ML17306B307

Forwards RAI Re 901113,as Supplemented 920527,request for Amend Re Safety Valve Setpoint Tolerances

ML17306B307
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	02/26/1993
From:	Trammell C Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Conway W ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE CO. (FORMERLY ARIZONA NUCLEAR
References
TAC-M79226, TAC-M79227, TAC-M79228, NUDOCS 9303030435
Download: ML17306B307 (12)

Text

t Docket Nos.

50-528, 50-529 and 50-530 Hr. William F.

Conway Executive Vice President, Nuclear Arizona Public Service Company P.O.

Box 53999

Phoenix, Arizona 85072-3999 February 26, 1993

SUBJECT:

SAFETY VALVE SETPOINT TOLERANCES PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION (TAC NOS.

M79226, M79227, AND H79228)

In reviewing'our request for amendment related to safety valve setpoint tolerances dated November 13, 1990, together with the additional information provided in your letter of Hay 27,

1992, we find that the additional information identified in the enclosure is needed to continue our review.

You may set your own date for responding, but for our scheduling

purposes, please advise us of that date.

This request for information affects fewer than 10 respondents.

Therefore, it is not subject to Office of Management and Budget review under Pub.

L.96-511.

Please contact us should you have any questions regarding this request.

i Sincerely, Original signed by Charles H. Trammell, Sr. Project Manager Project Directorate V

Division of Reactor Projects III/IV/V Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/enclosure:

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 February 26, 1993 Docket Nos.

50-528, 50-529 and 50-530 Hr. William F.

Conway Executive Vice President, Nuclear Arizona Public Service Company P.O.

Box 53999

Phoenix, Arizona 85072-3999

SUBJECT:

SAFETY VALVE SETPOINT TOLERANCES PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION (TAC NOS.

H79226, M79227, AND M79228)

In reviewing your request for amendment related to safety valve setpoint tolerances dated November 13, 1990, together with the additional information provided in your letter of Hay 27,

1992, we find that the additional information identified in the enclosure is needed to continue our review.

You may set your own date for responding, but for our scheduling

purposes, please advise us of that date.

This request for information affects fewer than 10 respondents.

Therefore, it is not subject to Office of Management and Budget review under Pub.

L.96-511.

Please contact us should you have any questions regarding this request.

Sincerely, f17'harles H. Trammell, Sr. Project Manager Project Directorate V

Division of Reactor Projects III/IV/V Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/enclosure:

See next page

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Nr. William F.

Conway Arizona Public Service Company Palo Verde CC:

Nancy C. Loftin, Esq.

Corporate Secretary

& Counsel Arizona Public Service Company P. 0.

Box 53999, Hail Station 9068

Phoenix, Arizona 85072-3999 James A. Beoletto, Esq.

Southern California Edison Company P. 0.

Box 800

Rosemead, California 91770 Senior Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission HC-03 Box 293-NR Buckeye, Arizona 85326 Regional Administrator, Region V

U.

S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1450 Maria Lane Suite 210 Walnut Creek, California 94596 Hr. Charles B. Brinkman, Manager Washington Nuclear Operations ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Power 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 330 Rockville, Maryland 20852 Hr. William A. Wright, Acting Director Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency 4814 South 40 Street

Phoenix, Arizona 85040 Chairman Naricopa County Board of Supervisors 111 South Third Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85003 Jack R.

Newman, Esq.

Newman

& Holtzinger, P.C.

1615 L Street, N.W., Suite 1000 Washington, D.C.

20036 Curtis Hoskins Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Palo Verde Services 2025 N. 3rd Street, Suite 220

Phoenix, Arizona 85004 Roy P.

Lessey, Jr.,

Esq.

Bradley W. Jones, Esq.

Arkin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld El Paso Electric Company 1333 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 400 Washington, D.C.

20036

RE UEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SAFETY VALVE SETPOINT TOLERANCES PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION l.

After the original application (November 13, 1990) was submitted to the NRC, the following documents were issued on the dates indicated:

a.

NRC Information Notice No. 89-90, Supplement 1, "Pressurizer Safety Valve Lift Setpoint Shift," April 3, 1991.

b.

LER 91-001, Unit 3, April 15, 1991; describing main steam safety valves (HSSVs) and pressurizer safety valves (PSVs) out of tolerance.

c.

APS letter of April 29,

1991, committing to adjust the safety valves to within 2 1 percent of the required nominal setpoint, "as left."

d.

LER 91-001, Revision 1, Unit 3, June 9,

1991, supplementing subitem b.

above.

e.

LER 91-005, Unit 2, November 12, 1991, describing HSSVs out of tolerance, and including three revised assumptions to limit the calculated RCS peak pressure for the as-found setpoints on the safety valves.

f.

LER 91-005, Revision 1,

December 4,

1991, supplementing subitem e.

above, reporting PSVs out of tolerance.

g.

LER 92-004, Unit 1, April 7, 1992, reporting HSSVs and PSVs out of tolerance.

h.

Letter from APS to NRC dated Hay 14, 1992, replying to a request for information regarding concerns about the HSSVs.

i.

APS letter dated Hay 27,

1992, responding to the NRC staff's questions regarding the requested amendments.

j.

LER 92-004, Revision 1, June 24,

1992, supplementing subitem g.

above.

k.

Letter from APS to NRC dated October 20, 1992, amplifying the information provided in subitem h. above.

l.

LER 92-005, Unit 3, November 18, 1992, reporting HSSVs and PSVs out of tolerance.

C I

In light of the totality of additional information developed since the original application, APS is requested to review all of the above and inform the NRC if the basis for the original request or the request itself has been or should be altered in any way in light of this information, or if the original request, as supplemented by references c.

and i. above, remains fully relevant and valid in support of the requested amendment.

In providing this statement, the basis for your conclusion should be provided.

2.

In addition to the documents cited above, on August 20,

1992, APS submitted a revised analysis of a steam generator tube rupture event, including a commitment to operate with a reduced dose equivalent iodine limit pending a review of emergency operating procedures in comparison with the UFSAR analyses for this event.

We need to understand the relevance of this letter to the steam generator tube rupture analysis presented in your application for amendment.

Also, did the letter of August 20 use the same minimum feedwater flow of 650 gpm proposed in the amendment application?

Is the analysis presented in the application still valid in light of the August 20 letter?

Does the application need to be revised in any way at this time?

3.

Your letter of Hay 27,

1992, presented two tables of safety valve as-found setpoints (see pp. 7-8).

Is the data in these two tables based on testing experience beginning in 1987 and extending to the date of the

letter, as suggested by the text preceding the tables?

If so, what was the basis for selecting 1987 as the starting point?

What would these tables look like if all data had been included from the first testing to the same point in time?

Please provide them.

If the tables do look different, what conclusion do you make in light of the difference?

Considering the additional test results discussed in item l. above, we need an updated set of tables which reflects all testing experience for these valves, including the recent test results on Unit 3, which shows the tolerances in groups similar to the ones presented in the Hay 27

letter, but modified to:

a.

show whether the as-found lift setting was above or below the nominal setpoint.

b.

for all as-found lifts greater than three percent from nominal, please show higher categories (i.e.,

3 to 4, 4 to 5, etc.)

so we can learn both the direction and the magnitude of the deviation from nominal (i.e., eliminate the category

>3 percent to show the value or range of deviation).

c.

please provide the algebraic average deviations from nominal setpoint of all lift tests tested in a group during each refueling outage.

4.

In the recent LER for Unit 3 (reference 1), you stated that "...APS has started an enhanced preventative maintenance and testing program to

E

remove approximately ten (10)

HSSVs every other refueling outage...."

A telephone discussion with your staff on January 22, 1993 indicated that this statement should be corrected.

Please provide the correct statement of your intent in this matter.

A similar correction would seem to be appropriate to your letter of Hay 27, 1992 (page 6).

5.

In your letter of Hay 27,

1992, response to NRC question no. 3, you indicated that the use of the "Trevitest" was to be discontinued, in favor of testing at an offsite facility.

Your LER for Unit 3 dated November 18, 1992 indicates that Trevitest is planned for the HSSVs for Unit 2 for the upcoming spring outage.

While we recognize that your program for improving the performance of the safety valves is evolving, NRC could benefit from a review of the history of the enhanced program for all the units, including a description of the two phases it contains, and where it stands today.

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