ML110910558

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Supplemental Information Needed for Acceptance of License Amendment Request for Steam Generator Cold-Leg Tubesheet Inspection
ML110910558
Person / Time
Site: Palisades Entergy icon.png
Issue date: 04/05/2011
From: Mahesh Chawla
Plant Licensing Branch III
To: Kirwin T
Entergy Nuclear Operations
chawla M
References
TAC ME5780
Download: ML110910558 (4)


Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 April 5, 2011 Mr. Thomas Kirwin Vice President, Operations Entergy Nuclear Operations. Inc.

Palisades Nuclear Plant 27780 Blue Star Memorial Highway Covert, MI 49043-9530

SUBJECT:

PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT - SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION NEEDED FOR ACCEPTANCE OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR STEAM GENERATOR COLD-LEG TUBESHEET INSPECTION (TAC NO. ME5780)

Dear Mr. Kirwin:

By letter dated March 3, 2011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML110680342), Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the licensee),

submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for Palisades Nuclear Plant. The proposed LAR would revise Appendix A, Technical Specifications (TS), as they apply to the steam generator program in TS section 5.5.8. The purpose of the change is to revise the repair criteria for the cold-leg side of the steam generator tubesheet. The proposed change would allow not having to inspect the lower portion of the cold-leg steam generator tubes within the tubesheet, since flaws in this lower portion would be acceptable. The purpose of this letter is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff's acceptance review of this LAR. The acceptance review was performed to determine if there is sufficient technical information in scope and depth to allow the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review.

The acceptance review is also intended to identify whether the application has any readily apparent information insufficiencies in its characterization of the regulatory requirements or the licensing basis of the plant.

Consistent with Section 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), an amendment to the license (including the technical specifications) must fully describe the changes requested, and following as far as applicable, the form prescribed for original applications. Section 50.34 of 10 CFR addresses the content of technical information required.

This section stipulates that the submittal address the design and operating characteristics, unusual or novel design features, and principal safety considerations.

The NRC staff has reviewed your application and concluded that the information delineated in the enclosure to this letter is necessary to enable the staff to make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the proposed LAR in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment.

In order to make the application complete, the NRC staff requests that the licensee supplement the application to address the information requested in the enclosure by April 19, 2011. This will enable the NRC staff to begin its detailed technical review. If the information responsive to the NRC staff's request is not received by the above date, the application will not be accepted for review pursuant to 10 CFR 2.101, and the NRC will cease its review actives associated with the

T. Kirwin -2 application. If the application is subsequently accepted for review, you will be advised of any further information needed to support the staff's detailed technical review by separate correspondence.

The information requested and associated time frame in this letter were discussed with Mr. Jim Kuemin of your staff on March 31, 2011. If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-8371.

Sincerely, Mahesh Chawla, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 3-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-255

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION NEEDED LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR STEAM GENERATOR COLD-LEG TUBESHEET INSPECTION ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC.

PALISADES NUCLEAR PLAN DOCKET NO. 50-255 By letter dated March 3,2011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML110680342), Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the licensee),

submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for Palisades Nuclear Plant. The proposed LAR would revise Appendix A, Technical Specifications (TS), as they apply to the steam generator program in TS section 5.5.8. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has determined that the LAR is non-acceptable with opportunity to supplement. The reason for the non-acceptance is that the application is not complete. It does not address the lessons learned from the H* and their effect, if any, on the C* results. In other recent "star" proposals that extended the original hot-leg application to the cold-leg, the licensee either addressed this issue in its original submittal or the NRC staff submitted requests for additional information. Given the history of this issue (I.e., factoring in the lessons learned from the H* review into W*, F* cold-leg amendment requests), the licensee should include this in its submittal. As a reference, the NRC staff has provided the following two documents which provide similar information requested by the staff:

  • Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN) - Unit 2 - Technical Specifications (TS) Change 09 W* Alternate Repair Criteria (ARC) for Steam Generator (SG) Tubes Cold Leg, dated May 21, 2009 (ADAMS Accession No. ML091530343).

The following information is needed for the acceptance review:

1. Please justify the adequacy of the proposed C* distance in light of the lessons learned from the H* review.

Enclosure

T. Kirwin -2 application. If the application is subsequently accepted for review, you will be advised of any further information needed to support the staff's detailed technical review by separate correspondence.

The information requested and associated time frame in this letter were discussed with Mr. Jim Kuemin of your staff on March 31, 2011. If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-8371.

Sincerely, IRAI Mahesh Chawla, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 3-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-255

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC Branch Reading File RidsAcrsAcnw_MailCTR Resource RidsNrrDciCsgb Resource RidsNrrDorl Resource RidsNrrDorlDpr Resource RidsNrrDorlLpl3-1 Resource RidsNrrLABTully Resource RidsNrrPMPalisades Resource RidsOgcRp Resource RidsRgn3MailCenter Resource AObodoako, NRR/DCIICSGB KKarwoski, NRR/DCI/CSGB ADAMS Accession No. ML110910558 OFFICE DORULPL3-1/PM DORULPL3-1/LA DCI/CSGB/BC DORULPL3-1/BC DORULPL3-1/PM NAME MChawla BTuily /JBurkhardt for RTaylor RPascarelli MChawla DATE 04/05/11 04/05/11 04/05/11 04/05/11 04105111 OFFICIAL RECORD COpy