ML20053D079
| ML20053D079 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/26/1982 |
| From: | Coffman F ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20053D077 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-10CFR9.7 NUDOCS 8206040039 | |
| Download: ML20053D079 (12) | |
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o-PRESENTATION TO NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ON THREE MILE ISLAND-2 CLEANUP by
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Dr. Franklin E. Coffman Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Waste Management and Fuel Cycle Programs Department of Energy May 26, 1982 Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, My purpose this morning is to address the TMI-2 cleanup program and the concerns raised in your letter to Counsellor Meese of April 2,1982.
In.that letter, you urged the Federal Government to take a more aggressive role in accelerating the cleanup process to avoid any degradation of containment integrity and equipment capability which could lead to unexpected releases of radioactivity. Specifically, you asked Counsellor Meese to express the Administration's support of (1) establishment of additional cleanup funding that will guarantee a rapid cleanup, and (2) acquisition and disposal of the entire damaged core by DOE as soon as possible.
As indicated in his April 26, 1982, letter to you, Counsellor Meese shares As a first step, he has asked Secretary Edwards to arrange this your concern.
briefing to describe to you what is actually occurring and planned in the near future with regard to the health and safety concerns expressed in your letter, and to explore with you the need for further actions by the Federal Government. Secretary Edwards and Assistant Secretary Brewer have asked me to be completely frank and open with you with regard to the situation as it now exists and our own view of future prospects.
8206040039 820526 PDR 10CF.1 PT9.7 PDR
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First, I will describe the progress being made in removing the waste from Three Mile Island. As you will see, the bulk of the radioactive water has already been processed and the radioactive contaminants have been concentrated in a small number of packages, some of which have already been shipped offsite; NRC staff is currently reviewing licensing of shipping casks, and if approved, the remaining packages will be shipped within 12 months.
In our view, funding is no longer a limiting factor in the waste program.
Second, I will describe progress being made in securing access to the reactor for core examination, removal, and disposal. We believe the progress is good, and that improved progress will be made as a result of recent improvements in containment habitability and recent efforts by the owners to improve the efficiency of cleanup management.
In fact, we are hopeful that substantial progress in head removal, plenum removal and fuel removal will occur during the next 18 months.
In additioc, the Department has signed an agreement in principle with the owners to acquire and dispose of the damaged core.
I will briefly describe the terms of that agreement and status of implementation.
Finally, I will discuss with you current prospects for securing additional financing for the cleanup.
In our view, and I realize this differs somewhat from the views expressed in your April 2 letter, the current pace of work is only minimally effected by funding limitations. This year's spending levels of some $55 million per year by the owners for TMI-2 operations, maintsnance, and cleanup, and $30 million for DOE R&D, should allow continued good progress in the cleanup.
However, in view of the fact that GPU's insurance will run
3 out by the end of 1983, additional revenues are needed by that time.
The Administration be,lieves these additional revenues should be derived principally from the owners, its ratepayers, and its stockholders.
In addition, the Department of Energy supports Senate Bill 1606, which, if enacted into law, would lead to contributions from the Nation's electric utility companies. We do not believe, however, that the owners and their State Regulatory Comissions should depend on this source of revenue at this time. We, therefore, suggest that the early startup of TMI-1, and the freeing up of rate revenues for use in cleanup by the appropriate regulatory commissions, are the two principal near term actions which the parties should focus on.
In summary, while progress to date has been slower than all of us would like, significant forward steps are now being taken. Progress on the most critical aspects of the TMI-2 cleanup, namely removal of the radioactive waste and removal of the damaged core, is not being held back by insufficient funds. We do not believe it is necessary for the Administration to take further action beyond the continued support of annual DOE appropriations for the $123 million R&D program.
Instead, we believe that continued focus on step-by-step progress in the cleanup, coupled with recent improvements in the management of the cleanup operation, will lead to the prompt mitigation of the potential safety hazards discussed in your April 2nd letter. We urge the Commission to
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act expeditiously on the owner's TMI-l restart request, as that will provide the necessary additional revenues for cleanup under the terms of the Pennsylvania PUC order.
Now let me address the basis for these conclusions in some detail.
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I.
Status of Radioactive Waste Packaging and Removal There are three categories of waste, EPICOR liners, SDS liners, and other abnormal waste.
The EPICOR rcsin liners were used to remove radioactive contaminants in the auxiliary building water. The submerged demineralizer system (SDS) liners were used to remove radioactive contaminants in the containment building basement, and will continue to be used to purify primary coolant system water.
