ML050400412

RAI, Amendment to Reflect Addition of the Chilled Water System to Provide Cooling to the Containment Fan Cooling Units

ML050400412
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	02/14/2005
From:	Dan Collins NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1
To:	Levis W Public Service Enterprise Group
Collins D S, NRR/DLPM, 415-1427
References
TAC MC2726, TAC MC3649
Download: ML050400412 (5)

Text

February 14, 2005 Mr. William Levis Senior Vice President & CNO PSEG Nuclear - X15 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

SUBJECT:

SALEM NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2, REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: AMENDMENT TO REFLECT ADDITION OF THE CHILLED WATER SYSTEM TO PROVIDE COOLING TO THE CONTAINMENT FAN COOLING UNITS (TAC NOS. MC2726 AND MC3649)

Dear Mr. Levis:

By letter dated April 15, 2004, as supplemented by letter dated August 11, 2004, PSEG Nuclear, LLC submitted a request for changes to the Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (Salem), Technical Specifications. The proposed changes reflect the addition of the chilled water system to provide cooling water to the containment fan cooling units. The amendment request also proposes to revise a non-conservative Action Statement for Salem that allows three containment cooling fans to be inoperable under certain conditions.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that responses to the questions in the enclosure to this letter are necessary in order for the staff to complete its review. These questions were forwarded by telefax to Mr. Jesus Arias of your staff and were discussed with members of your staff in a meeting on December 16, 2004. If you have any questions I can be reached at (301) 415-1427.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Daniel Collins, Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-272 and 50-311

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page

February 14, 2005 Mr. William Levis Senior Vice President & CNO PSEG Nuclear - X15 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

SUBJECT:

SALEM NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2, REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: AMENDMENT TO REFLECT ADDITION OF THE CHILLED WATER SYSTEM TO PROVIDE COOLING TO THE CONTAINMENT FAN COOLING UNITS (TAC NOS. MC2726 AND MC3649)

Dear Mr. Levis:

By letter dated April 15, 2004, as supplemented by letter dated August 11, 2004, PSEG Nuclear, LLC submitted a request for changes to the Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (Salem), Technical Specifications. The proposed changes reflect the addition of the chilled water system to provide cooling water to the containment fan cooling units. The amendment request also proposes to revise a non-conservative Action Statement for Salem that allows three containment cooling fans to be inoperable under certain conditions.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that responses to the questions in the enclosure to this letter are necessary in order for the staff to complete its review. These questions were forwarded by telefax to Mr. Jesus Arias of your staff and were discussed with members of your staff in a meeting on December 16, 2004. If you have any questions I can be reached at (301) 415-1427.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Daniel Collins, Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-272 and 50-311

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION PUBLIC GMiller ECoby, RGN-I RDennig DRoberts ACRS DCollins EThrom OGC PDI-2 Reading JTatum ADAMS Accession Number: ML050400412 OFFICE PDI-2/PE PDI-2/LA PDI-2/PM PDI-2/SC NAME GMiller CRaynor DCollins DRoberts DATE 2/9/05 2/9/05 2/9/05 2/14/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 cc:

Mr. Thomas P. Joyce Dr. Jill Lipoti, Asst. Director Site Vice President - Salem Radiation Protection Programs PSEG Nuclear - X15 NJ Department of Environmental P.O. Box 236 Protection and Energy Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625-0415 Mr. Michael H. Brothers Vice President - Nuclear Assessments Brian Beam PSEG Nuclear - N10 Board of Public Utilities P.O. Box 236 2 Gateway Center, Tenth Floor Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Newark, NJ 07102 Mr. Michael P. Gallagher Regional Administrator, Region I Vice President - Eng/Tech Support U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission PSEG Nuclear - N28 475 Allendale Road P.O. Box 236 King of Prussia, PA 19406 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Senior Resident Inspector Ms. Christina L. Perino Salem Nuclear Generating Station Director - Regulatory Assurance U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission PSEG Nuclear - N21 Drawer 0509 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Carl J. Fricker Jeffrie J. Keenan, Esquire Plant Manager PSEG Nuclear - N21 PSEG Nuclear - N21 P.O. Box 236 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Ms. R. A. Kankus Joint Owner Affairs PECO Energy Company Nuclear Group Headquarters KSA1-E 200 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348 Lower Alloways Creek Township c/o Mary O. Henderson, Clerk Municipal Building, P.O. Box 157 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING PROPOSED AMENDMENT REQUEST SALEM GENERATING STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-272 AND 50-311 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is reviewing PSEG Nuclear LLCs April 15, 2004, amendment request associated with proposed modifications to the Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1 Containment Coolers. The NRC staff has reviewed the information the licensee provided that supports the proposed amendment and requires the following information to clarify the submittal.

