In the second part of a five-day series, the Asbury Park Press examines vulnerabilities in the plant's radiation containment system.

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/13/06

If there were a major reactor accident at the Oyster Creek nuclear plant, chances are its most critical radiation barrier would fail.

That means radiation could spread into the environment, schools and thousands of homes.

This is not speculation from an anti-nuclear group or a disgruntled employee.

The chilling possibility comes from a detailed evaluation of Oyster Creek by its owner and operator.

Oyster Creek's steel and concrete radiation containment system has a 74 percent chance of failing if the reactor core melts or fuel is seriously damaged from an accident, according to a risk analysis by AmerGen Energy Co., which runs the plant. The details are in the plant's 2,400-page relicensing application.

Despite this known risk, Oyster Creek's owner wants to run the plant for 20 more years beyond the end of its current 40-year license in 2009.

Such a high probability of containment failure is common among the 103 nuclear reactors in the United States, according to documents and studies from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The possible failure rate ranged from 1 percent to 99 percent, according to a nuclear engineer who has seen an NRC database that is no longer publicly available.

Although getting to the point of core damage at Oyster Creek has astronomically low odds — about 1 chance in 95,000 per year — once that threshold is crossed, the final barrier will be little match for the heat, steam and radiation produced during a catastrophic accident.

"The good news is that a lot of effort is undertaken to reduce the likelihood of an accident," said David Lochbaum, director of the Nuclear Safety Project for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit alliance of citizens and scientists.

"The bad news is that if that date arrives," the containment system, whose sole function is to protect the public, is "not likely to work," he said.

If you were to slice the plant from top to bottom, Oyster Creek's containment system would look like an enormous upside-down light bulb balanced on a doughnut.

The principle is similar to that of a thermos bottle: If the inside lining of the container breaks, the liquid would remain trapped within the bottle's steel outer shell.

Oyster Creek's containment system, which surrounds the reactor and its 105 tons of nuclear fuel, is designed to condense steam and cool the reactor in an emergency.

But if the reactor core is damaged, the 74 percent chance of failure means that at least some radiation would escape within hours or days of the accident, according to Oyster Creek's application for relicensing, a plant spokesman and NRC officials.

"I'm horrified because the mantra of Oyster Creek and the nuclear industry is that they're safe," said Jeffrey Brown, a 63-year-old Brick resident and a member of Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety, an Oyster Creek opposition group. "At what point do people say that Oyster Creek is not worth the risk?"

Engineers not affiliated with the NRC or the plant should be allowed inside Oyster Creek to evaluate the drywell, said Thomas Cervasio, chairman of EnviroWatch, a Berkeley-based environmental watchdog. The drywell is a steel pressure vessel surrounded by reinforced concrete. Both surround the reactor.

"We would feel an awful lot better if we could get an independent study," he said. How much radiation, and how deadly the plume is, would be determined by the severity of any accident and the timing of a release, according to the plant's risk assessment.

The likelihood of a deadly release — which would usually occur in the first six hours of reactor damage — is about 1 in 1.7 million per year, according to plant and NRC officials. A massive radiation release would be the most deadly in the early hours because up to 244,000 residents and visitors may not have enough time to evacuate from the area around the plant.

The plant's 74 percent chance of containment system failure would apply only "in the highly unlikely event that there is a (reactor) core damage event," said Peter C. Resler, manager of nuclear communications for Exelon, which owns plant operator AmerGen.

Core damage includes melting of the highly radioactive fuel in the reactor. Fuel could melt, for example, if a large pipe breaks, and water used to keep the core at a safe temperature is lost.

Failure risks vary greatly

Oyster Creek's weak containment system is not unique among the 102 other nuclear reactors in the United States.

The integrity of nuclear plant containment systems varies widely, with their chances of failing ranging from 1 percent to 99 percent, according to Lochbaum, of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He cited information from an NRC database that is no longer available.

An expert with the nuclear industry's policy group said that the chances of containment failure have vastly decreased since plants first studied severe accident risks 15 years ago.

The chance of a containment system failing is now generally 10 percent to much less than 1 percent, said Tony Pietrangelo, senior director of risk regulation for the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based nuclear industry group.

But he could not point to any studies to support his conclusion.

