ML20056F528

Forwards SE Re Licensee Response to Reg Guide 1.97, BWR Neutron Flux Monitoring. Criteria of NEDO-31558,acceptable for Current BWR Operating License & Const Permit Holders

ML20056F528
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	08/11/1993
From:	Eaton R Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Boulette E BOSTON EDISON CO.
Shared Package
ML20056F529	List: ML20056F528 ML20056F530
References
RTR-REGGD-01.097, RTR-REGGD-1.097 GL-82-33, TAC-M77660, NUDOCS 9308300013
Download: ML20056F528 (5)

Text

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! E UNITED STATES i( j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

( s ., / WASHINGTON. O.C. 20555-0001 l

August 11, 1993 Docket No. 50-293 Mr. E. Thomas Boulette, PhD.

Senior Vice President - Nuclear l Boston Edison Company Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360 ,

l

SUBJECT:

REGULATORY GUIDE 1.97 - BOILING WATER REACTOR NEUTRON FLUX MONITORING (TAC NO. M77660)

Section 6.2 of Generic Letter 82-33 requests applicants and licensees to provide a report on their implementation of Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.97, i Revision 2, and methods for complying with the Commission's regulations i including supporting technical justification of any proposed deviations or l alternatives. A large number of deviation requests were received from boiling water reactor (BWR) applicants and licensees concerning neutron flux monitoring instrumentation. These requests were initially denied.

In support of these requests, the Boiling Water Reactor Owners Group (BWROG) submitted NED0-31558, " Position on NRC Regulatory Guide 1.97, Revision 3, Requirements for Post-Accident Neutron Monitoring System." NE00-31558 proposes alternate criteria for neutron flux monitoring instrumentation in lieu of the Category I criteria stated in RG 1.97.  !

l The staff has completed its evaluation of NED0-31558, and by letter dated January 13, 1993, to the BWROG, issued the enclosed safety evaluation (SE).

The SE concluded that, for current BWR operating license and construction permit holders, the criteria of NED0-31558 are acceptable. However, for new license applications for both conventional and advanced BWR designs, the RG 1.97 criteria must be met for neutron flux monitoring instrumentation. The staff further concluded that Category I neutron flux monitoring instrumentation is not needed for existing BWRs to cope with a loss-of-coolant accident, anticipated transient without scram, or other accidents that do not result in severe core damage conditions. Instrumentation to monitor the progression of core melt accidents is best addressed by the current severe ,

accident management program. I 1

You are requested to review your neutron flux monitoring instrumentation against the criteria of NED0-31558 to determine whether you meet these criteria, and provide a letter to the NRC documenting the results of your  !

review. If you do not meet the criteria, you should either make a commitment to meet the criteria and state when this commitment will be fulfilled, or explicitly state any deviations from the criteria and provide supporting justification. '

20 FILE CENTER C8M 9308300013 930811 PDR ADOCK 05000293 p PDR.

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.Mr. E. Thomas Boulette August 11, 1993 The criteria of NED0-31558 include the use of uninterruptible and reliable power sources. The BWROG and the staff agree that redundant neutron flux conitoring channels should be powered from different uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), so that loss of a single UPS would not cause the loss of all channels. You are, therefore, requested to perform a plant-specific evaluation to review the power supplies to neutron flux monitoring instrumentation, including recorders. This review should verify that power would not be lost during design basis events by load shedding logics or similar schemes, and that a single power supply failure would not cause the loss of all channels. The results of this review should be indicated in your response to the staff concerning this issue. l Since neutron flux monitoring instrumentation for BWRs is no longer considered to be Category 1 instrumentation, you may request the removal of neutron flux monitoring instrumentation from your post-accident monitoring technical i specifications (TS). If you wish to maintain a post-accident monitoring TS on l this instrumentation, you may do so. 1 i

Please notify the NRC, within 60 days of receipt of this letter, of the actions you plan to take and your schedule for implementation. If you have any questions regarding this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at (301) 504-3041.

This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number 3150-0011, which expires June 30, 1994. The estimated average number of burden hours is 8 person hours per owner response, including the time required to assess the new recommendatiens, search data sources, gather and analyze the data, and prepare the required letters. Comments on the accuracy of this estimate and suggestions to reduce the burden may be directed to the Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0011),

NE0B-3019, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503, and to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Information and Records Management Branch (MNBB 7714), Division of Information Support Services, Office of Information and Resources Management, Washington, DC 20555.

