ML20148F131
| ML20148F131 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/31/1978 |
| From: | Rehm T NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| WIR-781027, NUDOCS 7811070290 | |
| Download: ML20148F131 (30) | |
Text
.-
?Ok October 31, 1978 For:
The Commissioners I
From:
T. A. Rehm, Assistant to the Executive Director for Operations
Subject:
WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 1978 i
A summary of key events is included as a convenience to those Commissioners who may prefer a condensed. version of this report.
Contents Enclosure Administration A
Nuclear Reactor Regulation B
Standards Develepment C
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards D
6 Inspection and Enforcement E
Nuclear Regulatory Research F
l Executive Legal Director G
r International Programs H
State Programs I
Management and Program Analysis J
Controller K
Calendar of Significant Events L
l Items Approved by the Coninission M*
/
T. A. Re m Assistant to the Executive Director for Operati'ons Co. tact:
. A. Rehm 19-27781
' Deleted from Commissioners' and PDR copy.
78M(}7 O h9 9
.=
WEEKLY INFORMATION
SUMMARY
Week Ending October 27, 1978 Nuclear Reactor Regulation After a recent reevaluation of safety-related valve (SRV) settings, Northeast Nuclear Energy Company committed to increase to'rus: column support strength by mid-December 1978 to meet the required strength ratios with allowance for seismic loads at Millstone Unit 1.
Maine Yankee has resumed operation with 100% capability after an alternate transformer was installed October 5 through 10.
While Big Rock Point is shut down, Consumers Power is repairing a steam leak and upgrading cable splices in the cable penetration areas.
During Black Fox Station radiological safety hearings, the presiding ASLB 1ssued a subponea to GE for their " Reed Report'; GE intends to squash the subponea.
Combustion Engineering submitted their CESSAR System 80 Standard Reference Design NSSS for Final Design Approval (FDA). This is the first application for an FDA submitted under Option 1 of the Standardi-zation Program.
Jersey Central Power is determining appropriate remedial action for a crack discovered in the Core Spray Sparger in Oyster Creek plant.
Vermont Yankee has shut down (unplanned) to repair turbine bearings.
General Electric has advised its customers of a foreign reactor experience involving leaching of boron from one of the control rods.
Duke Power Company was issued an Exemption that permits local operation, outside the control room, of certain valves in the High Pressure Coolant Injection portion of the ECCS at Oconee Unit 1.
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards A second petition was filed concerning the proposed issuance of a mine permit for the Sweetwater Uranium Project.
This petition does not in-clude stabilization of tailings against wind and water due to changing the tailings disposal and reclamation plan to specially excavated below-grade' pits.
The NRC appropriations bill contains a requirement for NRC to conduct a study of extending the Commission's licensing or regulatory authority to include categories of existing and future Federal radioactive waste storage and disposal activities not presently subject to NRC authority.
The scope of the study will be presented to the Commission by Senator Hart.
Nuclear Regulatory Research Brookhaven National Laboratory has designed a portable air sampler which is expected to be used by States in assessing impacts following accidental releases of radiciodines from nuclear facilities.
l l International Programs At the Atomic Industrial Forum's International Conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Safeguards, James Shea (IP) addressed implementation of IAEA safeguards at U.S. facilities.
Management and Program Analysis All offices are being canvassed for ideas on new legislation for possible proposals to the Commission.
l
0FFICE OF ADMINISTRATION Week Ending October 27, 1978 ADMINISTRATION OF THE FREEDOM 0F INFORMATION ACT STATUS OF REQUESTS Initial Appeal of Request Initial Decision Received 324 34 Granted 212 9
15 Denied 58 Pending 54 10 ACTIONS THIS WEEK Received Keiki Kehoe, Referral from the Department of State of five Center for Developnent NRC documents subject to Ms. Kehoe's request Policy for documents relating to the safety and economic (78-281) feasibility of nuclear power programs in South Korea.
Carolyn A. Taylor, Requests front page and scope of work of Contract ADP hetwork Services, Inc.
No. NRC-02-78-083.
(78-282)
James E. Lagos, Requests a copy of Mountain West Research Science Applications, Inc.
proposal NRC RFP No. RS-RES-78-192.
(78-283)
Margaret R. Ryniker, Requests a copy of Topical Report EI/NNI-77-7-NP (78-284) by Newport News Industrial Corporation.
Gary Wallin, Requests documents relating to the Iowa Electric (78-285)
Light and Power Company's inservice inspection program.
J:qn C. Ragan, Requests a copy of the winning proposal in Research Triangle response to RFP RS-RES-78-192.
Institute (7E-286)
CriTACT:
J. M. Fel ton 492-7211 ENCLOSURE A
~.,...........