Oyster Creek has a General Electric Mark I containment system, and all plants with such a system installed additional venting systems, according to Pietrangelo. Industry guidelines were developed to preserve containment integrity, among other improvements.

NRC spokesman Neil A. Sheehan said the NRC knows of no new reports on the risks of containment failure at plants.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 1997 NRC reports detailing the chance of containment failure were removed from the NRC's Web site.

The NRC removed the documents from the Web because "there was not a desire to point up risks associated with various aspects of nuclear power plant operation," Sheehan said.

The reports, though, are still for sale. Copies of the three-volume report — without the database that details the containment ratings of individual plants — are available for purchase from the U.S. Department of Commerce for $55.85.

Assessing the danger

Since a commercial nuclear plant has never released a fatal plume of radiation in this country, the probability of such an accident is based on mathematical models.

The likelihood of an accidental radiation leak — be it small or large — is about 1 in 128,000 per year at Oyster Creek, according to AmerGen estimates.

For comparison, the odds of dying from poisoning are 1 in 86,313 a year, according to National Safety Council estimates. The chance of dying from medical and surgical care complications is 1 in 101,281 a year.

The ultimate effects of an early radiation leak would obviously be borne primarily by people living near the plant.

It would take between 7 and 9 1/2 hours to evacuate a 10-mile ring around Oyster Creek known as an emergency planning zone, according to New Jersey's Radiological Emergency Response Plan.

Oyster Creek's containment "would work in minimizing releases of radioactivity early on, which allows time for emergency measures to be put into place," Sheehan said.

How containment works

Oyster Creek was built in the 1960s with a relatively small General Electric Mark I containment system.

Different systems were built in later years, such as the GE Mark II containments for the Susquehanna 1 and 2 reactors in Pennsylvania. A plant study showed that its containments would have a 1 percent chance of failure, according to data provided by Lochbaum.

"GE wanted to make (the Mark I) smaller and more efficient," said Roger F. Reedy, a California-based nuclear engineering consultant who did the detailed design work for Oyster Creek's reactor and containment vessels based on GE specifications.

The Mark I, and the subsequent GE Mark II and III designs installed at some other nuclear plants, met the American Society of Mechanical Engineers code "that tells you how to build these to be safe," Reedy said. He once chaired the ASME committee that writes the rules for nuclear reactor and containment vessels, he said.

"That code is around the world now because it has a reputation for being safe," he said.

Twenty other boiling water reactors in the United States have GE Mark I containments, according to Hans Ashar, a senior structural engineer for the NRC in Rockville, Md.

This is how a Mark I containment system would work:

During an accident, excess steam and gases would be trapped in the steel shell called the drywell. Connected to the bottom of the drywell is the torus, which is shaped like a doughnut and partially filled with about 1 million gallons of water.

"If you have a discharge of steam (from the reactor vessel during an accident), the hot steam is shoved down into the water in the bottom of the torus," Reedy said. "That cools the steam down immediately, which reduces the pressures."

It is the nuclear equivalent of a child using a straw to cool his hot breath by blowing bubbles into a glass of cold water.

The torus water condenses the steam and also would be pumped into the reactor to help prevent the fuel from melting. Sprayers at the top of the drywell would be used to cool the reactor vessel. In theory, a meltdown would be averted, radiation contained in the drywell and torus, and the public saved from a disaster.

The drywell is rated to withstand 44 pounds of pressure per square inch but can withstand twice that rate, according to Ashar, AmerGen and NRC documents.

Oyster Creek's isolation condenser tubes — which were repaired years ago and help quickly turn steam into water — make the Mark I "a particularly good design, even though it's an older design," said Dennis Zannoni, supervising nuclear engineer in the state Department of Environmental Protection's Nuclear Engineering Section.

"If there's an accident, the steam will be dumped to the isolation condensers, which will condense the steam into water and recirculate it back," Zannoni said. "They're just tubes in a big container, and they're very, very important, and they work well."

Kent Tosch, manager of the DEP Bureau of Nuclear Engineering, said if there were a "high probability of failure" at Oyster Creek overall, "the plant wouldn't operate."

Much of the information that has emerged since the Three Mile Island nuclear plant accident in 1979 suggests that a lot of the radioactive materials in an accident will stay in and around the reactor, significantly reducing "early fatalities," Tosch said.

