ML20205S587

Requests That Commissioners Address Whether Assurance Exists That Major Structural Error in Containment Described in Insp 50-443/83-23 Compensated For.Certificate of Svc Encl

ML20205S587
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	05/01/1986
From:	Doughty J SEACOAST ANTI-POLLUTION LEAGUE
To:	Asselstine, Palladino, Zech NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
References
CON-#286-035, CON-#286-35 OL, NUDOCS 8606120676
Download: ML20205S587 (4)

Text

- D.Y, 1 y-SAPL Seacoast Anti-Pollution League -

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5 Market St., Portsmouth, N.H. 03801 DOCKETED (603) 431-soa9 USNRC M y 1, 1986

% HM -5 mg:;g CFFICE 00CXErsta -C.'$ i , i' r, Commissioners BRANCA' ' Dr - .

j U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission PR 0 u. _ _ . . _. ? ., .C.. '.g . g"

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Washington, D.C. 20555 g(,

Dear Commissioners Palladino,

Zech, Asselstine, Bernthal & Roberts:

I am writing to bring to your attention a matter that is of serious concern to our organization. This matter relates to the quality of construction at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plants specifically, whether or not there is sufficient assurance that a major structural error in the Seabrook 1 containment is adequately compensated for in order that the performance and integrity of the containment not be impaired.

The Seacoast Anti-Pollution League is currently intervening before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board on matters pertaining to the adequacy of the emergency response plans.

The matter of the design error in the Seabrook 1 containment is described in the NRC's Integrated Design Inspection 50-443/83-23 issued under cover letter of Richard C. DeYoung Director, Office of Inspection and Enforcement on April 2, 1984 at page 4-14. In an effort to learn how this matter had been resolved, I wrote a letter on April 11, 1986 to Mr. Victor Nerses, Project Manager for Seabrook Station (copy enclosed). I followed this up with two telephone calls to Mr. Nerses, who indicated to me that the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation had not handled this matter. We concurred that it would perhaps be better that I talk to a gentleman in the Office of Inspection and Enforcement directly, since Mr. Nerses said that I & E has the overall responsibility for close out of findings in the Integrated Design Inspection Report.

On Tuesday, April 22, I conversed with the person in the Office of Inspection and Enforcement to whom Mr. Nerses referred me. This gentleman indicated to me that I & E had reviewed calculations performed by United Engineers and Constructors and that in I & E's view they had been acceptable. When I inquired about obtaining the calculations, he told me calculations were not retained in order to avoid having them be subject to requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This practice seems most unacceptable to SAPL and SAPL would like to be apprised as to whether this is a standard procedure within the agency.

The gentleman in the Office of Inspection and Enforcement did assist by providing a description of the document which terminated 8606120676 860501 PDR ADOCK 05000443 G PDR

his office's review of this matter, i.e. NRC's Integrated Design Inspection 50-443/83-23, Supp. 1, issued under cover letter of J. Nelson Grace, Director, Division of Quality Assurance, Safeguards i and Inspection Programs, Office of Inspection and Enforcement, on January 29, 1985 He was kind enough to read the pertinent section of the report over the phone and said he would send SAPL a copy, which has been received. (I had been able to obtain a copy at the Local Public Document Room prior to its receipt. )

The report states that the original mathematical model used in the analysis employed an assumption of fixed connections at the ends of the beams, but was then abandoned for a modeling technique which accounted for flexible connections. This suggests to SAPL and to a Ph.D. in applied mathematics with whom we have consulted that the original analysis may have revealed problems and that it was therefore necessary to employ a less conservative analytical method.

SAPL would sumn.arize its concerns as these:

1) It appears untoward to allow the contractor responsible for a major construction error to perform the follow-up analysis.

2) It seems very bad practice for the agency not to retain calculations in the effort to shield them from public inquiry.

3) It concerns SAPL that there is the appearance that a more rigorous analysis of the eccentric connections in the containment was abandoned for a less rigorous one.

Your efforts in addressing these concerns would be very much appreciated.

SAPL would also greatly appreciate your assistance in obtaining the calculations pertaining to the eccentric connections.

Sincerely, l Jane Doughty Field Director cc: Service List i In the Matter of Public Service Company l of New Hampshire, et al.

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e J JO SAPL Seacoast Anti-Pollution League

& 5 Market St., Portsmouth, N.H. 03801 (603)431-s089 April 11, 1986 Victor Nerses

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Project Manager

.PWR Project Directorate #5 Division of PWR Licensing - A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 .

D;nr Mr. Nerses:

I have recently been reviewing sections of the Integrated Dacign Inspection Report that was .tssued in April of 1984 under cignature of Richard C. DeYoung, Director, Office of Inspection

. and Enforcement. In Section 4 3 "Decign of Structural Elements" under part (a) " Containment" at page 4-14 there is some discussion of the fact that the embedded plates in-the Unit 1 annulus had been inctalled at the wrong elevation (too low), rendering them incompatible with the elevation of structural steel beams. The authors of the inspection report went on to state, "We were told by the design cngineers of United Engincors who were involved in design of the ~

containment structural steel in the annulus that misalignment of the embedded plates with structural beams is widespread in Unit 1."