_g_
Received Cont'd Lawrence H. Revzan, Requests the non-proprietary portions of the Ernst & Ernst winning proposal for Contract No. RFP RS-RES (78-287) 192.
Michael L. Frankel, Requests a copy of the winning proposal for Centaur Associates, Inc.
Contract No. RS-RES-78-192.
(78-288)
Dean Hansell, Requests all documents relating to the boiling of State of Illinois liquid in spent nuclear fuel pools or in nuclear (78-289) waste tanks.
A. Kranish, Requests a copy of the Commission transcript of Trends Publishing, Inc.
the " Discussion of EDO Testimony of July-August (78-290) 1977" as scheduled for October 12, 1978 and any subsequent discussions.
(An individual requesting Requests all data in NRC files pertaining to information about himself) him.
(78-291)
James P. McCarthy, Requests all Inspection Reports of New England Reed, McCarthy & Mulligan Nuclear Corporation from 1958 to 1967 and minutes (78-292) of meetings held by the AEC and New England Nuclear Corporation in which violations were discussed in 1963 and 1970.
William J. Murray, Requests information about quantitites of Union Carbide Corporation uranium shipments from in-situ leach operations (78-293) by 11 companies during the past four years.
Granted A. Kranish, In response to requests for copies of the Trends Publishing, Inc.
Comission transcripts relating to the discussion (78-224) of the 01A/0GC investigation of the EDO testimony subsequent to the meeting of May 11, John J. Fialka, made available to the requesters seven Washington Star transcripts.
(78-239)
James R. Lubniewski, Made available to the requester portions of the International Business technical proposal relating to the TERA Machines contract.
(78-251)
ENCLOSURE A
, Granted, Cont'd William Dow, In response to a request for a copy of the Public Interest
" detailed plant-specific analysis" referred to Research Group in in a March 8,1978 memorandum from Tourtellotte Michigan to Chilk reg 6rding Midland, made available to the (78-263) requester six documents subject to the request.
Thomas B. Cochran, In response to a request for a copy of the study Natural' Resources completed by the Air Force regarding the Defense Council feasibility of using military airfields in the (78-265)
U.S. as transshipment points of exports of HEU licensed by the NRC, informed the requester that the report was referred to D0D for direct response.
Mark E. Cherniack Made available to the requester NUREG-0412 and Stock & Rosholt, a Topical Report.
(78-269)
Lynn Connor, In response to a request relating to the Doc-Search Associates Arnold - Inservice Inspection Report dated 3/1/78 (78-271)
(Docket 50-331), made available to the requester four documents.
David Y. Denholm, In response to a request for documents relating Public Service to NRC's negotiated agreement with AFGE Local Research Foundation 2195, sent to the requester the March, 1977 (78-278)
Agreement between NRC and AFGE Local 2195.
Ga ry Wallin, In response to a request for documents relating (78-285) to the Iowa Electric Light and Power Company's inservice inspection program, made available to the requester two documents.
Denied Steve Freedkin, In response to a request for a copy of Section 4.C.
I Public Interest Research of the agreement between Consumers Power Co. and Group in Michigan the Dow Chemical Co. for sale of steam and (78-253) electricity from the Midland plant, denied the request because the material consists of confidential business (proprietary) information.
Marilyn D. Casanave, In response to a request for a copy of the DA".ANS cnd Associates successful proposal submitted in response to (78-256)
RFP RS-ADM-78-414, denied the business proposal and portions of the technical proposal because they contain proprietary information.
ENCLOSURE A
4 Denied, Cont'd Tnomas B. Cochran, THE EDO DENIED ON APPEAL the previously Natural Resources withheld portions of a memorandum dated Defe'nse Council, Inc.
2/9/78 from Brady to McTiernan.
(78-A-25-78-61 )
ENCLOSURE A
DIVISION OF CONTRACTS Week Ending October 27, 1978 PROPOSALS UNDER EVALUATION RFP RS-NRR-79-102 Title - Technical Assistance Program for Two-Phase Flow Aspects of Reactor Safety Description - Provide licensing support in the area of two-phase flow, consisting of a review of existing tests, experiments, and analytical methods used in this crea.
Period of Performance - Three years Sponsor - Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Status - Proposals submitted to Source Evaluation Board on October 24, 1978 for evaluation.
i o
T ENCLOSURE A
DIVISION OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND DOCUMENT CONTROL Week ending October 27, 1978 TRANSLATIONS The following translations were published by the Division of Technical Information and Document Control and released during the week of October 23-27, 1978.
All NUREG/TRs are available from the NRC Library.
A limited number of copies is also available upon request from the Distribution Services Branch, Mail Stop 042.
NUREG/TR0045.