COMING TUESDAY: Kinks in the evacuation plan.
Todd B. Bates: (732) 643-4237 or tbates@...; Nicholas Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or nclunn@...

Under limited supervision, the candidate will exhibit managerial, supervisory, technical and coordinating capabilities of overseeing day-to-day operations of the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REP).

Leads and manages a team of personnel in performing planning and training services for the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program (REP) within the emergency planning zone (EPZ) and the Ingestion Planning Zone (IPZ)of pertinent nuclear facilities. Analyzes and assesses the effectiveness of the program. Creates informative reports and/or presentations to deliver to diverse audiences. Tracks issues which have an impact on the goals and direction of the program. May serve as a member of a special team analyzing proposed legislation. May coordinate the strategic planning efforts of the program. May prepare and monitor budgets. Oversees and evaluates program training, exercise development and preparation for the staff of OHS/ GEMA as well as local EMA and volunteer organizations. Identifies training and exercise gaps and/or unmet needs related to the agency’s preparedness, response and recovery capabilities regarding emergency management and Homeland Security, and develops plans, procedures, programs and policies to meet identified needs. May aid in the management of, and document preparation for, agency professional accreditations/ certifications. This position requires strong analytic, interpersonal communication and writing skills.

May supervise others, and /or facilitate a group, or serve as a task force leader. May serve as a member of a special team to analyze proposed legislation on a federal and state level. Other duties as assigned in agency, to include assignments in response to natural and manmade disasters and emergencies, etc. Serves as agency and division liaison for training and exercise issues concerning health and human services, and others as needed. All candidates must pass a motor vehicle and criminal background check. Maintains and analyzes sensitive information to assist in job performance in specific response areas. Travel required.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Serves as lead in the program development, and community liaison work for OHS/GEMA involving the planning, organization, coordination, training and administration of the REP program within the Emergency Planning Zones (EPZ) and the Ingestion Planning Zone (IPZ) around the Nuclear Power Plants and fixed nuclear facilities in and impacting the State of Georgia.

1. Extensive liaison is required with federal and local emergency management officials, the public and other interested parties within the Emergency Planning Zones (EPZ) and the Ingestion Planning Zone (IPZ) around the Nuclear Power Plants and fixed nuclear facilities in and impacting the State of Georgia.
2. Duties include extensive community networking, education, and implementation of assessment, assurance and program development to meet public safety needs and to promote REP goals at the community level.
3. Ensures planning, training and exercise complies with state and federal laws, rules and regulations, the State of Georgia Operations Plan (GEOP), Radiological Base Plan and Annexes, as well as the federal national response plan, state and local laws, policies and procedures.
4. Demonstrates good understanding of basic concepts of radiological preparedness. Also demonstrates knowledge of new and established data sources as well as equipment and techniques used to analyze data.
5. Reviews information, identifies pertinent project areas for investigation and/or makes recommendations for future planning, training and exercise needs either independently or as part of a team.
6. Prepares after- action reports and other follow-up reports as required.

7. Identifies and recommends appropriate action on program and policy issues for the division/department as needed. Schedules projects to support and perpetuate the REP program and policies.

8. Coordinates the gathering, development, analysis and interpretation of data and statistics required for planning purposes to ensure reliable and valid results. Coordinates the research and analysis necessary in the planning process.

9. Oversees and thoroughly reviews project submission packages to ensure projects are valid and consistent with agency's planned goals and budget.

10. Monitors projects in regards to milestones and deadlines; recognizes and resolves problems. Secures additional resources as needed; analyzes trends to anticipate and adapt to changes.

11. Communicates well with others; shares complex information quickly, accurately and completely with other sections, agencies, states as appropriate, and completes other duties related to manmade or natural disasters as required.

Analyzes and assesses the effectiveness of existing programs. (Performed by all incumbents)

1. Prepares reports of exercise findings to include recommendations for future actions, corrective actions and new directives. Submits reports to appropriate division/department or agency management for approval.

2. Identifies gaps or unmet training and exercise needs in the REP program’s preparedness, response and recovery performance. Discusses issues with section management and staff in affected area; conceives and actualizes solutions in conjunction with customer organizations.

3. Evaluates programs through actively sought feedback. Develops and implements improvements if needed or discontinues items if appropriate. Incorporates feedback about program into future activities.

