ML20126M690
| ML20126M690 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/01/1979 |
| From: | Harrison G Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Benaroya V Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19250G967 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-81-201 NUDOCS 8106190361 | |
| Download: ML20126M690 (2) | |
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UNITED STATES j
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'MEM0RAfbuMFOR:V. Benaroya, Chief Auxiliary Systems Branch, DSS j
FROM:
Gregory A. Harrison Auxiliary Systems Branch, DSS
SUBJECT:
'SANDIA EXPERTISE IN FIRE PROTECTION; COMMENTS ON
REFERENCE:
LETTER FROM MR. G. R. OTEY, MGR. OF LWR SAFETY DEPARTMENT, TO DR. T. E. M'JRLEY, DIRECTOR, DRSR, 1
DATED 4' APRIL 1979 WITH ENCLOSURES l
l-I have read the referenced letter which discusses certain issues raised in GA0 report E-16410S, dated March 7,1979. Sandia's defensive posture is quite understandable in tenns of'its. thrust and its motivation.
I wish to offer a counterpoint opinion.
My experience with and exposure tn Sandia's fire protection research I'
efforts for NRC prompts the fo" comments:..
J 1._
Sandia, although a most competu.c organization, is 'not a generally recognized fire protection research authority. Who is? Well, examples would include UL, FM, University of Ohio, University of Maryland, Southwest Research Institute, National Bureau of Standards, et. al; 2.
Sandia has been reluctant to fully utilize the services of qualified fire protection engineers (Would you want a PhD electrical engineer
/.
designing a high-rise structure or a reservoir?). To illustrate, Sandia has perfonned under Contract No. A1080 composed of four tasks that involved studies of fire detection, ventilation systems, fire barriers, and fire hazards analysis. The results clearly indicate that Sandia did not use appropriately qualified fire protection engineers in their study fannulation. Their fire hazards analysis report would be an exception to this criticism, however.
Furthennore, these tasks required a high number of Yellow Ticket man-hours by myself and others in performing the technical reviews of the draft reports.
This review
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V. Benaroya-g gg79 effort modified the task report contents and thrust considerably. The bottom line on this contract is that NRC will soon have four final fire protection studies (NUREGS) of marginal academic value and of little value to the N',C licensing process. -
,3.
Sandia does not have adequate full scale fire research test facilities and, additionally, is 'only on the beginning of the learning curve in fire research studies or fire protection engineering' studies.
4.
The wisdom'and cost benefit of having Sandia contract out 'certain fire tests to UL (or to any other qualified laboratory) escapes me.
The september,1978 fire test at UL is a case in point.
The quick-look report wasn't quick and the bureacracy involved.setween NRC, RES, Sandia and.UL was definitely not efficient, needed, or required to produce the final output obtained.
On balance and in summary, I feel that the.recent GA0 report has some valid i
cont.ents in regards to the NRC fire protection research effort at Sandia.
In response to.Mr. Otey's comment (enclosure 1) that "We believe it would hav'e been difficult to find another organization....," I would suggest that there are a number of highly competent fire research organizations; in particular, the Center for Fire Research at the National Bureau of Stan-dards (see attachment).
The Center for Fire Research has an excellent reputation in. fundamental and applied fire research, the development of fire technology, and. has extensive experience in. full scale fire research.
t i! Finally, the use of the Center for Fire Research at NBS for future NRC fire t
protection research (especially the recently proposed full scale fire tests) would be in concert with the U.S. Congressiona} Econoitiy Act of 1958, Public Law 93-498, and the Lesislative Act establishing the Department of Comerce.
Also, it would be energy efficient and easily monitored from a contract-l management viewpoint.
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.O Gregory A. Harrison.
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Auxiliary Systems Branch
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Division of Systems Safety cc:
T. Murley P. Matthews V. Stello D. Fischer R. Mattson R. Ferguson G. Arlotto G. Bennett S. Hanauer R. Feit V. Moore D. Notley R.-Vollmer E. Sylvester R. Satterfield A. Hintze C. Long 9%
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