ML053260427
| ML053260427 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 11/25/2005 |
| From: | Richard Ennis Plant Licensing Branch III-2 |
| To: | Kansler M Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| Ennis R, NRR/DLPM, 415-1420 | |
| References | |
| %dam200601, TAC MC0761 | |
| Download: ML053260427 (7) | |
Text
November 25, 2005 Mr. Michael Kansler President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - EXTENDED POWER UPRATE, VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION (TAC NO. MC0761)
Dear Mr. Kansler:
By letter dated September 10, 2003, as supplemented by letters dated October 1, and October 28 (2 letters), 2003, January 31 (2 letters), March 4, May 19, July 2, July 27, July 30, August 12, August 25, September 14, September 15, September 23, September 30 (2 letters),
October 5, October 7 (2 letters), December 8, and December 9, 2004, and February 24, March 10, March 24, March 31, April 5, April 22, June 2, August 1, August 4, September 10, September 14, September 18, September 28, October 17, October 21 (2 letters), October 26, October 29, November 2, and November 22, 2005, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. submitted a proposed license amendment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS). The proposed amendment, Technical Specification Proposed Change No. 263, Extended Power Uprate would allow an increase in the maximum authorized power level for VYNPS from 1593 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 1912 MWt.
The NRC staff is reviewing your submittal and has determined that additional information is required to complete the review. The specific information requested is addressed in the enclosure. We request that the additional information be provided by December 2, 2005. The response timeframe was discussed with Mr. Craig Nichols of your staff on November 23, 2005.
If circumstances result in the need to revise your response date, or if you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1420.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Richard B. Ennis, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271
Enclosure:
As stated cc w/encl: See next page
November 25, 2005 Mr. Michael Kansler President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - EXTENDED POWER UPRATE, VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION (TAC NO. MC0761)
Dear Mr. Kansler:
By letter dated September 10, 2003, as supplemented by letters dated October 1, and October 28 (2 letters), 2003, January 31 (2 letters), March 4, May 19, July 2, July 27, July 30, August 12, August 25, September 14, September 15, September 23, September 30 (2 letters),
October 5, October 7 (2 letters), December 8, and December 9, 2004, and February 24, March 10, March 24, March 31, April 5, April 22, June 2, August 1, August 4, September 10, September 14, September 18, September 28, October 17, October 21 (2 letters), October 26, October 29, November 2, and November 22, 2005, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. submitted a proposed license amendment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS). The proposed amendment, Technical Specification Proposed Change No. 263, Extended Power Uprate would allow an increase in the maximum authorized power level for VYNPS from 1593 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 1912 MWt.
The NRC staff is reviewing your submittal and has determined that additional information is required to complete the review. The specific information requested is addressed in the enclosure. We request that the additional information be provided by December 2, 2005. The response timeframe was discussed with Mr. Craig Nichols of your staff on November 23, 2005.
If circumstances result in the need to revise your response date, or if you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1420.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Richard B. Ennis, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271
Enclosure:
As stated cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC REnnis OGC CAnderson, RGN-I LPL1-2 Reading JShea ACRS VBucci, OIG DRoberts TAlexion MStutzke STurk, OGC CRaynor QNguyen RLobel RCaruso, ACRS ADAMS Accession Number: ML053260427 NRR-088 OFFICE LPL1-2/PM: CM LPL1-2/LA LPL1-2/BC NAME REnnis CRaynor DRoberts DATE 11/25/05 11/25/05 11/25/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Mr. David R. Lewis Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1128 Mr. David OBrien, Commissioner Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. James Volz, Chairman Public Service Board State of Vermont 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2701 Chairman, Board of Selectmen Town of Vernon P.O. Box 116 Vernon, VT 05354-0116 Operating Experience Coordinator Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station 320 Governor Hunt Road Vernon, VT 05354 G. Dana Bisbee, Esq.
Deputy Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301-6937 Chief, Safety Unit Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Ms. Carla A. White, RRPT, CHP Radiological Health Vermont Department of Health P.O. Box 70, Drawer #43 108 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05402-0070 Mr. James M. DeVincentis Manager, Licensing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Resident Inspector Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 176 Vernon, VT 05354 Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency ATTN: James Muckerheide 400 Worcester Rd.
Framingham, MA 01702-5399 Jonathan M. Block, Esq.
Main Street P.O. Box 566 Putney, VT 05346-0566 Mr. John F. McCann Director, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Gary J. Taylor Chief Executive Officer Entergy Operations 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Mr. John T. Herron Sr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Oscar Limpias Vice President, Engineering Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Christopher Schwartz Vice President, Operations Support Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Michael J. Colomb Director of Oversight Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Travis C. McCullough Assistant General Counsel Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Jay K. Thayer Site Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. James H. Sniezek 5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801 Ms. Stacey M. Lousteau Treasury Department Entergy Services, Inc.
