ML043340429

Withdrawal of Relief Requests 2-ISI-22 and 3-ISI-18 Re Nondestructive Examination of Reactor Pressure Vessel Nozzle-to-Vessel Welds and Nozzle Blend Radii

ML043340429
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry, Oconee
Issue date:	12/20/2004
From:	Ellen Brown NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2
To:	Singer K Tennessee Valley Authority
Brown Eva, NRR/DLPM, 415-2315
References
TAC MC0167, TAC MC0168
Download: ML043340429 (4)

Text

December 20, 2004 Mr. Karl W. Singer Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 2 AND 3 WITHDRAWAL OF RELIEF REQUEST REGARDING NONDESTRUCTIVE EXAMINATION OF REACTOR PRESSURE VESSEL NOZZLE-TO-VESSEL WELDS AND NOZZLE BLEND RADII (TAC NOS. MC0167 AND MC0168)

Dear Mr. Singer:

By letter dated July 25, 2003, as supplement by a letter dated November 15, 2004, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) submitted Relief Requests Nos. 2-ISI-22 and 3-ISI-18 for Browns Ferry Units 2 and 3 from the inservice inspection requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,Section XI, (ASME Code) for the volumetric (UT) examination of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) nozzle-to-vessel welds and inner radius sections. Instead, TVA proposed to use the technical basis of Report 108, BWR

[Boiling-Water Reactor] Vessel and Internals Project Technical Basis for the Reduction of Inspection Requirements for the Boiling Water Reactor Nozzle-to-Vessel Shell Welds and Nozzle Blend Radii, to (1) reduce the inspection of these areas from 100 percent to 25 percent each 10-year interval and (2) replace UT by enhanced remote visual VT-1 for RPV nozzles inner radius section and by enhanced direct visual VT-1 for RPV head nozzles. Subsequently, by letter dated November 15, 2004, you superseded the relief request in its entirety. The purpose of this letter is to advise that the above cited application is being treated as withdrawn.

Although your original request has been withdrawn, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff found that a response to the request for additional information issued on March 24, 2004, was needed before the review could be completed. The NRC staff notes that timely responses to questions are necessary to ensure an efficient use of NRC resources and the completion of

K. Singer the review by your requested date. In the future, if a timely response cannot be provided, the NRC staff may decide to reject your application to allow resources to be redirected to other reviews.

This completes the staff's review of the July 25, 2003, submittal under TAC Nos. MC0167 and MC0168.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Eva A. Brown, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-260 and 50-269 cc: See next page

ML043340429 NRR-106 OFFICE PDII-2/PM PDII-2/LA PDII-2/SC NAME EBrown BClayton MMarshall DATE 12/17/04 12/17/04 12/20/04 Mr. Karl W. Singer BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT Tennessee Valley Authority cc:

Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar, Senior Vice President Mr. Fredrick C. Mashburn Nuclear Operations Senior Program Manager Tennessee Valley Authority Nuclear Licensing 6A Lookout Place Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street 4X Blue Ridge Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Michael J. Lorek, General Manager Nuclear Engineering Mr. Timothy E. Abney, Manager Tennessee Valley Authority Licensing and Industry Affairs 6A Lookout Place Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant 1101 Market Street Tennessee Valley Authority Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609 Mr. Michael D. Skaggs Site Vice President Senior Resident Inspector Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant P.O. Box 2000 10833 Shaw Road Decatur, AL 35609 Athens, AL 35611-6970 General Counsel State Health Officer Tennessee Valley Authority Alabama Dept. of Public Health ET 11A RSA Tower - Administration 400 West Summit Hill Drive Suite 1552 Knoxville, TN 37902 P.O. Box 303017 Montgomery, AL 36130-3017 Mr. John C. Fornicola, Manager Nuclear Assurance and Licensing Chairman Tennessee Valley Authority Limestone County Commission 6A Lookout Place 310 West Washington Street 1101 Market Street Athens, AL 35611 Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Kurt L. Krueger, Plant Manager Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609