ML20045E057
| ML20045E057 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Cooper  |
| Issue date: | 06/23/1993 |
| From: | Roe J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20045E058 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9307010046 | |
| Download: ML20045E057 (6) | |
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i UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of
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NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
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Docket No. 50-298 (Cooper Nuclear Station)
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EXEMPTION l
I.
Nebraska Public Power District (the licensee) is the holder of Operating License No. DPR-46, which authorizes operation of Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS). The operating license provides, among other things, that l
CNS is subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission now l
or hereafter in effect.
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The facility consists of a boiling water reactor at the licensee's site in Nemaha County, Nebraska.
i II.
One of the conditions of all~ operating licenses for water-cooled power l
reactors, as specified in 10 CFR 50.54(o), is that the primary containment' shall meet the leakage-test requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph III.C.1:
" Type C tests shall be performed by local pressurization. The pressure shall be applied in the same direction as that when the valve would be required to perform its safety. function, unless it can be determined that the.results from the tests for a pressure 9307010046 930623 PDR ADOCK 05000298 p
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applied in a different direction will provide equivalent or more i
conservative results."
By letter dated June 7,1993, the licensee requested a one-time schedular exemption from Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50 to allow Type C (local leak-rate) testing of 10 containment isolation valves in the reverse l
direction. As stated above, Paragraph III.C.1 of Appendix J requires that for Type C testing the test pressure must generally be applied to the valve from the same side as that when the valve would be required to perform its safety function (i.e., the inside-containment side, also called the accident direction or the forward direction). However, the regulation i
allows an exception if it can be determined that testing with the pressure applied in the reverse direction provides equivalent or more conservative results.
In its letter dated June 7, 1993, the licensee stated that i
10 containment isolation valves cannot now be shown to satisfy the 1
equivalent-or-more-conservative requirement that permits reverse-direction testing. The licensee is taking steps to comply with Appendix J either by showing that the 10 valves meet the equivalent-or-more-conservative requirement or by modifying the plant to enable future Type C tests to be conducted by pressurization in the forward direction.- To allow time for completion of these activities, the licensee has requested that these 10 valves be exempted from the forward-testing requirement until the next l
refueling outage, currently scheduled to begin in the fall of 1994. The licensee will then test them in the forward direction if it cannot show that reverse-direction testing is equivalent or more conservative,
3-b III.
The subject valves are PC-M0V-305MV, PC-MOV-1304MV, PC-MOV-1306MV, RCIC-MOV-MOIS, RHR-MOV-M016A, RHR-MOV-M016B, RHR-MOV-M021A, RHR-M0V-M021B, RHR-M0V-M031A, and RHR-M0V-M031B. The licensee has committed to comply with Appendix J by making the plant modifications necessary to test these valves in the forward direction if the licensee cannot demonstrate that-testing in the reverse direction is equivalent to or more conservative than testing in the forward direction.
However, because there is' insufficient time available to design, procure, and install these modifications prior to completion of the current refueling outage (currently scheduled to end in June 1993), the plant modifications will be made at the next refueling outage.
Since the subject valves were tested in the reverse direction l
during the current outage, the exemption will allow testing in the forward direction to be deferred until the next refueling outage. The NRC staff has performed an evaluation of the exemption request and has determined that the licensee has provided adequate justification for the requested exemption.
IV.
According to l'0 CFR 50.12(a)(2), the Commission will not consider granting the exemption unless special circumstances are present.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(v), special circumstances are present whenever the exemption would provide only temporary relief from the applicable regulation and the licensee has made good faith efforts to comply with the regulation. The exemption would provide only temporary relief by-i
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-4 permitting the licensee to delay compliance with the leakage test requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, Paragraph III.C.1, i
until the next refueling outage. currently scheduled to begin in the fall of 1994. The NRC staff believes that the licensee has taken prudent steps to improve the containment integrity and_that, if compliance did not require extending the refueling outage,:the licensee would comply with Appendix J.
The licensee has only recently found that its earlier determination, that reverse direction testing is equivalent or conservative, may not be correct. The licensee has not had enough time to make the modifications necessary to allow forward-direction testing without extending the current refueling outage.
Based on our evaluation, the NRC staff has concluded that the licensee has made a good-faith effort to comply with the requirements of Appendix J.
I and that special circumstances as described in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(v) exist.
1 Therefore, the Commission has determined that the requested schedular exemption from the Appendix J forward-direction testing requirements for the subject valves should be granted.
V.
Accordingly, the Commission has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), that this exemption is authorized by law and will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent with the common defense and security. Therefore, the Commission hereby approves the following exemption request, wetv--t w
. A schedular exemption is granted from the requirements of Paragraph III.C.1 that a local leak-rate test be conducted in the forward direction for containment isolation valves PC-MOV-305MV, PC-MOV-1304MV, PC-MOV-1306MV, RCIC-M0V-M015, RHR-MOV-M016A, RHR-MOV-M016B, RHR-M0V-M021A, RHR-M0V-M0218, RHR-MOV-M031A, and RHR-MOV-M0318.
For good cause shown, this exemption will allow testing of the subject valves in the forward direction to be deferred until the end of the next refueling outage.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this exemption will have no significant impact of the quali.ty of the human environment (58 FR 33286).
This exemption becomes effective upon issuance.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Original' signed by:
Jack W. Roe, Director Division of Reactor Projects - III/IV/V Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Rockville Maryland this 23rd day of June 1993
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l 5-A schedular exemption is granted from the requirements of Paragraph III.C.1 that a local leak-rate test be conducted in the forward. direction for containment isolation valves PC-MOV-305MV, j
PC-MOV-1304MV, PC-MOV-1306MV, RCIC-MOV-MOIS, RHR-MOV-M016A, 1
RHR-MOV-M016B, RHR-M0V-M021A, RHR-MOV-M021B, RHR-M0V-M031A, and; i
i RHR-MOV-M0318.
For good' cause shown, this exemption will. allow 1
testing of the subject valves in the forward direction'to be deferred l
until the end of the next refueling outage.
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Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the r
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granting of this exemption will have no significant-impact of the quality 1
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of the human environment (58 FR 33286).
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This exemption becomes effective upon issuance.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION k
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j ack W. Roe, Director ivision of Reactor Projects - III/IV/V l
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i
Dated at Ruckville Maryland j
this 23rd day of June 1993 1
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