Nuclear Materials
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June 18, 1984 The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: This Annual Report for 1983 of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission is forwarded for your transmittal to the Congress, as required by Section 307 ( c) of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. The report is devoted mainly to coverage of events and activities occurring in fiscal year 1983, with additional treatment of events after that period where circumstances warranted. Respectfully ?!~&F~.~ "ukrDc "\' Nunzio J. Palladino Chairman ". 1983 . Annual Report Available from GPO Sales Program Division of Technical I nformation and Document Control U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555 ===========================================================================iii Table of Contents Chapter 1 - 1983 Highlights/1984 Planning Changes Within Commission and Senior Staff ..................... , , ......... , , , . 1 Noteworthy Events of 1983 ................................................... 1 Policy and Planning Guidance for 1984 . ............. , ........... , ......... ,.. 2 Chapter 2 - Reactor Regulation STATUS OF LICENSING ....... ,., .............. ,., ......... ,." ........ ,....... 7 Applications for Operating Licenses for Power Reactors .... 7 Applications for Construction Permits or Manufacturing Licenses .................................................... 7 Licensing Actions for Operating Power Reactors .................................. 8 Licensing Actions for Nonpower Reactors .. , .......... ,",...................... 8 Special Cases ............................ , ..... ,...................... 9 IMPROVING THE LICENSING PROCESS ................. " .. , ........ "......... 11 Temporary Operating Licenses ................................................ 11 Amendments to Operating Licenses .......... ,................................. 11 Decentralization ............................................................ 13 Standardization ............................. " ........ , .. ,., ....... ,.,...... 13 Priorities of Generic Safety Issues ............. " .. , ....... , .. , ......... ,...... 13 Coordination of Regulatory Requirements .,............ ........................ 13 Regulatory Reform .......................................................... 14 Backfitting ............................ 14 HUMAN FACTORS ............................................................. 15 Staffing and Qualifications . ... 15 Ttaining ................................................................... 15 Operator Licensing .......................................................... 15 Procedures ................................................................. 16 Man-Machine Interfaces . 17 Management and Organization ................................................ 17 UNRESOLVED SAFETY ISSUES ................................................. 17 SUMMARY OF STATUS .......................................... ,............. 17 PROGRESS REPORTS .... " . 17 Water Hammer ............................................................. 17 PWR Steam Generator Tube Integrity . 19 Fracture Toughness of Support Materials ........................................ 19 Systems Interactions ................................................... :..... 20 Seismic Design Criteria ...................................................... 20 Containment Emergency Sump Performance ..................................... 20 iv Station Blackout ............................................................ 20 Shutdown Decay Heat Removal Requirements . 20 Seismic Qualification of Equipment in Operating Plants ............................ 21 Safety Implications of Control Systems ......................................... 21 Hydrogen Control Measures and Effects of Hydrogen Bums on Safety Equipment ......................................................... 21 Pressurized Thermal Shock ................................................... 21 SAFETY REVIEWS ............................................................ 22 TMI Action Plan ........................................................... 22 Emergency Response Capabilities .............................................. 22 Systematic Evaluation Program ................................................ 23 Severe Accident Policy ...................................................... 23 Probabilistic Risk Assessment ................................................. 24 Equipment Qualification . 24 Fire Protection ............................................................. 25 Operational Safety Assessments ............................................... 25 Pipe Cracks at Boiling Water Reactors .......................................... 25 Steam Generators ........................................................... 26 Failures of Automatic Shutdown Systems . .. ..... 28 Instrumentation to Detect Inadequate Core Cooling . 28 Occupational Radiation Doses ................................................. 28 Occupational Exposure Data System . 29 Radioactive Effluents ........................................................ 29 Structural Engineering ....................................................... 30 Foundations ................................................................ 30 Dynamic Loads in Mark III Containments ....................................... 30 Tornado Missiles . 31 Geosciences ............................................................... 31 PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT ............................................. 32 Socioeconomic Impacts of Nuclear Power Plants. 32 Non-Radiological Public Health Issues in Licensing Nuclear Power Plants ...................................................... 32 Environmental Noise Levels at Nuclear Power Plants .............................. 33 Effects of Nuclear Plants on Aquatic Life ....................................... 33 ANTITRUST ACTIVITIES ....................................................... 33 ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS............................ 34 Chapter 3 - Cleanup at Three Mile Island Unit 2 Reactor Building Entries ..................................................... 37 Waste Management. 37 Polar Crane ................................................................ 38 Inspection of the Reactor Core ................................................ 38 Radiation Dose Rate Reduction ..... 39 Advisory Panel on TMI Cleanup .............. 40 Chapter 4 - Operational Experience ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF OPERATIONAL DATA 41 Exchanging Information with Industry ......................................... 41 NRC Handling of Operational Data Reports ..................................... 41 TECHNICAL STUDIES - SELECT CASES ........................................ 42 ATWS Events at Salem ..................................................... 42 Loss of Reactor Coolant Events .............................................. 43 Failures of Switchgear Circuit Breakers ........................................ 43 Potential Failure Modes of Electrical Equipment ................................. 44 Studies in Progress ......................................................... 44 Low Temperature Overpressurization .......................................... 45 v ABNORMAL OCCURRENCES UPDATE FROM FISCAL YEAR 1982 ............... 45 Loss of Auxiliary Electrical Power ............................................. 45 Occupational Overexposures .................................................. 45 ABNORMAL OCCURRENCES - FISCAL YEAR 1983 .............................. 47 Inoperable Containment Spray System .......................................... 47 Main Feedwater Line Break Due to Water Hammer ............................... 48 Deficiencies in Management and Procedural Controls ...................... 49 Failure of Automatic Reactor Trip System ....................................... 49 Agreement State Licensees ................................................... 50 Chapter 5 - Nuclear Materials FUEL CYCLE ACTIONS ........................................................ 53 Decommissioning and Decontamination ..................................... 53 Interim Spent Fuel Storage ................................................... 56 Monitored Retrievable Storage ................................................ 56 Low-level Radioactive Waste Storage ........................................... 57 MATERIAL LICENSING ........................................................ ,,)7 Industrial Licensing ......................................................... 59 Medical and Academic Licensing .............................................. 59 TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ............................... 59 Regulation Revision ......................................................... 59 Transportation Litigation ..................................................... 60 Spent Fuel Shipments ..................... 60 Spent Fuel Cask ............................................. .............. 60 Chapter 6 - Safeguards STATUS OF SAFEGUARDS IN 1983 .............................................. 61 Reactor Safeguards .......................................................... 61 Fuel Cycle Facilities ......................................................... 63 Transportation .............................................................. 63 Contingency Planning and Threat Assessment .................................... 64 SAFEGUARDS REGULATORY ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES........................... 64 Fuel Facilities Material Control and Accounting .................................