ML021540223
| ML021540223 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Beaver Valley |
| Issue date: | 05/30/2002 |
| From: | Dan Collins NRC/RGN-II |
| To: | |
| Collins D S, NRR/DLPM, 415-1427 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML021560604 | List: |
| References | |
| TAC MB3902 | |
| Download: ML021540223 (8) | |
Text
May 30, 2002 LICENSEE: FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company FACILITY: Beaver Valley Power Station, Unit No. 1
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF APRIL 23, 2002, MEETING REGARDING AN APPLICATION FOR A LICENSE AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FENOC TO USE THE WESTINGHOUSE MASTER CURVE METHODOLOGY TO ESTABLISH REACTOR VESSEL PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE LIMITS (TAC NO. MB3902)
On April 23, 2002, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff held a meeting at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, with representatives from FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), the licensee for the Beaver Valley Power Station, Unit No. 1 (BVPS-1), and their consultants. The list of meeting attendees is included as Enclosure 1. Enclosures 2 and 3 are copies of the slides presented at the meeting by the NRC and the licensee, respectively.
The presentations closely followed information presented in the slides.
The NRC staff presented an overview of concerns identified during their preliminary review of FENOCs January 25, 2002, application for an amendment to the BVPS-1 license that would allow use of the Westinghouse Master Curve Methodology to establish pressure-temperature limits for the BVPS-1 reactor vessel. The concerns centered on the treatment of unirradiated sample data in the applications technical justification for the amendment. Specifically, when compared to test results of irradiated material samples, the manner in which the application treats unirradiated sample data may not accurately characterize initial material properties of the BVPS-1 reactor pressure vessel, or the changes to those material properties that result from irradiation. When both of these factors are considered, applying the Master Curve Methodology may yield non-conservative results for the end of license reference temperature, RTPTS, and adjusted reference temperatures (ART) necessary for the determination of BVPS-1 pressure-temperature limits. The NRC staff had asked that FENOC reevaluate their submittal and address: (1) what data should be used to establish the unirradiated reference transition temperature (RTTO(U)) and the baseline data for measuring shifts in the transition temperature due to irradiation; (2) effects on the margin term applied in the calculation of ART; and, (3) effects on the bias term applied in the calculation of ART.
The licensee, with support from its consultants, presented information to explain why they believe the approach used in the application is technically sound and yields appropriate values for RTPTS and ART both at the end of the current BVPS-1 license (EOL), and at the end of license if the BVPS-1 license were to be extended (EOLE). The licensee presented an argument that the results of their analysis and projections of RTPTS and ART for EOL and EOLE are in agreement with the values obtained from projections using an application of the Master CONTACT: Daniel S. Collins 301-415-1427
FENOC Curve Methodology that re-zeros the material properties to measured values from irradiated samples taken at an approximate fluence of 1.6 x 1019 n/cm2. By re-zeroing the properties as suggested, the licensee argues, the need to account for data scatter in the unirradiated samples is eliminated because the projections are based on specifically known irradiated material properties that follow well determined behavior.
The NRC staff stated that, although the general methodology employed by FENOC in its January 25, 2002, submittal is consistent with the methodology approved for Kewaunee, the specific manner in which the unirradiated sample data was treated in the application is not. The NRC staff noted further that the methodology of re-zeroing material properties is not something that the NRC staff has previously reviewed or approved. The NRC staff stated that the review of the January 25, 2002, application has been temporarily discontinued pending receipt of additional technical justification for the proposed approach. The staff stated further that if FENOC wishes for the NRC to review an application of the Master Curve Methodology that relies on an implicit or explicit use of a re-zeroing approach, the NRC review is likely to require a significant amount of NRC resources and may take up to a full year to complete. The licensee stated they understood that if their request departs from the methodologies that the NRC staff has previously approved, additional review time will be required.
/RA/
Daniel S. Collins, Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-334
Enclosures:
- 1. List of Meeting Attendees
- 2. NRC Meeting Slides
- 3. FENOC Meeting Slides cc w/encls: See next page
FENOC Curve Methodology that re-zeros the material properties to measured values from irradiated samples taken at an approximate fluence of 1.6 x 1019 n/cm2. By re-zeroing the properties as suggested, the licensee argues, the need to account for data scatter in the unirradiated samples is eliminated because the projections are based on specifically known irradiated material properties that follow well determined behavior.
