ML20126E650

Notification of or Energy Facility Siting Council Special Meeting & Hearing on 930105 & 06 in Portland,Or to Discuss Tnp SG Tube Cracking Issue,Interim SG Tube Plugging Criteria & Issues from Current Forced Outage.Agenda Encl

ML20126E650
Person / Time
Site:	Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png
Issue date:	12/18/1992
From:	Stewartsmith OREGON, STATE OF
To:	OREGON, STATE OF
References
NUDOCS 9212290246
Download: ML20126E650 (7)

Text

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DEPAllTMENT OF Date: December 18,1992 To: Interested Parties From: Dave Stewart Smith )j

Subject:

Special meeting and 11 earing of the Energy Facility Sidng Council The Energy Facility Siting Council wil1 hold a r.pecial meeting on January 5 6,1993, to discuss the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant (see enclosed agenda). 'Ihe purpose of the i meeting is to determine whether or not there are scientific and technical grounds for objecting to the restart of the plant.

The Trojan plant has been down since November 9 for steam generator tube repairs.

Since then, information on a difference of professional opinion within the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has become available. Drs.11openfeld and Muscara of the NRC have each raised concerns regarding the integrity of steam generator tubes at _

l nuclear plants. In addition, PGE has analyzed additional data which may be useful in considering the basis for plant restart.

The special meeting will be a structured public hearing designed to give Council members and 'wited participants an opportunity to exchange and question technical information and opinion. Representatives from PGE, PGE consultants, and the NPC will be available to answer questions.

Christine Ervin, Director of the Oregon Department of Energy,-has asked NRC Chairman Ivan Selin for participation of Co.nmission staff including Dr.11openfeld, Dr.

Muscara, and other appropriate staff from NRC. NRC officials have indicated their willingness to support EFSC deliberations. Other invited participants include Dr. Robert Pollard of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Dr. Steven llanauer of Technical Analysis Corporation, and Dr, Jose Reyec, Oregon State University.

Members of the public are welcome to attend and encouraged to submit questions or conur.cnts in writing to the Council Secretary by " q;;' "-

December 29 for advanced distribution to participants. Additional I

written questions and comments can be submitted during the hearing. . 52h There will also be opportunity for the public to offer comments directly pertaining to the issues under discussion.

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n f)EPARTMI:NT OF l.NERGY Date: Cecember 15,1992 To: EFSC Members ,

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From: Dave Stewart Smith .

Subject:

Trojan Plant problems and proposed hearings PGE announced on December 4 its plans to keep the Trojan plant closed for the remainder of this month. We believe EFSC should hold a special hearing to discuss the issues in a public forum. We suggest a two day meeting on January 5 and 6. His memo highlights various issues concerning this most recent development: the NRC proposed

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actiort and our reasons for proposing an EFSC public hearing. Pye also included copies of several documents surrounding the NRC internal dissent issue previously shared with the EFSC members attending the NRC/EFSC meeting at Trojan on December 1.

Please call Mike Graincy or me if you have questions or concerns.

An internal NRC document known as a differing professional opinion (DPO), was given to the Union of Concerned Scientists two weeks ago. It outlined the concerns of a Dr.

Ilopenfeld. In the NRC's Office of Research. Ile is concerned about the ability of-Trojan steam tubes to withstand the effects of a serious accident in the plant's steam system. This document and apparent disagreement within the NRC has been the subject of much public concern and media attention recently. De matter of Trojan's license amendment request and Dr. liopenfeld's DPO are related but separate issues.

I thought it would be useful to bring you up to date on the issues raised by Dr.11openfeld, what requests have been made as a result of

. his concerns, and some discussion of those issues.

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EFSC Members December 15, 1992 Page 2 ~

Ilackground Dr. Ilopenfeld is an expert in metal corrosion and a field of engineering known as thermohydraulles. This is a field dealing with the movement at water and the work done by that movement.

