ML18025B960

Exemption from Type C Testing Frequency Requirements of 10CFR50,App J for 11 Isolation Valves.Test Interval Extended to Next Refueling Outage But Not to Extend Beyond 830506

ML18025B960
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry
Issue date:	04/08/1983
From:	Eisenhut D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Shared Package
ML18025B961	List: ML18025B960
References
NUDOCS 8304210615
Download: ML18025B960 (10)

Text

0 April 8, 1983 Docket No. 50-259 Mr. Hugh G. Parris Manager of Power Tennessee Valley Author ity 500 A Chestnut Street, Tower II Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401

SUBJECT:

EXEMPTIOH REQUEST - 10 CFR 50 APPENDIX J Re:

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit No.l t Distribution Docket File NRC PDR Local PDR ORBA'2 Rdg.

DEisenhut ORAB SNorr is DCLARK OELD ELJordan TBARNHART 4 ACRS 10 OPA CMiles NSIC JMTayl or SECY RDiggs Gray The Commission has issued the enclosed Exemption to the test interval requirements of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50 for the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit No.

1 in response to your request of March 29, 1983.

For the eleven isolation valves identified in the exemption, the=two-year test interval for performing the Type C tests is hereby extended to coincide with the scheduled refueling shutdown of Browns Ferry Unit 1; this extension, however, shall not extend be'yond hlay.6; 1983.

A copy of the Exemption is being filed with the Off'ice of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely,

Enclosure:

Exemption cc w/enclosur e See next page ORICINjIfSIGNED BX Domenic B. Vassallo, Chief Operating Reactors Branch P2 Division of Licensing 8304210hi5 830408 PDR ADOCK 05000259 P

PDR PPp/L OFF ICED SURNAMEl¹ DL:ORB¹2 SNOI'I'l4 DATE$

~ ~ ~ ooo ~

~ ~ ~ ~ o ~ ooooo ~ o ~

DL:ORBP DClark 4/ 7/83

~ o ~ ~ o' o

~ ~ ~ o o ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

DL:ORBIff2

~ ~ ~ oo ~

DVassallo 4/ f/83

~ ~

~ ~ ~'o ~ ~

~

~

~ ~ ~ o ~ o

~ ~

~ ~

~ \\

G

~

~ ~ ~ ~

~

~

~ o

~

~

4g 83 D

enhut 4/

/83 o ~ o ~ ~

'O ~ ~

~

~

~

~ o ~ ~

OELD ¹¹L4I¹ 4( //B3 NRC FO M 318 tf0.80) NRQ 0240 OFFlClAL RECORD COPY USGPG: 1991~960

~ <

JO

~ 0

Mr: Hugh G. Parris CC:

H. S. Sanger, Jr.', Esquire General Counsel Tennessee Valley Authority 400 Commerce Avenue E 11B 33C Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 Mr. Ron Rogers Tennessee Valley Authority 400 Chestnut Street, Tower II Chattanooga, Tennessee'7401 Mr. Charles R. Christopher

Chairman, Limestone County Commission P. 0.

Box 188

Athens, Alabama 35611 Ira L. Myers, M.D.

State Health Officer State Department of Public Health State Office Building Montgomery, Alabama 36104 Yr. H.

N. Culver 249A HBD 400 Ccmmerce Avenue Tennessee Valley Authority Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IV Office Regional Radiation Representative 345 Courtland Street Atlanta, Georgia 30308 Resident Inspector U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Comoission Route 2, Box 311

Athens, Alabama 35611 Mr. Donald L. Williams, Jr.

Tennessee Valley Authority 400 West Summit Hill Dr., W10B85 Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 George Jones Tennessee Valley Authority P. 0.

Box 2000

Decatur, Alabama 35602 Mr. Oliver Havens U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Reactor Training Center Osborne Office Center, Suite 200 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37411 James P. O'Reilly Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 101 Marietta Street, Suite 3100 Atlanta, Georgia 30303

e'

t 7590-01 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of Docket'o.

50-259 TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1)

EXEMPTION The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA/licensee) is the holder of Facility Operating License No.

DPR-33 which authorizes the operation of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 (the facility) at steady-state power levels not in excess of 3293 megawatts thermal.

The facility is a boiling water reactor (BWR) located at the licensee's site in Limestone County, 'Alabama.

The license provides, among other things, that it is subject to all rules, regulations and Orders of the Commission now or hereafter in effect.

Section 50.54(o) of 10 CFR Part 50 requires that primary reactor.

containments for water cooled power reactors be subject to the re-quirements of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50.

