ML18085A988

Submits Summary of Decisions Reached at 791116 Meeting & 791119 Site Visit Re Containment Sump Pump Capability to Operate Effectively in post-LOCA Recirculation Mode

ML18085A988
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	02/13/1981
From:	Varga S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Schneider F Public Service Enterprise Group
References
NUDOCS 8103040870
Download: ML18085A988 (8)

Text

Docket No. 50-272 Mr. F. W. Schneider, Vice President Production Public Service Electric and Gas Corr1_pan_y 80 Park Plaza 15-A Newark, New Jersey 07101

Dear Mr. Schneider:

s ORB#l Rdg DEisenhut RPurple TNovak RTedesco Glainas JHeltemes OELD I &E ( 3)

~->**

At the request of Mr. Richard Beckwith of your staff~ on Febr SVarga WRoss CParrish Gray File AC1:1....J--v..1 I am providing a summary of the decisions reached at a meeting be representatives *oiL::NRC and PSE&G on November l0. 1979 and during a site visit to the Salem Station on No~ember 19, 1979. The meeting was i!litiaged by the NRC staff to review fhe capability of the containment sump pump at Salem Unit 1 to operat-e*e~ffectively in the post-LOCA recirculation mode.

A potential problem with the net positive suction head (NPSH) of the recir-culating (RHR) pumps~ due to either loss of NPSH or vortex formation in the pump, had been identified during the licensing review for Salem Unit No. 2 and brought to your attention by letter dated October 12, 1979.

Salem Unit No. l was shutdown ifor refueling during this period.

The agenda of the November 16, t979 meeting included the following top'ics:

1. Containment sump configuration and design.

2. Capability of recirculating water system.

3.

Potential for cavitation of RHR pumps.

4. Loss of NPSI-! through blockage of sump screen.

5. Vortex formation in the sump.

6.

Model testing of the contai[llment su(i}p.

t, **:

!1

7. Actions required to ensure safe operation of Unit No. 1.

At the conclusion of the teshnical discussions, the staff *requested that the fol lowing actions be taken at Sal em No. 1:

1. The fl\\Jmber-of 3/8-inch diameter holes in the side walls of the sump* intake cage ( 3000) to be doubled within 60 days

• S,l0 3040

~'1r-..* and Wa$ t,o be:' increasegi as much as possible before the plant UTV change~ zyerational moCles form Cold Shutdown.

--- ------ --- --'I

~-

~

~

• e

.. r.--.. --- -cc-

~--

~!'

'c#~---*-

?

r-------,

~-:-.~....________ ~-

- y

{**-

Mr. F. 2.

A* horizontal grid was to be installed approximately one diameter above the sump outlet pipes to reduce the potential of vortex formation.

3.

The Plant Safety.Committee was to be advised of the possibility of air injection.du.r*ang the recirculation mode and requested to develop plans for alerting ope~rators and assuring appropriate corrective responses. The NRC project manager was to be advised within two weeks of the schedu1e and outline of this effort.

This meeting was followed up by a visit of several NRC staff members to the Salem site on November 19, 1979. During this visit~ the sump areas of both units were inspected and the capability of the plant to operate effectively in the recirculation mode was reviewed again.

By the time the staff arrived on site, the sump cage from Unit 2 had been installed over the Unit l sump. Since the Unit 2 cage had 6000 holes the staff considered it to be acceptable until the model tests at Unit 2 were completed.

At the concl,usion of this visit the staff revised its requirements for modifications as follows:

{a)

Items to be completed before Unit 1 returned to power:

{b)

1. Install a coarse screen between the normal leakage and emergency sumps *

2.

Extend the cover.plate to cover the entire normal leakage sump.

3. Police the containment area of all items that could block the flow of water through the ~ump screen.

4.

Reset the level indicator for "adequate NPSH" so that the water level is above the s~mp cover plate.

Items to be completed within 60 days:

1. Install a horizontal grid approximately one outlet pipe

\\ **

diameter above the bottom ~f the pit.

2.

Verify sump level calculations and level controls.

3.

Review the controls for the normal leakage sump pump and advise staff of the resultS.

.i

~." ----

(

/

I

~--- -

~;-* --

--~:---

~I--

-~-

Mr. F. 4. Alert the Safety Committee to the potential for cavitation or air entrainment during reclrculation. Provide an outline of the program to be instigated to assure that the operators will.

be aware of this potential'" and will take appropriate corrective actions.

We have been advised that all of these actions have been completed.

In addition to these short-term modifications, the staff requested that, upon completion of the ongoing review of the Salem Unit.2 sump tests, any modifications made on the Salem Unit 2 sump will also be made on the Salem Unit l sump.

Normally the minutes of the November 19, 1979 meeting would have been provided to you soom after the meeting took place. Through administrative errors the minutes of both the meeting and the site visit were misplaced and never issued. Hopefully, this information will provide an acceptable substitute.

CC: $ee next page Sincerely,

~

Steven A. Varga, Chief Op"erating Reactors Branch #1 Division of Licensing OFFICE. DL: ORB#l DL: ORB#l SURNAME.

• w"R.~"di ~

• * * * *5 V *

• 0

......... ff$~.~.................... ********************* *********************..................... ***********************.....................

2/l~TE~ :.?l.J.J:.:/.f3.J..........,i ** **.J.. '...... *************~*******,.................... ********************* **************'.** ***......... :*...........

• NRC FORM 318110/80) NRCM 0240 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

.~USGP0:1980-329*824

i I

Docket No. 50-272 UNiTED *STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 February 13, 1981 Mr. F. W. Schneider, Vice President Production_

Public Service Electric and Gas Company 80 Park Plaza 15-A Ne*w_ark~ _New Jersey 07101

Dear Mr. Schneider:

At.the request of Mr. Richard Beckwith of your staff., on February 2, 1981,.

r am providing a summary of the decisions reached at a meeting between representatives af NRC and PSE&G on November 16, 1979 and during a site visit to the Salem Station on November 19, 1979.

