ML20235U264
| ML20235U264 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/06/1987 |
| From: | Michaels T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Miraglia F, Murley T, Sniezek J NRC |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8710140005 | |
| Download: ML20235U264 (3) | |
Text
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Io UNITED STATES j[ : f *"
' ' ' fp, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j
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October 6, 1987
%.e MEMORANDUM FOR:
T. Murley-J. Partlow J.'Sniezek F. Congel-F. Miraglia J. Roe R. Starostecki S. Black S. Varga B. Boger D. Crutchfield G. Lainas L. Shao F. Schroeder C. Rossi G. Holahan S. Richardson A. Thadani W. Lanning.
R. Cooper THRU:
Lester S. Rubenstein, Director Standardization and Non-Power Reactor Project Directorate Division of Reactor Projects III, IV, V and Special Projects FROM:
Theodore S..Michaels, Project Manager Standardization and Non-Power Reactor Project Directorate Division of Reactor Projects III, IV, V and Special Projects
SUBJECT:
DAILY HIGHLIGHT - DENIAL OF PETITION FOR RULEMAKING
' A response denying a petition for rulemaking by the Comittee to Bridge the Gap has been' approved by the EDO and is expected to be published in the Federal Register within the next couple of weeks. The petitioner requested.that the Commission amend its regulations to require licensees, whose reactors employ graphite as a neutron moderator or reflector, to formulate and submit for NRC 3
approval fire response and evacuation' plans for combatting a reactor fire involving graphite and other constituent parts (e.g. fuel). Also, the petitioner requested that licensees perform measurements of the "Wigner energy" stored in the graphite at their reactor and submit these measurements to the NRC for review together with a revised safety analysis, which addresses the i
risk and consequences of a reactor fire.
The' petition was published for comment in the Federal Register and there were 21 responding entities who opposed and 6 who favored the petition.
Brookhaven National Laboratory, under contract, prepared a report entitled "A Safety
- Assessment of the Use of Graphite in Nuclear Reactors Licensed by the U.S. NRC" (NUREG/CR-4981), which established a basis, in part, for denial of the petition. The report reviews existing literature and knowledge on graphite burning and on energy accumulation and release in order to assess what role, if any, stored energy release can have in initiating or contributing to hypothetical graphite burning scenarios in non-power reactors.
It also gl Iji addresses the question of graphite ignition and self-sustained combustion in Ji the event of a loss-of-coolant accident.
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l The. petition was' denied because graphite burning is considered to be a very
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low-probability:(i.e. noncredible) event in NRC licensed reactors and its l
I potential is essentially independent of stored energy in graphite. Also, NRC
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. licensed reactors have approved plans for dealing with emergencies in 1
accordance with existing regulations.
i c3 Theodore S. Michaels, Project Manager l
Standardization and Non-Power Reactor Project Directorate Division of Reactor Projects III, IV, l
i V and Special Projects l
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October 6, 1987
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The petition was denied because graphite burning is considered to be a very low-probability (i.e. noncredible) event in NRC licensed reactors and its o
potential is essentially independent of stored energy in graphite. Also, NRC 111 censed reactors have approved plans for dealing with emergencies in accordance with existing. regulations.
- Theodore S.gned by' ls, Project Manager original si Michae Standardization'and Non-Power Reactor Project Directorate Division of Reactor Projects III, LIV, V and Special Projects
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