Basic Study cn Some Metallurgical Factors and Surface Treatment Effects of Stainless Steels for BWR CO0 ling Pipes.
H. Takaku and M. Tokiwai.
Denryoku Chuo Kenkyu jo (The Central Institute of Electric Power), Japan; and the Energy & Environmental Technology Institute, Japan.
May 1977.
49 pages.
NUREG/TR-0046.
Investigation of the Fhenomena Occurring within a Multi-Compartment Containment after Rupture of the Primary Cooling Circuit in Water-Cooled Reactors:
Quick Look Report Experiment D3.
BMRS 50-30-D3.
Prepared by the Battelle-Institut e.V., Frankfurt am Main, F.R. Germany for the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (Bundesministeriums fur Forschung und Technologie), Bonn, Gernany. September 1977.
104 pages.
NUREG/TR-0047.
Investigation of the Relevancy and the Feasibiligy of Measurements of the Exothermic Heat of Chemical Rractions during Core Meltdown and on the Integral Heat Content of Molten Cores:
Final Report 313.
W. Baukal and others. Prepared by the Battelle-Institut e.v., Frankfurt am Main, F.R. Germany for the Federal Ministry for Rrsearch and Technology (Bundesministeriums fur Forschung und Technologie), Bonn, F.R. Germany.
BMFT - RS - 197.
June 1977.
59 pages.
';UREG/TR-004S.
Joint CEA-EDF Program on the Behavior of Defective or Ruptured Fuel Elements under Normal Operating Conditions and in Transit Conditions.
J.C. Janvier.
C.E.A. - D.M.E.C.N. (Departement de Metallurgie de Grenoble, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Grenoble, France). DMG No. 89/77. October 24, 1977.
6 pages.
'UREG/TR-0049.
Unusual Occurrences in Nuclear Pcwer Plants in the Frderal Republic of Germany: Report Period 1965-1977.
Federal M:nister of the Interior (Der Bundesminister des Innern), F.R. Germany, July 1977.
32 pages.
ENCLOSURE A
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION WEEKLY ITEtiS OF INTEREST (Week Ending October 27,1978)
Millstone 1 Based on a recent reevaluation (10/4/78 NNECo letter) of safety related valve (SRV) settings responsive to V. Stello's letter of March 20, 1978, Northeast Uuclear Energy Company has reported that the results for Millstone 1 indicate no change of th? present uniform setpoint for all six safety relief valves is required.
The NNECo reevaluation does not include a consideration of seismic loads and certain (bending) structural acceptance criteria. The results differ from expectations based on an earlier FNECo - GE evaluation, also responsive to the V. Stello liarch 20, 1978 letter, that indicated " staggered and elevated setpoints for safety relief valves would significantly improve valve simmer margin and eliminate possibility of multiple consecutive SRV actuations".
NNECo was advised by telephone on October 18, 1978, that omission of seismic design loads was unacceptable.
Based on our estimates, when seismic allowances are included in the calculations, the resultant strength ratios are unacceptable (above 0.5) even if the bending criteria used by NNECo is later determined to be adequate.
Acceptable methods for resolving this issue include strengthening selected torus colunn supports (could be as few as three), staggering the setpoints of the safety relief valves or reducing power.
The licensee conmitted by telephone to increase colunn strength by mid-December 1978 to meet the required Strength ratios with allowance for seismic loads.
Maine Yankee On August'31, 1978, one of Maine Yankee's two half-capacity main transformers failed resulting in plant shutdown.
Following restart on September 12, power level was restricted to approximately 70%
while using the remaining transformer which had been uprated.
An alternate transformer was installed October b through 10 and power operation resumed with 1000 capability.
ENCLOSURE B
. Big Rock Point On October 18 at 1430, Consumers Power Company discovered a whisper of steam being discharged at a 3/4" static nipple on a 3" cleanup system return line.
This portion of the cleanup system piping cannot be isolated from the Recirculation Loop suction.
Big Rock Point was in the process of being restarted after approximately a one month maintenance shutdown and was shutdown again upon discovery of the leak.
Investigation of the pipe shows that the steam was being discharged from the weldolet attaching the 3/4" nipple at a rate of 0.36 gallons / min.
The licensee is in the process of removing the nipple and perfor:ning repairs.
On October 20, 1978, Consumers Power Company conducted a thorough i
review of cable splices in the cable penetration areas at Big Rock j
Point to comply with the commitments in their letter of February 24, i
1978.
The licensee found that there are splices in addition to those i
found through the review of the as built drawings and reported in February. Althouah the additional splices found appear to be the same i
or similar to the splices previously identified and classified as qualified, the additional splices do not have documentation of their qualifications.
Since the plant is currently shutdown for maintenance, the licensee has decided to renew all (approximately 400) of the splices in the cable penetration area.