Appendix J contains the leakage test requirements, schedules, and acceptance criteria for test of the leak-tight integrity of the primary reactor containment and systems and components which penetrate the containment.

Section III.D.3 of

'ppendix J requires that Type C tests - which are defined as= "tests in-tended to measure containment isolation valve leakage rates" - "shall be performed during each reactor shutdown for refueling but in no case at intervals greater than 2 years".

Appendix J was published on February 14, 1973.

At that time, all light water reactors were on a nominal annual

refueling cycle.

However, most light water reactors are now on an 18-month or two-year refueling cycle.

By letter dated March 29, 1983, TVA requested an exemption from the Type C test interval requirements of 10 CFR 50, Appendix J for eleven isolation valves at Browns Ferry Unit No.

1 to permit continued operation until Unit 2 is ready to restart following an extended out-age.

Unit 1 is currently scheduled to shut down for the Cycle 5 re-fueling outage on April 15, 1983.

For the eleven isolation valves, the two-year test interval specified in Appendix J expires on April ll, or April 12, 1983.

To account for a possible delay in returning Browns E

Ferry Unit 2 to power following the torus load tests now scheduled to be completed on April 10, 1983 (and which in turn is responsible for the postponement in shutting down Unit 1),

TVA has requested an extension to the two-year test internal to May 6, 1983 (i.e.,

a maximum extension of 25 days for any isolation valve).

The Browns Ferry units are on a nominal 18-month refueling cycle.

During the past several

years, the refueling outages have extended over a period of six to eight months.

The extended outages have resulted from the various modifications being performed, the most significant of which has been the Mark I torus modifications.

Browns Ferry Unit 1, which is N

the subject of this exemption, was scheduled to shutdown for refueling on March 1, 1983.

However, the outage of Browns Ferry Unit 2 which shutdown on July 30, 1982, extended to March 18, 1983 - over two months beyond that which had been projected.

To avoid simultaneous multi-unit outages, TVA has been operating Unit 1 in a coastdown mode and rescheduled the re-fueling outage to April 15, 1983 - about the time the startup tests are

7590-01 expected to be completed on Unit 2.

Browns Ferry Unit 1 shutdown for the last refueling modification in April 1381.

The eleven isolation valves which are covered by this exemption were individually leak tested in accordance with Appendix J on April 11 and 12, 1981.

Unit 1 did not startup until October 1, 1981, so there was a period of almost six months - about 25K of the two year Appendix J test interval - during which the valves were not exposed to any significant temperature, pressure or conditions which would likely degrade the valves.

We have determined that the exemption from the Type C testing frequency of Appendix J requested by the licensee for the eleven isolation valves identified in TVA's letter of March 29, 1983 should be granted on the following bases:

1.

The condition of the eleven isolation valves is not expected to change significantly during the requested extension

period, which is short in comparison with the two-year test interval specified in Appendix J.

The extension in the test interval is for a maximum of 25 days for any valve; if Browns Ferry Unit 1

shuts down for refueling as presently scheduled on April 15, 1983, the extension in time for testing any valve would be a maximum of four days.

2.

The intent of Appendix J was that isolation valves be tested during refueling outages.

It was not the intent of Appendix J to require a shutdown solely to test isolation valves.

The

.'eason for the request by the licensee is to extend the test interval to coincide with the scheduled shutdown for refueling.

3.

None of the eleven isolation valves are located on major primary systems; in the event of an accident, they would not consititute a significant leakage pathway to the environment.

4.

The two-year test interval specified for Type C tests in Appendix J was based on two years of expected exposure of valves to service.

However, for about one quarter of the two-year period since the eleven valves were tested, Browns Ferry Unit 1 was in an extended outage during which the valves were not exposed to an operating environment.

This should reduce any potential degradation of the valves.

Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, an exemption is authorized by law'and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security and is otherwise in the public interest.

Therefore, the Commission hereby approves the following ex-emption request:

Exemption is granted from the requirements of Section III.D.3 of Appendix J pertaining to the test frequency for conducting Type C

tests on the eleven isolation valves identified in TVA's letter of March 29, 1983.

The test interval may be extended to the next refueling outage of Browns Ferry Unit 1 but in no case shall extend beyond May 6, 1983.

The NRC staif has determined that the granting of this exemption will not result in any significant environmental impact and that pursuant to 10 CFR 51.5(d)(4),

an environmental impact statement or negative declaration and environmental impact appraisal need not be prepared in connection with this action.

R THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Dated at Sethesda, Maryland this 8th day of April, 1983 Division of Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

P