We contacted Dr. Ilopenfeld by telephone. Ile readily admits to not having the

" big picture" when it comes to licensing decisions.111s concerns deal with his specific technical specialty, and are based on his judgement that the volume of data is not sufficient to provide adequate assurance of safety. lie is complementary of the freedom he has been given by the NRC to pursue his concerns. lie has said the agency has been 100% open on the matter.

IIIs concern is based on the small cracks in Trojan's steam generator tubes. lie feels the tubes have been sufficiently weakened to call into question their strength if faced with an immediate,large increase in pressure. Such an increase could be -

the result of a break in the main steam line to the turbines.

De scenario would involve a difficult to control break in the main steam line.

The sudden decrease in secondary side pressure would then cause many small leaks in the weakened tubes. Primary reactor coolant would leak from the damaged tubes, and deplete cooling capacity to the point where the reactor core could not be kept covercJ. If the operators were not able to bring the leak under control before the supply of emergency coolant is depleted then fuel melting or damage could result. The radioactivity in the fuel would be released to the environment via the leaking tubes.

Dr. Ilopenfeld criticized NRC's decision to allow Trojan to operate last year based on this scenario, lie looked at the available data, talked to the licensing staff responsible for making the decision to allow restart in early 1992, and concluded there was not enough data to support the conclusion, lie feels additional work should be done prior to Trojan restart.

Enclosed is Dr.11openfeld's original memo to NRC management, along with the work he did to support his conclusions. Also included is a discussion of similar concerns raised by a second NRC scientists, Dr. Joseph Muscara. We have also included NRC staff responses to these concerns.

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EFSC M' embers December 15, 1992 Page 3 hulc G abul issues to be resolved are:

Is there sufficient information to conclude that Trojan's steam generator tubes could withstand the main steam line accident without significant leakage?

Is the available data of sufficient quality to support NRCs licensing action?

Ilas the NRC been fair in considering Dr. Ilopenfeld's concerns?

Are there sufficient plans, procedures and equipment in place to allow the safe shutdown of the reactor in the event of Dr. Ilopenfeld's scenario?

Discussian Dr. Ilopenfeld raises new concerns about existing issues. We were aware of the extent of the data early this year, and of NRCs reliance on the data to support their licensing decision. While the data is limited, it is good information, and supports PGE's contention that a main steam line break would not cause sufficient stress on the steam generator tubes to cause rupture or significant leak.

Tubes must be able to withstand three times normal operating pressures. All of the tubes pulled from Trojan steam generators met this test, and the tubes tested were among the worst tubes in terms of the extent of cracking.

Additional data involving tube extraction from steam generators would be nice, but hard to come by. Many tubes PGE tried to remove from the steam generators would not budge. The more tubes pulled, the fewer tubes there are that could be repaired and returned to service cooling the core as designed. This is an important part of responding to an accident. PGE is the only plant that has gone to this extent to define the problems with its steam generators. Other plants arguably have the same conditions, but much less data with which to understand them.

Dr. Ilopenfeld would like to see additional testing to put the issue to rest. lie does not believe that it is possible to provide adequate assurance that the tubes can withstand a Main Steam Line llreak event, and that permission to operate should be based on a thorough review of the operators' ability to handle a Main

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s EFSC Mernbers '

December 15,1992 Page 4 i

Steam Une Hrcak coupled with multiple tube failures. Iic feels that all of the data is empirical, that is based on measurements, not theory, and that the statistics are poor. Ile is troubled by a less than complete understanding -)f the mechanism of crack initiation and growth.

Dis is an area where much is being learned, and we are watching one of the '

main latmratories at work. The issue of stress corrosion cracking is highly technical, and the NRC is throwing a lot of resources at the probicm. Uccause of this, we chose to stay familiar with what they were doing, but not to try to do analysis well outside of our own areas of expertise.

In issues this new and complex, there will be professional disagreements. if we saw no such agreements, we would be concerned that either the issue was not being adequately investigated, or that minority opinion was being suppressed.

Recommendations - ~

If the NRC will agree, we believe there is benefit to a public hearing with all of the opinions, including Dr. Ilopenfeld's, present. It would be I primarily a technical exchange the public would be welcome to watch. The EFSC chair would allow for structured public comment as well.

