ML023180739

Summary of Meeting with VEPCO and Framatome, Proposal to Replace the Reactor Vessel Head at North Anna Power Station, Unit 2

ML023180739
Person / Time
Site:	North Anna
Issue date:	11/14/2002
From:	Stephen Monarque NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2
To:
Monarque S, NRR/DLPM, 415-1544
References
Download: ML023180739 (5)

Text

November 14, 2002 LICENSEE: Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO)

FACILITY: North Anna Power Station, Unit 2

SUBJECT:

MEETING

SUMMARY

- DISCUSSION OF VEPCOS PROPOSAL TO REPLACE THE REACTOR VESSEL HEAD AT NORTH ANNA POWER STATION, UNIT 2 On October 29, 2002, representatives of VEPCO and Framatome met with the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff at VEPCOs office in Glen Allen, VA. The purpose of this public meeting was to discuss VEPCOs proposal to replace the existing reactor vessel head at North Anna Power Station, Unit 2, with a reactor vessel head purchased from Electricite de France (EdF), a French energy company.

VEPCO provided an overview of the modifications that will be made to the containment wall to allow the reactor vessel heads to be transported inside and outside of the containment. As part of the modifications, an access hole in the containment wall will be created. After the replacement head has been installed, the containment access hole will then be closed and the containment wall will be tested for leakage.

VEPCO provided the following details about these two heads. The existing North Anna, Unit 2, head was fabricated by Rotterdam Dockyard Company, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The existing vessel was manufactured using the 1968 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code Section III, in conjunction with the design specification provided by Westinghouse, as the basis for the development of an owners specification. This vessel was not N stamped as the Code, at that time, did not allow for the certification of foreign vendors.

The replacement vessel head was constructed to the EdF design specification and French Construction Code RCC-M. As with the existing head, the replacement head was not N stamped. The penetration nozzles for the replacement head are constructed of Alloy 690 instead of Alloy 600, which was used in the fabrication of the existing head. Alloy 690 is the present industry standard being used to prevent primary water stress corrosion cracking. To the maximum extent possible, VEPCO intends to reuse the existing components on the vessel head, including the control rod drive mechanisms, on the replacement head.

VEPCO discussed its plans to reconcile the design, fabrication, and quality assurance differences between the two heads. The replacement head utilizes friction welds, which are prohibited by the ASME Code, in the reactor vessel head penetration nozzles. VEPCO noted that the RCC-M and ASME Codes had been reconciled to allow for the use of friction welds at a power plant in Belgium. Currently, VEPCO has a team in France that is auditing the quality assurance program in use at Framatome for the fabrication of components to the RCC-M Code.

VEPCO intends to evaluate the quality assurance program and related design activities in accordance with 10 CFR Part 50, Section B and 10 CFR Part 21. Framatome ANP will prepare the revised design specification and the reconciliation report. The NRC staff indicated it would

review these reports. VEPCO concluded its presentation by stating its goal is to restart North Anna, Unit 2, by January 2003. A copy of VEPCOs presentation is enclosed (Enclosure 1).

The NRC staff presented its plans to conduct oversight of this project. The NRC staff will perform independent reviews of the design, fabrication, installation, and quality assurance standards used in the manufacture of the replacement head. Further, the NRC staff will inspect the licensee's reconciliation documentation. In support of its review, the NRC staff stated it was sending a team to France to interface with the French regulatory agency and the vendor to understand the French regulatory and manufacturing processes as they relate to the fabrication, design, and quality assurance standards for the replacement head. A copy of the NRC staffs handouts are enclosed (Enclosures 2 and 3).

VEPCO and the NRC staff agreed to meet as needed in the upcoming weeks to maintain open lines of communication and to allow the NRC staff to review documents as they become available.

The meeting attendance list is enclosed (Enclosure 4).

/RA/

Stephen R. Monarque, Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-339

Enclosures:

As stated cc w/encls: See next page

ML023180739 Package: ML OFFICE PDII-1/PM PDII-2/LA PDII-1/SC NAME SMonarque EDunnington JNakoski DATE 11/08/02 11/12/02 11/14/02 Virginia Electric & Power Company North Anna Power Station Units 1 and 2 cc:

Mr. C. Lee Lintecum Mr. David A. Heacock County Administrator Site Vice President Louisa County North Anna Power Station P.O. Box 160 P. O. Box 402 Louisa, Virginia 23093 Mineral, Virginia 23117 Ms. Lillian M. Cuoco, Esquire Mr. David A. Christian Senior Nuclear Counsel Sr. Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. Virginia Electric and Power Company Millstone Power Station Innsbrook Technical Center Building 475, 5th Floor 5000 Dominion Blvd.

Rope Ferry Road Glen Allen, Virginia 23060-6711 Rt. 156 Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Mr. Richard H. Blount, II Site Vice President Dr. W. T. Lough Surry Power Station Virginia State Corporation Virginia Electric and Power Company Commission 5570 Hog Island Road Division of Energy Regulation Surry, Virginia 23883-0315 P. O. Box 1197 Richmond, Virginia 23209 Robert B. Strobe, M.D., M.P.H.

State Health Commissioner Old Dominion Electric Cooperative Office of the Commissioner 4201 Dominion Blvd. Virginia Department of Health Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 P.O. Box 2448 Richmond, Virginia 23218 Mr. Stephen P. Sarver, Director Nuclear Licensing & Operations Mr. William R. Matthews Support Vice President - Nuclear Operations Virginia Electric and Power Company Virginia Electric and Power Company Innsbrook Technical Center Innsbrook Technical Center 5000 Dominion Blvd. 5000 Dominion Boulevard Glen Allen, Virginia 23060-6711 Glen Allen, Virginia 23060-6711 Office of the Attorney General Commonwealth of Virginia 900 East Main Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 Senior Resident Inspector North Anna Power Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1024 Haley Drive Mineral, Virginia 23117

ATTENDEES - MEETING OF OCTOBER 29, 2002 TO DISCUSS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE REACTOR VESSEL HEAD AT NORTH ANNA POWER STATION, UNIT 2 NAME ORGANIZATION Stephen R. Monarque NRC/NRR/DLPM Richard Zuercher Dominion Stephen P. Sarver Dominion Thomas Shaub Dominion John Nakoski NRC/NRR/DLPM Ken Chang NRC/NRR/DE/EMEB Jim Canady NRC/Region II/DRP/BRS Paul Ulmer Framatome ANP Mike Carpenter Framatome ANP Ed Andruszkiewicz NRC/NRR/DE/EMCB Keith Wichman NRC Consultant Richard McIntyre NRC/NRR/DIPM Stephanie Coffin NRC/NRR/DE/EMCB Steven Vias NRC/Region II/DRS/EB2 Tom McLellan NRC/NRR/EMCB Jay Leberstien Dominion Regina Borsh Dominion Lillian Cuoco Dominion Alex McNeill Dominion Dean Price Dominion Robert Lee Dominion Bill Behnke Framatome ANP Bob Hermann Structural Integrity Associates Rick Swayne Reedy Engineering J. E. Wroniewicz Dominion W. T. Lough State Corporation Commission D. A. Sommers Dominion Enclosure 4