ML110540705

E-mail, Request for Additional Information, Nrr/Dirs/Ihpb Review, Amendment Request for Extended Power Uprate to Increase the Maximum Reactor Core Power Operating Limit from 3898 to 4408 Mwt

ML110540705
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf
Issue date:	02/23/2011
From:	Wang A Plant Licensing Branch IV
To:	Burford J, Millar D Entergy Operations
Wang, A B, NRR/DORL/LPLIV, 415-1445
References
TAC ME4679
Download: ML110540705 (2)

Text

From:

Wang, Alan Sent:

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 4:23 PM To:

'Jerry Burford'; MILLAR, DANA Cc:

Lent, Susan; Burkhardt, Janet

Subject:

GG EPU Health Physics and Human Performance Branch Request for Additional Information (ME4679)

Jerry and Dana, By letter dated September 8, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System, Accession No. ML1002660403), Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy, the licensee), submitted a request to amend the Facility Operating License No. NPF-29 for Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (GGNS). The licensee proposed a license amendment request (LAR) for an extended power uprate (EPU) to increase the maximum reactor core power operating limit from 3898 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 4408 MWt.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has determined that the following additional information is needed for the NRC staff to complete our review of this amendment.

This request for additional information (RAI) was discussed with Mr. Jerry Burford of your staff on February 23, 2011, and it was agreed that a response would be provided within 30 days of receipt of this E-mail. If circumstances result in the need to revise the requested response date, please contact me at (301) 415-1445 or via e-mail at Alan.Wang@nrc.gov.

The following RAIs are related to the Health Physics and Human Performance Branch of the Division of Inspection and Regional Support portion of the LAR review.

1. GGNS Current Licensing Basis The licensee stated in its September 8, 2010 submittal that the general design criteria (GDC) in Appendix A of 10 CFR 50 effective May 21, 1971, and subsequently amended July 7, 1971, are applicable to GGNS. GGNS conformance with the GDCs may be found in Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) Sections 3.1 and 7.1.2.5. The human factors program is not described in any GGNS licensing basis document; however, it is governed in accordance with Engineering Standard ES-17, Human Factors Design Criteria.

Submit Engineering Standard ES-17, Human Factors Design Criteria. for NRC staff review.

2. Changes to Operator Actions Sensitive to the EPU The responses to this topic of Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS)-001, Review Standard for Extended Power Uprates were not complete:

a. Identify any operator workarounds that will exist after implementation of the EPU and demonstrate that they will not delay any time-critical actions (safety-significant actions required to be done in <30 minutes).

b. Identify any operator actions that are being automated.

c. Identify and justify any automated actions that will become manual after implementation of the EPU.

d. Attachment 13, Table 14.1-1 contains many key operator actions with allowable times of less than 30 minutes. Which of these actions will be validated with empirical data to confirm that GGNS operators are able to reliably perform these actions within the EPU allowable times in this table?

e. In Attachment 5B, Table2.5-1, Appendix R Fire Event Evaluation Results, allowable time for Maximum Operator Action Time to Open ADS valves (minute) was reduced from 18 minutes to 14.3 minutes. Have the operator response times been validated to be less than 14.3 minutes?

3. Changes to Control Room Controls, Displays and Alarms

a. Will the EPU require any operator interface changes from analog to digital? If so, list those digital changes that change, add, or delete displays used by operators, discuss any differences between the analog display and the digital display, and justify the equivalency or describe the advantages of digital display for the operator(s).

b. How will the operators be tested to determine that they can use the displays and controls reliably?

4. Attachment 5B Section 3 Pages 266/540 Please describe how the decreased time margin for the Main Condenser (MC) storage capacity (from 92 seconds at current licensed thermal power to 79 seconds at EPU thermal power) will impact the N-16 and radioiodine radiation levels within the MC.