The NRC must still make licensing decisions based on at least partly contradictory evidence. We need to be assured that all of the data is considered, and that there are adequate assurances the plant could withstand a major accident.

Such an exchange should take place prior to plant restart.

EFSC Members and other interested parties are urged to review PGE's application for Technical Specification change, dated December 1991. This =

submittal contains the data used by NRC to determine Trojan's ability to operate safely with interim tube plugging criteria. The use of these criteria is at the center of the controversy.

cc: M. Grainey

A Umgm; DEPARTMENT ' OF ;

ENERGY t

December 17,1992 Ivan Selin Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Chairman Selin:

t I would like to invite Commission staff to attend a special meeting of Oregon's Energy Facility Siting Council to discuss matters related to the Trojan Nuclear Plant. He Siting Council has announced its intention to hold a special meeting in Portland, Oregon on the 5th and 6th of January,1993. I have enclosed an agenda for your information.

Recent questions surrotmding the matter of the Trojan Nuclear Plant steam generator-tube cracking will be the subject of the meeting. In addition,we would like an ; ~

opportunity to understand the concerns of two members of the NRC Research Office regarding stress corrosion cracking in PWR steam generators. Drs. Ilopenfeld, and Muscara of that Office have raised questions we wish to understand better at it relates to Trojan's steam generators. We would like to request their presence at this special meeting.

In addition, we would like the opportunity to ask questions of your technical and licensing staffin the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

The NRC's presence in many past meetings of the Council has been invaluable. My staff and yours have forged a working relationship that benefits everyone. My sincere thanks' for your past and future support.

Sincerely, lume j.Sok ~==

Christine A. Ervin -

Director 625 Marion Street NE Salem, OR 97310 (503) 3704NO FAX (503) 373-7806 -

TDD (90p78-4040 '

Toll rne 1 800-221-8035 -

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,r;--Ul OREGON ENERGY FACILRY SITING COUNCIL E:SlPOEu0 I A L MEETING- .

AGENDA Oregon Convention Center Room A100 777 Martin Luthor King Jr. Divd.

Portland, Oregon January 5 and G,1993 9:30 a.m.

1. Annquac9nlgnts.

2. Dlacuanlon.11cmal

a. Overview of Trojan Steam Generator Tube Cracking issue

b. Trojan interim Steam Generator Tube Plugging Criteria, and restart issues -

from the current forced outage.

3. Eubjlc Comment:

Interested parties are encouraged to submit written questions and comments to the Council Secretary prior to the special meeting.

Comments and questions received by December 29 for a malling to the Council will be sent to invitec participants.

4. Gaunc1LDJacussion and ouestions of thp_particjpailla.

Is there Council objection to plant restat?

! 5. Eollow un Issues from the ditcntston items. and oublic coniment

6. Final Pqblic Comment Period:

Public comment is limited to the issues discussed at this special meeting of the Council.

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E80Oda 625 Marion Street, N.E. , Salem. Oregon 97310 CJ30 ,

Telephone (503)378-4040 Toll Free 1-800 221-8035 Fax (503)373 7806 &*

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Anyone may ask the Council to formally address relevant issues at future meetings. To ask the Council to discuss an issue, call or write: . l Administrator Facility Regulation Division Oregon Department of Energy- '!

. 825 Marion Street NE Salem, OR 97310 Toll-Free: 1-800-221-8035 in Salem: 378-6469 Be sure to include information about why the issue should be on the agenda.

Your request should be submitted two weeks before the next Counoll meeting. :

Requests that the Council take action on an issue should be submitted to the Administrator in writing at least 20 days before the next meeting, for w action at _the subsequent meeting. The Council Chair will rule on both d kinds of requests. '

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) y > '- 7j 4 1993 TENTATWE MEETING DATES AND LOCATIONS I

8 March 12 Aptti23 June 4-July 18 August 27 ocentwr s -

November 19 N* D***mber Meeting

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