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MEMORANDUM FOR: S. H. Hanauer. Director, Unresolved Safety Iss ses Program, NRR R. J. Mattson, Director, Division of Systems Safety, NRR .
THRU: W. R. Butler, Chief. Containment Systems Branch, DSS FROM: C. J. Anderson, A-8 Task Manager, Containment Systems Branch, DSS
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED PROGRAM FOR EVALUATION OF MARK II LARGE SCALE TESTS i
, The purpose of this memorandum is to advise you of some preliminary observations we have made relative to large scale MARK II tests and to recommend a program to j evaluate the results of these tests.
! Large scale MARK II pool dynamics tests are currently underway in Germany and Japan. These tests include the GKSS tests in Germany and the JAERI tests in Ja-pan. The GKSS test results will contribute to our understanding of the pool dy -
namics phenomena in a MARK II plant. However, the GKSS test results will not
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V be directly applicable because several important parameters of the facility are out of scale. In contrast, the JAERI tests consist of full scale multivent
- steam tests conducted under conditions prototypical of MARK II plants.
, Under exchange agreements with these two countries, we began to receive the pre-liminary results from the first phase of the GKSS and JAERI test programs early 5 this fall. Much of the early test data consists of the results from facility a shakedown tests. Additional tests will be conducted in these facilities over :
i about the next two years. We and our consultants have conducted a preliminary I review of these early tests. We see no major problems resulting from our com-l parison of t,he results of these tests with our lead plant loads criteria (NUREG
! 0487-). However, in several areas this preliminary evaluation causes us to ques-tion the ability of the current MARK II Long Terin Program to justify any proposed reduction in the lead plant loads or to suitably confirm several of the lead plant loads.
There is a need for a program designed to provide an overall GKSS data evaluation and an in-depth evaluation of the results from the JAERI tests, i.e., at this point no such program exists. We recomend that this evaluation program be con-ducted by the MARK II owners. The major problems associated with establishing >
such a program include: 1) Limited access to the JAERI test data at this time;
- 2) Substantial time will be required for a thorough evaluation of the test data and as a result a large schedule slip for the MARK II long term program may oc-cur; and 3) Voluntary initiation of generic evaluation program of adequate scope
Contact:
C. Anderson:CSB: DSS / !
27711 J 8702020159 870120 ;
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NOV 2 61979 S. H. Hanauer R. J. Mattson by the MARK II owners is doubtful. Despite these problems, I believe that we should direct the MARX II owners to initiate the necessary evaluation program.
Towards this end, a draft letter to the chaiman of the MARK II owners is at-tached for your review and approval. ,
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- J 1 Clifford J. lbiderson A-8 Task Manager Containment Systems Branch Division of Systems Safety
Enclosure:
As stated cc: S. Varga L. Tong C
b WA 'a i Mr. Peter D. Hedgecock, Chairman MARK II Owners Group Washington Public Power Supply System P. O. Box 968 Richland, WA 99352
Dear Mr. Hedgecock,
Based on our review of the MARK II Long Tem Program (LTP) to date, we find that the LTP should be expanded to include a new task consisting of an overall evaluation of GKSS data and an in-depth evaluation of the full scale JAERI MARK II test results. The basis for this finding is discussed below.
During the past few months, we have received certain results of the first phase of several large scale MARK II tests conducted in Gemany and Japan. These tests include the GKSS and the JAERI tests. The JAERI tests consist of full-scale mul-b' tivent steam tests prototypical in most respects of the MARK II plants in the United States. The GKSS tests while not fully prototypical is in many ways very similar to our MARK II plants.
D We have made several preliminary observations based on our review of these early tests. Most significant of these is the apparent coherence of the vent chugging loads and the occurrence of similar phenomena at each vent during the gross pool chug events. A significant reduction in the NUREG 0487 Lead Plant Loads has been proposed by the MARK II owners as a part of the Long Term Program. The A-16 Improved Chugging program, the WPPSS-2 Improved Chugging program and the A.ll Creare mult.ivent tests have been identified as the LTP tasks that would justify the proposed load reductions. We do not believe that these tasks alone, without consideration of the results of the large scale multivent MARK II tests, are suf-i ficient to justify the proposed load reductions.
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DUH Preliminary observations of the large scale test results also bring into question the ability of the current LTP tasks to confinn the bounding nature of the lead plant chugging loads. While it still appears to us that the Lead Plant chugging loads are conservative, the degree of conservatism is not so apparent, in view of the above mentioned test results.
We are not aware of any plans by the MARK II Owners Group to conduct a thorough evaluation of the JAERI test results. Considering this and the concerns described above, it is our position that the MARK II owners initiate such a program at the earliest date. Lacking a program of this type, it is doubtful that our questions regarding a number of the refined loads in the MARK II LTP can be satisfactorily resolved.
At your earliest convenience, we ask that you discuss with the staff the action that you are taking to establish an evaluation program for the JAERI data. This should be followed by a written description for submittal to the staff, including the program function, scope and schedule.
- Sincerely, Stephen H. Hanauer Director Unresolved Safety Issues Program Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: Owners Group Repmsentatives l
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Mr. Neil 0. Strand Washington Public Power Supply System 3000 George Washington Way P. O. Box 968 Richland, WA 99352 Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation ATTN: Mr. Gerald K. Rhode, Vice President 300 Erie Boulevard West Syracuse, New York 13202 Mr. Edward G. Bauer, Jr.
Vice President & General Counsel Philadelphia Electric Company 2301 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19101 Northern Indiana Public Service Company ATTN: Mr. H. P. Lyle, Vice President Electric Production & Engineering 5265 Hohman Avenue Hanmond, Indiana 46325 Mr. Norman W. Curtis Vice President - Engineering and Contruction Pennsylvania Power and Light Company 2 North Ninth Street .
Allentown, PA 18101 ,
Mr. Earl A. Borgmann Vice President - Engineering
- The Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company
-o P. O. Box 960 Cincinnati, OH 45201 Mr. Byron Lee, Jr.
Vice President Commonwealth Edison Company P. O. Box 767 Chicago, IL 60690 J. P. Novarro Project Manager Shoreham Nuclear Power Station P. O. Box 618 Wading River, New York 11792
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