ML20126C917

Emergency Request for Public Hearing Prior to Alteration of Current Experimental & Operational Status of TMI-2 Not in Accordance W/Tech Specs,App A.Serious Tech Specs Violations Have Resulted in Current Degraded Reactor Core

ML20126C917
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	04/27/1979
From:	Kepford C Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power
To:	NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20126C914	List: ML20126C911 ML20126C917 ML20126C920
References
NUDOCS 8004140067
Download: ML20126C917 (5)

Text

. .

~ y . . .

, ENCLOSURE 1 g f,

secznta -

4 APR 2.71979 > r D40 unzTm STATES OF AMr:RICA pg , 4 NUCLEAR REGUIATORY COECSSION suvice sacca -

p.

scc u ac 2 .* a Is 05

)  %

In b Hatter of ) '

. .. . .10 xETROPOUTAN mISON COMPANI, g g*

)

Dooket No.50-32o (Three Mile T=1 =ad Nuclear Station, .

. mit 2) ) - -

REUEST TO THE DIRECTOR OF NUCUAR REACTOR REGUIATION ,'

g .

wa0Encr Actron nr Tar uvCuAR Rmu14 Torr CaeISSzm .

f This is an anergency request for frssadiate action by the Nuclear .

Regulatory Comission (HRC), brought undersSec u2 .. 202(a)(1) and 2.206(a) m of the Comission's hies and under Sec.186 3of W Atcad.c mergy Act (A13) ..

as amended. As a resu2t, of tuo nos.r catastrophe at the Three Nile Island.

Nuclear uenerating Station, unit z (THi-2) on March 28, 1979, sztensive "- ---

damage to h reactor oore af TMI-2 has been reported (See, for example, testiacugr of Mr. Darry11 idisenhut before the Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation of W Senate Committee on Environment and Public !! arks, April 10, 1979, and NRC IE Bulletin 79-0$&,

es/ 9 April,1979. See also W-Marton Post, April 8,,1979.) Events which have been public27 reported d nce about April 4, ly7y, have suggested a stable situation with fission product decay heat being slowly but adequately removed from b damaged core af TML-2. The purpose of this amargsney

~

petition is to request h Commissica to hold public hearings prior to activation of any plans to alter in any vsy the current (i.e., as of April 23,1979) experimental and operational status of T!G-2 not in ancordance with h published Technical Specifications of THI-2. (Appendix A 800414006"I

my 1 . . .

. 7 -g. .

/

to I4censo No. DPR-73, Febmary 8, 1978).

b Intervenors observe ht the Rules of the. Commission contain Procedures for the modification of a license, mWification of the technical specifications, r.ad for experimental proCrams.at licensed facilities. See ~

Parts 50.5hte), (f), th), (n); 50.5y sa), Ib>, (c): and 50.90, 50 71, and -

so. loo.

Interest

• The Interrenors in the 22-2 operating lic ense proceeding which is not yet completed--the Tark Consnittee for's Safe Environment and the Citisans for a Safe Envirossment (both of which:are member groups of: h Ehviromental Coalition on Uuclear rower (32TPJ--have members, as does 3CEP, vno live inl ,

tne vicinity of THI-2, within ~a distance 'of ;about o.75 mL1, cf W facility. ,

. s These Int =rvenors, now to be joined by their p: rent organis'ation, ECN?j are fully ante of the health dangersof cont $$ing releases of radioactive ' -

materials from.this nuclear facili1r and believe ht any procedural or opere=

tional changes from the status gaay bE eheet***1y dang to their i

healthandsafety,includingthepossibilityofdeathbyacutaradiation.}

injury, should the proposed experia' ental procedures or operations fail or initiate further damage to the' reactor . These Intervanors and Petitioners -

~

assert that their interest will be affected by future experimentations at' ".",E-W. -

Concerns of the Interr$mors '

S - '

~

1. Serious viol,tions of W Technical Specifications (Tech. Specs.)

.m by the licensee have already occurred which have led to h, current degraded 3

conditions of h D!I-2 reactor core. Any' change fram the current reactor core ,,

e e M ing a thod either to convective cooling cr to the use of higher pi- 4nt j speed, now constitutes a new Mtk situation whose safety implications I are unexplored sad uneva.1nated, as[any Sidh change or changes in procedures i

andoperationsarethereforenot!doveredk...theTech. Specs,oftheoperating .

l License presently in affeet. g; 3

j

.. v

{; ..

l

. I >

l i

s .

M' ^ ' ' " ' '

- " . . ~ - - , _,

~ . e.- .

w. . -J.

+

g, a

_ r, j.' ,

2. Due to ti , condition of the aere.and uncertainty d .

, 1.P

. tation accur 2,=c, Wre is no assursace that ocavective cooling .

w can or will remove decay heat rapidly enough from those regioniidhere ..

coolut water flow ranges from being restricted to ,being blocked. une ,

possible conseemence of a failure of convective cooling asy bc W necessisy of restarting h pump or punps, currently in operation, or the restarting of additional pumps, which conId lead to unevaltated consequences, such as a disruption or rearrangement of what M 4ns:of dranged fuel penets. 'The potential exists. for a possible rapid' reactivity insertf.on, followed by n- .

estastrophic nuclear excursion or runaway; has potential results of* altered procedures require full safety evaluation prior to underwng any cha$s 'in-

• the aaa'4"! mode. .