639 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, LA 70113 Mr. Raymond Shadis New England Coalition Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Mr. James P. Matteau Executive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street, Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Mr. William K. Sherman Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. Michael D. Lyster 5931 Barclay Lane Naples, FL 34110-7306 Ms. Charlene D. Faison Manager, Licensing 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING PROPOSED LICENSE AMENDMENT EXTENDED POWER UPRATE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION DOCKET NO. 50-271 By letter dated September 10, 2003, as supplemented by letters dated October 1, and October 28 (2 letters), 2003, January 31 (2 letters), March 4, May 19, July 2, July 27, July 30, August 12, August 25, September 14, September 15, September 23, September 30 (2 letters),
October 5, October 7 (2 letters), December 8, and December 9, 2004, and February 24, March 10, March 24, March 31, April 5, April 22, June 2, August 1, August 4, September 10, September 14, September 18, September 28, October 17, October 21 (2 letters), October 26, October 29, November 2, and November 22, 2005, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. submitted a proposed license amendment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS). The proposed amendment, Technical Specification Proposed Change No. 263, Extended Power Uprate would allow an increase in the maximum authorized power level for VYNPS from 1593 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 1912 MWt.
The NRC staff is reviewing your extended power uprate (EPU) amendment request and has determined that additional information is required to complete the review. The specific information requested is addressed below.
Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Licensing Branch A (APLA)
Reviewer: Marty Stutzke 1.
Supplement 38, Attachment 1, page 9: Provide the engineering assessment that shows that the residual heat removal (RHR) and core spray (CS) pumps can operate at significantly reduced net positive suction head (NPSH) compared to the design NPSH, which is based on the results of tests conducted at Browns Ferry as described in NUREG/CR-2973. Have the conclusions of this engineering assessment been discussed with the pump manufacturer (Sulzer Bingham)? If so, does the pump manufacturer concur with the conclusions?
2.
Supplement 38, Attachment 1, page 19 and Supplement 39, Attachment 1, pages 12 and 13: It is stated that Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) TR-1009325 was used to determine the probabilities of containment pre-existing leakage. The NRC staff has not yet accepted this reference as a technical basis for granting permanent 15-year integrated leak rate test (ILRT) intervals. In fact, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) submitted an updated version of this document for further staff review on October 26, 2005. The staff notes that the technical basis for containment leakage probabilities used to justify the one-time 15-year ILRT interval that was granted in VYNPS Amendment No. 227, dated August 31, 2005, was EPRI TR-104285, and that the containment leakage probabilities in this report are notably higher than those provided in EPRI TR-1009325. Either justify the use of EPRI TR-1009325 as an acceptable source of containment leakage probabilities, or reassess the change in core-damage frequency (CDF) caused by crediting containment accident pressure using containment leakage probabilities that are consistent with the recently granted one-time 15-year ILRT interval.
3.
Supplement 38, Attachment 1, page 20 and Supplement 39, Attachment 1, page 22:
Provide the high confidence of low probability of failure (HCLPF) values used in the Seismic Margins Analysis (SMA) of VYNPS for the following: reactor coolant system piping, reactor vessel supports, safety relief valves (SRVs), and the containment.
4.
Supplement 38, Attachment 1, page 20 and Supplement 39, Attachment 1, page 22:
Could a fire simultaneously cause a stuck-open relief valve and a failure of the containment isolation (CI) system?
5.
Supplement 39, Attachment 1, general: Is the overall intent of the risk evaluation of the proposed containment overpressure credit to provide a sensitivity analysis that investigates modeling uncertainty in the baseline post-EPU PRA? The NRC staff notes that Supplement 38 indicates no overpressure credit is required using realistic assumptions. Hence, there should be no changes between the pre-EPU and post-EPU PRA models with respect to their treatment of the proposed overpressure credit.
6.
Supplement 39, Attachment 1, general: Does the change in CDF only consider the impact of the proposed overpressure credit, or does if also include the impact of other changes resulting from the proposed EPU (e.g., shorter operator times due to higher decay heat)?
7.
Supplement 39, Attachment 1, page 13: It is stated that containment integrity (Event IP) is considered when the hardened torus vent is being used (Event VT) to prevent over-pressurization failure of the containment following a loss of torus cooling (Event TC). It is difficult to interpret the event tree logic (e.g., the large loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) event tree) in the context of this statement since Event IP appears before Event VT. To help clarify the NRC staffs understanding of the modeling approach taken, provide a narrative explanation of each core-damage sequence in the large LOCA event tree.
8.
Supplement 39, Attachment 1, page 14: If the containment is not intact (Event IP occurs), why is it possible to credit alternative injection and containment overpressure (COP) control (Event AI)?
9.
Supplement 39, Attachment 1, page 18 and Tables 3.2A and 3.3: On page 18, it is stated that CONFIG#1 represents the risk when the COP is not available and CONFIG#2 represents the risk when the COP is available. However in Tables 3.2A and 3.3, the CDF associated with CONFIG#1 is lower than for CONFIG#2. Please clarify.
Also, note that in Table 3.3, the total CDF for CONFIG#1 is incorrect (typographical error).
10.
Supplement 38, Attachment 1, page 18: It is stated that the only difference between the model cases lies in Endstate Bin IIV. However, Table 3.2A indicates that Endstate Bins ID, IIIC, IVA, and IC also change. Please clarify.