Attached is Three Mile Island Alert's petition for enforcement action regarding the replacement steam generators. A fluttering behavior of the steam tubes to the point of damage was not predicted by design analysis. The behavior could cause steam tube rupturing during reactor transient conditions. Although analysis has been performed on steam tube loads under transient conditions, the fluttering and damage mechanism has not been analyzed.
The aggressive design, an admission that "the margin to buckling was not conservative," geometric changes from the previous steam generators, in addition to a design flaw and a manufacturing flaw, means that the steam generators are in violation of regulation §50.59 in 10 CFR "Changes, tests and experiments."
Our request for enforcement action and supporting facts are stated in the petition.
Accident Generated Water - In 1980, the Susquehanna Valley Alliance, based in Lancaster, successfully prevented GPU/Met Ed from dumping 700,000 gallons of radioactive water into the Susquehanna River.
Three Mile Island Unit-2 was built at a cost to rate payers of $700 million and had been on-line for just 90 days, or 1/120 of its expected operating life, at the time of the core melt accident on March 28, 1979 . One billion dollars from rate payers, taxpayers and the nuclear industry was spent to defuel the facility.
