ML110840512

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Verbal Authorization of Relief Request I3R-9 - Alternative Requirements for Repair of Reactor Vessel Head Penetrations 64. and 76
ML110840512
Person / Time
Site: Byron Constellation icon.png
Issue date: 03/29/2011
From: Nicholas Difrancesco
Plant Licensing Branch III
To: Robert Carlson
Plant Licensing Branch III
DiFrancesco N, NRR/DORL/LPL3-2, 415-1115
References
TAC ME5877
Download: ML110840512 (5)


Text

March 29, 2011 MEMORANDUM TO: Robert C. Carlson, Chief Plant Licensing Branch III-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM: Nicholas J. Difrancesco, Project Manager /RA/

Plant Licensing Branch III-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

SUBJECT:

BYRON STATION, UNIT NO. 1 - VERBAL AUTHORIZATION OF RELIEF REQUEST I3R ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR REPAIR OF REACTOR VESSEL HEAD PENETRATIONS 64 AND 76 (TAC NO. ME5877)

By letter dated March 24, 2011, Exelon Generation Company, LLC (EGC), requested relief from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,Section XI, "Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components," on the basis that the proposed alternatives would provide an acceptable level of quality and safety. Flaw indications have been found on the Outside Diameter (OD) of Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) Vessel Head Penetrations (VHP) 64 and 76 below the J-groove attachment weld on the underside of the reactor vessel head. The authorization allows EGC to utilize an alternative repair technique to repair the flaws in VHP 64 and 76.

The NRC staff reviewed the licensees submittal and determined that the proposed alternative will provide an acceptable level of quality and safety. During a conference call with the licensee on March 28, 2011, the NRC staff granted a verbal authorization on the use of Relief Request I3R-19 in accordance with 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(i). The script for the verbal authorization is enclosed.

R. Carlson NRC

Participants:

Licensee

Participants:

R. D. Carlson B Jacobs T. R. Lupold W Feimster J. Collins G. S. Gerzen N. J. DiFrancesco G. DeBoo D. Hills H. Q. Do A. Shaikh R. G. McBride E. Duncan J. J. Cirilli R. McIntosh M. Mathews K. Mordan J. Langan D. Gudger J. Hansen Docket No. 50-454

Enclosure:

Verbal Authorization Script

ML110840512 OFFICE LPL3-2/PM LPL3-2/LA LPL3-2/BC NAME NDiFrancesco SRohrer RCarlson DATE 3-29-2011 3-29-2011 3-29-2011 VERBAL AUTHORIZATION FOR RELIEF REQUEST I3R-19 ALTERATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR REPAIR OF REACTOR VESSEL HEAD PENETRATIONS 64 AND 76 BYRON STATION, UNIT 1 By letter dated March 24, 2011, Exelon Generation Company, LLC (EGC, the licensee),

requested relief from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,Section XI, "Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components," on the basis that the proposed alternatives would provide an acceptable level of quality and safety. Flaw indications have been found on the Outside Diameter of Control Rod Drive Mechanism Vessel Head Penetrations (VHP) Nos. 64 and 76 below the J-groove attachment weld on the underside of the reactor vessel head.

The licensee requested relief to perform an alternative repair technique using the embedding methodology of Westinghouse WCAP-15987-P, Revision 2-P-A, "Technical Basis for the Embedded Flaw Process for Repair of Reactor Vessel Head Penetrations," in December 2003, on the reactor VHP housings and J-groove welds of Byron Station, Unit 1 (Byron). The details of this request are contained in Byron Relief Request I3R-19.

The WCAP-15987-P has previously been evaluated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The results of the review were documented in letter from H. N. Berkow (NRC) to H. A.

Sepp (Westinghouse Electric Company), "Acceptance for Referencing - Topical Report WCAP-15987-P, Revision 2, 'Technical Basis for the Embedded Flaw Process for Repair of Reactor Vessel Head Penetrations,' (TAC NO. MB8997)," dated July 3, 2003. This evaluation was incorporated into Revision 2 of the WCAP.

The NRC requested additional information via email on March 25, 2011. This included a request for EGC to commit to notify the Division of Component Integrity (DCI) of changes in indication(s) or findings of new indication(s) in the penetration nozzle or J-groove weld beneath a seal weld repair, or new linear indications in the seal weld repair, prior to commencing repair activities. In addition, to expedite review, the NRC requested EGC to clarify the scope of the request and consider a limiting scope to the items that need to be repaired during this current outage. The NRC also asked EGC to clarify the implementation requirements of WCAP-15987-P in regard to VHP Nos. 64 and 76.

The licensee responded to the NRC request for additional information in a letter dated, March 25, 2011. In this letter, EGC committed to notify DCI of changes in indication(s) or findings of new indication(s) in the penetration nozzle or J-groove weld beneath a seal weld repair, or new linear indications in the seal weld repair, prior to commencing repair activities, limited the scope to nozzles Nos. 64 and 76, and clarified the implementation requirements under WCAP-15987-P, Revision 2, for nozzles Nos. 64 and 76 to the satisfaction of the NRC.

Enclosure

Therefore, based on the previous review of WCAP-15987-P, Revision 2, by the NRC and the information provided by EGC for the repair of nozzles 64 and 76, the NRC staff finds that the repairs to nozzles Nos. 64 and 76 will provide an acceptable level of quality and safety.

Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(i), the NRC verbally authorizes repair to VHP Nos. 64 and 76 for the remainder of the third 10-year ISI interval, which is scheduled to end on July 15, 2016.