Creates informative printed or oral reports and/or presentations to deliver to diverse audiences (e.g. customers, staff, legislators, the public, professional groups, etc.) as a representative of the Agency.

1. Meets with management or others to determine the type of presentation/report desired. Clarifies the scope and limitations of specific assignments; informs management of implications; advises appropriate response.

1. Determines appropriate sources from which a wide variety of data may be gathered within specified time frames.
2. Interprets and explains the goals and objectives of the division/department through reports and/or presentations.
3. Develops independently or with others the presentation or report structure, content, appearance and means of delivery.
4. Solicits review by a variety of interested parties and users before and/or after formal distribution/presentation. Invites reactions, suggestions and complaints to determine the usefulness of the presentation/report and improve future endeavors.

Tracks issues which have an impact on the goals and objectives of the REP program.

1. Develops reports, position papers, briefing papers and other written materials regarding exercise issues, improvements, etc., related to the REP program.
2. Develops management reviews and progress/status reports on the REP program’s goals and objectives.

Coordinates and oversees the strategic planning process of the division/department.

1. Demonstrates understanding of the purpose and process of radiological emergency preparedness planning, including new elements and methodologies, and educates staff and constituents as necessary.

1. Coordinates and facilitates work on REP planning as necessary, providing assistance, report composition and/or making presentations.
2. Advises division/department management on progress, problems, solutions and desirable changes in relation to the REP program.
3. Schedules and conducts meetings to present, explain and discuss the REP program with individuals and groups who have varying degrees of familiarity with its contents.
4. Elicits and responds constructively to comments on and criticisms of the REP program and plan. Provides feedback to management and advises leadership on solutions or desirable changes.
5. Manages the overall progress towards the vision established by the REP program
6. Demonstrates understanding of new initiatives and requirements merge with the REP program.
7. Makes presentations as required, using appropriate techniques to explain and discuss plan with individuals with varying degrees of familiarity with the plan.

Serves as a member of a special team to analyze proposed legislation affecting the division/department.

1. Demonstrates knowledge of techniques for conducting impact studies and funding analysis; interprets and presents results to departmental leadership and others as directed.

2. Formulates division/department responses to legislative proposals that would impact existing programs and policies.


3. Uses correct procedures and protocols for communication and cooperation with the governor's office, the Office of Planning and Budget and other state agencies.

Prepares budget requests and monitors planning budgets through effective budgeting decisions.

1. Collaborates with fiscal personnel in analyzing program budget requests, developing budget and recommending program budget priorities.

2. Prepares all necessary budget reports according to established procedures and submits them at required times.

3. Alerts departmental superiors to situations where the potential for substantial cost overruns exist.

Maintains knowledge of current trends and developments in the field by reading appropriate books, journals and other literature and attending related seminars and conferences. Applies pertinent new knowledge to performance of other responsibilities.

1. Attends internal and external educational programs and professional meetings as available for continuing professional education.

1. Attends regular meetings of available and applicable professional organizations. Reads and evaluates professional literature on continual basic translates complex or technical information into a format that can be understood by others and distributes as needed.

2. Incorporates knowledge of pertinent new trends and developments into REP program policies and procedures. Makes recommendations for any related organizational changes.

Creates and maintains a high performance environment characterized by positive leadership and a strong team orientation.

1. Defines goals and/or required results at beginning of performance period and gains acceptance of ideas by creating a shared vision with REP personnel.

2. Communicates regularly with staff on progress toward defined goals and/or required results providing specific feedback and initiating corrective action when defined goals and/or results are not met.

3. Confers regularly with staff to review employee relations climate, specific problem areas and actions necessary for improvement.

4. Evaluates employees at scheduled intervals; obtains and considers all relevant information in evaluations and supports staff by giving praise and constructive criticism.

1. Recognizes contributions and celebrates accomplishments.

2. Motivates staff to improve quantity and quality of work performed and
provides training and development opportunities as appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications:

Completion of a bachelor's degree in a field appropriate to the area of assignment as identified by the hiring agency from a four-year college or university *or* two years toward completion of a bachelor's degree in any field from a four-year college or university and six years of professional level work experience in emergency management or public health field or related fields. Note: applicants will be further assessed for skill in the use and knowledge of radiation instruments, computer applications (word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc.) appropriate to the position during the agency screening process.