The NRC staff stated that, although the general methodology employed by FENOC in its January 25, 2002, submittal is consistent with the methodology approved for Kewaunee, the specific manner in which the unirradiated sample data was treated in the application is not. The NRC staff noted further that the methodology of re-zeroing material properties is not something that the NRC staff has previously reviewed or approved. The NRC staff stated that the review of the January 25, 2002, application has been temporarily discontinued pending receipt of additional technical justification for the proposed approach. The staff stated further that if FENOC wishes for the NRC to review an application of the Master Curve Methodology that relies on an implicit or explicit use of a re-zeroing approach, the NRC review is likely to require a significant amount of NRC resources and may take up to a full year to complete. The licensee stated they understood that if their request departs from the methodologies that the NRC staff has previously approved, additional review time will be required.
/RA/
Daniel S. Collins, Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-334
Enclosures:
- 1. List of Meeting Attendees
- 2. NRC Meeting Slides
- 3. FENOC Meeting Slides cc w/encls: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC S. Richards OGC T. Bergman, EDO, RI Plants PDI-1 Reading R. Laufer ACRS J. Rogge, RGN-I File S. Coffin A. Hiser B. Platchek, RGN-I J. Zwolinski M. Mitchell D. McCain D. Collins T. Marsh M. OBrien K. Wichman L. Lois W. Bateman E. Thomas Package: ML021560604 : ML021550388 : ML021550398 Accession No.: ML021540223
- See previous concurrence OFFICE PM:PDI-1 LA:PDI-2 SC:EMCB SC:PDI-1 NAME DCollins MOBrien SCoffin* R. Laufer DATE 05/20/02 5/30/02 05/28/02 5/30/02 Official Record Copy
Beaver Valley Power Station, Units 1 and 2 Mary OReilly, Attorney Bureau of Radiation Protection FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company ATTN: Larry Ryan FirstEnergy Corporation P O Box 2063 76 South Main Street Harrisburg, PA 17120 Akron, OH 44308 Mayor of the Borough of FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Shippingport Regulatory Affairs/Corrective Action Section P O Box 3 Larry R. Freeland, Manager Shippingport, PA 15077 Beaver Valley Power Station Post Office Box 4, BV-A Regional Administrator, Region I Shippingport, PA 15077 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road Commissioner James R. Lewis King of Prussia, PA 19406 West Virginia Division of Labor 749-B, Building No. 6 Resident Inspector Capitol Complex U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Charleston, WV 25305 Post Office Box 298 Shippingport, PA 15077 Director, Utilities Department Public Utilities Commission FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company 180 East Broad Street Beaver Valley Power Station Columbus, OH 43266-0573 ATTN: M. P. Pearson, Director Services and Projects (BV-IPAB)
Director, Pennsylvania Emergency Post Office Box 4 Management Agency Shippingport, PA 15077 2605 Interstate Dr.
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9364 FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Beaver Valley Power Station Ohio EPA-DERR Mr. B. F. Sepelak ATTN: Zack A. Clayton Post Office Box 4, BV-A Post Office Box 1049 Shippingport, PA 15077 Columbus, OH 43266-0149 Mr. L. W. Myers, Senior Vice President Dr. Judith Johnsrud FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company National Energy Committee Beaver Valley Power Station Sierra Club Post Office Box 4 433 Orlando Avenue Shippingport, PA 15077 State College, PA 16803 L. W. Pearce, Plant Manager (BV-IPAB)
FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Beaver Valley Power Station Post Office Box 4 Shippingport, PA 15077
MEETING ATTENDEES FIRSTENERGY NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY BEAVER VALLEY POWER STATION, UNIT NO. 1 APRIL 23, 2002
Participants:
Name Organization D. Collins NRC/NRR/Division of Licensing Project Management S. Coffin NRC/NRR/Division of Engineering M. Mitchell NRC/NRR/Division of Engineering A. Hiser NRC/NRR/Division of Engineering L. Lois NRC/NRR/Division of Systems Safety and Analysis E. Thomas NRC/NRR/Division of Licensing Project Management K. Wichman NRC Consultant M. Pearson FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company W. Kline FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company D. Weakland FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company B. Sepelak FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company S. Sarver FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company R. Lott Westinghouse Electric Company J. DeBlasio Westinghouse Electric Company F. Baskerville Westinghouse Electric Company C. Kim Westinghouse Electric Company B. Server ATI Consulting Other Attendees:
R. Hardies Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Inc.
D. Horner McGraw-Hill Enclosure 1