ML20140C705

Forwards Description of Confirmatory Lab Testing Program for Category 1 Backfill,Per 840606 Telcon.Util Will Enter Into Agreement W/Law Engineering Testing Co to Conduct Testing

ML20140C705
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	06/13/1984
From:	Foster D GEORGIA POWER CO.
To:	Adensam E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
GN-376, NUDOCS 8406190419
Download: ML20140C705 (5)

Text

Georgia Power Company 333 P.ecrnont Avenue Atlaria, Georgia 30308

.. Tele.; hone 404 S20-7726 g

' Marl ng Addrew

' Post Off ce Box 4545 -

Atlanta, Georg'a 30302 L Georgia Power D. O. faster the southem electrc system Vice P.esident and General Manager

. Vogtle Project June 13, 1984 Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation File: X2BA06 Attention: Ms. Elinor G. Adensam, Chief X2BE02

. Licensing Branch 4 Log: GN-376 Division of Licensing U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 NRC DOCKET NUMBERS 50-424 AND 50-425 CONSTRUCTION PERMIT NUMBERS CPPR-108 AND CPPR-109 V0GTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT - UNITS 1 AND 2 TESTING PROGRAM FOR CATEGORY 1 BACKFILL

Dear Mr. Deriton:

Pursuant to our telecon with Ms. Miller and.Mr. Kane of the NRC staff on June 6,1984, Georgia Power Company is transmitting the attached description of the Confirmatory Laboratory Testing Program For Category 1 Backfill.

We will keep Ms. Miller informed of the testing schedulc.

Yours ruly, D. O. Foster D0F/ JAB /sw Attachment xc: R. A. Thomas

0. Batum W. R. Ferris M. Malcom M. A. Perovich

'W. T. Nickerson H. H. Gregory, III G. F. Trowbridge, Esquire J. - E. Joiner W. F. Sanders C. A. Stangler 0I L.- Fowler J. P. O'Reilly dt M. A. Miller l 8406190419 840613 PDR ADOCK 05000424 A PDR

ATTACHMENT

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V0GTLE ELECTRICAL GENERATING PLANT UNITS 1 & 2 i CONFIRMATORY LABORATORY TESTING PROGRAM FOR CATEGORY l BACKFILL INTRODUCTION As part of their evaluation of the backfill compaction data, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has requested confirmatory laboratory L testing to be performed by an independent laboratory using standard procedures on representative samples of Category 1 backfill material.  ;

-The purpose of the testing is to verify maximum dry density values used by Georgia Power Company (GPC) to determine the degree of compaction

• achieved in the field. A total of fourteen samples, representative of the Category 1 backfill material, will be tested. The testing will be performed by an independent testing laboratory acceptable to the NRC, GPC and Bechtel. A brief description of the testing progras is given below.

GPC and Bechtel submitted the names of three laboratories and NRC v.lected: i Law Engineering Testing Company f I

396 Plasters Ave. N.E. '

P.O. Box 13260 l' Atlanta, Georgia 30324 Telephone: (404) 873-4761

! ~ GPC shall enter into an agreement with Law Engineering Testing Company f

. to c.arry out the testing and determine the dates when the work will ,

( be done. A conference call between SCS, GPC, Bechtel' NRC and Law i Engineering Testing Company on June 6 reviewed the scope of the testing

( and this document includes the agreed to revisions discussed in that  ;

i telephone call.

I The testing laboratory shall perform the required testing and f

[ submit copies of the test data to Southern Company Services (Attn.

f. J. Bailey). Copies of parallel test data developed by GPC shall be [

forwarded by GPC to Southern Company Services (SCS). The complete [

L se.t of test data received by SCS will then be transmitted to the NRC and Bechtel so that a comparison of the data received from the two l sources can be made. The entire testing program from the time of  !

receipt :* the samples by the testing laboratory is not expected to  :

exceed 2.wetks.  !

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SCOPE OF LABORATORY TESTING The following laboratory tests shall be performed on representative samples of the backfill material. ,

No. Type of Test ASTM Designation 1 Particle Size Analysis D 422 of Soils 2 Moisture - Density Relations of D 1557 '

Soils and Soil-Aggregate (Method A)

Mixtures using 10 lb (4.54 KG)

Rammer and 18-in (457-mm) Drop 3 Relative Density of Cohesionless D 2049 Soils [

4 Permeability of Soils (Sca below)

The following laboratory tests shall be performed on representative samples of the backfill material exhibiting any indication of plasticity: .