The other abnormal waste, such as the purification demineralizers which collected substantial amounts of radioactive material during the 1979 accident must also be packaged and shipped offsite. DOE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NRC committing us to remove any of this waste that cannot be directly disposed of in a commercial burial ground for disposal at a DOE facility. Costs of disposal not covered by R&D needs will be reimbursed by GPU. The status of our efforts is as follows:
(1)
The radioactive contaminants from the cleanup of water in the TMI auxiliary building have been collected in 50 carbon steel cans containing mixed resins known as "EPICOR" liners.
The Department has already shipped one of these liners to Ohio and then to Idaho for research and development, and has developed new techniques to deal with l
potentiall'y combustible gases that could be generated in these liners.
Those techniques are expected to be of value to the entire nuclear industry and NRC as future shipments are made. We expect the r.emaining 49 EPICOR liners to be shipped to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for research during the next 9-12 months.
Non R&D costs associated with shipment and disposal will be borne by the owners.
5 (2)
The Department is developing of a "High Integrity Container" that will allow the safe disposal of these liners, and others of a similar nature from other commercial reactors, at commercial licensed low level waste burial sites.
Design requirements and features were reviewed with the NRC's Office of Waste Management.
Delivery of two prototype containers for testing is now scheduled for September 1982. Upon successful completion of testing, we plan to arrange for disposal of a portion of the EPICOR liners in High Integrity Containers at a comercial site.
(3)
The owners have drained the contaminated basement of 600,000 gallons of contaminated water including about 300,000 curies of radioactive cesium and strontium.
(4)
All of the cesium and strontium removed from the basement water has been concentrated on about 100 cubic feet of zeolite sand enclosed in 12 stainless steel liners, each about the size of a large garbage ca'n.
(The cans are known as submerged deminerali7er system liners or SDS liners.) Lessons learned from this R&D activity will pave the way for cleanup of any future nuclear plant contamination incidents.
The technique for doing this was developed jointly by GPU and DOE contractors. Just last week the owner began to process water from the primary coolant system through the SDS system.
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6 (5)
The Department of Energy has demonstrated vitrification of a sample nonradioactive SDS liner. We have just shipped the first radioactive SDS liner froJn TMI to our Hanford, Washington, laboratory for a hot vitrification demonstration. The resultant glass log is extremely stable and suitable for long-term storage and disposal. Thus, a safe method will have been demonstrated for treating and disposing of radioactive fission products from such incidents.
(6)
The Department and GPU have initiated a program to remove the radioactive resins in the purification demineralizers for R&D purposes.
Under the program, which is covered in our current budget, the Department will arrange for testing of the resin to determine its mobility for back-flushing purposes, and then either back-flush the resins into a shipping container, or arrange to cut the demineralizer vessel out of the system and ship it offsite. We are just in the early stages of contracting at this time and expect to have a more definitive plan and schedule this summer.
II.
Status of Containment Cleanup and Core Removal (1 ).
Just last month the owners completed a containment decontamination experiment which was partially sponsored by the Department and led to reductions in radioactivity levels in certain areas within the containment.
In this test, the polar crane, D-rings, missile shields, refueling canals, refueling bridge, and 305-and 347-foot elevations were sprayed with low-pressure water.
In addition, the floor
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surfacesonthe305-footelevakionandthefloorsurfacesandmajor pieces of e.quipment on the 347-foot elevation were sprayed with high-pressure water.
Preliminary results from the low-pressure spray indicate that general area gamma radiation readings were reduced by a factor of 1.35, and that smearable contamination was reduced by factors of from 1.50 to 2.0.
Horizontal floor surfaces on the 305-foot elevation were reduced to 6
2 137 approximately 10 dpm/100cm of Cs after the low-pressure, and 5
2 137 were further reduced to approximately 10 dpm/100cm gf Cs after the high-pressure spray.
Results of the low-and high-pressure sprays on the 347-foot elevation were combined. General area gamma radiation reduction factors ranged from 1.1 to 2.4.
Smearable contamination was reduced by a factor of 9 5
2 137 and final swipes measured 10 dpm/100cm of Cs.
In the area' of the D-rings, refueling canals, and refueling bridge, area radiation Contact gama readings were reduced by a low factor of 1.3 to 4.0.
gamma and beta radiation measurements reflected comparable reductions.
This test and planned follow-on activities will make working conditions In the within the containment significantly easier and less cumbersome.
l past, the recovery contractor has estimated that 100 hours0.00116 days <br />0.0278 hours <br />1.653439e-4 weeks <br />3.805e-5 months <br /> of worker The preparation are needed for each hour of work within containment.
reduction in radiation and contamination levels should, along with other l
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8 improvements in job control, lead to a significant reduction in this ratio; perhaps by as much as a factor of 10, and, thereby, lead to a significant reduction in cost and time required to complete the TMI-2 a
cleanup, compared to previous estimates.
