LR-N970648, Clarifies Specific Regulatory Basis & Proposed Alternative Re Request for Relief from Performing RPV Exam Requirements of ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code,Section XI,1983 Edition & Requirements of 10CFR50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(2)

Clarifies Specific Regulatory Basis & Proposed Alternative Re Request for Relief from Performing RPV Exam Requirements of ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code,Section XI,1983 Edition & Requirements of 10CFR50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(2)

ML20217F658
Person / Time
Site:	Hope Creek
Issue date:	10/01/1997
From:	Dawn Powell Public Service Enterprise Group
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
LR-N970648, NUDOCS 9710090016
Download: ML20217F658 (3)

Text

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O PSIEG Public Service Electric and Gas Company P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038-0236 Nuclear Business Unit 00T 11997 LR N970648 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING RELIEF REQUEST AUGMENTED REACTOR VESSEL INSPECTION HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NPF 57 DOCKET NO. 50 354 Gentlemen:

In a letter dated August 29,1997, supplemented by a letter dated September 16,1997, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) requested relief from performing the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) examination requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,Section XI,1983 Edition, through Summer 1983 Addenda, and the augmented examination requirements of 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(6)(li)(A)(2) for the Hope Creek Generating Station. The purpose of this letter is to clarify the specific regulatory basis and the proposed alternative for which PSE&G is requesting NRC approval.

PSE&G is requesting NRC approval of an alternative examination in accordance with 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(i) and 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(6)(li)(A)(5). PSE&G is proposing as an alternative examination to perform inspections of 100 percent of the axial welds in the Hope Creek reactor vessel shell during the seventh refueling outage and to defer Q completion of inspections of the reactor vessel circumferential shell seam welds for two operating cycles until the ninth rrfueling outage. As stated in 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(2), " essentially 100%" as used in Table IWB-2500-1 means more than 90 percent of the examination volume of each weld, where the reduction in h',b, coverage is due to interference by another component or part geometry. The examinations of the axial welds, based on the ultrasonic testing techniques being employed, will result in partial examination of circumferential welds at or near the intersections of these welds, y1 t

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i These inspections are being proposed as an alternative to the augmented i examinations specified in 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(6)(li)(A)(2) and as an alternative to the

! requirements in Table IW8-2500-1, Category B A, Item B1.11 of the ASME Code,

Section XI,1983 Edition through Summer 1983 Addenda. As stated in PSE&G's ,

! August 29,1997 letter, justification for the proposed alternative is based on the 1

documentation in the BWRVIP-05 report, "BWR Vessel and Internals Project, BWR i Reactor Pressure Vessel Shell Weld Inspection Recommendations"; the NRC staff's 4

independent assessment of the BWRVIP-05 report; and PSE&G's controls for t

preventing cold over pressurization of the reactor pressure vessel during cold 4

shutdown.

i Should there be any questions concerning this submittal, please do not hesitate to I

contact us.

Sincerely,

~'

haw lk u<

David R. Powell Director -  :

Licensing / Regulation and Fuels f

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Document Control Desk 3- 00T 1 1997 LR N970b48 l C Mr. H. Miller, Administrator Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission  :

475 Allendale Road t King of Prussia, PA 19406 Mr. D. Jaffe, Licensing Project Manager HC U S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint North 11555 Rockville Pike  !

Mail Stop 14E21 i Rockville, MD 20852 l

Mr. S. Morris (X24)  !

USNRC Senior Resident inspector - HC l

Mr. K. Tosch, Manager IV Bureau of Nuclear Engineering 33 Arctic Parkway PO Box 415 Trenton, NJ 08625 .

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