ML023160342

License Amendment, Revised Shutdown Cooling System Surveillance

ML023160342
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	11/13/2002
From:	Tam P NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1
To:	Conway J Nine Mile Point
Tam P
References
TAC MB5452
Download: ML023160342 (10)

Text

November 13, 2002 Mr. John T. Conway Site Vice President Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC P. O. Box 63 Lycoming, NY 13093

SUBJECT:

NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 1 - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: SHUTDOWN COOLING SYSTEM SURVEILLANCE (TAC NO. MB5452)

Dear Mr. Conway:

The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 177 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-63 for the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 (NMP1). The amendment consists of changes to the Technical Specifications in response to your application transmitted by letter dated June 28, 2002.

The amendment revised Item 9, Shutdown Cooling System Isolation High Area Temperature, of Table 4.6.2b, Instrumentation that Initiates Primary Coolant System or Containment Isolation, changing the frequency of instrument channel test and instrument channel calibration from once during each major refueling outage to once per operating cycle.

A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is enclosed. A Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's next regular 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. 50-220

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 177 to DPR-63

2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page

November 13, 2002 Mr. John T. Conway Site Vice President Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC P.O. Box 63 Lycoming, NY 13093

SUBJECT:

NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 1 - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: SHUTDOWN COOLING SYSTEM SURVEILLANCE (TAC NO. MB5452)

Dear Mr. Conway:

The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 177 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-63 for the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 (NMP1). The amendment consists of changes to the Technical Specifications in response to your application transmitted by letter dated June 28, 2002.

The amendment revised Item 9, Shutdown Cooling System Isolation High Area Temperature, of Table 4.6.2b, Instrumentation that Initiates Primary Coolant System or Containment Isolation, changing the frequency of instrument channel test and instrument channel calibration from once during each major refueling outage to once per operating cycle.

A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is enclosed. A Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's next regular 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. 50-220

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 177 to DPR-63

2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page Accession Number: ML023160342 OFFICE PDI-1\PM PDI-1\LA SRXB\SC EEIB\SC OGC PDI-1/SC NAME PTam SLittle RCaruso* EMarinos* CBray RLaufer DATE 11/5/02 11/4/02 9/6/02* 10/15/02* 11/7/02 11/12/02

• SE transmitted by memo on the date shown.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

DATED: November 13, 2002 AMENDMENT NO. 177 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-63 NINE MILE POINT UNIT NO. 1 PUBLIC PDI R/F RLaufer SLittle PTam SRichards OGC GHill (2)

WBeckner SRhow GThomas ACRS BPlatchek, RI cc: Plant Service list

NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, LLC (NMPNS)

DOCKET NO. 50-220 NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 1 AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 177 License No. DPR-63

1. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:

A. The application for amendment by Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC (the licensee) dated June 28, 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-63 is hereby amended to read as follows:

(2) Technical Specifications The Technical Specifications contained in Appendix A, which is attached hereto, as revised through Amendment No. 177, is hereby incorporated into this license.

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC shall operate the facility in accordance with the Technical Specifications.

3. This license amendment is effective as of the date of its issuance and shall be implemented prior to Refueling Outage 17.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Richard J. Laufer, Chief,Section I Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Attachment:

Changes to the Technical Specifications Date of Issuance: November 13, 2002

ATTACHMENT TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 177 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-63 DOCKET NO. 50-220 Replace the following page of Appendix A, Technical Specifications, with the attached revised page. The revised page is identified by amendment number and contains a marginal line indicating the area of change.

Remove Page Insert Page 210 210

SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 177 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-63 NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, LLC NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 1 DOCKET NO. 50-220

1.0 INTRODUCTION

By letter dated June 28, 2002, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC (NMPNS or the licensee) submitted an application for changes to the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 (NMP1),

Technical Specifications (TSs). The requested amendment would revise Item 9, Shutdown Cooling System Isolation (SDCS) High Area Temperature, of Table 4.6.2b, Instrumentation that Initiates Primary Coolant System or Containment Isolation, changing the frequency of instrument channel test and instrument channel calibration from [o]nce during each major refueling outage to [o]nce per operating cycle. This proposed change would eliminate the stipulation to perform the required surveillance only during refueling outages.

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 TS requirements, as well as the licensees proposed amendment, are based on such analyses and evaluations.

