ML091120056

Request for Additional Information for the Review of the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2, License Renewal Application

ML091120056
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	04/27/2009
From:	Gettys E License Renewal Projects Branch 1
To:	Spence W Susquehanna
Gettys Evelyn, NRR/DLR/RLRA 415-4029
References
TAC MD3019, TAC MD3020
Download: ML091120056 (7)

Text

April 27, 2009 Mr. William H. Spence President and Chief Nuclear Officer PPL Susquehanna, LLC Two N. Ninth St.

Allentown, PA 18101-1179

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE REVIEW OF THE SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2, LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

Dear Mr. Spence:

By letter dated September 13, 2006, PPL Susquehanna, LLC submitted an application pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulation Part 54 (10 CFR Part 54), to renew the operating licenses for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2, for review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Staff). The staff is reviewing the information contained in the license renewal application and has identified, in the enclosure, areas where additional information is needed to complete the review. Further requests for additional information may be issued in the future.

Items in the enclosure were discussed with Duane Filchner, and a mutually agreeable date for the response is within 30 days from the date of this letter. If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-4029 or e-mail evelyn.gettys@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/ Jay Robinson for Evelyn Gettys, Project Manager Projects Branch 1 Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-387 and 50-388

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page

ML091120056 OFFICE LA:DLR PM:RPB1:DLR BC: RPB1:DLR NAME SFigueroa EGettys DPelton (JRobinson for) (JRobinson for)

DATE 04/24/09 04/27/09 04/27/09

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION UNITS 1 AND 2 LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (RAI)

RAI 4.3.1-1 The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES) Fatigue Monitoring Program (FMP) relies on transient cycle monitoring to evaluate the fatigue usage described in the license renewal application. It is essential that all thermal and pressure activities are bounded by the design specifications and cycles of all significant thermal events are captured and logged. In the response to RAI B.3.1-1, dated August 01, 2008, it states that SSES FMP cycle counting assumes every event has a severity equal to that assumed in the design basis.

To ensure effectiveness and validity of the fatigue monitoring program, the staff requests additional information, as described below:

(a) Confirm that all monitored transient events were bounded by the design specifications.

(b) Specify the time (years) over which actual transient monitoring and cycle tracking activities took place. If there have been periods in which transient data are not recorded since the plant startup, for any type of transient, specify the affected time frame. For the time periods for which transients were not monitored, provide justification to demonstrate that the projected cycles for this unmonitored period are conservative.

RAI 4.3.1-2 LRA Section 4.3.1 states that Normal, upset, and test conditions used in the fatigue analyses of the RPV assembly are summarized in Table 4.3-1. Design cumulative usage factors for the limiting RPV assembly locations are obtained from applicable design reports and are summarized in Table 4.3-2. LRA Tables 4.3-1 and 4.3-2 include 60-year cycle projections and 60-year CUF projections, respectively, for Units 1 and 2.

1. LRA Table 4.3-1 shows that the 60-year projected cycles for a majority of transients are lower than the respective design cycles, approximately by a factor between 2 and 3 for both units. For startup and shutdown transients, the 60-year projected cycles are higher than the design cycles, by approximately 30%. LRA Table 4.3-2 shows that for some of the limiting RCPB locations, the 60-year projected CUF values are much lower than the 40-year design CUF values, up to a factor of 10 and even greater.

Describe the basis for the large reductions in CUF values with relatively minor reduction in cycle projections, in spite of some cases having projected cycles higher than the design cycles.

2. LRA Table 4.3-1 indicates that the ratios of the design cycles to the 60-year projected cycles are distinct for each transient. Describe how 60-year CUF projections were made.

ENCLOSURE

RAI 4.3-9R In letter dated November 26, 2008, the applicant responded to RAI 4.3-9 by stating the following:

The dissolved oxygen levels in the SSES Unit 1 and Unit 2 feedwater systems, before and after the implementation of hydrogen water chemistry, are maintained at less than 50 parts per billion (ppb).

In addition, footnotes to the tables on page 4 and 5 of Enclosure 1 to PLA-6464 state that the environmental CUF values were determined assuming the following dissolved oxygen levels for the Feedwater system: 47 ppb with Normal Water Chemistry, 40 ppb with Hydrogen Water Chemistry for Unit 1; 40 ppb with Normal Water Chemistry and 39 ppb with Hydrogen Water Chemistry for Unit 2.

To facilitate its review and evaluation, the staff is requesting that the applicant:

a) Provide dissolved oxygen (DO) data for the SSES at full power for the three summer months of each of the following years: 1985, 1988 and 1991, for both Units 1 and 2. If the unit was not at full power during these periods, provide data from the next 3 month period that the unit was at full power.

b) Describe the methodology of Fen calculation which SSES used to deal with the situations where DO content in the feedwater system, over certain periods, has been consistently greater than 50 ppb.

c) Describe how water samples were taken, including the sampling locations, and justify that the DO data in the feedwater system shown in PLA-6464 are applicable to all NUREG/CR-6260 components for Fen calculations.

Letter to W. Spencer from E. Gettys, dated April 27, 2009 DISTRIBUTION:

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE REVIEW OF THE SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2, LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION HARD COPY:

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EGettys FJaxheimer

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 cc Cornelius J. Gannon Board of Supervisors Vice President - Nuclear Operations Salem Township PPL Susquehanna, LLC Bryan A. Snapp, Esq.

769 Salem Blvd., NUCSB3 P.O. Box 405 Berwick, PA 18603-0467 Berwick, PA 18603-0035 Robert M. Paley Associate General Counsel General Manager - Plant Support PPL Services Corporation PPL Susquehanna, LLC Two North Ninth Street, GENTW3 769 Salem Blvd., NUCSB2 Allentown, PA 18101-1179 Berwick, PA 18603-0467 Document Control Services Michael H. Crowthers PPL Susquehanna, LLC Manager - Nuclear Regulatory Affairs Two North Ninth Street, GENPL4 PPL Susquehanna, LLC Allentown, PA 18101-1179 Two North Ninth Street, GENPL4 Allentown, PA 18101-1179 Richard W. Osborne Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Ronald E. Smith 212 Locust Street General Manager - Site Preparedness P.O. Box 1266 and Services Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266 PPL Susquehanna, LLC 769 Salem Blvd., NUCSA4 Director, Bureau of Radiation Protection Berwick, PA 18603-0467 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Michael H. Rose Rachel Carson State Office Building Manager - Quality Assurance P.O. Box 8469 PPL Susquehanna, LLC Harrisburg, PA 17105-8469 769 Salem Blvd., NUCSB2 Berwick, PA 18603-0467 Senior Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Joseph J. Scopelliti P.O. Box 35, NUCSA4 Community Relations Manager, Berwick, PA 18603-0035 Susquehanna PPL Susquehanna, LLC Regional Administrator, Region 1 634 Salem Blvd., SSO U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Berwick, PA 18603-0467 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Dr. Judith Johnsrud National Energy Committee Sierra Club 443 Orlando Avenue State College, PA 16803

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 cc Dayne R. Brophy Nuclear Regulatory Affairs PPL Susquehanna, LLC 769 Salem Blvd., NUCSA4 Berwick, PA 18603-0467