The meeting was initiated

-by the NRC staff ~o review the capability of the containment sump pump at Salem Unit l to operate effectively in. the post-LOCA recirculation mode.

A potentia1 problem with the net positive suction head (NPSH) of the recir-culating (RHR) pumps, due to either loss of NPSH or vortex formation in the s4mp, had been identified during the licensing*review for Salem Unit No. 2 and brought to your attention by letter dated October 12, 1979.

• 1 Sal em Unit No. l was **shutdown for refueling during this period...

• the agenda of the November 16, 1979 meeting included the following**

to pi cs:

L

. 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Containment sump configuration and design.

Capability of recirculating water system.

Potential for cavitation of RHR pumps.

Loss of _NPSH through blockage of sump screen.

Vortex formation in the sump.

Model testing of the containment sump.

Actions required to ensure safe operation of Unit No. 1.

At the conclusion of the technical discussions, the staff requested that the following actions be taken at Salem No. 1:

1.

The number of 3/8-inch diameter holes in the side walls of the sump intake cage (..... 3000) to be doubled within 60 days and was to be incre?sed as much as possible before the plant changed operationa 1 modes from. Cold Shutdown.

.:I

y Mr. F.

~- Schneider 2. *A horizontal grid was to be installed approximately one diameter above the sump outlet pipes to reduce the potential of vortex formation.

• 3.. The Plant Safety Committee was to be advised of the possibility of air injection during the recirculation mode and requested to develop plans. for al'erting operators and assuring appropriate corrective responses.

The NRC project manager was to be advised within two weeks of the schedule and outline of this effort.

This meeting was *followed up by a visit of several NRC staff members to the Salem site on November 19, 1979.

During this visit, the sump areas of both unitS were inspected and the capability of the plant to operate effectively in the recirculation mode.was reviewed again.

By.the time the staff arrived on site, the sump cage from Unit 2 had been installed over the Unit 1 sump.

Since the Uni.t 2 cage had"'6000 holes the staff considered it to be acceptable untir the model tests at Unit 2 were completed.

At the conclusion of this visit the staff revised its requirements for modifications as fol lows:

(a). Items to be completed before Unit 1 _returned to power:

1.

Install a coarse screen between the normal leakage and emergency sumps.

2.

Extend the cover plate to cover the entire normal leakage sump.

3..

Po 1 ice the containment area of a 11 items that could b 1 ock the flow of water through the sump screen.

.4.

• Reset the level indicator for "adequate NPSH 11 so that the water level is above the. sump cover plate.

• . *(b)

Items to be completed within 60 days:

1.

Install a horizontal grid approximately one outlet ~ipe

• diameter above the bottom of the pit.

2.

Verify sump level calculations and level controls.

3.

Review the controls for the normal leakage sump pump and

• advise staff of the results.

Mr. F. W. Schneider 3 -

4. Alert the Safety Committee to the potential for cavitation or air entrainment during recirculation. Provide an outline of the program to be ins ti gated to assure that the operators will be aware of this potential and will take appropriate corrective actions.

We have been *advised that all of these actions have been completed.

In addition to these short-term modifications, the staff requested that, upon completion of the ongoing review of the Salem Unit 2 sump tests, any modifications made on the Salem Unit 2 sump will also be made on the Salem

• Uni t 1 s ump.

Nbrmally the minutes of the November 19, 1'979 meeting would have been provided to you scorn after the meeting took place. Through administrative errors the minutes of both the meeting and the site visit were misplaced and neyer issued.

Hopefully, this information will provide an acceptable substitute.

CC:

See next page s;rc~rely, (\\ ~

7 ~~L~'v4tJ~A~::~

Operating Reactors

~ anch #1 Division of Licensi g

Mr. F. W. Schneider

. Pub 1 i c Service Electric and Gas Company cc:

Mark J. Wetterhahn, Esquire Conner, Moore and Corber

. Suite 1050 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D. C.

20006 Richard Fryling, Jr., Esquire

• Assistant General Solicitor Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

SO.Park Place Newark *. N.ew Jersey 07101 Gene Fisher, Bureau of Chief Bureau of Radiation Protection 380 Scotch Road Trenton, New Jersey 08628 Mr. R. L. Mittl, General Manager Licensing and Environment Public Service Electric and Gas Company 80 Park Plaza 17C Newark,. New Jersey 07101 Mr. Henry J. Midura, Manag-er Salem Nuclear Generating Station Public Service Electric and Gas Company

!'-. O. Box 168 Han~ocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Salem Free Library

. 112 West Broadway Sal em, New Jersey 08079 Leif J. Norrholm, *Resident Inspector Sal em Nuclear Generating Station * **

' u. s. Nuclear Regulatory Cammi ssi on Drawer I Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Peter A. Moeller Nuclear Licensing Engineer Public Service Electric and Gas C*ompany BO.Park Plaza - lSA Newark, New Jersey 07101 Mr. R. A. Uderitz General Manager, Nuclear Production

)"

Public Se:rvice.Electric and Gas Company 80 Park P'laza 15A Newark, N'.ew Jersey 07101 Mr. J. T *. Boettger General Manager, Quality Assurance Public Service Electric and Gas Company 80 Park Plaza 16-E Newark, New Jersey 07101 Mr. Edwin A. Liden, Manager Nuclear Licensing Licensing*and*Environment Dept.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company SO Park Plaza 160 Newark, New Jersey. 07101

P'EB 1 8 1981