Another similar finding by the inspection staff was related to connection of beams to columns in the annulus steel. In order to -

.cccomodate welds between connecting angles and beams framing into, but not perpendicular to,' the columns, the axis of each beam was

.chifted one inch from the centroidal axis of the support column.

.This, in their opinion, resulted in the induction of torsion stresses in the columns.

The inspectors noted that, with respect to each of.the anomalous conditions described above, requirements were that a specific detailed cnalysis should be done (see Findings 4-10 and 4-11). SAPL~is requesting that we either be provided with the documents resulting from the required analysis or that we be given citations to those documents if they do happen to be in the Local Public Document Room et the Exeter Public Library.

Thank you for your prompt assistance in this matter.

Sincerely, l Jane Doug t

< cc: Robert Backus, Esq. Field Director Diane Curran, Esq.

Founded 1969 j;fU $U3 3 h ,

. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE AND SERVICE LIST ,

I hereby certify that copies of SAPL's May 1, 1986 letter and enclosure to NRC Commissioners Palladino, Zech, Asselstine, Roberts and Bernthal have been served on the following by deposit in the United States mail, first class pre-paid this 1st day of May, 1986.

Helen Hoyt, Esq., Chairman Dr. Emmeth Luebke Administrative Judge Administrative Judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Washington, D.C. 20555 ,

Dr. Jerry Harbour Sherwin E. Turk, Esq.

Administrative Judge Deputy Asst. Chief Hearing Counsel Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Office of Exec. Legal Director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Washington, D. C. 20555 Beverly Hollingworth Carol S. Sneider, Esq.

209 Winnacunnet Road Assistant Attorney General Hampton, N.H. 03842 Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Sandra Gavutis, Chairman Board of Selectmen RFD 1 Box 1154 Rte. 107 H. Joseph Flynn, Esq.

Kensington, N.H. 03827 Federal Energency Management Agency J.W. McCormack POCH 442 Stephen E. Merrill Boston, MA 02109 Attorney General George Dana Bisbee Assistant Attorney General Robert Perlis, Esq.

Office of the Attorney General Office of Executive Legal Director 25 Capitol Street U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Concord, N.H. 03301 Washington, D.C. 20555 Richard A. Hampe, Esq.

New Hampshire Civil Defense Agency Phillip Ahrens, Esq.

Hampe & McNicholas Assistant Attorney General 35 Pleasant Street State House Station #6 Concord, N.H. 03301 Augusta, ME 04333 Diane Curran, Esq. Thomas G. Dignan, Jr., Esq.

Harmon & Weiss R.K. Gad III. Esq.

2001 S Street, N.W. Ropes & Gray Suite 430 225 Franklin Street Washington, D.C. 20009 Boston, MA 02110 Paul McEachern, Esq. Robert A. Backus, Esq.

Matthew T. Brock, Esq. Backus, Meyer & Solomon Shaines & McEachern 116 Lowell Street 25 Maplewood Avenue Manchester, N.H. 03105 P.O. Box 360 Portsmouth, N.H. 03801

Roberta C. Pevear Allen Lampert State Rep. & C.D. Director Civil Defense Director Town of Hampton Falls Town of Brentwood Drinkwater Road 20 Franklin Street Hampton Falls, N.H. 03844 Exeter, N.H. 03833 Mr. Robert J. Harrison Angie Machiros, Chairman President and Chief Exec. Officer Board of Selectmen Public Service Co. of New Hampshire 25 High Road P.O. Box 330 Newbury, MA 01950 Manchester, N.H. 03105 Jerard A. Croteau, Constable Edward A. Thomas 82 Beach Road Federal Emergency Management Agency P.O. Box 5501 442 J.W. McCormack POCH Salisbury, MA 01950 Boston, MA 02109 Calvin A. Canney, City Manager Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal City Hall Panel 126 Daniel Street U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Portsmouth, N.H. 03801 Washington, D.C. 20555 Docketing and Service Section Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Office of the Secretary U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Washington, D.C. 20555 William S. Lord Michael Santasuosso, Chairman Board of Selectmen Board of Selectmen Town Hall - Friend Street RFD 2 Jewel Street Amesbury, MA 01913 South Hampton, N.H. 03827 Board of Selectmen Town of Hampton Falls Board of Selectmen Hampton Falls, N.H. 03844 Town of North Hampton North Hampton, N.H. 03862 Maynard L. Young, Chairman Board of Selectmen William Armstrong 10 Central Road Civil Defense Director Rye, N.H. 03870 Town of Exeter 10 Front Street Exeter, N.H. 03833 Peter J. Matthews, Mayor City Hall Newburyport, MA 01950 Mrs. Anne E. Goodman, Chairman Board of Selectmen 13 - 15 Newmarket Road Gary W. Holmes, Esq. Durham, N.H. 03824 Holmes & Ellis 47 Winnacunnet Road Hampton, N.H. 03842 bM Jane ' Doughty 0 0 Field Director, SAPL