By so doing, the licensee will be assured that all of his splices will be qualified to current criteria before the plant is restarted.
I&E was infonned of the situation on October 20, 1978, and is monitoring the splice upgrading program.
Black Fox Units 1 & 2 During the first session of the Black Fox Station radioloaical safety hearings which was held October 10-20, 1978 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the presiding ASLB issued a subpoena to GE for their
" Reed Report." GE has indicated that they intend to respond with a motion to squash the subpoena by October 30, 1978.
CESSAR System 80 CoMustion Engineering tendered an application on October 24 for Fir.al Design Approval (FDA) for their CESSAR System 80 Standard Reference Design NSSS.
The Preliminary Design Approval for CESSAR was issued in December,1975.
This represents the first application for an FDA submitted under Option 1 of the Standardization Program.
ENCLOSURE B
. Oyster Creek, Jersey Central Power is examining the crack discovered in the Core Spray Sparger on October 18, 1978, and reported in the Weekly Highlights 10/19/78.
ISE informs us that the crack is through the wall and goes 180* around the pipe. The licensee is in the process of determining appropriate remedial action.
Vermont Yankee At 0235 on October 23, 1978, Vermont Yankee shut down to perf orm turbine bearing repairs. This was an unplanned shutdown and the startup date is not yet scheduled.
General Electric On October 20, 1978, General Electric Company (GE) notified DOR, by phone, of an experience in a foreign reactor that involves leaching of boron from one of the control rods.
Investigation to date indicates that the outer absorber rods on three of the four wings have experienced cracking and the boron is leaching at a depth of 10" to 30" from the top of the assembly.
The absorber material (B4C) is contained in stainless steel sheaths.
Each control rod has a lifetime design of about 10 years.
The failed rod had experienced a useage of approxi-mately 104% of its design life.
GE has advised its customers of this' experience.
DDR will maintain cognizance of any future investigations and their results.
Oconee Unit i On October 19, 1976, t:RR was inforned by 16E, Region 11, that the Unit, which is currently shutdown for the Cycle 5 reload, has an unlocated, unexploded steam generator explosive plug in the primary system.
A second plug, that was exploded, may also be unlocated in the primary system.
A submittal describing this event and the proposed corrective action will be made by Duke Power Company and reviewee prior to restart of the reactor.
Restart is currently scheculed for October 30, 1978.
ENCLOSURE B
_4 Cconee Unit 1 (cont'd)
On October 23, 1978, in conjunction with the Cycle 5 core reload license amendment, an Exemption was issued to Duke Power Company fron the provisions of 10 CFR 50.46. This Exemption replaces the April 26,1978 Order which had the same effect.
The operation of L' nit No.1 is not wholly in conformance with the ECCS rule regarding cperator action in the unlikely event of a small break LOCA.
The Exe ption, until a permanent solution is in place, permits local coeration, outside the control room, of certain valves in the High Pressure Coolant Injection portion of the ECCS.
Duke has submitted a plan, currently under NRC review, of the permanent system m.odi fi cations.
This Exemption will be terminated upon completion of the modifications or during the next refuelina outage whichever occurs first.
ENCLOSURE B
OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT IMPORTANT EVENTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 1978 1.
W. Dircks and representatives of SD and RES met on Tuesday, October 24, 1978, with Mr. Ed Tuerk, Director of the Office of Program Management Operations of EPA's Office for Air, Noise, and Radiation and other representatives of this Office and EPA's Office for Research and Development.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and initiate implementation of requirements placed on NRC and EPA by the NRC Authorization Bill for FY 79. These requirements include (1) NRC and EPA jointly, in consultation with HEW, conducting and submitting a report to the Congress by September 30, 1979, on preliminary planning and design studies for epidemiological research on the health effects of low-level ionizing radiation; (2) submitting a report to the Congress by April 1,1979, containing an assessment of the capabilities and research needs of these agencies in the area of health effects of low-level ionizing radiation; and (3) submitting to Congress within 30 days of enactment of the bill (by November 18, 1978) a memorandum of understanding delineating each agency's responsibilities in these efforts.
At the meeting, an NRC-prepared draft of an MOU was considered and the provisions therein developed.
It was EPA's firm position that it would contribute staff res.ources to these efforts but no funds. Two individuals were identified by each agency to serve on a scientific review group which will j
finalize the MOU and develop the scope of work for the planning study.
This group will have its first meeting on November i,1978.
Regulatory Guides to be Issued in the Near Future 1.
Ti tle:
Personnel Selection and Training (Reg. Guide 1.8, Rev. 2) l Expected Issuance Date:
February 1979 l
==
Description:==
Provides updated guidance on personnel selection and training for nuclear power plant operating organizations.
