ML15072A254

Request for Additional Information Regarding the License Amendment Request to Implement 10 CFR 50.61a

ML15072A254
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	03/19/2015
From:	Jennivine Rankin Plant Licensing Branch III
To:	Entergy Nuclear Operations
Rankin J
References
TAC MF4528
Download: ML15072A254 (5)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 March 19, 2015 Vice President, Operations Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

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

SUBJECT:

PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT-REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO IMPLEMENT 10 CFR 50.61a (TAC NO. MF4528)

Dear Sir or Madam:

By letter dated July 29, 2014 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML14211A520), as supplemented by letter dated February 13, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15050A259), Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. submitted a license amendment request for Palisades Nuclear Plant (PNP) to implement Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.61 a, "Alternate Fracture Toughness Requirements for Protection Against Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS)," also referred to as the alternate PTS rule. PNP is expected to exceed the screening criteria of 10 CFR 50.61 (the PTS rule) in August 2017, prior to the end of the extended operating license (2031 ). Compliance with the requirement of 10 CFR 50.61a may be used as an alternative to 10 CFR 50.61.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is reviewing the submittal and has determined that additional information is needed to complete its review. The specific questions are found in the enclosed request for additional information (RAI). The draft questions were sent via electronic transmission on March 11, 2015, to Mr. Jeffrey Erickson, of your staff. The draft questions were sent to ensure that they were understandable, the regulatory basis were clear, and to determine if the information was previously docketed. A clarification telephone conference was held on January 12, 2015. Based on our discussions we understand that a response to the RAls will be provided by April 13, 2015.

If you have any questions, please contact me at Jennivine.Rankin@nrc.gov or (301) 415-1530.

Sincerely,

~e K Rankin, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 111-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

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

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC.

PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO IMPLEMENT 10 CFR 50.61a "ALTERNATE FRACTURE TOUGHNESS REQUIREMENTS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST PRESSURIZED THERMAL SHOCK EVENTS" DOCKET NO 50-255 By letter dated July 29, 2014 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML14211A520), as supplemented by letter dated February 13, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15050A259), Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for Palisades Nuclear Plant (PNP) to implement Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.61a, "Alternate Fracture Toughness Requirements for Protection Against Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS)," also referred to as the alternate PTS rule. PNP is expected to exceed the screening criteria of 10 CFR 50.61 (the PTS rule) in August 2017, prior to the end of the extended operating license (2031 ). Compliance with the requirement of 10 CFR 50.61a may be used as an alternative to 10 CFR 50.61.

Based on its review of the amendment request, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has determined that additional information is required to complete the review.

RAI 2-1 In response to RAI 2b of the letter dated February 13, 2015, ENO pointed to WCAP-15353-Supplement 2 - NP, Revision 0, "Palisades Reactor Pressure Vessel Fluence Evaluation,"

dated July 2011 and provided a summary from WCAP-15353-Supplement 2-NP, Revision 0 as to how the spatial distribution of neutron fluence was calculated, along with a revised Figure 4-1, "Identification and Location of Beltline Region Materials for the Palisades Reactor Vessel" to orient the axial locations of the active fuel and the azimuthal locations of the peak fluence. In the response to RAI 2c, ENO provided neutron flux and fluence values for the limiting material/region, which is the intermediate shell longitudinal weld made with Heat No. W5214.

In reviewing the responses, the NRC staff noted that the flux values in the response to RAI 2c match those for the 60° azimuth in Table 2.2-3 of WCAP-15353-Supplement 2-NP, Revision 0.

In the revised Figure 4-1 there is no intermediate shell longitudinal weld at the 60° azimuth.

With further staff review of the previously approved PTS evaluations from 2000 and 2010, including WCAP-15353, Revision 0, "Palisades Reactor Pressure Vessel Neutron Fluence Evaluation" dated January 2000 and WCAP-15353-NP, Revision 0, Supplement 1, "Palisades Reactor Pressure Vessel Fluence Evaluation" (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML003686582 and ML110060695, respectively), the NRC staff notes that there is mention of the limiting intermediate shell longitudinal weld at the 60° azimuth, indicating that there was a change in the azimuthal coordinate system for the welds that was not explicitly described.

Enclosure

Based on the RAI responses dated February 13, 2015, and past PTS evaluations, the NRC staff requests further clarification on the responses to RAls 2b and 2c related to the frame of reference for the azimuthal locations of peak fluence and the axial welds. The NRC staff requests that the change in the azimuthal coordinate system for the welds be provided (e.g. by an additional revision to Figure 4-1) to illustrate the azimuthal variation of projected fluence values after 42.1 effective full-power year (EFPY) of operation. The visualization of how the fluence varies by azimuthal position and how that fluence distribution compares with the location of the vessel shell longitudinal welds should provide an unambiguous representation of the extended beltline region (e.g. a visual display of the information from Table 8-1, "RTMAX-Aw Calculation Results for Palisades at 42.1 EFPY" in the LAR).

ML15072A254 *via memo OFFICE N RR/DORL/LPL3-1 /PM NRR/DORL/LPL3-1/LA NRR/DE/EVIB/BC NAME JRankin MHenderson SRosenburg

• DATE 03/13/2015 03/17/2015 3/10/2015 OFFICE NRR/DSS/SRXB NRR/DORL/LPL3-1 /BC N RR/DORL/LPL3-1 /PM NAME CJackson

• DPelton JRankin DATE 3/10/2015 03/18/2015 03/19/2015