ML042530248

Request for Additional Information, Revise the Minimum Critical Power Ratio Safety Limit. TAC No MC2599

ML042530248
Person / Time
Site:	Perry
Issue date:	09/23/2004
From:	Sands S NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD3
To:	Myers L FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co
Sands S, 415-3154, NRR/DLPM
References
TAC MC2599
Download: ML042530248 (5)

Text

September 23, 2004 Mr. Lew W. Myers Interim Site Vice President-Nuclear and Chief Operating Officer FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Perry Nuclear Power Plant P. O. Box 97, A210 Perry, OH 44081

SUBJECT:

PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (RAI) FOR THE REVIEW OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO REVISE THE MINIMUM CRITICAL POWER RATIO SAFETY LIMIT (TAC. NO. MC2599)

Dear Mr. Myers:

By letter dated April 5, 2004, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, requested approval of a license amendment for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant (PNPP) to revise the Minimum Critical Power Ratio Safety Limit.

During the review, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has identified that additional information is needed in order to complete the review. Specific questions are presented in the enclosed RAI.

The enclosed questions have already been discussed with your staff. In order to accommodate PNPPs need for this change, please respond to this RAI by October 15, 2004. If you have any questions concerning our review, or additional time is needed to respond to the RAI, please contact me at (301) 415-3154.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Stephen P. Sands, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-440

Enclosures:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page

September 23, 2004 Mr. Lew W. Myers Interim Site Vice President-Nuclear and Chief Operating Officer FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Perry Nuclear Power Plant P. O. Box 97, A210 Perry, OH 44081

SUBJECT:

PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (RAI) FOR THE REVIEW OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO REVISE THE MINIMUM CRITICAL POWER RATIO SAFETY LIMIT (TAC. NO. MC2599)

Dear Mr. Myers:

By letter dated April 5, 2004, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, requested approval of a license amendment for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant (PNPP) to revise the Minimum Critical Power Ratio Safety Limit.

During the review, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has identified that additional information is needed in order to complete the review. Specific questions are presented in the enclosed RAI.

The enclosed questions have already been discussed with your staff. In order to accommodate PNPPs need for this change, please respond to this RAI by October 15, 2004. If you have any questions concerning our review, or additional time is needed to respond to the RAI, please contact me at (301) 415-3154.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Stephen P. Sands, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-440

Enclosures:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC PDIII-2 R/F AMendiola SSands PCoates OGC ACRS SReynolds, RIII DLPM DPR ADAMS Accession Number: ML042530248 OFFICE PM:LPD3-2 LA:LPD3-2 SC:LPD3-2 NAME SSands PCoates AMendiola DATE 09/21/04 N/A 09/23/04 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 cc:

Mary E. OReilly Carol OClaire, Chief, Radiological Branch FirstEnergy Corporation Ohio Emergency Management Agency 76 South Main St. 2855 West Dublin Granville Road Akron, OH 44308 Columbus, OH 43235-7150 Resident Inspectors Office Mayor, Village of Perry U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 100 P.O. Box 331 Perry, OH 44081-0100 Perry, OH 44081-0331 Dennis Clum Regional Administrator, Region III Radiological Assistance Section Supervisor U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Bureau of Radiation Protection 801 Warrenville Road Ohio Department of Health Lisle, IL 60532-4531 P.O. Box 118 Columbus, OH 43266-0118 Sue Hiatt OCRE Interim Representative Zack A. Clayton 8275 Munson DERR Mentor, OH 44060 Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ATTN: Mr. Zack A. Clayton Mr. Vernon K. Higaki P.O. Box 1049 Manager - Regulatory Affairs Columbus, OH 43266-0149 FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Perry Nuclear Power Plant Chairman P.O. Box 97, A210 Perry Township Board of Trustees 10 Center Road 3750 Center Road, Box 65 Perry, OH 44081 Perry, OH 44081 Frederick van Ahn, Plant Manager Daniel Z. Fisher FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Transportation Department Perry Nuclear Power Plant Public Utilities Commission P.O. Box 97, SB306 180 East Broad Street Perry, OH 44081 Columbus, OH 43215-3793 Mayor, Village of North Perry Joseph J. Hagan North Perry Village Hall Senior Vice President, Engineering and 4778 Lockwood Road Services North Perry Village, OH 44081 First Energy Nuclear Operating Company 76 South Main Street Donna Owens, Director Akron, Ohio 44308 Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Industrial Compliance Bureau of Operations & Maintenance 6606 Tussing Road P. O. Box 4009 Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-9009

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (PNPP)

LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO REVISE THE MINIMUM CRITICAL POWER RATIO SAFETY LIMIT CONTAINED IN THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has reviewed the April 5, 2004, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company submittal regarding changes to the PNPP Technical Specification change.

In order to complete the review of the proposed license amendment request, the staff needs the following information concerning Perry/Safety Limit minimum critical power ratio (MCPR) safety limit for minimum critical power ratio (SLMCPR) submittal.

(1) The calculated values of maintenance improvement program (MIP) and reactor internal pump (RIP) were used to compare quantities that impact the calculated SLMCPR value for the Perry Unit 1, Cycle 10. Based on these comparisons, the licensee concluded that the core bundle-by-bundle MCPR distribution is slightly flatter than the distribution evaluated for Cycle 9 (as indicated by MIP); whereas, Cycle 10 has a more peaked in-bundle pin-by-pin power distribution (as indicated by RIP) than what was used for Cycle

9. It was stated in the submittal that the calculated safety limit is dominated by two key parameters:

(1) flatness of the core bundle-by-bundle MCPR distributions, and (2) flatness of the bundle pin-by-pin power/R-factor distributions. It was further stated that greater flatness in either parameter yields more rods susceptible to boiling transition; and consequently, the necessity of a higher (more conservative) calculated SLMCPR.

Contrary to the above statement made in the submittal, the staff noted that although the bundle-by-bundle MCPR distribution is flatter for Cycle 10, the proposed SLMCPR for Cycle 10 is lower (less conservative) than Cycle 9. The staff requests the licensee to explain this apparent contradiction.

(2) The proposed cycle-specific determination of the SLMCPR values for Perry Unit 1, Cycle 10 are acceptable to the staff provided that the conditions stated in the staff safety evaluation report (SER) approving Amendment No. 25 and two licensing technical reviews on uncertainties for SLMCPR evaluations (Reference 1) are met. The staff, therefore, requests the licensee to affirm that all the conditions discussed in the SER have been satisfied. In order for the licensee to generate the proposed SLMCPR values, if it was necessary to deviate from any of the assumptions and the conditions outlined in the staff SER for a cycle-specific determination of the SLMCPR, then the licensee should discuss those deviations and provide the technical justifications for their acceptability.

(3) The staff requests the licensee to confirm whether the proposed SLMCPR values for Perry Unit 1, Cycle 10 are only applicable for the currently approved (for Cycle 9) operating conditions, and that operation beyond the currently approved conditions and power level is not anticipated for Cycle 10.

Reference Letter, Frank Akstulewicz (NRC) to Glen A. Wafford (GE), "Acceptance for Referencing of Licensing Topical Reports 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 on Cycle Specific Safety Limit MCPR,"

(TAC Nos. M97490, M99069 and M97491), March 11, 1999.