ML063050615

Request for Additional Information Regarding Responses to Generic Letter 2003-01, Control Room Habitability

ML063050615
Person / Time
Site:	Wolf Creek
Issue date:	11/07/2006
From:	Donohew J NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLIV
To:	Muench R Wolf Creek
Donohew J N, NRR/DORL/LP4, 415-1307
References
GL-03-001, TAC MB9873
Download: ML063050615 (4)

Text

November 7, 2006 Mr. Rick A. Muench President and Chief Executive Officer Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation Post Office Box 411 Burlington, KS 66839

SUBJECT:

WOLF CREEK GENERATING STATION - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSES TO GENERIC LETTER 2003-01, CONTROL ROOM HABITABILITY (TAC NO. MB9873)

Dear Mr. Muench:

Generic Letter (GL) 2003-01, Control Room Habitability, was issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on June 12, 2003, and requested confirmation that the control room meets the applicable habitability regulatory requirements and that it is designed, constructed, configured, operated, and maintained in accordance with the facilitys design and licensing bases. The GL further states that emphasis should be placed on confirming that the most limiting unfiltered inleakage into the control room envelope (and the filtered inleakage if applicable) is no more than the value assumed in the plant design-basis radiological analyses and hazardous chemical assessments for the control room, and requested a description of how and when the analyses, tests, and measurements were performed for this confirmation. You have responded for the Wolf Creek Generating Station (WCGS) by the following three letters:

August 8, 2003 (WO 03-0048); November 16, 2004 (WO 04-0051); and February 21, 2005 (WO 05-0003) (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Nos. ML032260631, ML043280496, and ML050600398, respectively).

In your letters dated November 16, 2004, and February 21, 2005, the results of the unfiltered inleakge test were reported using the Atmospheric Tracer Depletion (ATD) test method developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory. In the responses, it was stated that the alternative method of unfiltered inleakage testing was needed for WCGS because of the plant-specific control room/control building (CR/CB) design, which is different from other nuclear power plants. It was stated that the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E741 test method was not able to provide valid results for the plant CR/CB design and, therefore, the ATD method was used. A description/applicability of the ATD test method and a comparison between the ATD and ASTM E741 methods was provided in an enclosure to the November 16, 2004, letter. The use of ATD method and the reasons for its use in place of the ASTM E741 method have also been discussed with the NRC staff in two conference calls.

In NRC Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.197, Demonstrating Control Room Envelope Integrity at Nuclear Power Reactors, Regulatory Position 1.1 states that an integrated test performed using the ASTM E741 test method is acceptable to the staff. Therefore, to evaluate the acceptability of the results from the alternative test method used at WCGS, the NRC staff requests that you submit the information, listed in the 12 bullets in RG 1.197, Regulatory Position 1.3, Alternative Test Methods, on the ATD test method. The information in the

R. Muench enclosure to the November 16, 2004, letter has been reviewed, but it does not provide all the information listed in RG 1.197, Position 1.3. Where the enclosure provides the requested information, you may reference that enclosure in your response. Because your position is that the ASTM E741 test method is not applicable to the WCGS CR/CB design, you may decide not to perform the correlation of results of the ATD method with a test performed on the WCGS CR/CB design with a methodology described in ASTM E471. If so, you are requested to provide an assessment to show that the use of the alternative ATD test method provides an equivalent level of quality and safety in the determination of the unfiltered inleakage into the WCGS control room envelope.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Jack Donohew, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-482 cc: See next page

ML063050615 OFFICE NRR/LPL4/PM NRR/LPL4/LA SCVB/BC NRR/LPL4/BC NAME JDonohew LFeizollahi RDennig DTerao DATE 11/7/06 11/7/06 9/20/06 11/7/06 Wolf Creek Generating Station cc:

Jay Silberg, Esq. Chief, Radiation and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Asbestos Control Section 2300 N Street, NW Kansas Department of Health Washington, D.C. 20037 and Environment Bureau of Air and Radiation Regional Administrator, Region IV 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 310 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Topeka, KS 66612-1366 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400 Arlington, TX 76011 Vice President Operations/Plant Manager Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation Senior Resident Inspector P.O. Box 411 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Burlington, KS 66839 P.O. Box 311 Burlington, KS 66839 Supervisor Licensing Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation Chief Engineer, Utilities Division P.O. Box 411 Kansas Corporation Commission Burlington, KS 66839 1500 SW Arrowhead Road Topeka, KS 66604-4027 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Resident Inspectors Office/Callaway Plant Office of the Governor 8201 NRC Road State of Kansas Steedman, MO 65077-1032 Topeka, KS 66612 Attorney General 120 S.W. 10th Avenue, 2nd Floor Topeka, KS 66612-1597 County Clerk Coffey County Courthouse 110 South 6th Street Burlington, KS 66839 February 2006