3. A further consequence of h failure of crmrective cooling may be core overheating, acco=panied by more fuel rod cladding reaction with water ,

Y and st,esa. This reaction produces not only large quantities of hydrogen gas, -

[ but taso is'a~ potential source of largs- ts cc energy. There is a. . . .

n

{ poss3bility, if h reaction begins, ht this energr can be ' generated .at a. .

Again, a .

J rate faster than this heat een be removed by convective coa 14ng.

need to restart p*ng sc lead to unintended, and potentially catastrophie, ,

• s

( consecuences, yet uneralustEd as required by IEC rules and the Atcaic Ibergy Act.

k. Due to the unusual ability of the hydrogen aton and molecule to ~~

5 penetrate and emMna with many metals, the possibility sxf.sti tisit,7 due ts the large quantitiesof lydWen present in the pressure vessel under relatively high pressures (perhaps up to 2000 p.s.i.s and. 2.t teneratures in W neighbore i boca of 500 to 600 degrees F. on or about Harch 3D,1979, through April 2,1977, tly a-4d=*able quantities cf hydrogen may Imve penstrated, and subsequen embrittled, h pressure vessel. As a resu2. of this posd.ble enbrittlement, the reactor pressurevessel may now not have the'structarsi c=n=W4t(of '

1siths+=~44ag pressurisation, shool'd pressurisation become ne'cessary due to l .

9 e

b y O b s

_ _ . - - _ _ - _ - - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - _ _ _ _ _ .- _ L O

n..- . .

. ,. . s._ _.

,8 '

insufficiently evaltated axperimental procedures.

~..- _ .

5. similarly, m hir.h hydro:en eressures, coebined with relatively high tcssper tures, asy have caused hydro::en embritticment of unexidi cd fuel cladding. ,

6. As a result of the fuel cladding- steam reaction already completed and associated hi;;h tc=peratures (d.000F. to perhaps 3000 degrees T.) the $nternal structural components of the top areas of the core may be seriously wea: caned -

due to oxidation or embrittisment. Again, should reflooding of the core prove -

l necessary, if convective cooling fai3s , unanticipated new problems and I unevaluated results may occur, none the least of which may be the recently announced core lift phenomenon identified in debcock and Wilcox reactors.

Relief Renuested ,

. gar 4* % $$W'ft!*d.** 90 0 CGM *.2

~

1. h Interrenors reonest that a. Safety Evaluation Report be made available to the Interrenors and to the public prior to any further l experimentation at TIE-2 which may affect the health and safety of the public.

2. h Interrenors request that a public hearing be held prior to l

any further experimentation at DC-2.

3. h Interrenors request that they and their special censultant be informed prior to av further experimentation or change of licensed procedures

- or other altaration of the facility which may affect .the health and safety of the public.

h. The Interveners also request that, prior to any further experimen-tation at DE-2, the public be evacuated from any areas ht would be,affected, .

shouX the ersariment fail and control of h reactor be lost.

J O 4 0

%/

.x :. .., .

e9-

.I, U

,' the intervonora requ5st <'that, a.n+arrar,of live, real-time radiation -- 4:.m .

~

dettgtssa.:be denlopo'd in the vicinity 1of SL2.and 'oub to a radius of..hD , , , '. & ,

mLlos to measure ra'Aiiation levels in areas inhere exposures N ~

place but are not measured by the Ccuenission.* ', . . .

6. The Intervenars request that the N3C order and rt_gmy enforce an immediate halt to the conti* lunannouncel releases of radioactive materials fran SL2, :nd that public announcenant be recaired prior to ary further planned releases of radioactive materials from EG2. .

7. Lastly, in order to swe time andcto expedite matters, Interveners

• request that all communications be directed to the authorized represer.tatife'of;) ~

the Intervssors, Dr. Channogy Espfadd, Is33 Criando Avenue, State College, N-1d80 7, to the special consultant of the Interdimersf,

, j(81h)237-3900, and, simul wm =7 Dr. Richard Webb, 2658111th St., Toledo, Ohiolu611 (L19) 729-232h AND 7"o ,

. cowsEL 1's M. Nasa; tossar trMy ssq, itst tvNr. sr .etses /WMaanmq

},l 9Em1LYANI$ l1ief, (24th & gy .{sf443-gfgg

-i; a peettuu r sahmitted, -

hw,,$fh

~

Chauncey R. Espford ,

h33 orland.

-- state conese, ta.16aca ,

- - .. (alk)237-3900 .

• \

_ i 1

.. j 2?

nated this dar of April,1979. 1 _

l TheZ~ l.ee.s.sswr, a.aJa f<. Iig a. 6.u.a. t.* Jy & fi=~ f"h

. . R 2y. f.:lka, ml D. f.a.. ( &< t.a.y .anJ s.aue~ %o iff b .

.usJ4.ha *hsju+ifta.s allea. Na j.mJ!g ae1+fd M I " ** * *

.re CG.s.L. ./c..ific.

i /f 71. !u /m Q. Sc %ju- au./ $ y s*** f ~ '

. ea:wIb<l fe, 4. L /<es .s., s, W Gisa, ./.li& 4+. .

1

.e i

. 1 J