- Endorses, with certain exceptions, ANSI /ANS 3.1-1977.
Contact:
S. Richardson 443-5913 ENCLOSURE C
. 2.
Title:
Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Design and Construction (Reg. Guide 1.28, Rev. 2)
Expected Issuance Date: January 1979 Descri ption:
Updates guidance on quality assurance program requirements during the design and construction phases of a nuclear power plant.
Endorses with certain exceptions, ANSI /ASME N45.2-1977.
Contact:
T. Scarbrough 443-5913 3.
Title:
Inservice Inspection of Ungrouted Tendons in Prestressed Concrete Containments (Reg. Guide 1.35, Rev. 3)
Expected Issuance Date:
January 1979 Descri ption:
Describes the minimum provisions for inspecting ungrouted tendons in prestressed concrete containments.
This revision includes sone changes which may be considered as substantial.
Hence, the revision is intended to be issued for public comments.
Contact:
H. Ashar 443-5997 4.
Ti tle :
Determining Prestressing Forces for Inspection of Prestressed Concrete Containments (Reg. Guide 1.35.1)
Expected Issuance Date: January 1979 Descri ption:
Provides guidance in determining the prestressing forces in prestressing tendons, which can be compared against the measured prestressing force during each inspection.
Contact:
H. Ashar 443-5997 5.
Title:
Standard Format and Content of Safety Analysis Reports in Connection with License Applications for the Storage of Spent Fuel in an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation Expected Issuance Date:
December 1978
==
Description:==
This standard format identifies for applicants the type of information needed in the safety analysis reports in connection with ISFSI license applications.
Contact:
R. Stanford 443-5910 ENCLOSURE C 7
. Regulatory Guide Issued During the Week of October 23-27, 1978 Reg. Guide 1.128 - Installation Design and Installation of Large Lead Storage Batteries for Nuclear Power Plants (Rev.1)[ Issued to Reflect Comments]
EliCLOSURE C
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS Items of Interest Week Ending October 27, 1978 Sweetwater Uranium Pro.iett-Tailinas Manaaement A second petition of protest by a group of five petitioners was filed on October 10, 1978, with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality against the proposed issuance of a mine permit for the Sweetwater Uranium Project.
A hearing on the protest has been scheduled to start October 26, 1978. A significant difference between this petition anc the first filed in April 1978 is that stabilization of tailings against wind and water erosion has been dropped as an issue. This is due to the changing of the tailings disposal and reclamation plan from an above-grade impoundment to specially excavated below-grade pits. As a result of comments on the Sweetwater DES, and as part of the mill licensing staff's upgrading of tailings management plans, the staff determined that below-grade disposal of tailings was the only environmentally acceptable method of tailings disposal available to eliminate the need for ongoing monitoring and maintenance after reclamation at the Sweetwater site.
This is in line with the staff's position that below-grade disposal is the preferred method of tailings disposal and reclamation.
It is significant to note that this project has shown that even with a very low grade ore, about 0.04 percent, below-grade disposal is economically feasible.
Colorado Uranium Mill Activities For the last several months, the Uranium Mill Licensing Section has been giving technical assistance to Agreement States in support of mill licensing actions in accordance with the Commission's policy statement of April 26, 1978.
On October 23 and 24,1978, representatives of the section in support of the Colorado Department of Health met with representatives of Cotter Corporation and Ranchers Exploration Company to discuss deficiencies in their tailings management program for uranium recovery projects located in Colorado.
The mill section will also be called upon to support the state in public meetings regarding these licensing actions.
ENCLOSURE D
Items of Interest 2
Edgemont Inactive Mill Site Gamma Survey The Uranium Mill Licensing Section will have the EPA (Office of Radiation Programs, Las Vegas) conduct a gamma survey of Edgemont., South Dakota, in order to. identify uranium mill tailings which have been transported off the inacive mill site by individuals and wind or water erosion.
A scanning survey will first be performed from a mobile scanning unit to identify possible tailings locations by gamma radiation anomalies. A field survey team will then perform gamma screening surveys at locations suspected of contamination in order to identify any tailings locations not previously identified in a similar survey performed by EPA in 1971-72.
The survey will begin on November 6, 1978.
The survey team will be made up of personnel from the Uranium Mill Licensing Section, the EPA, Argonne National Laboratory, and the state of South Dakota.
Draft of HEW Report. Interaaency Task Grouc #5 A review of the draft report on the care and benefits related to the health effects of ionizing radiation has been completed.
Comments were provided to ELD on risk estimators, total population dose commitment, health effects from background radiation, population exposure from U.S. nuclear industry, effects from the naval propulsion program and the nuclear fuel cycle indust ry.
