Information Notice 1997-28, Elimination of Instrument Response Time Testing Under the Requirements of 10 CFR 50.59

Elimination of Instrument Response Time Testing Under the Requirements of 10 CFR 50.59

ML031060004
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	05/30/1997
From:	Slosson M Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-97-028, NUDOCS 9705290061
Download: ML031060004 (8)

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UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 May 30, 1997 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 97-28: ELIMINATION OF INSTRUMENT RESPONSE TIME

TESTING UNDER THE REQUIREMENTS OF

10 CFR 50.59

Addressees

All holders of operating licenses or construction permits.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice

to alert addressees to changes to licensee-controlled documents made in accordance with

Section 50.59 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50.59) that resulted in

improper elimination of a technical specification (TS) surveillance test. It is expected that

recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However, suggestions contained in this information

notice are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is

required.

Description of Circumstances

In accordance with the provisions of Generic Letter (GL) 93-08, "Relocation of Technical

Specification Tables of Instrument Response Time Limits," dated December 29, 1993, licensees may submit license amendment requests to remove existing tables of response

time limits from the plant TSs to the final safety analysis report (FSAR). As stated in

GL 93-08, the NRC intends to allow changes to response time limits in accordance with

10 CFR 50.59 without NRC approval while not eliminating the requirement to conduct

response time testing.

In January 1994, the owners group for boiling-water reactor nuclear power plants (the BWR

Owners Group) submitted licensing topical report NEDO-32291, "System Analyses for

Elimination of Selected Response Time Testing Requirements," for NRC review. On

December 28, 1994, the NRC issued a'safety evaluation report generically approving the use

of this report to justify elimination of certain response time testing requirements.

The NRC has learned that several BWR licensees have implemented NEDO-32291 by adding

a footnote to FSAR tables of instrument response time limits for several safety-related

functions, namely reactor protection, containment isolation, and emergency core cooling.

These footnotes listed sensors eliminated from response time testing in accordance with

10 CFR 50.59 and, in some cases, allowed that response time testing was no longer required

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IN 97-28 May 30, 1997 for the function. However, the TSs for these plants still require response time testing of

these instruments. Consequently, these licensees did not test the response times of certain

instruments and thereby violated the TSs.

Discussion

These circumstances arose because the affected licensees used the generically approved

NEDO-32291 guidance to modify tables of instrument functions requiring response time

testing without realizing that such modifications affected plant TSs. Changes to TSs are not

permitted without NRC approval of a license amendment request for such changes.

These particular circumstances did not result in a significant safety or operability concern.

The instruments in question were tested in accordance with the approved NEDO-32291 document. Some of the licensees involved submitted license amendment requests for these

response time testing changes. The NRC has granted enforcement discretion while

reviewing these requests.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If you have any

questions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts

listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Marylee M. Slosson, Acting Director

Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: P. J. Loeser, NRR

(301) 415-2825 E-mail: pjl~nrc.gov

C. S. Schutten, NRR

(301) 415-1192 E-mail: cssl @nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

Attachment

IN 97-28 May 30, 1997 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

97-27 Effect of Incorrect 05/16/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

Strainer Pressure Drop for light-water power

on Available Net Positive reactors, except those

Suction Head licensees who have per- manently ceased operations

and have certified that

fuel has been permanently

removed from the reactor

vessel

97-26 Degradation in Small- 05/19/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

Radius U-Bend Regions for pressurized-water

of Steam Generator Tubes reactors

87-10, Potential for Water 05/15/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

Sup. 1 Hammer During Restart of for boiling-water reactors

Residual Heat Removal

Pumps

97-25 Dynamic Range Uncertain- 05/09/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

ties in the Reactor Vessel for Westinghouse pressurized- Level Instrumentation water reactors

97-24 Failure of Packing Nuts 05/08/97 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

on One-inch Uranium Commission licensees and

Hexafluoride Cylinder certificatees authorized

Valves to handle uranium hexa- fluoride in 30- and 48-inch

diameter cylinders

97-23 Evaluation and Reporting 05/07/97 All fuel cycle conversion, of Fires and Unplanned enrichment, and fabrication

Chemical Reactor Events facilities'

at Fuel Cycle Facilities

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

IN 97-28 May 30, 1997 for the function. However, the TSs for these plants still require response time testing of

these instruments. Consequently, these licensees did not test the response times of certain

instruments and thereby violated the TSs.

Discussion

These circumstances arose because the affected licensees used the generically approved

NEDO-32291 guidance to modify tables of instrument functions requiring response time

testing without realizing that such modifications affected plant TSs. Changes to TSs are not

permitted without NRC approval of a license amendment request for such changes.

These particular circumstances did not result in a significant safety or operability concern.

The instruments in question were tested in accordance with the approved NEDO-32291 document. Some of the licensees involved submitted license amendment requests for these

response time testing changes. The NRC has granted enforcement discretion while

reviewing these requests.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If you have any

questions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts

listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

original signed by S.H.Weiss for

Marylee M. Slosson, Acting Director

Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: P. J. Loeser, NRR

(301) 415-2825 E-mail: pjl@nrc.gov

C. S. Schulten, NRR

(301) 415-1192 E-mail: cssl@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

Tech Editor has reviewed and concurred on 518/97

• See previous concurrence

OFFICE *PECBIDRPM *D:DRCH *C:PECBIDRPM (A Pi

STAFF CVHodge BABoger AEChaffee ~ssorp

DATE 05/06197 j 05/08/97 05/12/97 J 05/4397 I

DOCUMENT: 91-Zt$.IN

IN 97-XX

May, 1997 for the function. However, the TSs for these plants still require response time testing of

these instruments. Consequently, these licensees did not test the response times of certain

instruments and thereby violated the TSs.

