ML120860054

Request for Additional Information, License Amendment Request, Revise Technical Specifications to Implement a 24-Month Fuel Cycle and Adopt Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF)-493, Revision 4, Option a

ML120860054
Person / Time
Site:	Cooper
Issue date:	04/03/2012
From:	Lynnea Wilkins Plant Licensing Branch IV
To:	O'Grady B Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD)
Wilkins, L E, NRR/DORL/LPL4, 415-1377
References
TAC ME7169
Download: ML120860054 (4)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555*0001 April 3, 2012 Mr. Brian J. O'Grady Vice President-Nuclear and CNO Nebraska Public Power District 72676 648A Avenue Brownville, NE 68321 SUB.JECT: COOPER NUCLEAR STATION - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR IMPLEMENTING A 24-MONTH FUEL CYCLE AND ADOPTION OF TSTF-493, REVISION 4, OPTION A (TAC NO. ME7169)

Dear Mr. O'Grady:

By letter dated September 16, 2011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML11264A165), Nebraska Public Power District submitted a license amendment request (LAR) to revise the Technical Specifications for Cooper Nuclear Station.

The proposed LAR would implement 24-month fuel cycle and adopt U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) change traveler TSTF-493, Revision 4, "Clarify Application of Setpoint Methodology for LSSS [Limiting Safety System Settings] Functions," to be consistent with Option A.

The NRC staff has reviewed your submittal and determined that additional information is needed for the staff to complete its evaluation. The request for additional information was transmitted via e-mail to Mr. Edward McCutchen of your staff on March 2, 2012. During a telephone conference with Mr. McCutchen and others of your staff on March 22, 2012, Mr.

McCutchen indicated that the response would be provided within 30 days of receipt of this letter.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-1377 or via e-mail at Lynnea.wilkins@nrc.gov.

Lynnea E. Wilkins, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-298

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT COOPER NUCLEAR STATION DOCKET NO. 50-298 By letter dated September 16, 2011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML11264A165, Nebraska Public Power District (the licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) to revise the Technical Specifications (TSs) for Cooper Nuclear Station. The proposed LAR would implement 24-month fuel cycle and adopt U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) change traveler TSTF-493, Revision 4, "Clarify Application of Setpoint Methodology for LSSS [Limiting Safety System Settings] Functions," to be consistent with Option A. Specifically, the change addresses certain TS Surveillance Requirement (SR) frequencies that are specified as "18 months" by revising them to "24 months" in accordance with the guidance provided in NRC Generic Letter (GL) 91-04, "Changes in Technical Specification Surveillance Intervals to Accommodate a 24-Month Fuel Cycle," dated April 2, 1991.

The NRC staff has reviewed and evaluated the information provided by the licensee and has determined that the following information is needed in order to complete its review.

1. TS SR 3.8.4.8 provides a surveillance requirement of 18 months instead of 12 months for completing the performance discharge tests. It is the NRC staffs position that SR 3.8.4.8 should be consistent with industry standard Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) 450-1995, "Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement of Vented Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary Applications," Section 5.2.(c) which recommends, in part, that Annual performance tests of battery capacity should be made on any battery that shows signs of degradation or has reached 85%

of the service life expected for the application. Degradation is indicated when the battery capacity drops more than 10% from its capacity on the previous performance test, or is below 90% of the manufacturer's rating.

Please provide the technical basis that justifies why an 18-month SR is acceptable as opposed to "at least once per 12 months."

2. Sections 3.1.3 and 3.1.4 of Attachment 1 to the LAR describe emergency core cooling system (ECCS) and Low-Low Set instrumentation whose current setpoint calculations do not bound the projected 30-month drift values and require revised allowable values. Calculations were not provided for these new allowable values.

Enclosure

- 2 Please submit one of the revised setpoint calculations for review. In addition, please submit the corresponding drift analysis with sufficient supporting documentation as to confirm adherence to the "Instrument Drift Analysis Design Guide" in Enclosure 1 of the LAR.

3. Please provide additional detail on the surveillance test history for the ECCS.

Attachment 5 page 16 of the LAR provides details for five ECCS TS failures.

Please provide the total number of surveillance tests considered or the percentage of the surveillance tests that those 5 failures represent.

April 3, 2012 Mr. Brian J. O'Grady Vice President-Nuclear and CNO Nebraska Public Power District 72676 648A Avenue Brownville, NE 68321

SUBJECT:

COOPER NUCLEAR STATION - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR IMPLEMENTING A 24-MONTH FUEL CYCLE AND ADOPTION OF TSTF-493, REVISION 4, OPTION A (TAC NO. ME7169)

Dear Mr. O'Grady:

By letter dated September 16, 2011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML11264A165), Nebraska Public Power District submitted a license amendment request (LAR) to revise the Technical Specifications for Cooper Nuclear Station.

The proposed LAR would implement 24-month fuel cycle and adopt U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved Technical Specification Task Force (TSTF) change traveler TSTF-493, Revision 4, "Clarify Application of Setpoint Methodology for LSSS [Limiting Safety System Settings] Functions," to be consistent with Option A.

The NRC staff has reviewed your submittal and determined that additional information is needed for the staff to complete its evaluation. The request for additional information was transmitted via e-mail to Mr. Edward McCutchen of your staff on March 2, 2012. During a telephone conference with Mr. McCutchen and others of your staff on March 22, 2012, Mr.

McCutchen indicated that the response would be provided within 30 days of receipt of this letter.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-1377 or via e-mail at Lynnea.wilkins@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, IRA!

Lynnea E. Wilkins, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-298

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC RidsNrrDeEicb Resource RidsNrrLAJBurkhardt Resource JGali. NRRlDSS/SRXB LPLIV r/f RidsNrrDssSrxb Resource RidsNrrPMCooper Resource SBasturescu. NRRI DE/EEEB RidsAcrsAcnw_MailCTR Resource RidsNrrDorlDpr Resource RidsOgcRp Resource SWyman. NRR/DE/EICB RidsNrrDeEeeb Resource RidsNrrDorlLpl4 Resource RidsRgn4MailCenter Resource ADAMS Accession No' .. ML120860054 *yia memo dated OFFICE NRRlDORULPL4/PM NRRlDORULPL4/LA NRRlDE/EEEB/BC NRRlDE/EICB/BC NAME LWilkins JBurkhardt JAndersen* JThorpe*

DATE 3/30/12 3/29/12 2/9112 2/23/12 OFFICE NRRlDSS/SRXB/BC NRRlDORULPL4/BC NRRlDORULPL4/PM NAME AUlses* MMarkley (JSebrosky for) LWilkins DATE 2/28/12 4/2112 4/3/12 OFFICIAL RECORD COpy