Uranium Fuel Cvcle Environnental Survey Vodate Comments continue to be received from the public in response to the Federal Register notice of September 7 announcing the NRC study to update the uranium fuel cycle survey.
Since the announced comment period expired October 20th, it is expected the final increment of letters will arrive this week and the analysis and initial replies can be prepared.
Price-Anderson Indemnity for Radioisotores Byproduct material licenses qualifying for the Price-Anderson study after the initial screening are being reviewed comprehensively to determine ii they still neet the Price-Anderson criteria.
Of the 400 odd licenses originally started with, only 3 remain to be located and reviewed for initial screening.
ENCLOSURE D
1 Items of Interest 3
l l
Study of Reaulation of Federal Waste Disposal Activities Members of the NMSS staff participated in discussions with staff members of Senator Hart's Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation.
The NRC appropriations bill contains a requirement for NRC to conduct a study of extending the Commission's licensing or regulatory authority to include categories of existing and future Federal radioactive waste storage and disposal activities not presently subject to NRC authority.
The scope of the study was tentatively established through these discussions and will be formally presented to the Commission by Senator Hart.
Visit to Babcock & Wilcox, Apollo. Pennsvivani_a_
Safeguards staff members visited Babcock & Wilcox, Nuclear Materials l
Division, Apollo, Pennsylvania to review the high enriched uranium activities at the Apollo and Leechburg plants. These facilities are presently undergoing shutdown / cleanout.
Physical Security Review Team Visit to Mexico Division of Safeguards personnel participated in an IAEA sponsored visit to Mexico to discuss the GOM program for the protection of nuclear materials and facilities. The team was composed of representatives from the NRC, DOE ar.d the Government of Sweden.
A report is being prepared for transmittal to the IAEA.
Action Plan to Strencthen IAEA Safeguards Representatives from NMSS attended an interagency meeting on October 17 and 24 relative to the U.S. Action Plan to strengthen IAEA safeguards.
Some draft work plans for implementing the U.S. Action Plan were reviewed and revisions were recomnended.
The next meeting is scheduled for November 8,1978.
Approval of FY79 Contractual Pro _iects for Domestic Safecuerds The FY79 Authorization Act requires that the Commission approve FY79 contractual projects in domestic safeguards which exceed $20,000. A paper has been prepared which transmits 44 such projects to the Commission for approval consideration.
- Deleted from PDR Copy.
ENCLOSURE D
OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT ltems of Interest Week Ending October 27, 1978 1.
The following Notifications of Significant Enforcement Action we e dispatched during the past week:
a.
EN-78-07A Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (Ginna) - An Order Imposing Civil Monetary Penalties in the amount of 524,000 was issued to the subject licensee.
Previously, the Commission had proposed a civil penalty of $31,000 in this case.
Based upon the licensee's response to the Notice of Violation, it was con-cluded that the penalties for two items should be remitted.
It was further concluded that no adequate reasons were given by the licensee as to why the penalties for the remaining eight items should not be imposed as initially proposed.
b.
EN-78-09A Entronic Corporation, Kingsville, Texas - An Order Imposing Civil Monetary Penalties in the amount of $6,000 was issued to the subject licensee.
Previously, a Notice of Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalties in the same amount had been issued.
After consideration of the licensee's response, the IE staff con-cluded that the itens of noncompliance did occur and that no ade-quate reasons were give by the licensee as to why the penalties should not be imposed.
l l
c.
EN-78-16A Union Boiler Co., Huntington, WV - An Order Imposint.
Civil Monetary Penalties in the amount of $5,000 was issued to the subject licensee.
Previously, a Notice of Porposed Imposition of Civil Penalties in the same amount had been issued. This action is based on five items of noncompliance and involved an excessive extremity exposure of 123 rems to a radiographer.
2.
Preliminary Notification relating to the following actions were dispatched during the past week:
a.
PNO-78-180 Salem Unit 1 - Reactor Coolant Pump Seal Failure -
During plant startup, the shaft seal on a reactor coolant pump failed.
Approximately 15,000 gallons of water leaked to the containment before the plant could be depressurized.
No radio-activity was released to the environemnt. The plant will remain shut down until repairs are completed.
(Closed) b.
PNO-78-181 Good Samaritan Hospital, Mt. Vernon, Illinois -
Misadministration of Ytterbium-169 Chloride Resulting in Possible Brain Dose of 1500 Rems - On October 13, 1978, a 17 year old patient was iniected with Yb-169 in the chloride form rather than the intended DTPA form for a brain scan. This resulted in a radi-ation dose estimated at possibly 1503 rems to the brain and 30 40 rcms to the bone.
The whole body dose was estimated to be about ENCLOSURE E
3.6 rems. An NRC Medical Consultant reported that the dose was not significant. The referring physician and the patient's family were notified by the hospital.