Preferred Qualifications:

Masters Degree in a field appropriate to the area of assignment as identified by the hiring agency and a minimum of two years experience in related field. Knowledge of radiation survey instruments, their use and capabilities. Professional level experience in homeland security or emergency services profession is highly desirable. Creation and delivery of training and exercise programs in the emergency management/ Homeland Security field a plus.


INSTRUCTIONS: Mail or fax resume or State of Georgia Application of Employment to:

Kaye Adamson, Finance Division
Georgia Emergency Management Agency
P.O. Box 18055
Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Fax (404) 635-7205

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See http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060214/SPECIAL06/602140308/1070/rss02

Jim Hardeman

Jim_Hardeman@...

Emergency declared at nuclear power plant

In case of Oyster Creek accident:

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/23/06

Laborers in municipal public works departments are usually assigned to many familiar and necessary jobs such as collecting garbage, patching roads and plowing snow.

But these same workers might one day be asked to help perform a task far more critical: the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people following the announcement of a serious accident at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey.

However, at least five municipalities in the 10-mile evacuation zone around Oyster Creek have not provided public works employees with the state-required annual training those workers need to protect themselves from radiation exposure.

Now, this apparent oversight is about to be rectified.

Officials from Lacey, Stafford, Long Beach Township and Barnegat say they plan to train all or some of their public works employees as soon as possible. Pine Beach has a training class for its five-person public works department scheduled for tonight.

These decisions came after the Asbury Park Press uncovered the lack of radiological training in some towns during the newspaper's five-day series "Relicensing Oyster Creek: Is It Worth It?" The special report began Feb. 12.

The series also preceded calls by five New Jersey legislators, a member of the House of Representatives and a U.S. senator for a wider hearing on Oyster Creek's license renewal plans.

A plant application for 20-year renewal is now before the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If approved, Oyster Creek could operate until 2029, for a total of 60 years. Without a renewal, the plant would close in three years.

Regulators weighing the renewal will not consider the adequacy of Oyster Creek's evacuation plan, but it is reviewed regularly by the state and graded periodically by federal emergency management officials.

Bill Hedley, a 67-year-old retiree who lives in Lacey, would probably consider radiological training for municipal public works employees a moot point. With sirens blasting, they would evacuate with the public, he said.

"I think we're all dead ducks sitting here," Hedley said.

In many towns around Oyster Creek, public works employees working during an evacuation could be asked to post detour signs and clear wrecks blocking escape routes.

State and county emergency management officials say it's up to each municipal emergency management coordinator to decide who should receive the training. They said they can't keep track of whether everyone who should be trained takes the class.

"If the municipalities are using the public works people, they should be trained," said Lt. Michael Osborn, director of the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management.

Training in monitoring

Every emergency responder who would be called upon to work during an evacuation precipitated by Oyster Creek is required by the state to have training before entering an area that could be contaminated with radiation.

The training is key to the health of emergency responders and focuses on how to work a hand-held radiation monitor called a dosimeter.

Evacuation workers — they include police, firefighters, first-aiders and school bus drivers — would periodically check their dosimeters for a reading. A high reading would mean that they should move to a safer area.

Officials in the towns that haven't been providing radiological training said they welcomed the instruction.

"Any training is beneficial," said William A. Nally, Lacey police chief and coordinator of the township's emergency management office.

Though some workers haven't been trained, hundreds of others are given instruction each year, according to officials with the State Police Radiological Emergency Response Planning and Technical Unit.

So far this year, 179 Ocean County public works employees and 24 public works employees in six towns have been trained, according to State Police figures.

Municipalities that provide instruction each year include Ocean Gate, Seaside Park, Barnegat Light and Beach Haven, according to officials in those municipalities.

Staff writers Brian Prince, John Vandiver and Joe Zedalis contributed to this story.

Nicholas Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or nclunn@...

ARRANGEMENTS:
Visitation will be Friday, March 24, 2006, from Leak Memory Funeral Chapel, 945 Lincoln Road, Montgomery, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Services will be Saturday, March 25, 2006, from Leak Memory Chapel at 12:00 noon. Burial will follow in the cemetery at Alabama Heritage Funeral Home, 10505 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery. There have been no special requests regarding flowers or contributions. Phone number for Leak Memory is 334-272-6501.


Terry Williams
Alabama Radiation Control
twilliams@...
(334)206-5391