Discussion

These circumstances arose because the affected licensees used the generically approved

NEDO-32291 guidance to modify tables of instrument functions requiring response time

testing without realizing that such modifications affected plant TSs. Changes to TSs are not

permitted without NRC approval of a license amendment request for such changes.

These particular circumstances did not result in a significant safety or operability concern.

The instruments in question were tested in accordance with the approved NEDO-32291 document. Some of the licensees involved submitted license amendment requests for these

response time testing changes. The NRC has granted enforcement discretion while

reviewing these requests.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If you have any

questions about the Information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts

listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Marylee M. Slosson, Acting Director

Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: P. J. Loeser, NRR

(301) 415-2825 E-mail: pjl@nrc.gov

C. S. Schulten, NRR

(301) 415-1192 E-mail: cssl@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

• See previous concurrence

OFFICE *PECBIDRPM *D:DRCH C:PECB/DRPM (A)D: l

STAFF CVHodge BABoger AEChaffeeON MMSfsgn M

DATE 05/06197 05/08/97 105/97

9q 105/97 OCUMENT: GWERN\RESPTIME.INF

l2 IN 97-XX

May , 1997 Discussion

These circumstances arose because the affected licensees used the generically approved

NEDO-32291 guidance to modify tables of Instrument functions requiring response time

testing without realizing that such modifications affected plant TSs. Changes to TSs are not

permitted without NRC approval of a license amendment request for such changes.

These particular circumstances did not result in a significant safety or operability concem.

The instruments in question were tested in accordance with the approved NEDO-32291 document. Some of the licensees involved submitted license amendment requests for these

response time testing changes. The NRC has granted enforcement discretion while

reviewing these requests.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If you have any

questions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts

listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Marylee M. Slosson, Acting Director

Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: P. J. Loeser, NRR

(301) 415-2825 E-mail: pjlenrc.gov

C. S. Schulten, NRR

(301) 415-1192 E-mail: cssl@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

• See previous concurrence

OFFICE PECB/DRPM l *D:DRCH C:PECBIDRPM (A)D:DRPM

STAFF CVHodge BABoger AEChaffee MMSlosson

DATE G E05R 7E051 05/08/97 051 /97 97 DOCUMENT: G:W\ERN\RESPTIME.IN .\

Information Notice 97-X Discussion

These circumstances arose because the affected licensees used th generically

approved NEDO-32291 guidance to modify tables of instrument fu ions

requiring response time testing without realizing that such m ifications

affected plant TSs. Changes to TSs are not permitted witho NRC approval of

a license amendment request for such changes.

These particular circumstances did not result in a sign icant safety or

operability concern. The instruments inquestion wer tested in accordance

with the approved NEDO-32291 document. Some of the censees involved

submitted license amendment requests for these res nse time testing changes.

The NRC has granted enforcement discretion while eviewing these requests.

This information notice requires no specific a ion or written response. If

you have any questions about the information *nthis notice, please contact

one of the technical contacts listed below the appropriate Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project m ager.

Thomas . Martin, Director

Divis'n of Reactor Program Management

Offi of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: P. J. Loese , NRR

(301) 415- 25 E-mail: P @nrc.gov

C. S. S ulten, NRR

(301) 5-1192 E-mai : cssl@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Re ntly Issued NRC Information Notices

• See previous concurre e

OFFICE PECDRPM *D:DRCH C:PECB/DRPM D:DRPM

STAFF CV odge BEBoger AEChaffee TTMartin

DATE L51 /97 . 05/08/97 1 05/ /97 05/ /97 locument: g:\ rn\resptime.lnT

KJ

Information Notice 97-XX Discussion

These circumstances arose because the affected licensees used the generically

approved NEDO-32291 guidance to modify tables of instrument functions

requiring response time testing without realizing that such modifications,- affected plant technical specifications. Changes to technical specific t'ions

are not permitted without NRC approval of a license amendment request.for such

changes.

These particular circumstances did not result in a significant Afety or

operability concern. The instruments in question were teste in accordance

with the approved NEDO-32291 document. Some of the licens s involved

submitted license amendment requests for these response me testing changes.

The NRC has granted enforcement discretion while review, g these requests.

This information notice requires no specific action r written response. If

you have any questions about the information in th notice, please contact

one of the technical contacts listed below or the ppropriate Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Thomas T. M tin, Director

Division ofProject Support

Office of uclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: P. J. Loeser, N

(301) 415-2825 E-mail: pjl@n c.gov

C. S. Schul en, NRR

(301) 415- 192 E-mail: 1s@nrc.gov

Attachment:

1. List of Recently Issue NRC Information Notices

OFFICE PECB/DRM X D:DRCH C:PECB/DRPM D:DRPM

STAFF CVHodg4 ABBoger AEChaffee TTMartin

DATE 05/O6/97 05/8 /97 05/ /97 05/ /97 l