1. Though not previously credited, a main steamline break will credit a steam generator feed pump trip in the event of a failure of the feedwater regulating valve (see page 46 of 64 in the system description). Explain why this is not a change to the plant licensing basis that requires NRC review and approval.

2. Use of a single accumulator for both trains of containment fan coil units (CFCUs) is not consistent with the current design that credits a single accumulator for each train. This appears to be contrary to the plant licensing basis; please explain.

3. The chilled water piping will allow the total chilled water flow to be directed to one or both of the two CFCU cooling headers. If normal containment cooling water system (NCCWS) is aligned to only one CFCU cooling header, the temperature of the water in the stagnant header will increase to the containment temperature. Discuss the results of analyses that have been completed to confirm that the waterhammer and two-phase flow concerns of Generic Letter (GL) 96-06 do not pose a problem for this alignment, including consideration of the worst-case single failure.

4. During postulated accident conditions, explain how voiding in the piping upstream of the service water (SW) supply isolation valves and downstream of the SW return isolation valves is prevented, or describe analyses that have been competed that demonstrate acceptable performance for SW pipes and pipe supports for those areas that are voided.

5. Discuss the criteria that are used for establishing the low-pressure isolation setpoint for failure of the NCCWS pressure boundary. Explain how plant operators are made aware of this condition and confirm that control room annunciation, pressure detection, instrumentation, and controls for performing this isolation function and for alerting the control room operators satisfy the criteria for safety-related applications, including single failure considerations. Discuss whether or not technical specification (TS) requirements are necessary for assuring operability of this function.

Enclosure

6. Explain how the flow balance for the emergency containment cooling water system (ECCWS) will be established to assure that the minimum required CFCU flow rates will be achieved for all possible accident and single failure scenarios.

7. Describe how the accumulation rate of silt at the SW boundary isolation valves (dead legs) will be determined and appropriate flushing frequency established consistent with GL 89-13 recommendations, recognizing that differences in the anticipated silt accumulation rate may exist due to seasonal variations and weather conditions.

8. Proposed TS 3.6.2.3.c limits operation with the ECCWS to 30 days and anything beyond that requires an engineering evaluation to be performed which requires consideration of GL 89-13 recommendations. Because a reduced fouling factor is not being credited and the provisions of GL 89-13 are always applicable, it is not clear why a specific TS requirement is necessary for this alignment. Please explain.

9. Existing TS requirements for containment temperature and pressure assure that accident analysis assumptions are satisfied and therefore, proposed TS 3.6.2.3.e does not appear to be necessary from a plant safety perspective. Also, the reactor operators always have the discretion to shut down the plant as deemed appropriate given the circumstances. Please explain why the proposed TS requirement is necessary.

10. Discuss the basis for the new required values that are being established for accumulator pressure and level in TS 4.6.2.3.a, including the basis for eliminating the upper pressure limit.

11. The amendment request indicates that if SW is ever introduced for the off-normal cooling mode, the SW flow balance will be confirmed to be correct if chilled water flow is not restored within 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br />. It would seem that sufficient data for verifying that the service water flow balance is correct could be collected well within 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br /> and more appropriate criteria should be established. Once SW flow has been initiated, plant operators should (within reason) take advantage of the opportunity to confirm that SW flow through the CFCUs is properly balanced, unless the SW flow balance has been verified to be correct either during or after completion of the most recent TS surveillance confirming that the SW flow balance is acceptable. Please discuss the procedural controls that will be established in this regard.