ML20002C769
| ML20002C769 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 03/06/1973 |
| From: | Sewell R CONSUMERS ENERGY CO. (FORMERLY CONSUMERS POWER CO.) |
| To: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20002C765 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8101100839 | |
| Download: ML20002C769 (3) | |
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s c.n.,.i on.c..: m w..t Michigan Avenue.. lap ton, MecNgan WOt e Area Code S17 783 0550 March 6, 1973 Mr. Boyce H. Grier, Regional Director Re:
Docket No 50-155 Directorate of Regulatory License No DPR-6 Operations, Region III US Atomic Energy Commission 799 Roosevelt Road Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Dear Mr. Grier:
This letter is in reply to Item 2 of the enclosure attached to your letter of February 12, 1973 This letter referred to your findings that certain of our activities appeared to be in noncompliance with our facility Technical Specifications. Specifically, Consu::.ers Power Com-pany's Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant Technical Specifications 4.2.2(C) which states that if the unidentified primary syste= leakage exceeds one gpm, the reactor shall be placed in the hot shutdown condition within twelve hours.
The plant staff spent considerable time and effort in design, purchasing and installation of equipment that was felt to be adequate for meeting this requirement. In our submittal of the proposed specification, we presented the tests that we had conducted as well as the ar(e where we felt that additional improvements might be required.
In reviewing this subject with the plant staff, we have concluded that our present capabilities will permit leak rate sensitivities of be-tween 1/2 and 3 gpm, depending on plant operating conditions. The sensi-tivity varies as a function of about five or six plant evolutions. We feel that this meets the intent of the Technical Specifications and pro-vides a timely awareness of any significant leakage condition which may occur. However, we recognize that the leakage and measurement system, as presently installed, is not as sensitive as we had expected and have con-cluded that additional measurement sensitidty is required. Accordingly, we a. e currently performing a review of the leakage collection and mea-surement systems and are planning appropriate improvements.
1 I
The planned improvements are based on our interpretation of the Technical Specifications requirements; namely, that primary coolant system leakage inside the containment shall not exceed 1 gpm unidentified and 10 cpm unidentified and identified. Process streams such as control rod 8
- '3 f/ Of /0087
Mr. Boyce H. Grier(
N 2
Docket No 50-155, License N.> DPR-6 March 6, 1973 drive pump packing leak off and cooling, recirculating water pump seal control leakage flows, leckage flows used for conductivity measure-ments and other similar process flows will be excluded from the cal-culation of identified and unidentified leakage. Daily variations in the amounts of these process flows mask the calculation of unidentified leakage and have diluted the effectiveness of leakage monitoring as
' described in the previous paragraph. In addition, seat leakages from items such as vent valven, drain valves and-other similar devices will be collected in a common collection cystem and are consideret known leakage. Instrumentation is being procured with the philosophy of determining leakage on a daily basis; however, it will facilitate more frequent detertainations if trends of concern should be developing.
In attempting-to correct the current problem, we have spent considerable effort in determining individual leakages from components of both the primary and secondary system (which unfortunately are presently collected in the same cump). We have on occasion reduced reactor power to permit entry into and visual inspection of all areas of the plant and we are closely observing our qualitative type detec-tion instrumentation for indication of primary system leakage.
The corrective steps which will be taken will depend on the final results of our study (currently iu progress) of the present system. Tentatively, we expect to make the following improvements:
1.
Add an additional sump or sumps to our present collection cyctem for use in collection of effluents not requiring quantitative men-curement.
2.
Improve our quantitative measurement capability by adding level instrumei tation to two of the collection cumps.
3 Provide adequate separation of our collection sumpc to insure collection of " unknown" leakages in a single sump.
1 Improve our detection of moisture vapor by 4
moving two of the present dew point detec-tors to position where they will measure moisture in the containment sphere inlet and exhaust systems.
We presently plan to complete Item 3 and parts of Items 1, 2 and14 during the refueling outage scheduled to begin March 3,1973 i
4
s Mr. Joyco II. Crict 3
Docket tio 50-155, Licence No LPR 6 March 6, lW3 Full conpliance with the Technical Specifications will depend primarily on the delivery of new instrumentation tmd equipment. We ec',ims:.to thin to be about cix months and, therefore, expect the plant to hopef'ully achieve full compliance by Auguct 1, lW3.
Yourz very truly,
,'p:1\\,b u Lctk' I
RIC/ map Ralph B. Sewell Nuclear Licensing Administrator