ML15008A470

Request for Additional Information Request to Revise Technical Specification 3.4.10, RCS Pressure and Temperature (P/T) Limits.

ML15008A470
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	01/30/2015
From:	Jeffrey Whited Plant Licensing Branch 1
To:	Rausch T Susquehanna
Jeffrey Whited, NRR/DORL
References
TAC MF4597, TAC MF4598
Download: ML15008A470 (4)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 January 30, 2015 Mr. Timothy S. Rausch Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer PPL Susquehanna, LLC 769 Salem Boulevard Berwick, PA 18603-0467

SUBJECT:

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2- REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: REQUEST TO REVISE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 3.4.10, "RCS PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE (P/T)

LIMITS" (TAC NOS. MF4597 AND MF4598)

Dear Mr. Rausch:

By letter dated August 11, 2014, PPL Susquehanna, LLC (PPL), submitted a license amendment request to revise Technical Specification 3.4.1 0, "RCS [reactor coolant system]

Pressure and Temperature (PIT) Limits," for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff review and approval for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2. To complete its review, the NRC staff requests responses to the enclosed questions.

The draft questions were sent to Mr. Duane Filchner, of your staff, to ensure that the questions were understandable, the regulatory basis for the questions was clear, and to determine if the information was previously docketed. Please respond to the enclosed questions within 30 days of the date of this letter.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact me at 301-415-4090.

Sincerely, cV/{0U_

Jeffrey A. Whited, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 1-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-387 and 50-388

Enclosure:

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

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR CHANGE TO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 3.4.10 PPL SUSQUEHANNA, LLC SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-387 AND 50-388 By letter dated August 11, 2014, 1 PPL Susquehanna, LLC (PPL, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request to revise Technical Specification 3.4.1 0, "RCS Pressure and Temperature (PIT) Limits," for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES), Units 1 and 2.

Specifically, the licensee proposed to revise the PIT Limit curves to extend them into the vacuum region to address vacuum fill operations. To complete its review, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff requests a response to the questions below.

RAI1 BACKGROUND Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 50, Appendix G, "Fracture Toughness Requirements," requires that PIT limits be developed to bound all ferritic materials in the reactor vessel (RV). Further, Sections I and IV.A of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G specify that all ferritic reactor coolant pressure boundary (RCPB) components outside of the RV must meet the applicable requirements of American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code), Section Ill, "Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components."

ISSUE As clarified in Regulatory Information Summary (RIS) 2014-11, 2 "Information on Licensing Applications for Fracture Toughness Requirements for Ferritic Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary Components," PIT limit calculations for ferritic RV components other than those materials with the highest reference temperature, may define curves that are more limiting than those calculated for the RV beltline shell materials because the consideration of stress levels from structural discontinuities (such as nozzles) may produce a lower allowable pressure.

REQUEST Describe how the PIT limit curves for SSES, Units 1 and 2, consider all ferritic pressure boundary components of the reactor vessel that are predicted to experience a neutron fluence exposure greater than 1x1 017 n/cm2 (E > 1 MeV) at the end of the licensed operating period.

1 Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Number ML14223A780.

2 ADAMS Accession No. ML14149A165.

Enclosure

If the current PIT limit curves do not consider all ferritic pressure boundary components of the 17 reactor vessel that are predicted to experience a neutron fluence exposure greater than 1x1 0 2

n/cm (E > 1 MeV) at the end of the licensed operating period, provide appropriately revised PIT limit curves to the NRC staff for review.

RAI2 BACKGROUND The regulations in 10 CFR 50.36(b) state, in part, that, "The technical specifications will be derived from the analyses and evaluation included in the safety analysis report, and amendments thereto, submitted pursuant to § 50.34."

ISSUE Page 3 of 7 of the licensee's application states, in part, that:

The absolute maximum vacuum is assumed to be no greater than 15 psig.

Whereas the licensee's proposed Technical Specifications (TS) change on TS Figures 3.4.1 0-1 through 3.4.1 0-3 shows PIT limit curves are extended to -100 psig. Any TS change should be consistent with the technical justification.

REQUEST Please provide a justification for an extension of the PIT curves to -100 psig, or, TS Figures 3.4.1 0-1 through 3.4.1 0-3 should be revised to reflect the maximum vacuum of -15 psig as described in the submittal (i.e., adjusting the axis to end at -15 psig, terminating the PIT curves at -15 psig on the current scale, etc.).

ML15008A470 *via memo dated **via e-mail OFFICE DORL/LPLI-2/PM DORL/LPLI-2/LA DE/EVIB/BC DORL/LPLI-2/BC DORL/LPLI-2/PM NAME JWhited ABaxter ** SRosenberg* MKhanna JWhited DATE 01/21/15 01/12/15 & 1/14/15 01/07/15 01/22/15 01/30/15