ML20024B403
| ML20024B403 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Peach Bottom  |
| Issue date: | 06/24/1983 |
| From: | Eisenhut D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | PECO ENERGY CO., (FORMERLY PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20024B404 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8307080655 | |
| Download: ML20024B403 (5) | |
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2 7590-01 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of
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PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC COMPANY
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Docket No.
50-278 (Peach Bottom Atomic Power Statio.1,
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Unit 3)
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CONFIRMATORY ORDER I.
The Philadelphia Electric Company (the licensee) and three other co-owners are the holders of Facility Operating License No. DPR-56 which authorizes the operation'of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Staticn, Unit 3 (the facil'ity), at steady-state power levels not in excess of 3293 megawatts thermal. The facility is a boiling water reactor located at the licensee's site in York County, Pennsylvania.
II.
During a routine shutdown of Browns Ferry Unit No. 3 on June 28, 1980, 76 of 185 control rods failed to fully insert in response to a manual scram from approximately 30% power. All rods were subsequently inserted within 15 minutes and no reactor damage or hazard to the public occurred.
However, the event did cause an in-depth review of the current BWR Control Rod Drive Systems which identified design deficiencies requiring both short and long-term corrective measures.
These measures were set forth in the " Generic Safety Evaluation Report BWR Scram Discharge System", dated December 1,1980, prepared by the NRC staff.
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.D 7590-01
, To provide reasonable assurance of safe operation pending implementation of long-term corrective measures, the short-term corrective measures have been implemented by IE Bulletin 80-17 (with supplements) and Orders issued on January 9, 1981.
The Generic Safety Evaluation Report T3TR) datedtecemberl,9iFID, endorsed the criteria and technical bases that were developed by a BWR Owners Subgroup for use in implementing permanent system modifications to correct identified deficiencies. These criteria were designated as either functional, safety, operating, design, or surveillance, and when taken as a whole, comprise an adequate set of criteria to resolve the issues raised during the Browns Ferry event investigation.
The SER further described an acceptable means of compliance with each criterion. Pre-implementation approval of pemanent modifications using the methods described in the SER for compliance with the criteria will not be required.
Alternate methods of compliance will require specific NRC approval in advance of implementation.
In addition to the criteria proposed by the BWR Owners Subgroup, the SER added a criterion to address the potential for common causa failures of the scram level instrumentation. An acceptable means of complying with this criterion was the addition o'f diversity in the design.
The addition of diverse instrumentation on the Scram Discharge Instrbmented Volume will minimize recurrence of known common cause failures and thus improve system reliability.
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. 7590-01 Therefore, we have concluded that diverse instrumentation should be pro-vided a: required in the SER, with one exception:
Alternative 2(d)(ii)has been deleted as a possible means of providing diversity, due to its reliance on prompt operator action. The use of level sensors employing different operating principles, or the use of level sensors made by a different manufacturer, con-tinues to be acceptable means of providing diverse instrumentation.
On ' October 1,1980, letters were sent to all BWR licensees requesting a commitment to reevaluate the present scram system and modify it as necessary to meet the design and performance criteria developed by the BWR Owners Subgroup.
The letter also requested a schedule for implementation.
III.
Because the implementation of modifications to meet the criteria proposed by the BWR Owners Subgroup and endorsed by the NRC staff will restore the margins of safety in the BWR scram system, we have determined that these modifications should be completed on an expeditious schedule.
In response to our letter of October 1,1980, and additional discussions with the NRC staff, the licensee -
committed, by letters dated April 8, 1981, and August 20, 1981, to install the In a letter dated long-term modifications before reactor operation in Cycle 6.
February 4,1983, the licensee indicated that the installation of a significant Completion of cross-connect portion of Unit 3 modifications have been completed.
piping is scheduled for completion during the Spring 1983 refueling outage and 31, 1983.
In view of diverse instrumentation installation no later than December the foregoing, I have determined that these commitments are required in the interest of public health and safety and should, therefore, be confirmed by l
an immediately effective order.
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. 7590-01 IV.
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections l03,1611, and 182 of the Atomic
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Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR Parts 2 and 50, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY THAT:
1.
The licensee shall install the long term BWR scram discharge system modifications in conformance with the staff's Generic SER, which incorporates the BWR Owners Subgroup criteria, no later than December 31, 1983 or, in the alternative, the licensee shall place and maintain the facility in a cold shutdown or refueling mode of operation until such modifications are made.
Extensions of time for installation may oe granted for g000 cause snown oy tne iicensee.
The modifications shall include diverse instrumentation as provided in the SER with the exception that Alternative 2(d)(ii) will not be accepted.
2.
For those cases in which a different method of complying with the criteria than that described in the SER is chosen, the licensee shall submit the design details and supporting analyses for approval to the Director, Division of Licensing, Washington, D.C.
20555 with a copy to the Regio'nal Administrator of the appropriate NRC regional office, at least 3 months prior to the required implementation date.
3.
Technical Specification changes required for operation with the modified system shall be submitted at least 3 months prior to the required impl ementation date.
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- 7580-01 V.
The licensee may request a nearing on tnis Cruer aitnin 25 days of the date of publication of this Order in tne Federal Re.;ister.
A request for hearing shall be submitted to the Director, Division of Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washi ngton 0.C.
20555.
A copy of the request shall also be sent to the Executive Legal Director at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C.
20555.
A REQUEST FOR HEARING SHALL NOT STAY THE *.'tMEDIATE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ORDER.
If a hearing is requested by the licensee, the Commission will issue an order designating the time and place of any such nearing.
If a hearing is held, the issue to be considered at such a hearing snall be whether the licensee should comply with the conditions set forth in Section IV of this Order.
The request for information made in this Order was approved by 0MB under clearance number 3150-0083 which expires on December 31, 1983.
Comments on burden and duplication may be directed to the Office of Manage-ment and Budget, Reports Management, Room 3208, New Executive Office Buil ding, Washington, D.C.
This Order is effective upon issuance.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director Division of Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Bethesda, Maryland this 24th day of June 1983.
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