Sincerely, Original signed by: l Ronald B. Eaton, Senior Project Manager l Project Directorate I-3  !

Division of Reactor Projects - I/II l Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l

Enclosure:

Safety Evaluation cc w/ enclosure:

See next page DISTRIBUTION:

Docket: File JCalvo OGC JLinville, RI NRC & Local PDRs WButler AHansen PDI-3 Reading Slittle BMarcus .

SVarga REaton ,ACRS (10) l OFFICE PDI-3iLA PD/M' PDI-3:D, 4 NAME StiItle Rbthn:dt WButlerk [

DATE' O f / /93 h/b/93 1 /3 /93 0FFICIAL RECOPY COPY DOCUMENT NAME: A:\RGl.97

l Mr. E. Thomas Boulette ,

August 11, 1993 l

l The criteria of NED0-31558 include the use of uninterruptible and reliable i power sources. The BWROG and the staff agree that redundant neutron flux l monitoring channels should be powered from different uninterruptible power l supplies (UPS), so that loss of a single UPS would not cause the loss of all  !

channels. You are, therefore, requested to perform a plant-specific evaluation to review the power supplies to neutron flux monitoring instrumentation, including recorders. This review should verify that power 4 would not be lost during design basis events by load shedding logics or similar schemes, and that a single power supply failure would not cause the loss of all channels. The results of this review should be indicated in your  !

response to the staff concerning this issue.

Since neutron flux monitoring instrumentation for BWRs is no longer considered i to be Category 1 instrumentation, you may request the removal of neutron flux l monitoring instrumentation from your post-accident monitoring technical i specifications (TS). If you wish to maintain a post-accident monitoring TS on I this instrumentation, you may do so.  !

Please notify the NRC, within 60 days of receipt of this letter, of the actions you plan to take and your schedule for implementation. If you have any questions regarding this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at (301) 504-3041.

This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number

, 3150-0011, which expires June 30, 1994. The estimated average number of l burden hours is 8 person hours per owner response, including the time required to assess the new recommendations, search data sources, gather and analyze the l data, and prepare the required letters. Comments on the accuracy of this estimate and suggestions to reduce the burden may be directed to the Desk i Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (3150-0011),

l NE0B-3019, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503, and to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Information and Records Management Branch  ;

(MNBB 7714), Division of Information Support Services, Office of Information l and Resources Management, Washington, DC 20555.

Sincerely,

[h so ald B. Eaton, Senior Project Manager Project Directorate I-3 Division of Reactor Projects - I/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Safety Evaluation cc w/ enclosure:

See next page

l . ,

. l Mr. E. Thomas Boulette Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station '

l CC:

Mr. Edward S. Kraft, Mr. H. Vernon 0heim Vice President of Nuclear Manager, Reg. Affairs Dept.

, Operations & Station Director Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station ,

l Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station RFD #1 Rocky Hill Road RfD #1 Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360-Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360 Mr. David F. Tarantino Resident Inspector Nuclear Information Manager U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station RFD #1, Rocky Hill Road Post Office Box 867 Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360 Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360 Mr. Thomas Rapone Chairman, Board of Selectmen Secretary of Public Safety 11 Lincoln Street Executive Office of Public Safety Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360 One Ashburton Place Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Office of the Commissioner Massachusetts Department of Mr. David Rodham, Director Environmental Protection Massachusetts Emergency Management One Winter Street Agency Boston, Massachusetts 02108 400 Worcester Road 3 P.O. Box 1496 1 Office of the Attorney General Framingham, Massachusetts 01701-0317 One Ashburton Place Attn: James Mackerheide 20th Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Chairmen, Citizens Urging Responsible Energy Mr. Robert M. Hallisey, Director P. O. Box 2621 Radiation Control Program Duxbury, Massachusetts 02331 Massachusetts Department of Public Health Citizens at Risk 305 South Street P. O. Box 3803 Boston, Massachusetts 02130 Plymouth, Massachusetts 02361 Regional Administrator, Region I W. S. Stowe, Esquire U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Boston Edison Company 475 Allendale Road B00 Boylston St., 36th Floor King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406 Boston, Massachusetts 02199 Mr. Paul J. Hamilton Licensing Division Manager Boston Edison Company 25 Braintree Hill Park Braintree, Massachusetts 02184 l

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