ML20059A633
| ML20059A633 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/22/1993 |
| From: | Borchardt R Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Quirk J GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. |
| References | |
| REF-QA-99900403 NUDOCS 9401030065 | |
| Download: ML20059A633 (3) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES eik"iE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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December 22, 1993 Docket Nos.52-001 and 99900403 Mr. Joseph Quirk GE Nuclear Energy 175 Curtner Avenue San Jose, California 95125
Dear Mr Quirk:
SUBJECT:
GE NUCLEAR ENERGY REPLY TO NOTICE OF NONCONTORMANCE (NRC INSPECTION REPORT N0. 99900403/93-02)
Thank you for your letter of November 24, 1993, in response to our letter dated October 28, 1993. We have reviewed your reply and generally find it responsive to the issues raised in the Notice of Nonconformance and the Unresolved Items, with the following exceptions. The staff is still concerned with the issues raised in Unresolved Item (93-02-08), considering the scarcity of information on supporting calculations located in the GE Nuclear Energy (GE-NE) design record files (DRFs) for those systems where the Japanese technical associates had the design lead. GE-NE had not documented a review of the supporting calculations for the reactor building cooling water system and the audit process of the technical associates had not examined the technical adequacy of the supporting calculations. This was identified as a program weakness in Section 3.9.7 of the above referenced inspection report.
It is still not clear to the staff how GE-NE has met the Chapter 17 SSAR commitment that GE-NE is responsible for the design and supporting calculations and records for the ABWR project.
As a result of our review of your reply to Nonconformance (93-02-01), we find that additional information and clarification is needed. The DRFs for the computer codes reviewed did not document adequate independent verification of code changes.
GE-NE's reply states that the cases noted in the nonconformance were not changes to existing code versions, but rather a creation of new versions.
If this in fact is the case, the team did not see adequate documentation of the testing of the new version of the code in the DRF. You should provide a comparison of the old version to the new version of the code and describe any testing done to verify the changed features and to verify the overall performance of the new code version, as required by GE-NE procedures when changes are madt. to existing design codes.. GE-NE should also add to the ORF, documentation of independent assessments performed after the design i
review, such as compar_ison to internal pump plant data.
In your reply to Nonconformance (93-02-02) you stated that you performed a sensitivity study on the input for the flow area of the reactor internal recirculation pumps and the results indicated that the calculated minimum A
l downcomer water level for the SAFER LOCA was not sensitive to this parameter.
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The staff is not able to conclude that this sensitivity study is sufficient.
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9401030065 931222 PDR GA999 ENVGENE 99900403 PDR i
Mr. Joseph Quirk
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December 22, 1993 Spocifically, we request you evaluate the sensitivity of the peak cladding i
temperature (PCT) for the LOCA with the highest PCT, while varying the pump flow area.
Also, as a result of our review of your reply to Nonconformance (93-02-04), we
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find that additional clarification is also needed here.
It is our understanding that the thermocouples were used for more than just detecting boiling transition.
In fact, GE-NE used the thermocouple measurements to compare experimental rod temperatures to SAFER temperature predictions and has direct comparisons between SAFER and FIST temperatures versus time in your i
Code Qualification Document (CQD).
Please address the effects of questionable thermocouple calibration on these parametric comparisons.
As stated in our letter dated October 28, 1993, the overall impact of these testing nonconformances is not expected to impact design certification because of the large margins which existed between earlier LOCA calculations and i
allowable values. }lowever, these nonconformances raise questions regarding the completeness of information supporting your application and should be i
l promptly resolved.
Please provide the additional information within 25 days j
of the date of this letter.
In accordance with 10 CFR Fart 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy i
of this letter and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC's Public Document
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Room.
i Should you have any questions concerning this inspection, we will be pleased to discuss them with you.
Sincerely,
."Borchar"dY,Nirector Standardization Project Directorate Associate Directorate for Advanced Reactors and License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DISTRIBUTION:
OFFICIAL RECORD COPY l
l VIB R/F DRIL R/F (DOCKET 2 FILES /CENTRALLFILES/PDR-DCrutchfield CPoslusny SNinh PShea AThadani/MVirgilio DMcPherson RJones GThomas JWilson RCaruso JStaudenmeier RBarrett l
RElliott GZech RGramm WRussell BSheron/TKing LShotkin JHan MFinkelstein, 15B18 AGody, Jr., 17G21 ACRS (11)
RBorchardt WTravers i
o SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\MCINTYRE\\GE-ABWR.RPY 0FFICE VIB/DRIL RPEB/DRIL SRXB/NRR VIB/DRIL VIB/DRIL ASG/NRR NAME RMcIntyre*
RGramm*
GThomas*
UPotapovs*
LNorrholm*
JStaudenmeier*
j DATE 12/15/93 12/15/93 12/15/93 12/15/93 12/16/93 12/16/93 l
COPY DOC YES YES YES YES YES YES NAME SRXB/NRR DRIL/NRR DSSA/NRR ADT/NRR PDST/NRh NAME RJones*
CERossi*
ATHadani*
WRussell*
WRBo/clardt*
DATE 12/16/93 12/16/93 12/16/93 12/22/93 12/hY/93 ThES)
NO COPY DOC YES YES YES YES N0 E
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Mr. Joseph Quirk Docket No.52-001 GE Nuclear Energy and 9900403 cc:
Mr. Steven A. Hucik Mr. Raymond Ng GE Nuclear Energy 1776 Eye Street, N.W.
~l 175 Curtner Avenue, Mail Code 782 Suite 300 San Jose, California 95125 W2shington, D.C.
20026 Mr. L. Gifford, Program Manager Mr. Victoi G. Snell, Director-Regulatory Programs Safety and Licensing t
GE Nuclear Energy AECL Technologies 12300 Twinbrook Parkway 9210 Corporate Boulevard.
Suite 315 Suite 410 Rockville, Maryland 20852 Rockville,-Maryland 20850 Director, Criteria & Standards Division Mr. Joseph R. Egan Office of Radiation Programs Shaw, Pittman, Potts, & Trowbridge
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2300 N Street, N.W.
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.
20037-1138 Washington, D.C.
20460 Mr. Sterling Franks U.S. Department of Energy l
NE-42 Washington, D.C.
20585 Marcus A. Rowden, Esq.
i Fried, Frank, Harris,. Shriver & Jacobson 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 800 Washingtoti, D.C.
20004 Jay M. Gutierrez, Esq.
Newman & Holtzinger, P.C.
1615 L Street, N.W.
Suite 1000 Washington, D.C.
20036 Mr. Steve Goldberg Budget Examiner 725 17th Street, N.W.
Room 8002 Washington, D.C.
20503 Mr. Frank A. Ross U.S. Department of Energy, NE-42 Office of LWR Safety and Technology 19901 Germantown Road Germantown, Maryland 20874
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