ML062150153
| ML062150153 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Watts Bar  |
| Issue date: | 08/08/2006 |
| From: | Pickett D NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLII-2 |
| To: | Singer K Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Pickett D, NRR/DORL, 415-1364 | |
| References | |
| TAC MC4586 | |
| Download: ML062150153 (6) | |
Text
August 8, 2006 Mr. Karl W. Singer Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801
SUBJECT:
WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 1 WITHDRAWAL OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TS-04-13 (TAC NO. MC4586)
Dear Mr. Singer:
By application dated September 23, 2004 (TS-04-13), and supplemented by letter dated May 25, 2006, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the licensee) applied for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-90 for the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 (WBN).
Subsequently, by letter dated July 28, 2006, you withdrew the amendment request.
The proposed changes would modify Technical Specification (TS) Table 3.3.2-1, Engineered Safety Feature Actuation System Instrumentation, Item 6.e, Trip of All Main Feedwater Pumps. Automatic actuation of the auxiliary feedwater (AFW) system following a trip of all main feedwater (MFW) pumps as required by Item 6.e of TS Table 3.3.2, provides early actuation of the AFW system in anticipation of a complete loss of MFW. The current TS requires this function to be operable in Modes 1 and 2. TVA proposed to modify Item 6.e to only apply to a trip of all turbine driven main feedwater (TDMFW) pumps and to modify the Mode applicability with a note that states: Not required unless one or more turbine driven main feedwater pumps are operating.
TVA indicated that a motor driven standby main feedwater (SBMFW) pump is normally used for plant startup and shutdown at WBN, and that the TDMFW pumps are typically started when the plant reaches about 18 percent power. The licensees practice is to enable the TDMFW pump trip/AFW automatic actuation circuitry prior to entering Mode 2 so that the operability requirement specified by TS Table 3.3.2 Item 6.e is satisfied even though automatic AFW actuation could not occur unless the TDMFW pumps are operating. The licensee proposed the TS changes so that the trip function could be made operable later during plant startup when there are less demands on plant operators. While the license amendment request stated that the proposed changes were necessary because the current TS requires the TDMFW pump trip/AFW actuation function to be operable before sufficient steam is available for operating a TDMFW pump, the amount of steam that is required for operating a TDMFW pump was not addressed.
During the review process the NRC staff had several discussions with the licensee and sought clarification regarding the licensees statement that sufficient steam flow to operate the TDMFW pumps is not available until the plant reaches approximately 18 percent power; the current licensing basis relative to the requirements that are specified by TS Table 3.3.2 Item 6.e and
the basis for those requirements including defense-in-depth considerations; and the licensees practice of using the SBMFW pump in lieu of the TDMFW pumps in Modes 1 and 2 and how the lack of an automatic AFW actuation signal satisfies the requirements that are specified by the TSs. As a result of the NRC staffs concerns, TVA submitted a withdrawal of this request.
The Commission has filed the enclosed Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License with the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Douglas V. Pickett, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-390
Enclosure:
Notice of Withdrawal cc w/encl: See next page
ML062150153 ADM-012 OFFICE LPL2-2/PM LPL2-2/LA LPL2-2/BC NAME DPickett RSola LRaghavan DATE 08/ 07 / 06 08 / 07/ 06 08/ 08 / 06
Mr. Karl W. Singer Tennessee Valley Authority WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT cc:
Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar, Senior Vice President Nuclear Operations Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Larry S. Bryant, Vice President Nuclear Engineering & Technical Services Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Robert J. Beecken, Vice President Nuclear Support Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Michael D. Skaggs Site Vice President Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 General Counsel Tennessee Valley Authority ET 11A 400 West Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902 Mr. John C. Fornicola, Manager Nuclear Assurance and Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Glenn W. Morris, Manager Corporate Nuclear Licensing and Industry Affairs Tennessee Valley Authority 4X Blue Ridge 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Paul L. Pace, Manager Licensing and Industry Affairs Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 Mr. Jay Laughlin, Plant Manager Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 Senior Resident Inspector Watts Bar Nuclear Plant U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1260 Nuclear Plant Road Spring City, TN 37381 County Executive 375 Church Street Suite 215 Dayton, TN 37321 County Mayor P. O. Box 156 Decatur, TN 37322 Mr. Lawrence E. Nanney, Director Division of Radiological Health Dept. of Environment & Conservation Third Floor, L and C Annex 401 Church Street Nashville, TN 37243-1532 Ms. Ann P. Harris 341 Swing Loop Road Rockwood, Tennessee 37854
7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY DOCKET NO. 50-390 NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has granted the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority (the licensee) to withdraw its September 23, 2004, application for proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-90 for the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit No. 1, located in Rhea County, Tennessee.
The proposed amendment would have revised Technical Specification Table 3.3.2-1, Engineered Safety Feature Actuation System Instrumentation, to allow the auxiliary feedwater start signal upon trip of all main feedwater pumps to be required only when one or more of the turbine driven main feedwater pumps are operating.
The Commission had previously issued a Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment published in the FEDERAL REGISTER on December 7, 2004 (69 FR 70722).
However, by letter dated July 28, 2006, the licensee withdrew the proposed change.
For further details with respect to this action, see the application for amendment dated September 23, 2004, as supplemented by letter dated May 25, 2006, and the licensee's letter dated July 28, 2006, which withdrew the application for license amendment. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management Systems (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of August, 2006.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
/RA/
Douglas V. Pickett, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation