ML17037C352

Letter Regarding the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Review of Niagara Mohawk'S Application for a License to Operate the Station at Power Levels Up to 1538 Thermal Megawatts

ML17037C352
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	04/23/1969
From:	Morris P US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
To:	Pratt M Niagara Mohawk Power Corp
References
Download: ML17037C352 (8)

Text

DISTRIBUTION:

AEC Public Doc.Rm.

Docket File~

Docket No, 50-220 P,PR 33 196S DR Reading DRL Reading RPB-2,Reading Orig:HSteele (2);

R. S. Boyd T. B. Conner,,OGC Kornblith,'O (2).

N. Dube (2 enc.)

J.'Saltzman Niagara Hohewlc Pomer Corporation D. Skovholt;,

300 Erie Boulevard Hest F. L. Kelly Syracuse, Hew York 13202 bcc:.A. A. Wells, ASLBP H. J. McAlduff, ORO Attention: Hr. Hinot H. Pratt E. E. Hall, GMR/H, Vice President and J. A. Harris, PI Executive Engineer E. Tremmel, IP J. R. Buchanan, ORNL Gentlemen:

The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards haa completed its review of your application for a license to operate the Nine Bile Point Nuclear Station at potrer Levels up to I538 thermal megaTratts.

A copy of the ACRS report to the Commission is enclosed for your information.

Sincerely yours, Orlgtttat Stgned hy Peter J4 Morrle Peter A. Horris, Director Division of Reactor Licensing

Enclosure:

ACES Rcport 4/17/69 cct Arvin E. Uptone Esquire LeBoeuf, Lartb, 1821 Ieiby Jefferson Place, Hashingtone De Co 20036 6

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".onorabla Glenn T. Seaborg Ch irman

'J. S. Atomic Energy Commission Mashington, D. C. 20545

Subject:

REPORT ON NXNE MXLE POXNT NUCLEAR STATXON

Dear,

Dr. Seaborg:

During its. 108th meeting, April 10-12, 1969, the Advisory Conmittee on Reactor Safeguards completed i.ts review 'of the application by tha Niagara Mohawk Poher Corpoxation for a license to operate the'ine. Mile Point Nuclear Station at power levels up to 1538 Kf(t). During this review, the project was considered at Subcommittee meetings hald on February 27, 1969 (at the sita), and on Apx'il 8,'969. Xn the course of these meetings, tha Committee had the beneiit of discussions with representatives and con-sultants of Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, General Electx'ic Company, and the AEC Regulatory Staii. The Committee also had the benefit of the documents listed. The Committee pr'evi'ously discussed this project in, a construction permit: report dated October 15; 196').'he Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station employs a boiling,water xeactor.

Power level, core design, and other~ principal features of,tha nuclear steam supply system are generally sjmilar to those for the- Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant Unit No. 1, previously .discussed in'he Committee's xapox;t to you dated Decambex 12, 1968.

As, in Oyster Creek Unit No. 1, type 304 stainless steel utilized at a number of places in the reactor ves'sel was furnace-sensitized dur'ng fabx'ication. Careful examination of these paxts for evidence of corro-sion has been made by the applicant, and none has been found. Although the likelihood of occurrence of significant coxrosion (intexgxanu'r attack) during th .service life of the .plant appears small, the applican.

plans to install appropriate cox'rosion test specimens within the The Committee believes that the applicant. shoulc>>, vessel'-uture'examination.

rase.1va with the AEC Regulatory Staff, prior to the".start o'f opaxation,

-'tx: factox'y schedule and inspection procedure for, at 'le'ast 'the, ini,tial action:of this corrosion surveillance program.'

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i';;e Comm'ttee ~nshe to omphasize the importance of periodic i.nspection thc high pressure coo!ant,system in this and other reactors. The in<<

e vice nspect'o:. r<<'<tuirements for. this reactox as described, and to be

~';ated in the Technical, Specifications, appear adequ<<ate for initial opera-tion. The Committee agrees with the applicant's intention to review his inspection .program after about five yeaxs of operation. Because of the difficulties inherent in direct inspection of the bulg of the welds in the x'eactox'ress(';Le vessel after the reactox's in service, it is strongly

'ommended that alte=nativ means for assuring continued pressure vessel..

irtegrity be studiec and implemented to the degree.pxactical ~ Xn addition, he applicant should develop more pecific plans for in-serv'ce inspection o".'he main steam lines beyond the second isolation valve.

'j.ie applicant plans to stu'dy"sup~Qemcntal and potentially more sensitive methods of primaxy system leak detection and to implement methods which provide significant improvements in measuremcnt of leak rate, in the time needed to measure lealc rate, or in distinguishing the nature of the, leak.

The applicant should report to the Regulatoxy SLaff his pxogx'ess in this area within a year after start of,power operation.

Studies are continuing on the .possible effects of 'radiolysis of water in the unlikely event of a loss-of-coolant accident. These studies should be evaluated by. the Regulatory Staff.an<1 appropriate measures taken as deemed necessary. Such measuxes should make allowance for effects of hydrogen generated by metal-water<reactions if the effectiveness of the emergency- core cooling system should be less than that predicted by the applicant.

The applicant has stated that he plans to study possible means of instru~

menting and monitoring for vibr'ation ox for the presence of loose parts in the reactor pressure vessel as well as in other portions of the primary system and, hy the time of the first refueling outage, to implement such means as ax'e, found practical and appropriate.

The safety review and audit function pxoposed by the applicant appears to bc satisfactory. However, the Committee recommends that membexship Safety Review 'and Audi.t Board include one or more experts from outside of'he the applicant's organization, at least fox the first .few years of operation, to aid in effecting sufficiently independent review.

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The applicant indicates that instrumentation which senses radioactivity from the steam system can be used,to provide early signs of gross failuxe of fuel elements. As operating expe'encc<<is'ained, he intends to im-prove the utilization of this type of instrumentation for this puxpose.

The Committee strongly endorses this effort.

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0:he A'dv sory Committee on Reactor Safeguards believes that, is given to the if due regard i.tems mentioned above, thc Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station cqn be operated at power levels up to 1538 MZ(t) without undue risk to the health and safety of the public.

Sincerely yours, Joseph M. Hendrie Acting Chairman L

h References - Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station

1. Volumes I - IV, Final Safety Analysis Report.

2. First <<Seventh Supplement toiFinal Safety Analysis Report.

3. Amendments 2 - 13, to Application for Licenses.

4. Final Safety Analysis Report; Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station-Technical Specifications (Rev/sed), Draft - datedr April 1969.

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