Agenda and slides for Oct. 20 NRC ACRS mtg. on reactor pressure vessel embrittlement/pressurized thermal shock risk

On Oct. 20th, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) THERMAL-HYDRAULIC PHENOMENA SUBCOMMITTEE will hold a meeting on reactor pressure vessel (RPV) embrittlement/pressurized thermal shock (PTS) risk, as well as other risks associated with age-related degradation of RPVs.

The agenda and slides (see links below) have just been provided. As they indicate, the nuclear power utilities involved (PWROG, Pressurized Water Reactors Owners Group), including Entergy Nuclear at the Palisades atomic reactor on the Lake Michigan shore in Covert, MI (the worst embrittled RPV in the U.S.), have invoked proprietary information privileges/trade secrecy. The only public portion of the meeting will take place from 8:30 to 9:30am Eastern time. A public comment opportunity will be provided at the end of the public portion of the meeting, from 9:30 to 9:45am Eastern.

Concerned citizens and environmental group representatives are encouraged to listen-in to the public portion of the meeting, and to provide oral public comments by phone during the allotted time. The Call-In Number is (866) 822-3032, Passcode: 8272423

The WCAP document has been declared proprietary, so NRC will not provide it to the public. Only the open, public portion of the presentation slides have been provided by NRC to the public.

Links to limited documents made available to the public:

Meeting Agenda;

WCAP-17788 Volume 1, Introduction, Gordon Wissinger, AREVA Inc., PWR Owners Group;

Overview of WCAP-17788, In-Vessel Debris Limits for Closure of NRC Generic Letter 2004-02, Jeffrey Brown, Pressurized Water Reactor Owners Group;

ACRS Thermal Hydraulic Sub-Committee Meeting on Topical Report WCAP-17788, "Comprehensive Analysis and Test Program for GSI-191 Closure," Jonathon Rowley (NRR/DPR), PWR Owners Group Project Manager, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.