ML17310B302
| ML17310B302 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 01/15/1993 |
| From: | Goldberg J NRC OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL (OGC) |
| To: | Murley T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17310B291 | List: |
| References | |
| 2.206, NUDOCS 9405260061 | |
| Download: ML17310B302 (7) | |
Text
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A.
ca) 0 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 January 15,'993 MEMORANDUM FOR:
Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM:
Jack R. Goldberg Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement
SUBJECT:
THOMAS' SAPORITO REQUEST OF JANUARY 4 g 1 9 9 3 g FOR SHOW CAUSE PROCEEDING AND SHUTDOWN OF PALO VERDE Enclosed is a copy of a letter dated January 4, 1991, and signed by Thomas J. Saporito, Jr. requesting that the Commission take action with regard to Arizona Public Service Company's (APS or Licensee)
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Units 1, 2 and 3.
As in Mr.
Saporito's October 23, 1992, 2.206 Petition, Mr. Saporito requests modification, suspension or revocation of Arizona Public Service Company's licenses and an immediate shutdown of Palo Verde Units 1, 2,
and 3.
Mr. Saporito also requests enforcement action against the licensee and denial of the licensee's November 13, 1990 request to amend its licenses to increase allowable setpoint tolerances for Main Steam Safety Valves.
The bases for Mr. Saporito's January 4,
1993, letter are the same as the bases for his October 23, 1992, Petition.
Accordingly, we recommend that the January 4,
- 1993, letter be treated as a
supplement to the October 23, 1992, Pet'on.
qA'ack R. Gol erg Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement
Enclosure:
Letter dated January 4,
1992 from Thomas Saporito cc w/enclosures:
J.L.
- J M.
- Scinto, OGC
- Chandler, OGC Martin, R V
- Blume, R V
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THOMAS J. SAPORITO, JR.
7881 Piper Lane Lake Worth, FL 33463 407/641-3190 407/642-4245 January 4, 1S93 Executive Director for Operations U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Re:
ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY, PALO VERDE NUCLEAR STATION License Nos. NPF-41, 51 & 74 Docket Nos. 50-528, 529 & 530
Dear Sir:
II Pursuant to 10 C.F.R.
5 2.206, Thomas J. Saporito, Jr.,
("Petitioner" ), requests specific actions by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) within a reasonable time directed towards the Commission licensee the Arizona Public Service Company (Licensee) operator of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station located near Phoenix, Arizona.
A.
Petitioner requests that the NRC institute a show cause proceeding pursuant to 10 C.F.R.
5 2.202 to modify, suspend, or revoke the Licensee's operational licenses NPF-41, 51 & 74 relevant to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
B.
Petitioner requests that the NRC take appropriate actions to cause the immediate shut down of the (3) three reactor cores at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
C.
Petitioner requests that the NRC take appropriate enforcement action against the Licensee.
D.
Petitioner requests that the NRC deny the Licensee's November 13, 1S90 request to the NRC for an Amendment to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Units 1, 2, and 3
'Technical Specifications Sections 3/4.3.1, 3/4.4.2, 3/4.7.1, and 3/4.7.1.2.
Basis and Justification:
The licensee has not established a need for the Technical Specification changes; that he has not shown that the proposed
- changes, if adopted, could be met; that the analytic model for the pressurizer safety valve is flawed; and that the main steam safety
~ valve tolerance as proposed will produce an average setpoint which is not +3 percent but +6.4 percent above the design pressure of the main steam system.
See Exhibit 1: NRC December 4
1991 memorandum for Robert C. Jones Chief Reactor S stems Branch from Jack E. Rosenthai, Chief Reactor 0 erations Anal sis Branch.
2.
Three out of four of the Unit 3 Pressurizer Safety Valves tested off-site were found to have setpoints outside the allowable range.
The setpoint drift was documented in the licensee's Root Cause of Failure (RCF) EER 91-RC-052 and PRS 1917.
See Exhibit 2:
ZD0 008065 9~- ~'1~$'C-/-C 1
Licensee Corres ondence I.D.¹320-00102-MSC dated June 5, 1991 from M.S. Co ock to B.S. Ecklund.
3.
The request to amend the setpoint tolerances for the Main Steam Safety Valves and the Pressurizer Safety Valves would allow only a 9.1 psia margin between the safety limit of 2750 psia and the peak pressure. of 2740.9 psia.
See Exhibit 3: Licensee Corres ondence I.D.¹054-01205-GSG dated March 6
1991 from Geor e Green to Valves.
4.
The licensee's Unit 1 sustained an out of tolerance condition on (14) fourteen of the (20) twenty Main Steam Safety Valves and an out of tolerance condition on (2) two of the (4) four Pressurizer Safety Valves in the first quarter of 1992.
During disassembly of the Pressurizer Safety Valves, various valves were found with their blowdown rings out of their required position. 'he actual experience with safety valves in nuclear applications is that frequently they neither lift at the required setpoint nor reseat tightly without leaking.
The variation of the setpoint from the requirements often exceed not only the a1 percent tolerance but also the a3 percent tolerance.
See Exhibit 5: Licensee's Condition Re ort/Dis osition Re uest CRDR No. 1-2-0139 5.
The manufacturer of the licensee's safety valves (Dresser) warrants their safety valves for operation at only *3 percent of setpoint and not the a1 percent of setpoint required by the licensee's Technical Specifications.
The safety valve regardless of its manufacturer or its application experiences setpoint drift which is not within the tolerance of ~t percent required Technical Specifications or the a3 percent warranted by the valve vendors.
See Exhibit 6:
In Part NRC S ecial Stud Safe and Safe
/Relief Valve Reliabilit dated A ril, 1992 and Pre ared b
Ma S. We ner Reactor 0 erations Anal sis Branch Office for Anal sis and Evaluation of 0 erationai Data.
WHEREFORE, the above stated
- reasons, the licensee cannot demonstrate to the NRC reasonable assurance for the continued safe operation of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
Accordingly, it is appropriate for the NRC to consider this Petition pursuant to 10 C.F.R. 5 2.206 wherein the petitioner has set forth the facts that constitute the basis for the request.
See Philadel hla Electric Com an Limerick Generatin
- Station, For the Environment,'etitioner pro se Thomas J.
- apor, Jr.
I'c:
"The Honor@Me John Dingell Harold Fossett, NRC I.G.
John Martin, Adm. NRC RV Philup Joukoff, O.I. NRC RV Oscar DeMiranda, SAC NRC Rll Mary S. Wegner, NRC AEOD David K. Colapinto, Esq.
EXHIBIT NO.
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