ML19269B847

Requests Approval of Mod to 771019 Request for Waiver.Mod Allows one-time Relief from Insp of Nozzle Welds Which Vendor Claims Were Not Examined Per ASME Code Section II

ML19269B847
Person / Time
Site:	Arkansas Nuclear
Issue date:	01/10/1979
From:	David Williams ARKANSAS POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:	Reid R Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
1-019-2, 1-19-2, NUDOCS 7901170265
Download: ML19269B847 (2)

Text

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J ARKANSAS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY POST OF FICE BOX 551 LITTLE HOCK, ARKANSAS 72203 (501)371-4000 January 10, 1979 l-019-2 Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation ATTN: Mr. R. W. Reid, Chief Operating Reactor Branch #4 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555

Subject:

Arkansas Nuclear One - Unit 1 Docket No. 50-313 License No. DPR-51 Inservice Inspection (File: 3065)

Gentlemen:

We have been notified by our vendor that their examination of our RC outlet nozzle welds (nozzle-to-vessel) was not performed in accordance with the requirements of Section XI of the ASME Code nor within the alternate exami-nation requested and subsequently approved by your staff. This letter addresses the details of the incident and requests a one time relief from additional inspection of these welds until the next regularly scheduled inspection.

Our letter to you dated October 19, 1977, requested certain exemptions from the ASME Section XI Code through the Summer 1975 Addenda for inservice inspec-tion. Among those exerptions listed was a request to examine 100 percent of both reactor vessel outlet nozzle welds by the end of the first third of the inspection interval and examine 100 percent of all nozzle welds from the vessel 10 with the vessel internals removed ( the end of the interval in lieu of inspection of the four inlet nozzle welds and the two core flood nozzle welds. By letter dated April 20, 1978, you granted relief, on an interim basis, of those inservice inspection and testing requirements. The interim relief was granted pending completion of your detailed review.

Our examination of the two reactor vessel nozzle welds was conducted during the 1978 Refueling Outage by using the Automatic Reactor Inspection System (ARIS). During the examination, a beam angle was used which provided for an angle of approximately 75 degrees to the weld plane instead of essentially normal (90 degrees) as required in I-2320 of Section XI. This resulted in approximately 10-20 percent of each weld not being examined.

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Mr. R. W. Reid, Chief January 10, 1979 We do not believe the situation identified above to be of any safety signi-ficance since 80-90 percent of each nozzle-to-vessel weld area was success-fully inspected and no flaw indications were discovered. Also, the nozzle knuckle area was examined with no flaw indications revealed. During the baseline examination,100 percent of the two outlet nozzles' weld area was examined with no flaw indications discovered.

Therefore, based on the above and the fact that we would sustain undue cost and personnel radiation exposure if the welds were to be examined again, we hereby modify our request for the waiver in our October 19, 1977 letter to state:

Alternate Examination:

Examine 80 percent of both outlet nozzles by the end of the first third of the interval from the nozzle Bore. Examine 100 percent of all nozzles from the vessel ID with tne vessel intervals removed by the end of the interval.

We request your approval (interim or final) of this request no later than February 15, 1979, to allow sufficient time for scheduling of contingencies.

No request or amendment fee under 10CFR Part 170 is remitted with this letter as it merely modifies an existing request which has not received your final approval.

Very truly yours,

/ OMu  ? hw Daniel H. Williams Manager, Licensing DHW:DGM:ce