ML111880244
| ML111880244 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Columbia  |
| Issue date: | 07/07/2011 |
| From: | Eric Benner NRC/NMSS/SFST |
| To: | Coleman D Energy Northwest |
| Love E, NMSS/SFST 301-492-3170 | |
| References | |
| EA-09-190 | |
| Download: ML111880244 (4) | |
Text
July 7, 2011 Mr. Douglas W. Coleman, Regulatory Programs Energy Northwest Columbia Generating Station PO Box 968, Mail Drop PE20 Richland, WA 99352-4317
SUBJECT:
RESPONSE TO NON-HELIUM LEAK TESTED HOLTEC MULTI-PURPOSE CANISTERS AS DESCRIBED IN ENFORCEMENT DISCRETION LETTER NO. EA-09-190
Dear Mr. Coleman:
On October 27, 2010, Energy Northwest, provided information (ADAMS Accession Number ML103070299) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concerning a Holtec International violation of 10 CFR 72.48 as described in Enforcement Discretion letter No. EA-09-190 (ADAMS Ascension Number ML092470363). The violation involved the failure to obtain a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) amendment prior to implementing a change that eliminated helium leak rate testing of welded confinement boundaries on Multi-Purpose Canisters (MPCs) after fabrication. As a result, a total of twelve MPCs were loaded at Columbia Generating Station (CGS) without having performed the required helium leak rate test to demonstrate that the MPCs were leaktight.
The MPCs are required to be leaktight to demonstrate that all thermal and radiological performance requirements can be met under the maximum licensed conditions permitted in the CoC No. 72-1014, Amendment No. 2 for the Holtec HI-STORM 100 System. Your letter provided information related to the thermal loading and radiological monitoring conducted at the above mentioned site since the MPCs were placed into service. The NRC reviewed your information and noted that the site radiological boundary requirements of 10 CFR 72.104 have been met, and no increase in radiological effluents has been detected at CGS since the MPCs were placed in service. In addition, the NRC reviewed the thermal information for the loaded MPCs and determined that the thermal performance requirements with heat loads below 21kW would be met for a postulated helium leak rate consistent with the order of magnitude that could be detected by the hydro-static testing which is normally performed prior to placing the MPC in-service. The NRC considers this thermal analysis to be conservative since the postulated leak rate that could be detected through hydro-static testing is several orders of magnitude greater than what can be detected with the helium leak rate testing and also what has been reported by Holtec for all previous helium leak rate testing.
As a result, the NRC has determined that continued use of the loaded MPCs at CNS is acceptable and does not plan any further action with respect to the continued use of these MPCs.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and your response, if you choose to provide one, will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the NRC=s document system (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To the extent possible, your response should not include any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be made available to the Public without redaction.
Should you have any questions regarding this letter, please feel free to contact me at (301) 492-3294.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Eric J. Benner, Chief Rules, Inspections, and Operations Branch Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket Nos.: 72-035 and 50-397
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and your response, if you choose to provide one, will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the NRC=s document system (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To the extent possible, your response should not include any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be made available to the Public without redaction.
Should you have any questions regarding this letter, please feel free to contact me at (301) 492-3294.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Eric J. Benner, Chief Rules, Inspections, and Operations Branch Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket Nos.: 72-035 and 50-397 DISTRIBUTION: Docket Nos.72-035 and 50-397 SFSTr/f VOrdaz DWeaver JGoshen EBowdenBerry/OGC JWray/OE G:\\SFST\\TSISQ\\REPORTS\\HOLTEC\\HELIUM 72.48\\EnergyNorthwest ML111880244 OFC SFST/RIOB SFST/LB SFST/RIOB SFST/CSDAB SFST/TCB NAME ELove WWheatley D. Huang for EBenner MRahimi J. Chang for KWitt DATE 6/30/11 6/30/11 7/7/2011 6/30/11 7/6/11
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