ML19210A743
| ML19210A743 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 08/23/1978 |
| From: | Herbein J METROPOLITAN EDISON CO. |
| To: | Reid R Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| GQL-1070, NUDOCS 7910310557 | |
| Download: ML19210A743 (5) | |
Text
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REGULATORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (RIDS)
DIGTRIDUTION FOR INCOMING MATERIAL
_e280 REC: REID R W ORG: HERBEIN J O auCDATE: 08/23/71 NRC METROPOL EDISON DATE RCVD. 08/29.
DrCTY?E: _ETTER NOTARIZED: NO C 9 JECT-COPIES RECEIVED LTR 1 ENCL 0 FURNtWING RESPONSE TO NRC TELEPHONE DISCUSSION, CONSISTING OF INFO CONCERNING APPLICANT"3 TECH St-EC CllANGE REQUEST NO 6SA SUBMITTED 02/02/78, REQUESTING DELETION OF VARIOUS MONITORING PROGRAMS.
PLANT NAME: THREE MILE ISLAND - UNIT 1 REVIEWER INITIAL:
XJM DISTRIBUTOR INITIAL:
- r*** DISTRIBUTION OF THIS MATERIAL IS AS FOLLOWS *******+*********-
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION FOR AFTER ISSUANCE OF OPERATING LICENSE.
(DISTRIBUTION CODE AOO1)
FOR ACTION:
E C.u C~ ORE #4 BC**LTR ONLY(7 )
INTERNAL.
3 TR ONLY(1)
NRC PDR**LTR ONLY(1) 1 & E**LTR ONLY(2)
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CORE PERFORMANCE BR**LTR ONL'-
AD FOR SYS & PROJ**LTR ONLY(1)
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PLANT SYSTEMS BR**LTR ONLY(1)
EEB**LTR ONLY(1)
EFFLUENT TREAT SYS**LTR ONLY' J.
MCGOUGH**LTR ONLY(1)
EXTERNAL:
LPDR'S HARRISBURG, PA**LTR ONLY(1)
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NSIC**LTR ONLY(1)
ACRS CAT B**LTR ONLY(16) 1493 249 w
IISTRIBUTION:
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THE END
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-m METROPOLITAN EDISON COMPANY sussioiaar o= ce.eenat puetic uritiries cc9ponaric-l POST OFFICE BOX 542 READING, PENNSYLVANI A 19603 TELEPHONE 215 - 929-3601 August 23,1978 GQL 1070 Mr. R. W. Reid, Chief Operating Reactors Branch No. h U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Conmission Wash ngton, D. C.
20555
Dear Sir:
"hree Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (DE-1)
Operatin,; License No. DpR-50 Decket No. 50-269 This letter 3 in response to a telephone discussion between Mr. Fliegel of the NRC and Mr. Roth of Met-Ed concerning our Technical Specification Change Request No. 63A submitted February 2,1978 (GQL 0303), requesting deletien of various nonitoring programs.
Mr. Fliegel was specifically questioning cur cc=pliance with Section h.3.1, Thermal plu=e Mapping, which states :
" Sampling studies shall be nade during the first year of operation to identify and characterize the discharge plume with respect to temperature. The data shall be collected frcm a sufficient number of sampling points located to provide a patterned coverage of the plume. The staff vill review the results at the completien of the one-year studies to determine if sufficient reviev and operating condition ecmbinaticas have been examined and vill determine if the studies need to be extended."
"The studies shall be conducted during conditions of nc.rnal and lov flows and extreme temperature conditions to provide the necessary data to validate the analytical plume model. Wind speed and directicn measured at the north weather statien (I-A-I en Figure 3), air and water te=perature and current velocity should be taken concurrently with plume measurements. During the first planned vinter ecoldown in rhich an effluent AT > 10cF is expected, and when veather and icing conditiens permit monitoring to take place (a " qualifying" cooldown), the 0
5 AT isotherm shall be located at its videst point to determine size of the zone of passage.
If the effluent AT fails to reach 10cF during that cocidown, the 50F AT isother= shall be located again during succeeding " qualifying" cool-downs until the isother= has been 1ccated five times er is measured during a period in which the effluent AT > 10 F."
