ML051930340

License Amendment, Revises the TSs in Response to an Application Requesting a One-Time Extension of the Surveillance Interval for the Reactor Vessel Internal Vent Valves

ML051930340
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	09/06/2005
From:	Macon W NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD3
To:	Bezilla M FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co
Macon W, NRR/DLPM,415-3965
Shared Package
ML051930375	List: ML051930340
References
TAC MC6955
Download: ML051930340 (9)

Text

September 6, 2005 Mr. Mark B. Bezilla Vice President-Nuclear, Davis-Besse FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station 5501 North State Route 2 Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760

SUBJECT:

DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1 - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: REACTOR VESSEL INTERNALS VENT VALVES (TAC NO. MC6955)

Dear Mr. Bezilla:

The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 268 to Facility Operating License No. NPF-3 for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1. The amendment revises the Technical Specifications in response to your application dated May 11, 2005.

This amendment modifies Surveillance Requirement 4.4.10.1.b to permit a one-time extension of the surveillance interval for the reactor vessel internal vent valves from September 22, 2005, to March 25, 2006.

A copy of the Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. The Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's next biweekly Federal Register notice.

Sincerely,

/RA/

William A. Macon, Jr., Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-346

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 268 to NPF-3

2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page

September 6, 2005 Mr. Mark B. Bezilla Vice President-Nuclear, Davis-Besse FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station 5501 North State Route 2 Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760

SUBJECT:

DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1 - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: REACTOR VESSEL INTERNALS VENT VALVES (TAC NO. MC6955)

Dear Mr. Bezilla:

The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 268 to Facility Operating License No. NPF-3 for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1. The amendment revises the Technical Specifications in response to your application dated May 11, 2005.

This amendment modifies Surveillance Requirement 4.4.10.1.b to permit a one-time extension of the surveillance interval for the reactor vessel internal vent valves from September 22, 2005, to March 25, 2006.

A copy of the Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. The Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's next biweekly Federal Register notice.

Sincerely,

/RA/

William A. Macon, Jr., Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-346

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 268 to NPF-3

2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC RidsNrrDlpmLpdiii(A) (HNieh) RidsOgcRp PDIII/2 R/F RidsNrrDlpmLpdiii2 (GSuh) RidsAcrsAcnwMail RidsNrrPMJHopkins RidsNrrLADClarke TBoyce, O-12H2 GGrant, RIII RidsRgn3MailCenter RidsNrrDlpmDpr GHill (2)

Package Accession Number: ML051930375 Amendment Accession Number: ML051930340 Nrr-058 TS Accession Number: ML052500242 OFFICE PM:PD3-2 LA:PD3-2 SRXB-B IROB-A OGC SC:PD3-2 NAME WMacon THarris JNakoski TBoyce SUttal NLO GSuh DATE 8/4/05 07/14/05 07/19/05 8/5/05 8/12/05 9/06/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1 cc:

Mary E. O'Reilly 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 43235-2206 Manager - Regulatory Affairs Zack A. Clayton FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company DERR Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 5501 North State - Route 2 P.O. Box 1049 Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760 Columbus, OH 43266-0149 Director, Ohio Department of Commerce State of Ohio Division of Industrial Compliance Public Utilities Commission Bureau of Operations & Maintenance 180 East Broad Street 6606 Tussing Road Columbus, OH 43266-0573 P.O. Box 4009 Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-9009 Attorney General Office of Attorney General Regional Administrator 30 East Broad Street U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Columbus, OH 43216 801 Warrenville Road Lisle, IL 60523-4351 President, Board of County Commissioners of Ottawa County Michael A. Schoppman Port Clinton, OH 43252 Framatome ANP 24 Calabash Court President, Board of County Rockville, MD 20850 Commissioners of Lucas County One Government Center, Suite 800 Resident Inspector Toledo, OH 43604-6506 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 5503 North State Route 2 The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760 United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Barry Allen, Plant Manager FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station United States House of Representatives 5501 North State - Route 2 14400 Detroit Avenue Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760 Lakewood, OH 44107 Dennis Clum Mr. Joseph J. Hagan Radiological Assistance Section Supervisor Chief Operating Officer Bureau of Radiation Protection FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Ohio Department of Health Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 118 5501 North State Route 2 Columbus, OH 43266-0118 Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760

FIRSTENERGY NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY DOCKET NO. 50-346 DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1 AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 268 License No. NPF-3

1. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:

A. The application for amendment by the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (the licensee) dated May 11, 2005, 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. NPF-3 is hereby amended to read as follows:

(2) Technical Specifications The Technical Specifications contained in Appendix A, as revised through Amendment No. 268, are hereby incorporated in the license. FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company shall operate the facility in accordance with the Technical Specifications.

3. This license amendment is effective as of its date of issuance and shall be implemented within 14 days of the date of issuance.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Gene Y. Suh, Chief, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Attachment:

Changes to the Technical Specifications Date of Issuance: September 6, 2005

ATTACHMENT TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 268 FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-3 DOCKET NO. 50-346 Replace the following page of the Appendix A Technical Specifications with the attached revised page. The revised page is identified by amendment number and contains marginal lines indicating the areas of change.