(Closed) c.
PN0-78-182 North Anna Unit 1 - Thirteen Individuals Received Low Level Contamination - Following completion of valve main-tenance, two drains were inadvertently left open.
Approximately 1,000 gallons of contaminated water flowed from the open drain valves into the auxiliary building.
As a result of the spill, 13 individuals received low level contamination. The personnel were decontaminated on site.
(Closed) 3.
IE Bulletin 78-13, " Failure in Source Heads of Kay-Ray, Inc. Gauges Models 7050, 7050B, 7051, 7051B, 7060, 7060B, 7061 and 7061B," was l
issued to persons known to have possessed the subject gauges. The bulletin deals with fractures that have occurred at the weld between the dome and the source head box in certain gauges manufactured by Kay-Ray.
ENCLOSURE E
..m
..g.,.
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH Importan t Items - Week Ending October 27,197E t
i Erercency Instrumentation
{
l Ercokhi.ven Nationt.1 Laboratory has designed a portable air sampler i
specific for adsorption of radiciodine following incidents involving radioactive releases.
The instrument operates from a 12 volt DC rehicle battery, and is expected to be used by States in assessing impac s following accidental releases of radiciodines from nuclear facilities, i
^
l i
ENCLOSURE F
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OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE LEGAL DIRECTOR ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 1978 Diablo Canyon, Units 1 and 2 (0L)
On October 27, the Appeal Board granted the petition for directed certification of a Licensing Board Order denying the petition of San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace to establish the qualifications of David Comey as a security expert for discovery.
The Appeal Board reiterated its longstanding reluctance to grant directed certification for the review of interlocutory rulings.
However, it found that the Licensing Board failed to " articulate in reasonable detail" the basis for its determination that Comey was not qualified.
The Appeal Board vacated the Urder and renanded the matter for prompt reconsideration and a full explication of whatever decision the Board comes to.
Perkins Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (CP)
On October 27, 1978 the Licensing Board issued a Partial Initial Decision deferring its ultimate findings and conclusions on issuance of construc-tion permits. The Licensing Board found that (1) evidence now in the record would not permit approval of the Staff's alternative site review, under the guidelines of Pilgrim ( ALAB-479) and Seabrook ( ALAB-471);
(2) Radon-222 r leases and health impacts from the nuclear fuel cycle are insignificant in striking the cost-benefit balance for the facility (as the Licensing Board had previously found); and (3) further Staff testimony would be required concerning plans for dealing with unresolved generic safety issues.
ENCLOSURE G
ITEMS OF INTEREST OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 1978 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AIF Conference on Non-Proliferation On October 24, James Shea, Director of IP, spoke at the Atomic Industrial Forum's International Conference on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Safeguards in New York.
Mr. Shea addressed the implementation of IAEA safeguards at U.S. facilities.
Other speakers addressed a wide range of i non-proliferation and safeguards issues at the three-day conference, which ended on October 25.
Visit of Romanian Ambassador Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. Ionescu and Mr. Gheorghe Dindelegan, Second Secretary of the Embassy, met on Friday, October 27 with L.V.
Gossick, J.R. Shea, and G.G. Oplinger to discuss NRC export licensing and other international activities.
Other Visits Professor V. Kasche of Bremen University in the Federal Republic of l
Germany met with K. Eckerman and R. Gotchy of DSE on Wednesday October 25, to discuss the calculation of dose factors, philosophy of dose limitations, calculation of population dose commitments, and other related topics.
Mr. Michel Levy, Charge de Mission of the French Interministerial Comnittee on Nuclear Security, met with J.D. Lafleur, Jr., IP, on Thursday, October 26, for informal discussions on the safety and regu-latory problems relevant to space applications of nuclear energy power sources.
Robert Liimatainen of the Department of State accompanied Mr. Levy.
Zoran Marinsek of the staff of the Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana.
Yugoslavia met with IP representatives on October 24.
Mr. Marinsek, a project leader for reactor safety reviews in Yugoslavia, discussed the current status of the organization of nuclear regulatory responsibilities in Yugoslavia.
Arranoement Activity IP this week editorially revised the text of NRC's bilateral regulatory information exchange and cooperation arrangements and sent it to ELD for concurrence.
If acceptable, IP will propose this revision as the ENCLOSURE H
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. standardized text from which we will begin negotiations with countries already in or entering the nuclear field which are not yet parties to these bilaterals.
Foreion Reports The following reports were received by IP during the week of October 23-27.
(For further information, contact Ann McLaughlin, Extension 27788.)
a From Italy 1.
Annual Report on the Radioactive Environment in Italy:
National and Local Data 1974.
(In Italian)
From the U.K.
1.
Investigation of Potential Hazards from Operations Canvey Island /
Thurrock Area.
