ML17342A596
| ML17342A596 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Turkey Point  |
| Issue date: | 06/24/1986 |
| From: | Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Chiles L SENATE |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17342A597 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8606270366 | |
| Download: ML17342A596 (8) | |
Text
The Honorable Lawton Chiles United States Senator Federal Building Lakeland, Florida 33801 Oear Senator Chiles:
I am pleased to respond to your May 14, 1986, letter which is enclosed per your request.
Your letter indicated that a constituent of yours, Mr. Michael Simonhoff, has expressed a variety of general concerns in a telephone c'all to your office relating to the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant.
Mr. Simonhoff is concerned about the use of salt water in cooling the plant, its effect on the cooling
- pipes, and maintenance of the cooling system.
To assure Mr. Simonhoff's general concern on the use 'of salt water for cooling at the Turkey Point Plant is ade-quately addressed, I will briefly describe the salt water position of the plant's heat removal
- systems, the major cooling systems which are in contact with the salt water and his concerns relating to piping and maintenance.
The salt water position of the cooling system is a closed cycle canal system.
This system covers a rectangular area of about 7,000 acres.
The total system consists of several channels which give an effective water surface area of about 3,860 acres.
The water is brackish and the salinity varies depending on the tides and raintall.
Rain water and ground water are the only means of makeup water to this system.
The major heat removal cooling systems for the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, which are supplied by the closed cycle canal system and discharged into the system, are the Circulating Mater System (CMS) and the Intake Cooling Mater System (ICMS).
The CMS is the ultimate source of heat removal for the main turbine generator condensers.
This system is not safety related nor required to maintain the nuclear reactors in a safe condition.
The 30-inch main pipes in this system are constructed of reinforced concrete.
None of the major piping has required replacement in this system.
,The piping and other various components (e.g.,
- pumps, valves, instrument taps, etc.) are inspected, maintained, or replaced a's neces-sary to assure thermal efficiency in the electrical generating portion (secondary side) of the plant.
Since the main pipes cannot be inspected during operation, the piping system would normally be checked during a refueling outage.
The Turkey Point plant currently operates on an 18 month refueling cycle.
The major portion of the ICWS is safety related and is the vital link in providing cooling water to various auxiliaries which are needed to maintain the plant in a safe condition for all normal operation and emergency situations.
I believe this system is the one of Mr. Simonhoff s concern, and I will address each of his specific concerns individually.
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The Honorable Lawton Chiles The ICMS is made up of various size pipes, 24-inch diameter headers for the intake pumps, 36-inch diameter manifold including both trains (trains refer to redundant piping and components) to the Component Cooling Mater System heat exchangers for each unit.
The piping throughout the ICWS is ductile iron pipe, commonly referred to as cast iron, which is about 15 years old and is cement lined to protect the interior of the pipes.
The various sections of pipe are joined together with flanges and gaskets above ground and with mechanical joints below ground.
There is approximately five thousand feet of piping in the system and over the past 15 years only 3 relatively short sections have been replaced.
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50.55a(g),
requires that an Inservice Inspection (ISI) Program be provided for various classes of components, including piping, in safety related systems.
The inspections required by the ISI program are performed in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code,Section XI.
Portions of the piping in the ICMS are inspected in accordance with the ASME Code,Section XI, during each of the units refueling outages
- which, as stated
- above, are every 18 months.
- However, routine and normal maintenance are peformed, as
- needed, on various components (e.g.,
pumps, valves, instrument taps, etc.) in the system.
Florida Power and Light has recently established a program to inspect,
- clean, and refurbish the ICWS during each of the units refueling outages.
The most recent inspection was performed during the Unit 4 outage which commenced in January of this year.
The size of the pipe, as noted earlier, allows inspectors to climb inside for inspections.
The interior lining, field joints, and flanged areas of the pipe were inspected and repairs performed as needed.
The cement liners were inspected for cracks greater than
.030 inches and corrosion deteri-oration greater than a 1/4 inch deep were noted and repaired.
Repairs were made to the liner, as well as any bare metal surfaces, by preparing the surface and applying a dense polyamide epoxy coating.
Flange faces were sand blasted, cleaned and a material of high compression strength and adhesive qualities was used to repair, fill and level pitted areas damaged by corrosion.
The overall condition of the pipe was found to be good, the corrosion deterioration was minimal in all areas along the pipe wall, and the joints, flanges, and instrument taps were checked and repaired as necessary.
In addition to the detailed inspections discussed above, ultrasonic inspections of the above ground piping are also performed to verify that wall thickness of the system piping remain within acceptable limits.
I would like to emphasize that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will continue to assure that all licensees, including Florida Power and Light Company, will continue to perform necessary inspections and maintenance on all safety related components required to function during normal and emergency situations.
Piping or other portions of the safety related systems will be replaced as necessary to assure that the system remains within its design limits.
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The Honorable Lawton Chil es I trust you find this responsive to Mr. Simonhoff s concerns and will assist you in assuring him and your other constituents that ongoing inspections, maintenance, and replacement of components in safety related systems will continue on all licensed nuclear operating facilities.
These actions are consistent with the Commission s policy of ensuring that operating facilities, such as Turkey Point, achieve and maintain adequate levels of protection for the public health and safety.
If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Enclosure:
As stated DISTRIBUTION Docket File NRC PDR w/cy of incoming Local PDR w/cy of incoming EDO ¹001772 EDO R/F RVollmer/HDenton AD/PWR"A PD¹2 R/F OELD PPAS DMossbury/LToms (EDO 001772)
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SECY (3)
DMcDonald w/cy of incoming DMi 1 ler OCA Victor Stello, Jr.
Executive Director for Operations 8:LA
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
%gal: g EDO PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL FROM:
SEN.
I ANTON CHILES TO.
CARLTON KAMMERER DUE: 06/il/86 EDO CONTROL: 001772 DOC DT: 05/14/86 IF Z+4 FINAL REPI Y:
PcA IIOA<P FOR SIGNATURE GF:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DE-C:
GREEN SFCY NO:
ROUTING:
MIKE SIMGNHGFF REQUEST FOR INFO RE TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR PGNER PLANT GRACE DATF: 05/23/86 ASSIGNED TO:
NRR CONTACT:
DENTON SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS GR REMARKS:
REPLY TO LAKELAND, FLORDIA OFFICE.
RETURN INCOMING WITH RFPLY ~
NRR RECEIVED:
05/28/86 ACTION:
i.
DPLA NOIIAK p'RR ROUTING:
DENTON/EIEENNUT PPAS NOSSBURG/TONS Q TAO
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