The operation of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) with one of its 120 Vac vital buses energized in an off-normal mode was analyzed. A Probabilistic Risk Assessment was made to determine the increment of risk by energizing a vital bus from an off-site source directly vs energizing it from its normal, uninterruptible source (i.e., a battery/inverter arrangement). The calculations were made based on uninterruptible source energized vital buses as the normal mode. The analysis indicated that a reduction in the incremental risk increase (caused by plant operation with a vital bus being energized in an off-normal mode) can be accomplished by limiting the time permitted in that condition. Currently, the time that a vital bus can be energized in the off-normal mode is not universally time-limited by plant Technical Specifications. Several alternatives for the reduction in incremental risk were examined and their value/impacts were derived. These data indicate that a recommendation be made for a Technical Specification time limitation of 72 hours per year for off-normal energizing a vital bus during operation of a PWR.

SYNROC is a titanate-based material which is being developed as a medium for immobilizing high-level nuclear waste. The use of a fluid bed unit for production of SYNROC powder has a precedent in the use of a fluid-bed calciner for high-level waste processing at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (Idaho Falls, ID). In order to facilitate the design of a fluid bed and demonstrate its use for SYNROC production, two small units have been constructed, one for low temperature use and a second for actual SYNROC production at temperatures up to 800/sup 0/C. The low-temperature unit is constructed with glass walls to allow observation of the fluidization process, including the onset of fluidization, bed and gas bubble behavior and mixing phenomena. Disturbances caused by side streams entering the bed have been examined. Side streams may represent fuel and oxidizer admission or slurry feed with subsequent flash vaporization of the carrier liquid. This report is a summary of the initial tests made with the low-temperature, glass-walled fluid bed. The tests described include: (1) the measurement of basic fluidization parameters; (2) measurement of the effect of distribution-plate design on bed fluidization; (3) observation of jet penetration, bubble formation and coalescence, and surface …