Folleving ir a discussion of T'4I-l's operations, with respect to Section h.3.1, since 197h:
Extensive thermal plume tappings have been conducted at SC since 197h. 2es e tappings are performed by Ichthyolegical Associates, Inc. as part of the continuing CE Ecclegical Study. A tatal of 130 =appings have been conducted 1493 250
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Mr. R. W. Reid, Chier August 23, 1978 GQL 1070 since 197h, during many conceivable variations of plant operation and ambient conditions. The following discussion examines these mappings in terms of individual Tech. Spec. requirements.
1.
"Sa=pling studies shall be =ade during the first year of operation to identify and characterize the discharge plume with respect to temperature."
The TMI thermal plume was mapped semi-=cnthly starting in May, 197h, with additional mappings performed during high and lov ambient river temperature conditions and during periods of power increases or decreases of the station.
A total of 39 thermal plume mappings were conducted in the first year fol-loving initial criticality in June 197h.
2.
"The data shall be collected from a sufficient number of sampling points located to provide a patterned coverage of the plume."
Temperature measurements in the Susquehanna River near TMI were taken routinely at transects located at the Unit 1 Intake, 25 meters upstream of the discharge, directly out from the discharge and devnstream of the discharge at 25, 50, 100, 200, h00 and 1900 meters.
Measurements were taken off shore at distances of. 5, 20 and h0 meters and at depths of zero (surface) and.5 meter increments until the river bottom was reached. Individual temperature readings were taken at approximately 136 sample points for each =apping. Occasionally, transects, at 200, h00 and 1900 meters were eliminated if temperature readings showed that an ambient, steady-state ecndition had been reached and no thermal plume was present.
3 "The staff vill review the results at the ec=pletion of the one-year studies to deternine if sufficient review and operating condition ec=binations have been examined and will determine if the studies need to be extended."
The NRC sent no correspondence to Met-Ed which indicated that the studies needed to be extended. Ecvever, Met-Ed continued the program in goed faith for three additional years.
h.
"The studies shall be conducted during ecnditions of normal and lov flows and extreme temperature ccnditions."
Rcutine thermal plune mappings were conducted twice =cnthly during the ner=al conditiens which existed at that time. River flow during the first year of routine mappings ranged frcm 6h00 cfs on August 21,197h to 111,500 efs en Shy 9,1975 Extre=e river flows during the four years of =appings were 6h00 efs en August 21, 197h and 2h0,000 cfs en February 20, 1976. These extremes represent the normal range of flows expected in the Susquehanna between the extre=es of the su==er lov flew and spring ficod. Extensive sampling was conducted during the su==er low flow of 197h, with 18 =appings cenducted during June, July and August when river ficvs ranged frc= 6h00 cfs to h6,900 cfs. Additional sampling was also ccnducted during the sun =er lov flow of August, 1975 (h =appings) during which river flevs ranged from 8100 cfs to 8300 cfs.
1493 251
Mr. R. W. Reid, Chief August 23,1978 GQL 1070 Ambient River temperatures during the first year of mappings ranged frc= a lov of 0.7 C on February k,1975 to a high of 27. hoc on July 19,197h.
A=-
bient river temperatures during the four years of =appings ranged frc= a lov of 0.7 C on February h,1975 to a high of 27.80C cn August ih,1975.
Extensive sampling vcs conducted during June-August 197h when ambient river temperature ranged frc= 19.9 C to 27.h C.
Normal semi-=cnthly sampling was conducted through the periods of lov ambient river temperatures during the vinters of 197h-1975 and 1975-1976. Winter sa=pling was subsequently discontinued due to the extreme danger to sampling crews caused by the lur water temperatures and ice flows.
