ML022680569
| ML022680569 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oyster Creek |
| Issue date: | 09/26/2002 |
| From: | Tam P NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1 |
| To: | Skolds J Exelon Generation Co, Exelon Nuclear |
| Tam P, NRR/DLPM, 415-1451 | |
| References | |
| TAC MB5505 | |
| Download: ML022680569 (12) | |
Text
September 26, 2002 Mr. John L. Skolds, President and Chief Nuclear Officer Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
SUBJECT:
OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: CYCLE 19 SAFETY LIMIT MINIMUM CRITICAL POWER RATIO (TAC NO. MB5505)
Dear Mr. Skolds:
The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 233 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-16 for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in response to your application dated June 26, 2002, as supplemented on August 1, 2002.
The amendment revised the safety limit minimum critical power ratio values for Cycle 19 in Section 2.1.A of the Technical Specifications, and made several editorial or administrative corrections.
A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's biweekly Federal Register notice.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Peter S. Tam, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-219
Enclosures:
- 1. Amendment No. 233 to DPR-16
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page
September 26, 2002 Mr. John L. Skolds, President and Chief Nuclear Officer Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
SUBJECT:
OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: CYCLE 19 SAFETY LIMIT MINIMUM CRITICAL POWER RATIO (TAC NO. MB5505)
Dear Mr. Skolds:
The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 233 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-16 for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, in response to your application dated June 26, 2002, as supplemented on August 1, 2002.
The amendment revised the safety limit minimum critical power ratio values for Cycle 19 in Section 2.1.A of the Technical Specifications, and made several editorial or administrative corrections.
A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's biweekly Federal Register notice.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Peter S. Tam, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-219
Enclosures:
- 1. Amendment No. 233 to DPR-16
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC OGC SRichards PD1-1 R/F GHill (2)
RLaufer WBeckner PTam SLittle ACRS JRogge, RI THuang Accession Number: ML022680569 OFFICE PD1-1/PM PD1-1/LA SRXB/SC OGC PDI-1/SC NAME PTam SLittle RCaruso*
AHodgdon PTam for RLaufer DATE 9/19/02 9/19/02 9/12/02 9/24/02 9/25/02 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
- SE transmitted by memo of 9/12/02
AMERGEN ENERGY COMPANY, LLC DOCKET NO. 50-219 OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 233 License No. DPR-16 1.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:
A.
The application for amendment by AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, et al., (the licensee), dated June 26, 2002, as supplemented on August 1, 2002, complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; B.
The facility will operate in conformity with the application, the provisions of the Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission; C.
There is reasonable assurance: (i) that the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, and (ii) that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations; D.
The issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and E.
The issuance of this amendment is in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied.
2.
Accordingly, the license is amended by changes to the Technical Specifications as indicated in the attachment to this license amendment, and paragraph 2.C.(2) of Facility Operating License No. DPR-16 is hereby amended to read as follows:
(2)
Technical Specifications The Technical Specifications contained in Appendices A and B, as revised through Amendment No. 233, are hereby incorporated in the license. AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, shall operate the facility in accordance with the Technical Specifications.
3.
This license amendment is effective as of the date of issuance and shall be implemented before Cycle 19 startup.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
/RA by P. Tam/
Richard J. Laufer, Chief, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Attachment:
Changes to the Technical Specifications Date of Issuance: September 26, 2002
ATTACHMENT TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 233 FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-16 DOCKET NO. 50-219 Replace the following pages of Appendix A, Technical Specifications, with the attached revised pages as indicated. The revised pages are identified by amendment number and contain marginal lines indicating the areas of change.
Remove Insert 1.0-3 1.0-3 1.0-7 1.0-7 2.1-1 2.1-1 2.1-2 2.1-2 2.1-3 2.1-3 2.2-1 2.2-1 3.2-10 3.2-10 3.5-7 3.5-7 3.12-1 3.12-1 6-15 6-15
SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 233 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-16 AMERGEN ENERGY COMPANY, LCC OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION DOCKET NO. 50-219
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By letter dated June 26, 2002, AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, (AmerGen or the licensee) submitted an application to amend the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (OCNGS)
Technical Specifications (TSs). By letter dated August 1, 2002, AmerGen supplemented the application. The August 1, 2002, letter provided clarifying information within the scope of the original application and did not change the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff's initial proposed no significant hazards consideration determination.
