ML20054G060
| ML20054G060 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/17/1982 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20054G055 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8206210038 | |
| Download: ML20054G060 (4) | |
Text
'6 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of METROPOLITAN EDISON COMPANY, _et. _al.
)
Docket No. 50-320 OLA
)
(Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2)
AMENDMENT OF ORDER I.
GPU Nuclear Corporation, Metropolitan Edison Company, Jersey Central Power and Light Company and Pennsylvania ElecQgmpany (collectively, the Licensee) are the holders of Facility Operating License No. DPR-73, which had authorized operation of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2 (TMI-2) at power levels up to 2772 megawatts thermal. The facility, which is located in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, is a pressurized water reactor previously used for the comercial generation of electricity.
By Order for Modification of License, dated July 20, 1979, the Licensee's authority to operate the facility was suspended and the Licensee's authority was limited to maintenance of the facility in the present shutdown cooling mode (44 Fed. Reg. 45271). By further Order of the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, dated February 11, 1980, a new set of formal license requirements was imposed to reflect the post-accident condition of the facility and to assure the continued maintenance of the current safe, stable, long-term cooling condition of the facility (45 Fed. Reg.11282) 8206210038 820517 PDR ADOCK 05000320 P
ppg
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. Although these requirements were imposed on the licensee by an Order of the Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, dated February 11, 1980, the TMI-2 license has not been formally amended. The requirements are reflected in the proposed Recovery Mode Technical Specifications presently pending before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. Hereafter in this Amendment of Order, the requirements in question are identified by the applicable proposed Technical Speci fication.
II.
By letter dated April 8, 1982, the licensee requested changes to the Proposed Technical Specifications, Appendix A for Three Mile Island, Unit 2 (TMI-2).
The licensee has requested NRC staff approval to allow the movement of an individual control rod (CR) or axial powgygshaping rod (APSR) for the purpose of gathering additional information on the condition of the core and to prepare the reactor vessel for head removal.
The staff agrees with the licensee that by moving an individual control rod or axial power shaping rod, more information on the core condition may be obtained.
Also, prior to head removal, it will be necessary to decouple the APSR lead screws.
This can most easily be accomplished if the rods are first fully inserted.
Therefore inserting the APSR's at this time on an individual basis is a step that must be performed sometime during the cleanup. The licensee has requested to do this step now and the staff concurs.
Presently section 3.1.3.1 of the Proposed Technical Specifications does not allow any movement and requires that all control rod drive breakers be open.
The staff has analyzed what the shutdown margin of the TMI-2 core would be assuming that there is no l
control material or poison in the core and concluded that by maintaining a
~
3000 ppm boron concentration, there is enough conservatism to assure that Keff will be less than 0.944.
Further analysis has shown that with a baron concentration of 3500 ppm, the core will remain subcritical with Keff <0.90 in any physically reasonable rearrangement of the fuel, even in the absence of all control material and burnable poisons.
Even though proposed Technical Specification 3.1.1.2 requires a minimum boron concentration of 3,000 ppm, the licensee has shown by sampling that the reactor coolant system has been consistently maintained at approximately 3800 ppm boron.
Therefore it is the staff's opinion that by moving a control rod or axial power shaping rod the shutdown margin will not be significantly affected.
It should also be noted that the change incorporates the requirement that all procedures that could result in CR or APSR movement will be reviewed and approved by NRC staff.
_ %9 Therefore, it is the staff's opinion that with the present baron concentration in the reactor coolant system, and the basis for which the 3000 ppm lower limit was derived in addition to all procedures for rod movement being approved by NRC staff, the proposed amendment of section 3.1.3.1 of the Proposed Technical Specifications is acceptable.
This change will not result in a significant I
increase in the probability or consequence of accidents previously considered nor a significant reduction in a margin of safety and does not therefore involve a significant hazards consideration.
The staff's safety assessment of this matter is set forth in the concurrently issued Safety Evaluation.
This evaluation concluded, in material part, that the modification does not involve a significant hazards consideration and that there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the modified manner.
Prior public
c 2.
4-s notice of this Amendment of Order is therefore not required and the action is effective upon issuance.
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It was further determined that the modificatiorr does not authorize' a. change in effluent types or total amounts nor an increase in power level and will not result in any significant environmental impact.
In light of this ddtemination, it was concluded that the instant action is insignificant from the standpoint of environmental impact and, pursuant to 10 CFR g51.5 (d)(4),
that an environmental impact statement or environmental impact appraisal need not be prepared herewith.
Accordingly,k ursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the p
Director's Order of February 11
, is hereby revised to incorporate the
- LA For deletions, additions, and modii._ations set forth in Attachment A hereto.
further details with respect to this action, see (1) Letter to B. Snyder, USNRC, from R. Arnold, Met-Ed/GPU, Technical Specification Change Request No. 37 dated April 8,1982 and (2) The Director's Order of February 11, 1980.
All of the above documents are available for inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room,1717, H Street, N.W.', Washington, D.C., and at the 1
l Commission's Local Public Document Room at the State Library of Pennsylvania, l
l Government Publications Section, Education Building, Commonwealth and Walnut l
Streets, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17126.,
1 l
l FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
&hk n
Harold R. Denton, Director l
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
(
Effective Date: May 17. 1987 l
Dated at Bethesda,~ Maryland