Remove Insert 3/4 4-31 3/4 4-31

SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 268 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-3 FIRSTENERGY NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1 DOCKET NO. 50-346

1.0 INTRODUCTION

By application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, Commission) dated May 11, 2005 (Accession No. ML051370132), FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (the licensee) requested changes to the Technical Specifications (TSs) for the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1 (DBNPS).

The proposed changes would revise TS 3/4.4.10, "Reactor Coolant System - Structural Integrity, American Society of Mechanical Engineers [ASME] Code Class 1, 2, and 3 Components," to allow a one-time extension of the surveillance interval that is applicable to Surveillance Requirement (SR) 4.4.10.1.b. SR 4.4.10.1.b currently requires that the reactor vessel internals vent valves be tested and inspected at least once per 24 months during shutdown.

SR 4.4.10.1.b was last performed on March 25, 2003, during the 13th refueling outage. The surveillance interval, including the 25% extension afforded by the provisions of TS 4.0.2, will expire on September 22, 2005, which is prior to the scheduled start of the 14th refueling outage in March 2006. Since the SR can only be performed in Operational Mode 6 (Refueling), a one-time extension to the surveillance interval is necessary to avoid an unwarranted plant shutdown.

The proposed one-time extension would allow the next performance of SR 4.4.10.1.b to be delayed until March 25, 2006, which is 36 months from the last performance.

The proposed changes superseded a previous license amendment request submitted by letter dated April 29, 2004 (Accession No. ML041250176), which was noticed in the Federal Register (69 FR 29766) on May 25, 2004. This previous request proposed to relocate the surveillance requirement to the DBNPS Technical Requirements Manual.

2.0 REGULATORY EVALUATION

Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 50.55a, "Codes and standards,"

contains requirements for inservice testing of ASME Code Class 1, 2, and 3 components.

DBNPS is subject to the requirements of the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants, 1995 Edition through 1996 Addenda (ASME OM Code). The reactor vessel internals vent valves are not classified as ASME Code Class 1, 2, or 3 components; however, they have been added to the DBNPS inservice testing program and are tested in accordance with the TSs at the frequency required for check valves per the ASME OM Code.

3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION

The four reactor vessel internals vent valves at DBNPS are vertically mounted 14-inch swing check valves located on the core support shield. The valves promote steam relief from the core following certain loss-of-coolant accidents which enhances the effectiveness of emergency core cooling systems.

The valves components are designed to minimize the possibility of loss of parts and the operating fasteners include a positive locking device. The valve materials were selected based on corrosion resistance, surface hardness, anti-galling characteristics, and compatibility with mating materials. Additionally, reactor coolant system (RCS) chemistry is controlled to minimize corrosion of RCS components. The licensee states that since the performance of the last surveillance, there has been no chemistry condition that would have an adverse impact on RCS components.

The valves hinge assembly consists of a shaft, two valve body journal receptacles, two valve disc journal receptacles, and four flanged shaft journals. The licensee states that the hinge assembly provides eight loose rotational clearances and two end clearances. The licensee also states that at least three clearances of a particular combination must bind or seize to adversely affect the valve disc-free motion.

The licensee reviewed the maintenance and surveillance history of the valves at DBNPS. The review showed that there have been no surveillance test failures and there has been no maintenance required or performed on the reactor vessel internals vent valves. Additionally, Framatome-ANP conducted a survey of the other operating Babcock & Wilcox plants regarding their experience with reactor vessel internals vent valve surveillances and did not find a single instance of valve failure. These reviews indicate a high degree of reliability for the reactor vessel internals vent valves since no degradation in valve operability has been observed.

Previously, by license Amendment No. 95, dated August 20, 1986 (Accession No. ML021190297), the NRC staff evaluated and approved a one-time extension to the reactor vessel internals vent valve surveillance interval for DBNPS to approximately 42 months. There were no valve failures when the surveillances were performed in 1988 after the 42 month surveillance interval. This request is for a surveillance interval of 36 months, which is conservatively bounded by the previously evaluated one-time extension.

The NRC staff has reviewed the information provided by the licensee and, based on the above, the NRC staff concludes that a one-time extension of the surveillance interval for the reactor vessel internals vent valves to March 25, 2006, is acceptable.

The licensee also provided a discussion of risk considerations in support of their request. While the NRC staff supports licensees evaluating risk and providing that information, the subject application was not risk-informed; therefore, the NRC staff did not perform a risk review. The licensee's risk considerations were neither evaluated by the NRC staff nor relied upon in making the determination of the acceptability of the licensee's application (i.e., it was reviewed and approved solely based on the deterministic information provided).

4.0 STATE CONSULTATION

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the Ohio State official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendment. The State official had no comments.

5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION

This amendment changes a requirement with respect to installation or use of a facility component located within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20 or changes a surveillance requirement. The staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluent 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 (70 FR 38719). 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 this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.

Principal Contributor: J. Hopkins Date: September 6, 2005