ML20137E016
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March 13, 1980 TO: Dave Okrent Chet Siess FROM: Paul Shewmon
SUBJECT:
PIPING BEHAVIOR DURING EARTHQUAKES REF: HEH0: E. Rodabaugh to E. Igne, dated Fobruary 27, 1980 Comnents on Plant Arrangenents Subcocraittee Meeting of '
February 21,1980(Attached)
Questions of the adequacy of reactor seismic design at the SSE is of con-corn to all of us. It's led to the big research program NRC has at LLL.
It apparently will come up in consideration of the risk of operating the Zion and Indian Point reactors because Dave feels there is a significant chances of the SSE occurring during the life of the plant. This concerns him because he isn't sure the plant woQld successfully cope with an earth-quake at or above the SSE. I'm much more sanguine because I feel there is a large uncredited safety margin in the ductility and work hardening capa-bility of the piping. I have much less feeling for the rest of the plant.
The reference memo is by a very capable consultant in this area. I found it quite interesting and commend it to you, if you didn't see it.
I haven't yet gotten to the meeting of the overview committee of the sels-mic program but hope the program will answer questions raised by Rodabaugh:
- 1) (pg. 4) "In rqy opinion, an NRC task to evaluate what has happened to j
piping during earthquakes would be more useful to ACRS perspective of the subject than any ongoing NRC program on ssismic evaluations."
- 2) (pg. 4) "What happens "to piping when it is subjected to severe dynamic loads from any source? ... the particular data I am interested in was
. perhaps developed by the U.S. Navy ...? "I would suggest, if it has not
- aircady been attempted, that ACRS request NRC staff to see if such data .
might be availabic. Possibly such data might also be relevant to what happens to pressure vessels, pumps, valves, instruments, etc.
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Dave Okrent Chet Siess In closing, let me add one more question. Our central concern is the prob-ability of the ESF of a reactor to survive an earthquake at or above the SSE.
Is tfRC doing anything leading to answers on.this? Professor Cornel at MIT had a contract on it but I've never seen any written report and have the impression he never wrote a final report.
I'll try to make your next meeting, but in case I don't. I'd appreciate your bringing up these questions.
cc: ACRS Members E. Igne ACRS R. Budnitz , RES R. Savio , ACRS r
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