SANDIA and corrosion tests of large zircaloy bundles.

Below is my recent letter to Senator Risch. It turns out that SANDIA, under contract from NRC, is conducting large scale corrosion tests of zircaloy bundles in air only. These are called fire tests.

Robert H. Leyse
P. O. Box 2850
222 Elkhorn Road
Sun Valley, ID 83353

January 19, 2012

The Honorable James E. Risch
United States Senator
1411 Falls Avenue E Suite 2
Twin Falls, ID 83301

Dear Senator Risch:

Nutshell: Why is NRC reluctant to perform the testing in water-steam per PRM-50-76?

The main appeal of my PRM-50-76, ML022240009, Docketed May 8, 2002, is that further tests with zirconium clad bundles in water-steam are necessary. NRC denied that PRM, asserting that sufficient bundle tests had been performed at NRU, Canada, via a contract with Pacific Northwest Laboratories, see ML041210109, April 24, 2004. NRC now says that none of these Canadian tests are applicable and I believe you have already asked NRC for the details of their analysis that I requested in my letter of December 19, 2011.

On December 19, 2011, I wrote you, “I must keep this inquiry brief; hence I am deferring other concerns until very early in 2012,” It turns out that on December 23, 2011, I inadvertently found out that NRC has a huge program that involves corrosion testing of full-length heated bundles of zirconium alloy assemblies, see ML11031A000, page 58 of 226, I have asked NRC about this and they have told me nothing. Then, on January 5, 2011, I accidently ran across an NRC disclosure of a closed meeting that was held on September 30, 2011, that included EPRI and DOE and that included discussions of the corrosion testing of the full-length heated bundles of zirconium alloy assemblies. Here is one reference that was released on January 3, 2012: ML113140453 - RES Staff Presentation Handouts Materials NRC-RES/EPRI Coordination Meeting Friday, September 30, 2011, (23 page(s), 12/22/2011).

ML113140453 - RES Staff Presentation Handouts Materials NRC-RES/EPRI Coordination Meeting Friday, September 30, 2011. (23 page(s), 12/22/2011)

Please have the NRC tell us about the corrosion testing of full-length heated bundles of zirconium alloy assemblies. The release on January 3, 2012, disclosed that the testing is being done at Sandia, it has 12 foreign participants, the full length assemblies are 17 by 17 arrangements of PWR fuel geometry, and testing is being done in air only. Why is NRC reluctant to perform the Sandia tests in water-steam as called for in PRM-50-76?



Robert H. Leyse

Closed Mtg. Btwn. NRC, DOE, and EPRI.
Accession Number: ML113120189
Date Released: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Package Contents
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ML113120182 - Memo re: Closed Meeting Between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research; The U.S. Department of Energy; and the Electric Power Research Institute. (3 page(s), 12/22/2011)

ML113120193 - Meeting Agenda for 9/30/2011 Btwn. NRC, DOE, and EPRI. (2 page(s), 12/22/2011)

ML113120203 - Meeting Participants List - 9/30/11 Mtg. Btwn. NRC, DOE and EPRI. (1 page(s), 12/22/2011)

ML113140453 - RES Staff Presentation Handouts Materials NRC-RES/EPRI Coordination Meeting Friday, September 30, 2011. (23 page(s), 12/22/2011)


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