5 Liquid Limit of Soils D 423 6 Plastic Limit and Plasticity D 424 of Soils The laboratory tests shall be performed on the following three '

types of Category 1 backfill.

1. Sand with less than 5% passing the US No. 200 sieve size.

2. Silty sand with 5 to 9% passing the US Nc. 200 sieve size.

3. Silty sand with 9 to 12% passing the US No. 200 sieve size.

The sieve ant. lysis portion of the ASTM D 422 test procedure shall be performed on all three soil types identified above. The hydrometer ,

section of the test procedure shall be performed only on soils with ,

9 to 12 percent passing the No. 200 sieve. No hydrometer analyses i are' required for soils with less than 5% or between 5 to 9% passing the No. 200 sieve size.

The ASTM D 1557 (Method A) test shall be performed on all three soil types. The moisture content of each density specimen shall be obtained both during placement of material prior to compaction and after compaction l in the mold. Material that has already been densified in the compaction l

mold shall not be reused for the compaction test.

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-i The ASTM D 2049 tsat s all clao be performed on all three soil types. j Maximum densities shall be determined by both the wet and the dry method.

The permeability tests shall be performed in accordance with the procedure described in Appendix V11 of the laboratory testing manual (EM 1110-2-1906) ,

published by the US Army Corps of Engineers. A description of the testing procedure is given in Section 7 (Permeability Tests with Back Pressure) of the manual. Test densities shall be measured before and after saturation with back pressure. The permeability tests shall only be done on soils l

with 5 to 9% passing the No. 200 sieve and with 9 to 12% pascing the No. 200 sieve. _ Curves of log of permeability coef ficient versus dry density shall ,

be developed for each of these two groups of materials. Each curve shall be developed from at least four data points. The tests in each group shall be carried out on material from only one of the samples in that group. .

A total of 6 series of tests (ASTM D 422, D 1557 Method A, D2049 and D423 and D424 when appropriate) shall be performed on material with 5 percent or less fines, by the testing laboratory. A total of 4 series of tests each shall be performed on soil types 2 and 3 described above r by the testing laboratory (this will include permeability). Georgia ,

Power Company shall perform the ASTM D 422 and 1557 tests on parallel samples of all three soil types.

i SAMPLING l

Sampling of the backfil' material shall be done by GPC. For each series of tests a minimum of 100 lbs of sample will be required. In order to obtain 100 lbs of sample for the testing laboratory, GPC shall sample

[ approximately 400 lbs of material of each soil type from the borrow ,

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or stockpile area. The large sample shall be thoroughly mixed in the '

field laboratory and then subdivided into 4-100 lb test samples. One l sample shall be shipped to Law Engineering Testing Company and the other l

three chall be retained by GPC. Of the retained samples, one shall i be used for testing by GPC and the others shall be stored for record purposes.

.Six additional 400 lb samples shall be taken by GPC in a manner that is consistent with the normal handling of the fill in the field. Two r of these samples shall have less than 5% passing the No. 200 sieve, ,

l two shall have between 5 and 9% and two shall have between 9 and 12%. l Each of these samples shall be quartered without mixing and one 100 pound sample of each shall be sent to Law Engineering Testing Company, '

or shall be tested by GPC and the remaining samples shall be stored for I'ecord purposes.

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The additional record samples will be retained for use at a later'date if NRC determines that they wish a consultant of their choice to do additional testieg.

Samples conforming to the above gradation ranges should, if possible, be taken in the fill, but if the required gradation cannot be obtained in that manner they shall be obtained in the borrow area or stockpile.

'The samples shall be numbered S-1 through S-14 with an indication such as S-1 Bag 1 to indicate that it is a part of the 400 pound sample.

This is important in the case of the six unmixed samples as th, individual bags may have somewhat dif ferent gradation.

Prior to shipping, testing and storing samples, GPC shall periorm a minimum of one gradation test in accordance with ASTM D 1140 on material obtained from each 100-lb sample. The purpose of the ASTM D 1140 test is to determine percent passing the US No. 200 sieve size. This will help GPC establish whether the samples selected for testing will meet the criteria with respect to soil types defined earlier in the program. The above procedure of obtaining and selecting samples shall be followed for all fourteen test samples.

All samples for shipping shall be placed in double plastic-lined bags to decrease the probability of bag breakage. These bags shall then be placed in strong wooden boxes and shipped to the testing laboratory.

Storage samples shall also be placed in plastic-lined bags. Samples that are shipped and stored shall have duplicate identification tags, one on the outside of the plastic-lined bags and the other with the soil inside the bag.

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