(Summary of the investigation included)
Available from hRC Library.
From the U.S.S.R.
1.
Selected Soviet Literature on Radiation Shielding - Background for p
the 1978 U.S.-Soviet Bilateral Discussions on Fast Breeder Reactor Shielding.
(In English)
From the Federal Republic of Germany
+
1.
Technical Safety Rules of the Kerntechnischer Ausschuss (KTA):
a.
- KTA 1201 Operating Standards Handbook - 2/78 Edition b.
- KTA 1401 General Quality Assurance Standards - 6/78 Edition
~
c.
- KTA 1504 Stationary System for Supervising Local Doses _
Performances Within Nuclear Power Facilitics - 10/77 Edition
'd.
- KTA 1504 Measurements of Liquid Radioactive Materials to Inspect Radioactive Discharges - 10/77 Edition e.
- KTA 3102.1 Gas-Cooled High-Temperature-Reactor Core Design, Part 1:
Calculations of Helium-Substance - 10/77 ENCLOSURE H
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- f.
- KTA 3405 Integral Leakage Tests of the Safety Containers by Absolute-Pressure-Method - 6/78 Edition 2.
GRS-A-156 Plutonium-Recycle in Thermal Reactors (June 1978) 3.
BMI SR 74 Evaluation of the Structural Engineering of Underground Sited Buildings of Nuclear Power Plants Located in Soil (Cut-And-Cover-Technique) 4.
BMI SR 72 Study Project - Underground Construction of Nuclear ~
~
Power Plants: - Evaluation on the Possibility of Construct-ing Cavities in Rock by Underground Plants.
5.
ENVIRONMENT NO. 63 BMI Information on Environmental Planning and Protection - July 24, 1978 6.
GRS-4 Worldwide Compilation of Abnormal Events in Nuclear Power Plants, Experimental and Research Reactors 1966.
Published in April 1978.
7.
GRS-12 GRS Report - Recommendations of the Reactor Safety Commission (RSK) Published in August 1978) 8.
GRS-S-21 Position on Atom Energy Problems Selection from the Federal Government's Position, 7th Legislative Period
( All in German)
ERCLOSURE H
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0FFICE OF STATE PROGRAMS ITEMS OF INTEREST WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 27, 1978 Program Development Marie Janinek and Bob DeFayette were speakers at the Bi-Regional Training Conference at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, sponsored by the Conference of State Radiation Control Program Directors. They discussed Transportation of Radioactive Materials.
With the support of the Office of State Programs, Region I held a State Liaison Officers meeting on October 24 and 25 at the Holiday Inn in King of Prussia to discuss matters related to NRC regional operations, emergency planning, transportation of radioactive wastes, decommissioning and radioactive waste management. The meeting was attended by more than 30 state officials from 11 states in Region I and the District of Columbia.
On October 26 and 27, Tom Elsasser spoke on " Transportation of Radioactive Materials and Proposed Changes to 10 CFR 50, Appendix E" at the 9th Annual Meeting of the New England Radiological Health Committee held in Mystic, CT.
l i
ENCLOSURE I
0FFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYSIS Items of Interest Week Ending October 27, 1978 Lewis Committee Report Follow-Vo Prepared with OPE initial draft public statement for Commission as a result of Lewis Committee Report.
Proceeded with other related actions per Chilk memorandum dated October 19, 1978.
Legislative Proposals to 96th Congress At the request of the EDO and OGC, sent memo to all offices for ideas on new legislation.
Due date for suggestions is November 17.
These will be reviewed with the EDO to identify proposals he may wish to make to the Commission.
FY 1979 Authorization Bill and Mill Tailings Act Prepared sunr.ary meno for EDO to the Commission concerning the schedule of actions required by the FY 1979 Authorization Bill and Mill Tailings Act.
E!;CLOSU;.E J
0FFICE OF THE CONTROLLER ITEM OF INTEREST Week Ending October 27, 1978 DOE-NRC Interagency Agreement The DOE-NRC Interagency Agreement on Budget, Funding and Financial Management Responsibilities was signed by the respective agencies' Controllers on October 27, 1978.
Enclosure K
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l CALENDAR OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS Two Week Period Ending November 13, 1978 October 30 RESAR-414 - PDA is expected to be issued l
Waterford - Acceptance review to be completed during this week.
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November 2 Annual Reactor Safety Research Meeting with NSS: Vendors, West Monroeville, Pa.
November 6 58G - SER Supplement to be completed during this week.
November 9 Palo Verde 4 & 5 - Meeting with applicant to discuss ICSB and RSB areas of concern.
November 10 ANO License amendment to be issued authorizing plant to operate in Mode 2 (startup).
E" CLOSURE L
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