ML042950020
| ML042950020 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nine Mile Point  |
| Issue date: | 11/29/2004 |
| From: | Tam P NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1 |
| To: | Spina J Nine Mile Point |
| Tam P, NRR/DLPM, 415-1451 | |
| References | |
| TAC MC4056 | |
| Download: ML042950020 (9) | |
Text
November 29, 2004 Mr. James A. Spina Vice President Nine Mile Point 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: ALLOWED TIME FOR RESTORATION OF PRIMARY CONTAINMENT OXYGEN CONCENTRATION (TAC NO. MC4056)
Dear Mr. Spina:
The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 185 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-63 for the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1. The amendment consists of changes to the Technical Specifications (TSs) in response to your application transmitted by letter dated August 17, 2004.
The amendment revised Section 3.3.1, Oxygen Concentration, of the TSs to add a new action, allowing 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> to restore the oxygen concentration within the limit of < 4% by volume if the limit is exceeded when the reactor is operating in the power operating condition.
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. 185 to DPR-63
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page
November 29, 2004 Mr. James A. Spina Vice President Nine Mile Point 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: ALLOWED TIME FOR RESTORATION OF PRIMARY CONTAINMENT OXYGEN CONCENTRATION (TAC NO. MC4056)
Dear Mr. Spina:
The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 185 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-63 for the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1. The amendment consists of changes to the Technical Specifications (TSs) in response to your application transmitted by letter dated August 17, 2004.
The amendment revised Section 3.3.1, Oxygen Concentration, of the TSs to add a new action, allowing 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> to restore the oxygen concentration within the limit of < 4% by volume if the limit is exceeded when the reactor is operating in the power operating condition.
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. 185 to DPR-63
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page Distribution:
PUBLIC PDI R/F Rlaufer SLittle PTam OGC GHill (2)
TBoyce RLobel ACRS GMatakas, RI Accession Number: ML042950020 OFFICE PDI-1\\PM PDI-1\\LA SPSB/SC IROB OGC PDI-1/SC NAME PTam SLittle RDennig TBoyce DReddick RLaufer DATE 10/26/04 10/25/04 9/9/04 11/12/04 11/22/04 11/23/04
- SE transmitted by memo of 9/9/04.
OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
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. 185 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 August 17, 2004, 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. 185, 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 within 15 days.
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 29, 2004
ATTACHMENT TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 185 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-63 DOCKET NO. 50-220 Replace the following pages of Appendix A, Technical Specifications, with the attached revised pages. The revised pages are identified by amendment number and contain marginal lines indicating the areas of change.
Remove Pages Insert Pages 124 124 125 125
SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 185 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 August 17, 2004 (ADAMS Accession No. ML042400316), Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC (NMPNS or the licensee) submitted an application for an amendment to the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 (NMP1) Technical Specifications (TSs). The requested changes would revise Section 3.3.1, Oxygen Concentration, to add a new action allowing 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> to restore the oxygen concentration within the limit of < 4 percent by volume if the limit is exceeded when the reactor is operating in the power operating condition.
The proposed 24-hour completion time for restoring the oxygen concentration to within the specified limit is consistent with the Improved Standard Technical Specifications for Boiling-Water Reactors/4 (NUREG-1433, Revision 3, dated June 2004). The current NMP1 TSs Section 3.3.1 requires that if the four volume percent oxygen concentration cannot be maintained, the reactor must be depressurized to less than 110 psig within 10 hours1.157407e-4 days <br />0.00278 hours <br />1.653439e-5 weeks <br />3.805e-6 months <br />.
The license proposed to add a new Action c as an exception to the limiting condition for operation (LCO), with the following wording:
If the containment oxygen concentration is greater than or equal to the four percent by volume limit, except as allowed during startup and shutdown in b above, restore the oxygen concentration to within the limit within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs evaluation of the licensees application follows.
2.0 REGULATORY EVALUATION
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 50.44 (10 CFR 50.44), Combustible Gas Control in Containment, has recently been revised (68 FR 54123, September 16, 2003).
Although the NRC has concluded in this rulemaking that hydrogen release from a design-basis loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) is not risk-significant, the revised rule retained the requirement that the BWR Mark I containment, such as that at NMP1, must be inerted given its relatively small volume and large inventory of zirconium. This requires replacing the air in containment with nitrogen gas.
Section 3.6.3.2, Primary Containment Oxygen Concentration, of NUREG-1433, Standard Technical Specifications General Electric Plants BWR/4, Revision 3 (STSs), specifies that if the primary containment oxygen concentration is not less than the limiting concentration of four volume percent, the oxygen concentration must be restored to within four volume percent within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />.
3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION
The licensee stated that the amendment is needed to facilitate at-power entry into the drywell of the containment (i.e., the containment atmosphere would be de-inerted back to normal oxygen level) for inspections, troubleshooting, and possible repairs of equipment. The proposed Action c would allow 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> to restore the oxygen concentration to less than four volume percent. This is consistent with the guidance specified in STS 3.6.3.2, Condition A. The associated Bases for this action statement explain that a period of 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> is acceptable, since the possibility of a severe accident that would generate a significant amount of hydrogen during this period is low, and the long duration of a severe accident permits time for mitigating actions, i.e., to reduce the oxygen concentration. Since the NMP1 design and expected response to abnormal events is similar to that of other BWRs with Mark I containments, the possibility of a severe accident that would generate a significant amount of hydrogen at NMP1 is similarly low.
In addition, the NMP1 Individual Plant Examination found that hydrogen detonation and other energetic failure modes contribute only 15 percent to the total release from containment. Thus, hydrogen is not a major contributor to containment failure for NMP1. In addition, the proposed completion time is consistent with the STS and associated Bases. Accordingly, the licensees proposed change to the NMP1 TS Section 3.3.1 is acceptable.
The NRC staff also reviewed the licensees proposed change to the Bases for Section 3.3.1, and noted that the changes appropriately reflect the proposed change to TS Section 3.3.1.
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 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 (69 FR 53110). 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 NRC 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 Contributor: R. Lobel Date: November 29, 2004
Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1 cc:
Mr. Michael J. Wallace President Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC c/o Constellation Energy Group 750 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202 Mr. Mike Heffley Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Constellation Generation Group 1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway Suite 500 Annapolis, MD 21401 Regional Administrator, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Resident Inspector 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. Peter R. Smith, 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. James M. Petro, Jr., Esquire Counsel Constellation Energy Group, Inc.
750 East Pratt Street, 5th Floor Baltimore, MD 21202 Ms. Deb Katz, Executive Director Nuclear Security Coalition c/o Citizens Awareness Network P.O. Box 83 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370