The proposed amendment would revise the safety limit minimum critical power ratio (SLMCPR) values for Cycle 19 in Section 2.1.A of the TSs, and make several editorial and administrative changes to other parts of the TSs. The OCNGS Cycle 19 core has 560 fuel assemblies, of which there are 190 fresh GE11 fuel bundles, 6 fresh GE9B fuel bundles, 184 once-burned GE9B fuel bundles, and 180 twice-burned GE9B fuel bundles.
2.0 REGULATORY EVALUATION
Section 50.36 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50.36) provides that nuclear plant TSs will be derived from the analyses and evaluations included in the safety analysis report, and amendments thereto, submitted pursuant to 10 CFR 50.34 (which addresses, among other things, contents of the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR)). The existing TSs requirements, as well as the licensees proposed amendment, are based on such analyses and evaluations.
General Design Criterion (GDC) 10 of Appendix A, 10 CFR Part 50, requires that the reactor core and associated coolant, control, and protective systems be designed with appropriate margin to assure that specified acceptable fuel design limits are not exceeded during steady state operation, normal operational transients, and anticipated operational occurrences. The SLMCPR is developed to assure compliance with GDC 10 for fuel cladding integrity. The SLMCPR ensures sufficient conservatism in operating the MCPR limit that, in the event of an anticipated operational occurrence from the limiting condition for operation, at least 99.9% of the fuel rods in the core are expected to avoid boiling transition considering the power distribution within the core and all uncertainties. At every refueling, the SLMCPR is recalculated due to fuel replacement.
The licensee requested the amendment in accordance with the provisions of 10 CFR 50.90.
The NRC staffs evaluation is set forth below.
3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION
3.1 Section 2.1, Safety Limit - Fuel Cladding Integrity The licensee proposed to change the SLMCPR value from 1.09 to 1.11 for both four or five recirculation loop operation, and to 1.12 for three recirculation loop operation with the reactor vessel steam dome pressure greater than or equal to 800 psia and core flow greater than or equal to 10 percent of rated core flow.
The licensee described the approved methodologies used to calculate the SLMCPR value for the proposed TS change in the application. The Cycle 19 SLMCPR analysis was performed by Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, LLC (GNF-A), using plant-and cycle-specific fuel and core parameters, and NRC-approved methodologies including those documented in NEDC-32505P, Revision 1, R-Factor Calculation Method for GE11, GE12 and GE13 Fuel; NEDO-10958-A General Electric BWR [Boiling Water Reactor] Thermal Analysis Basis; NEDC-32601P, Methodology and Uncertainties for Safety Limit MCPR Evaluations), NEDC-32694P (Power Distribution Uncertainties for Safety Limit MCPR Evaluation; and Amendment 25 to NEDE-24011-P-A, General Electric Standard Application for Reactor Fuel (GESTAR II). The licensee plans to introduce GE11 fuel into Cycle 19, but has no plan to reload GE14 fuel.
The NRC staff has reviewed: (1) the licensees justification for the change of the SLMCPR from 1.09 to 1.12 for three recirculation loop operation and from 1.09 to 1.11 for four or five recirculation loop operation using the approach stated in Amendment 25 to GESTAR II; (2) the issue relating to impact due to the difference between actual and reference core loading on the SLMCPR calculation.
The NRC staff reviewed the licensees submittals, including the detailed summary results of the analysis for OCNGS Cycle 19 operation in Table 1 of Enclosure 3 of the application, and Item 2 of Enclosure 2 in the August 1, 2002, submittal, to determine whether the proposed changes to the SLMCPR values were justified. The concern with respect to the deviation of the as-loaded core from the reference loading pattern was clarified through Item 1 of the August 1, 2002, submittal. Based on the results of the review, the NRC staff found that the SLMCPR analysis for OCNGS Cycle 19 operation using the plant-and cycle-specific parameters in conjunction with the approved method is acceptable. The proposed Cycle 19 SLMCPR values will ensure that 99.9% of the fuel rods in the core will not experience boiling transition. This satisfies the requirements of GDC 10 regarding acceptable fuel design limits. The NRC staff also concluded that the justification for analyzing and determining the SLMCPR value of 1.12 for three recirculation loop operation and 1.11 for both four or five recirculation loop operation is acceptable since approved methodologies have been used by the licensee.