5 "The studies shall be conducted...to provide the necessary data to validate the analytical plume model."
Thermal plume data has been ec= pared annually to the plume model described in the FSAR. The =cdel could not be validated since actual conditions during =appings have never approximated the extreme conditions used in the model (10,000 efs river flov 113 cfs discharge flev and 12 F T).
This can 0
be expected, since the model assumed "vorst case" conditions.
Other models have been studied for their ability to model the TMI thermal plume. No model is believed to be satisfactory, due to the small temperature rise and the low ratio of outfall to ambient flow.
6.
" Wind speed and direction measured at the north weather station (I-A-I on Figure 3), air and water temperature and current velocity should be taken concurrently with plume measurements."
Wind speed, vind direction, air te=perature and a=bient water temperature are taken and included with the report of the thermal plume =apping.
7.
"During the first planned winter cooldown in which an effluent AT > 100F is expected and when veather and icing conditions permit monitoring to take place (a " qualifying" cooldown), the 5 AT isether= shall be located at the videst point to determine size of the zone of passage.
If the effluent AT o
fails to reach lo ? during that ecoldown, the SOF AT isother= shall be located again during succeeding " qualifying" coc1 downs until the isother= has been located five times er is measured during a period in which the effluent AT 0
_ 10 F."
The only planned vinter ecoldcyn which has occurred in over h years of monitoring was in February 1976. A total of 12 =appings was taken in k days. However, the maxi =um effluent AT was h.6 C (8.30F); therefore, this was not a "qualiffing" cooldown. The thermal plume during this cool-down was confined to the area of the discharge and had a vidth less than 20 meters from shore and length less than 25 meters downstream frc= the discharge.
During the cooldown in March 1977, 18 thermal plume mappinge vere cenducted.
This was also not a "qualif/ing" cooldevn since the maximum effluent AT was 0
0.5 C (0.9 ?).
Met-Ed does not anticipate having a planned vinter cooldevn in the foreseeable future. Any Sture cooldcvn is unlikely to be a "qualiff ng" cocidevn, since i
0 the effluent AT should be significantly less than 10 F.
I493 2152
Mr. R. W. Reid, Chief h-August 23, 1978 GQL 1070 CCNCEL'SICN The thermal plu=e =apping program at TMI has been conducted in a =anner consistent with requirements of the TMI-l ETS Section h.3.1.
Cc=pliance with certain items of the specification have been impossible due to the lack of a significant thermal plume. Although 130 =appings have been conducted since 197h, ability to validate the thermal plume model of the FES and identification of ther=al plume boundaries during vinter cocidown have been impossible due to the minimal thermal plume created by TMI. Additional mappings would be of no assistance in evaluating the ther=al impact of TMI, since the station effluent AT has decreased in the past four years.
In 1977, the maximum AT during a ther=al plume =apping was 1.0 C (1.60F). Further-more, it would not be prudent to create a thermal plume which would not normally exist in order to evaluate its impact on the environ =ent.
The present NPDES permit limitations are adequate to ensure minimal environmental i= pact due to TMI ther=al discharges.
The ther=al plume mapping program at S!I was examined by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board during hearings on the license for Three Mile Island Unit 2.
The testimony presented to the Board is written, "On those occasions when the O
(station cooling vater) 4T exceeds S F, based on the three years of thermal plume O
studies at TMI, we expect the area of the river enev= passed by the S F-isopleth-defined plume to be less than 50 meters in length and 20 meters in vidth approxi-0 mately 95% of the time.
The greatest 5 F plume ve have ever observed at TMI-1 extended 200 =eters in length and 25 =eters in vidth..."
" Met-Ed shall centinue to observe and map the ther=al discharges associated with O!I'IS operation and vill meet requirements of discharge limitations and =enitoring requirements of EPA, DER and NRC for Unit 2."
Sincerely, s
/
J. G. Herbein Vice President-Generation JGH:DGM ejg 253