(2)
A Technical Assistance and Advisory Group (TAAG) has been established as a follow-on to the prior technical assistance group formed at the time of the accident.
Under the joint sponsorship of 00E, GPU, and NRC, this group is providing expertise and new insight into safer and more efficient methods of conducting the defueling and cleanup.
This group includes some of the most knowledgeable and experienced professionals in the country and has already come up with some ideas and suggestions that have led to major progress in the defueling.
(3)
Partly as a result of the TAAG efforts and the efforts of the DOE /EG&G R&D team to apply a specialized 1 1/4 inch underwater TV camera, we have obtained for the first time a TV tape of the tops of the fuel elements within the TMI-l reactor core by inserting this camera through a 36-foot-long opening from the reactor vessel head.
As a result of the excellent clarity in these pictures, the owner and DOE are arranging for the first examination of the damaged TMI-2 core this July.
This examination will provide vital information to accelerate the cleanup, defueling, and acquisition of generic safety data of value to the entire nuclear community.
9 (4)
A program of examination and refurbishment of the containment building crane, needed for head removal and defueling, has begun.. Preliminary results indicate that some electrical components will have to be replaced, but mechanically the crane appears to be sound.
Further j
inspections and tests are planned to confirm this. Ordering of parts to l
replace those damaged has begun, and we are optimistic that the crane can be put in good, safe working condition within about 7 months. The crane inspection program is being sponsored jointly W DOE and the Electric Power Research Institute.
(5)
Subsequent to the Commission's April 2 letter to Counsellor Meese, urging the DOE to firm-up their plans to acquire the damaged core, the Department did indeed sign an agreement in principle with the owners to acquire the damaged core.
Under this agreement the Department would take title to the entire damaged core for research and development (R&D) purposes. The Idaho Operations Office and its contractor, EG&G, have been assigned lead responsibility to manage and conduct the Department's R&D program on TMI and will be responsible for the acquisition of the core, arranging for shipment and survey of the damaged fuel, and for l
distribution of appropriate samples to other DOE laboratories and 1
contractors for analysis. We expect this program to provide vital knowledge on reactor safety and reliability of generic value to the entire nuclear comunity.
Our plans call for the TMI-2 owners to provide full reimbursement for shipment and interim storage not associated with R&D and for ultimate 9
O 10 disposal. Our plan would entail 3 to 5 years of storage during the R&D phase. This would be followed by actions to ship the core to storage
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facilities associated with a repository or for further processing for
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recovery of valuable fuel materials and to stabilize the remaining fission products for ultimate disposal.
We believe the entire program can be conducted as part of our planned TMI R&D program as authorized by the Congress, and we expect to stay within our limit of $123 million total cost as comitted by the Administration. The plan is contingent upon successful negotiation of a contract between DOE and the owners of TMI-2, a process which is expected to take about 6 to 9 months.
III.
Future Prospects And, finally, I would like to discuss future plans.
I am personally very optimistic that the rate of progress will increase in the coming months and years. The core examination this sumer will be very important in that regard. Progress to date has been less difficult than originally anticipated.
Up until last year, the owner's schedule for conducting the first examination of the damaged core was some time in 1983; they now expect ~to do this in July of this year.
In my view, with concentrated management, effective cost control, continued cooperation among the various participants, and timely availability of funds, the critical jobs of waste shipment and damaged fuel removal can be completed within the next 24 to 30 months. Planning is underway for I
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11 reactor vessel head removal by July 1983. Depending on results of this summer's co.re examination, the Department is hopeful that aggressive management action will facilitate head removal at an earlier date, perhaps by the end of this year.
In any event, I am optimistic that we will make a good start in removing the reactor vessel closure head this year, and will be well into removal of the plenum structures and fuel in 1983.
I call to your attention the commitment made by the NRC in your letter of April 2 to timely as well as thorough execution of your resporsibilities to regulate the cleanup of TMI-2 in the interests of public health and safety.
I wish to commend the NRC staff for their responsible and timely performance in recent months, and urge continuation of timely and constructive input in the days ahead.
I also wish to point out that prompt action by the Commission on the owner's request to restart TMI-l is also a matter of vital importance.
Under the terms of the Pennsylvania PUC order, additional revenues now being collected from Pennsylvania ratepayers cannot be used on TMI-2 cleanup until TMI-l returns to operation.
I understand that the owners expect to complete steam generator repair in the fall, and there is a strong possibility that the NRC approval of restart, including court' ordered study of the effect of restart on mental health, will be the limiting action on restart.
In view of this possibility, and the need s
expressed by the Commission for additional revenues, I suggest the 9
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~s 12 Comission.look into accelerating the dec'isionmaking process on restart,
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as the most diYect means for NRC to achieve the objectives set forth in your April 2 letter.
1 hank you.
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