[Anon leaks] NRC “SFP4 crisis may happen at US nuclear plants too”

Following up this article..Anonymous leaked IAEA, NRC and RC material about Fukushima

On NRC’s report “Lessons Learned from Japan’s March 11 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami (SECY-11-0137) [Link]”

they expressed the concern about the equipment at US nuclear plants, which may cause the similar type of crisis as SFP4 of Fukushima.

 

POLICY ISSUE
NOTATION VOTE
February 17, 2012 SECY-12-0025
FOR: The Commissioners
FROM: R. W. Borchardt
Executive Director for Operations
SUBJECT: PROPOSED ORDERS AND REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION IN RESPONSE
TO LESSONS LEARNED FROM JAPAN’S MARCH 11, 2011, GREAT TOHOKU
EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI

(P.7 ~)

Finally, Enclosure 6 to this paper contains an order requiring enhanced spent fuel pool (SFP)
instrumentation. During the events in Fukushima, responders were without reliable
instrumentation to determine the water level in the SFP. This caused concerns that the pool
may have boiled dry, resulting in fuel damage. Fukushima demonstrated the confusion and
misapplication of resources that can result from beyond-design-basis external events when
adequate SFP instrumentation is not available. The SFP level instrumentation at U.S. nuclear
power plants is typically narrow range and, therefore, only capable of monitoring normal and
slightly off-normal conditions. Although the likelihood of a catastrophic event affecting nuclear
power plants and the associated SFPs in the United States remains very low, beyond-designbasis external events could challenge the ability of existing spent fuel pool instrumentation in
providing emergency responders with reliable information on the condition of SFPs. Reliable
and available indication is essential to ensure plant personnel can effectively prioritize
emergency actions.

 

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Iori Mochizuki