ML032050671

Evaluation of Relief Request No. 18 to Perform a Visual Examination in Lieu of Volumetric Examination of Reactor Vessel Nozzle Inner Radius Sections Per Code Case N-648-1, MB8363 and MB8364

ML032050671
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	07/30/2003
From:	John Lamb NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD3
To:	Solymossy J Nuclear Management Co
References
TAC MB8363, TAC MB8364
Download: ML032050671 (5)

Text

July 30, 2003 Mr. Joseph M. Solymossy Site Vice President Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Nuclear Management Company, LLC 1717 Wakonade Drive East Welch, MN 55089

SUBJECT:

PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 -

EVALUATION OF RELIEF REQUEST NO. 18 TO PERFORM A VISUAL EXAMINATION IN LIEU OF VOLUMETRIC EXAMINATION OF REACTOR VESSEL NOZZLE INNER RADIUS SECTIONS PER CODE CASE N-648-1 (TAC NOS. MB8363 AND MB8364)

Dear Mr. Solymossy:

By letter dated April 3, 2003, the Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC), submitted Relief Request No. 18 (RR-18) for the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2, during the third 10-year inservice inspection (ISI) interval. In RR-18, NMC requested relief to perform a visual examination in lieu of the volumetric examination of reactor vessel nozzle inner radius sections per American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Code) Case N-648-1, Alternative Requirements for Inner Radius Examinations of Class 1 Reactor Vessel Nozzles.

At the time of your submittal, Code Case N-648-1 was not listed in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.147, Inservice Inspection Code Case Acceptability, ASME Section XI, Division 1.

In June 2003, the NRC revised RG 1.147 to include Code Case N-648-1 in Table 2. Revision 13 of RG 1.147 is located under ADAMS Accession No. ML030730423 dated June 30, 2003.

Code Case N-648-1 is acceptable to the NRC for application in your Section XI ISI program within the limitations imposed by the NRC staff. The following is the limitation for Code Case N-648-1 imposed by the NRC staff:

In place of a [ultrasonic thickness] UT examination, licensees may perform a visual examination with enhanced magnification that has a resolution sensitivity to detect 1-mil width wire or crack, utilizing the allowable flaw length criteria of Table IWB-3512-1 with limiting assumptions on the flaw aspect ratio. The provisions of Table IWB-2500-1, Examination Category B-D, continue to apply except that, in place of examination volumes, the surfaces to be examined are the external surfaces shown in the figures applicable to this table.

J. Solymossy Since Code Case N-648-1 is included in RG 1.147 and is acceptable to the NRC staff for application in your ISI program, RR-18 is no longer needed. Therefore, this completes our review of RR-18 under TAC Nos. MB8363 and MB8364.

If you have questions or comments, you can contact me at 301-415-1446.

Sincerely,

/RA/

John G. Lamb, Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-282 and 50-306 cc: See next page

ML032050671 OFFICE PDIII-1/PM PDIII-1/LA PDIII-1/SC NAME JLamb MOBrien for RBouling LRaghavan DATE 07/29/03 07/29/03 07/30/03 Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 cc:

Jonathan Rogoff, Esquire Tribal Council General Counsel Prairie Island Indian Community Nuclear Management Company, LLC ATTN: Environmental Department 700 First Street 5636 Sturgeon Lake Road Hudson, WI 54016 Welch, MN 55089 Manager, Regulatory Affairs Mr. Roy A. Anderson Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Executive Vice President Nuclear Management Company, LLC Nuclear Management Company, LLC 1717 Wakonade Drive East 700 First Street Welch, MN 55089 Hudson, WI 54016 Adonis A. Neblett Nuclear Asset Manager Assistant Attorney General Xcel Energy, Inc.

Office of the Attorney General 414 Nicollet Mall, R.S. 8 455 Minnesota Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 Suite 900 St. Paul, MN 55101-2127 John Paul Cowan Chief Nuclear Officer U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Management Company, LLC Resident Inspectors Office 27780 Blue Star Memorial Highway 1719 Wakonade Drive East Covert, MI 49043 Welch, MN 55089-9642 Mano K. Nazar Regional Administrator, Region III Senior Vice President U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nuclear Management Company, LLC 801 Warrenville Road Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Lisle, IL 60532-4351 1717 Wakonade Drive East Welch, MN 55089 Administrator Goodhue County Courthouse Box 408 Red Wing, MN 55066-0408 Commissioner Minnesota Department of Commerce 121 Seventh Place East Suite 200 St. Paul, MN 55101-2145 May 2003