3.2 Pages 1.0-3, 1.0-7, 3.5-7, and 3.12-1 The licensee proposed to correct typographical errors in the TSs as follows:
Page 1.0-3, NW(t) to MW(t);
Page 1.0-7, (30" to (3);
Page 3.5-7, add a punctuation mark (period) to the end of a sentence; Page 3.12-1, 212 F to 212 F.
The NRC staff verified that these changes are indeed editorial in nature and found them acceptable.
3.3 Pages 2.1-2, 2.1-3, 2.2-1, and 3.2-10 The licensee proposed changes to update information regarding approved references as follows:
Page 2.1-2, add superscripts (1) and (2) to indicate references; Page 2.1-3, add Reference (2), NEDO-10958-A; Page 2.2-1, update Reference (2) to be NEDE-24011-P-A; Page 3.2-10, update Reference (5) to be NEDE-24011-P-A.
These proposed changes simply reflect the approved topical reports used by the licensee for the reload analysis, and cited by the NRC staff in Section 3.1 above. These changes are acceptable.
3.4 Section 6.9.1 For Page 6-15, the licensee proposed to delete the text of Subsection h (which references NEDE-24195, General Electric Reload Fuel Application for Oyster Creek) because it is no longer in use. The licensee also proposed to update Subsection g to reflect the current version for NEDE-24011 as NEDE-24011-P-A.
These proposed administrative changes simply reflect the use and discontinuation of topical reports for the reload analysis, and are acceptable.
3.5 Summary of Evaluation Based on its review, the NRC staff concludes that the application by AmerGen to revise the values of the SLMCPR is acceptable for OCNGS Cycle 19 operation because the licensee used an NRC-approved methodology to calculate these values. The NRC staff also concludes that the proposed corrections of typographical errors and update of references to approved topical reports is acceptable.
4.0 STATE CONSULTATION
In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the New Jersey State official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendment. The State official had no comments.
5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
The amendment changes a requirement with respect to installation or use of a facility component located within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20. The NRC staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluents that may be released offsite, and that there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. The Commission has previously issued a proposed finding that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, and there has been no public comment on such finding (67 FR 50949). Accordingly, the amendment meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9). Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b) no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment needs be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that: (1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.
Principal Contributor: T. Huang Date: September 26, 2002
Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station cc:
Chief Operating Officer Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Senior Vice President - Nuclear Services Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Vice President - Mid-Atlantic Operations Support Exelon Generation Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-N Kennett Square, PA 19348 Senior Vice President -
Mid Atlantic Regional Operating Group Exelon Generation Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-N Kennett Square, PA 19348 Kevin P. Gallen, Esquire Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP 1800 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20036-5869 Kent Tosch, Chief New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Nuclear Engineering CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625 Vice President -
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Site Vice President Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station AmerGen Energy Company, LLC PO Box 388 Forked River, NJ 08731 H. J. Miller Regional Administrator, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Mayor of Lacey Township 818 West Lacey Road Forked River, NJ 08731 Senior Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 445 Forked River, NJ 08731 Director - Licensing Exelon Generation Company, LLC Correspondence Control Desk P.O. Box 160 Kennett Square, PA 19348 Oyster Creek Generating Station Plant Manager AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 388 Forked River, NJ 08731 Regulatory Assurance Manager Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 388 Forked River, NJ 08731 Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Exelon Generation Company, LLC 300 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348 J. Rogge, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Manager Licensing - Oyster Creek and Three Mile Island Exelon Generation Company, LLC Nuclear Group Headquarters Correspondence Control P.O. Box 160 Kennett Square, PA 19348 Correspondence Control Desk Exelon Generation Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 1-N-1 Kennett Square, PA 19348