ML20027E542

Advises That Tests to Confirm Fission Product Scrubbing Efficiency of BWR Suppression Pool Show Overall Scrubbing Decontamination Factor of at Least 10,000.Results of Scrubbing Test Will Be Submitted in May 1982

ML20027E542
Person / Time
Site:	05000447
Issue date:	04/19/1982
From:	Sherwood G GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.
To:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Shared Package
ML20027E536	List: ML20027E535 ML20027E542 ML20027E556
References
NUDOCS 8211150480
Download: ML20027E542 (2)

Text

N U C l. E A R POWEH SYSTEMS DIVISION oENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,175 CURTNER AVE., SAN JOSE, CAUFORNIA 95125 M/C 682, (408) 925-5040 2/lj9}y 2 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission -

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Washington, D.C. 20555 ATTENTION: H.R. Denton

SUBJECT:

CONFIRMATION OF SUPPRESSION P00L SCRUBBING EFFICIENCY

REFERENCES:

1) Letter from W.R. Stratton, A.P. Malinauskas, and D.0. Campbell to Chairman J. Ahearne dated August 14, 1980

2) NED0-25420, " Suppression Pool Scrubbing Factors for Postulated Boiling Water Reactor Accident Conditions,"

dated June 1981 This is to advise you of General Electric's completion of tests to confinn the fission product scrubbing efficiency of the BWR suppression pool. We consider the results are a breakthrough in demonstrating the safety of the BWR in postulated accident conditions. .

The tests show an overall scrubbing decontamination factor of at least 10,000. As you know, a value of 1 is required for licensing basis analyses. Since the tests were performed for non-condensing conditions, post accident conditions in which condensation occurs would actually be expected to give decontamination' factors greater than 10,000.

Pessrs. Stratton, Malinauskas and Campbell refocused industry and Staff attention on the excessive conservatism of NRC regulations relating to fission product retention following the TMI accident (Reference 1).

They pointed out that both post accident sampling at TMI and industry literature demonstrated that extensive fission product retention would occur following a severe accident. The literature survey which GE reported in Reference 2 documented why these conclusions are especially applicable to the BWR suppression pool and established minimum expected decontamination factors. General Electric's scrubbing test program now confirms the decontamination capabilities of the suppression pool.

General Electric will be submitting the results of our scrubbing test This submittal, program to the NRC on the GESSAR II docket in May.

together with General Electric's probabilistic risk assessment (PRA)

~

8211150400 821109 PDR ADOCK 05000447 A PDR

r 1 l

GENER AL h ELECTRIC ,

H.R. Denton, USNRC

• Page 2 -

of the BWR/6 Standard Plant, address severe accident issues.

General Electric is also planning BUR Technology Update meetings with the Staff to aide your review of both the scrubbing test program and the PRA.

The scrubbing tests demonstrate that the BWR possesses substantial accident mitigation capability against postulated accidents. We believe that the results of these tests provide the bases for the Staff to resolve severe accident issues for the BWR.

We will be in contact with you on the progress of our program.

If you have any. questions, please call me at (408) 925-5040, or Mr. Joseph Quirk (408) 925-2606.

Sincerely, Glenn G. Sherwood, Manager Nuclear Safety & Licensing Operation cc: W.J. Dircks (NRC)

R.J. Mattson (NRC)

R.B. Minogue (NRC)

D.G. Eisenhut (NRC)

P.G. Shewmon (ACRS)

J. Ray (ACRS)

W. Kerr (ACRS)