In Generic Letter (GL) 91-04, Changes in Technical Specification Surveillance Intervals to Accommodate a 24 Month Fuel Cycle, dated April 2, 1991, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff stated that:

......the TS need not restrict surveillance as only being performed during shutdown. Nevertheless, safety dictates that when refueling interval surveillances are performed during power operation, licensees give proper regard for their effect on the safe operation of the plant.

The licensees proposed change to allow performance of the surveillance anytime during the operating cycle (instead of only during the refueling outage) is consistent with the NRC staffs position as stated in GL 91-04.

Table 3.3.6.1.1 of the Improved Standard Technical Specifications (STS) for boiling-water reactor (BWR/6) plants (NUREG-1434, Revision 2, Standard Technical Specifications for General Electric Plants, BWR/6") contains the surveillance requirement (SR) related to primary

containment isolation instrumentation. Item 5a of this table specifies testing the shutdown cooling system isolation function for the RHR Equipment Room Ambient Temperature-High parameter according to the SRs 3.3.6.1.5 (channel calibration once every 18 months) and 3.3.6.1.6 (logic system functional testing once every 18 months). These STS SRs are based on an 18-month operating cycle, but contain no stipulation to perform the surveillance tests only during refueling outages.

3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION

The NMP1 SDCS is the equivalent of the residual heat removal (RHR) system at other nuclear power plants. The SDCS is designed to provide primary system decay heat removal following reactor shutdown for both normal and post-accident conditions. The SDCS is also required as an alternate method to achieve cold shutdown in a fire-related event consistent with Appendix R to 10 CFR Part 50. The SDCS consists of three loops, each of which contains a pump and a heat exchanger. The heat exchangers are cooled by the reactor building closed loop cooling water system. The major components of the system are located in the reactor building. Area temperature detectors are installed at appropriate locations to initiate an alarm in the control room and to isolate the system automatically if a line break occurs in the system while in operation. The containment isolation valves of the SDCS are closed by actuation of the temperature detectors. SRs that apply to the isolation function of the SDCS are stated in Item 9 of Table 4.6.2b. Specifically, this item requires that instrument channel testing and instrument channel calibration be performed once during each major refueling outage to demonstrate the capability of the SDCS to isolate upon receipt of a high area temperature signal. The channel testing and calibration are currently performed using a procedure that includes SDCS high area temperature isolation trip signals, trip system calibration, and actual valve stroking.

The proposed amendment would eliminate the unnecessary restriction to perform surveillance testing and calibration associated with SDCS isolation capability during refueling outages. The revised specification would provide the licensee the flexibility to perform the required surveillances under other operating conditions on a once per operating cycle basis. Other than eliminating the stipulation, the amendment makes no change to the integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary, the surveillance frequency, surveillance acceptance criteria, setpoint limit for initiating SDCS isolation, plant equipment configurations during SDCS surveillances, or the existing requirements for maintaining SDCS isolation. Accordingly, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed specification is acceptable on the basis that it will continue to ensure acceptable SDCS equipment operability and reliability, and that it complies with the NRC staffs stated position in GL 91-04 and NUREG-1434, Rev. 2.

4.0 STATE CONSULTATION

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the New York 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 and changes surveillance requirements. 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 50956). 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 need be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.

6.0 CONCLUSION

The staff 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 Contributors: G. Thomas S. Rhow Date: November 13, 2002

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station Unit No. 1 Regional Administrator, Region I Mr. James M. Petro, Jr., Esquire U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Counsel 475 Allendale Road Constellation Power Source, Inc.

King of Prussia, PA 19406 111 Market Place Suite 500 Resident Inspector Baltimore, MD 21202 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 126 Lycoming, NY 13093 Charles Donaldson, Esquire Assistant Attorney General New York Department of Law 120 Broadway New York, NY 10271 Mr. Paul D. Eddy Electric Division NYS Department of Public Service Agency Building 3 Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12223 Mr. William M. Flynn, President New York State Energy, Research, and Development Authority 17 Columbia Circle Albany, NY 12203-6399 Mark J. Wetterhahn, Esquire Winston & Strawn 1400 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20005-3502 Supervisor Town of Scriba Route 8, Box 382 Oswego, NY 13126 Mr. Michael J. Wallace President Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC c/o Constellation Energy Group 750 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201-2437