and 15 have leaks of that kind require plant shut-generatori are ender warranty, The affected tahru, whict carry which have been in use anywherein the the &2 and &2, according to as to- down if the leak reuhes I gallon per gap,that, radioactive water, are wear- world only atmut 1% years, according dustry listing minute, as NRC spokesman said.

4 Although SCE&C will not be faced ing heartly from the outside because Weetinghouse spokesman John Burk.

with paymg for repairs, it does not of etbrations art rif by the force of The Swedish plant had been operat- The stae of leakages that require The Summer plant has rnodel R3.

know bow much money the delay in tooling water rushmg around them, Ing at mere than 50 percent power only shutdown vary dependmg 'm the steam bringing the plant to fall power will according to engineers. But Qumton said the problem la five moreths when the tubes ruptared ' generator design, spokesman Joe cost the company. likely to plague "D" models 2 through and leaked 2 6 gallom of radioactive G61hland explamed.

S. water per mmute ants the plant's see-The plant already ts four years late THE MOTION frorn the water The McCutre plant near Charlotte ondary water system which as not radt- (See SI'MMER Pt. ANT. g-A)

p g .'

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f;>

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• A 1 -

y. g 1 .-

o j SA THE CCLUMBLA RECORD Wednesday, March 10,1982 4

f q

. Summer plant (Cumen==aa from t.A) startsp, company siockholders may exists, but Quinton added,"We're not ,

get a di!!erent impremman when they going to do anything en jeopardae I he NRCreport says that about100 Toad the 1981 annual report. those unita." 1 i;

• inbes in the Swedish plant were af- "!be company has not completed Dry concede, however, the com. 1 1

+

facted and about 45 "have wall reduc

• tts mment of the effect of this pany anticipated full-power opearauon tions of grestar than H percenL" development on the NRC's granting of when the September timetable was Each of the three Westingboose an operating license or the company's annocaced last year.

generators at the Sammer plant has current schedule for commercial oper. Den at half. power, however, the 4.874 tabes, the manufacturw said. ation," the annual report, just off the summer plant would still be half as big as SCEarG's largest conventional plant, In an optimistic note, he said the pr== says.

dec!gn problem is not golag to affect "However, it is likely to result in the company said.

i the plant's timetable through Jan.1, delay to the granting of the heense, fuel Despite the annual report, Clark 1983.

loading and the ._ =- =t of and other SCFAC officials say the tube De stility stm preqhets the plant commercial operations or in the im- problem will not become an issue in the will be licensed and be operating con > poaluon of conditions to such license." licensing of the plant.

Company spokesman C, E."Boddy" "So far," the spokesman said. "we mercially in September e October 2H2. Clart explained the discrepancy as have no todication from the NRC that

,4 toeding the nuclear reactor with stility offkials painting the " worst the license will be withheld because of feel, tasting it at low power, and oper- picture" for stockholders this."

i ating the plant at a sa.fe level of power %enerally, annual reports are Whitaker, the utility's manager of I are expected to conticoe on schedule, more pessimistic rather than op- suelear a4-ing and beensing timistic" Cark said of the report agreed. .

l Quinton said. ' De Atomic Safety and 13ceesing which catJnes the company's econom-

_ , q Board is now deliberating whether it

- "5E WHL have comp)eted testing te outlook. should OK a heense for the plant and 2

and be at H pertent power by Jea.1" d.

BUT CLARE a4ded qeIek1y, a decision is expected in a month to six 93 ,

Quinton aald. ' "! hat's still not to say that there weeka.

-1 Burk,the Westinghouse spokomman said the tube problem seems to crop up couldn't be (further de%ys as projected only when plants are operated at more in the annual renth WBITAEER SAID the board Utility effleMis say they do not learned of the problem in the Swedish

. j than H percent power. in Janucy dunng the closing Den thocgh company officials know how close to full power they can of the hearirgs.

maintain the problem will not delay run the plant as long as the defect

.} '"fbe board chose not to raise that Issue. So you can say a decision not to

. -]I. act is a decision not to make an lasue out of it," Whitaker seid.

Concerns about wear on tubes in I acelear power planta, parucularly older ones, are drawing growing atten-

' tion in the atomic todustry and in

' goverment circles.

,1 i 8 he NRC conalders tube wear "an

' anresolved safety issue," but the report said that " continued operauon and

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^

I licensing do not constitute an undue M'W . T l i risk to the health and safety of the Tf? " - ( public."

V Just last week in testimony before y'-)5. '

,s .

q a congressional sabeommitteee, Nunzio J. Palladso, chairtnan of the

,' NRC, said, "There's no question that the problem looms as more senous than we might have thought a few

^s. , years ago."

7' )

Harold Denton, former NRC chair-

- h@ ,

man and now director of the agency's nuclear reactor regulation division.

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, il i testified that the nabon should expect nacre leaks like the one at the Ginna plant near itM*=ter, N.Y. In late

-r OF ,

January.

. "We haven't yet learned a!! the i

, ' f "" 9 causes (of tube leaka)," Denton told the l

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= , House energy and power subcommit-s 4 - ;a , See. l

- V MG. cenerally, tube wear has been -

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caused by the interschon of chemicals WIM t Vf : ,, 4 JKI la the cooling water, tube system de- ~

(amp b MM$4 [MG V n N , c ' ' s2jd. -

sign and the kind of materials used.

accord;ng to the NRC report pubhshed y 7 c. y q ,w 7 -

la February.

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g ggech3gjCal wear such as the

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD In the Matter of: )

) Docktt No. 50 - 395 SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC AND GAS )

COMPANY, et al. ) -

)

(Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, )

Unit 1)

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE PERSONALLY appeared before me, John C. Ruoff, who does affirm that he did on this 9th day of April 1982 serve copies of the attached " Petition to Intervene and Request for Hearings" by first class mail, postage prepaid, upon the following persons:

Herbert Grossman, Esq. Steven C. Goldberg, Esq.

Chairman, Atomic Safety and Licensing Office of the Executive Legal Board Director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Washington, DC 20555 Dr. Frank F. Hooper Randolph Mahan, Esq.

School of Natural Resources South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.

University of Michigan P.O. box 764 Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Columbia, SC 29218 Mr. Gustave A. Linenberger Joseph B. Knotts, Jr.

Member, Atomic Safety and Licensing Debevoise & Liberman Board Panel 1200 Seventeenth St. NW U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20036 Washington, DC 20555 Richard P. Wilson Chairman, Atomic Safety and Assistant Attorney General Licensing Board Panel SC Attorney General's Office U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 11549 Washington, DC 20555 Columbia, SC 29211 l Samuel J. Chilk Mr. Brett Allen Bursey l Secretary Rt. 1, Box 93 C U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Little Mountain, SC 29076 Washington, DC 20555 l

l w -w

~

. Mr. Chase R. Stephens Office of the Secretary Docketing and Service Section U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Washington, DC 20555 .

AFFIRMED to before me this h day of April 1982.

14 Jn]

NOTARYPUBLl(/FORSOUTHCAROLINA(L.S.)

My Comission Expires: <# d#/ 8fd

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