ML20059G760
| ML20059G760 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | McGuire  |
| Issue date: | 08/28/1990 |
| From: | Lainas G Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | DUKE POWER CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20059G757 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9009130136 | |
| Download: ML20059G760 (5) | |
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[M90-01]
3 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION v.
In the Matter of i
DUKE POWER COMPANY Docket No. 50-369
-(McGuireNuclearStation, Unit 1) f+
D.
EXEMPTION RECARDING SCHEDULE FOR CONTAINNENT INTEGRATED I
f LEAK RATL TE5TS l
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1.
i Duke Power Company (the licensee) is the holder of Facility Operating License No. NPF-9 which authorizes operation of the McGuire Nuclei.r Station, Unit 1 (the facility) at steady state reactor power levels not in excess of 3411 negawatts thermal. The f acility censists of a pressurized water reactor i
k' located at_ the licensee's site in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. A
!D.
Second pressurized water reactor located at this site is not affected by this exemption. The license provides, among other things, that it is subject to 1.
all rules, regulations and orders of the Nuclear Regulatory Comission (the Commission)neworhereafterineffect.
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II.
Section!!!.D.I(a)ofAppendixJto10CFRPart50requiresthedevelopment of a program censisting of a schedule for periodic retesting the overall L-
. integrated. leakage rete of t'
'i^ ' y reactor containrxnt (i.e., Type A-i tests). This section specifi-N the preoperational Icatage rate tests, a set of three Type A e perforrmed "at approxilaately equal
-intervals during each 10-year sen.
.er. 4 The third test of each set is required to be conducted "when the plat is s'. -dowr for the 10-year plant inservice' inspections" required by 10 CFR 50.55a.
9009130136 900828
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-PDR ADOCK 05000369 P
III.
By letter dated February 20, 1990, the licensee, Duke Power Company, requested a one-time exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix J, I
Section III.D 1.(a) regarding the Periodic Type A (containment integrated leak rate test) test schedule for the McGuire Nuclear Station, Unit 1.
The licensee t
requested a one-time exemption for the scheduling of the third periodic Type A test.. Appendix J requires that this test be performeo curing the 10-year inserviceinspection(ISI)' outage. The requested exemption would permit continued performance of Type A testing at the 40110-month interval presently required by the plant Technical Specifications (TSs) with three tests required every 10 years.
The proposed change would only relieve the licensee f rem the requirement of a Type A test during the first 10-year ISI outage.
During the second 10-year service period, the licensee will be able to schedule the third Type A test to correspond with the ISI outage as required by Appendix J.
The licensee also submitted proposed changes to the McGuire TSs to reflect the requested exemption.
3 IV.
Section III.D.I.(a) of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50 states that a set of three Type A tests shall be perf ormed "at approximately equal intervals"
' during each 10-year service period. The third test of each set shall be conducted "when the plant is shutdown for the 10-year plant inservice inspections." The McGuire TSs repeat these requirements, except that "approximately equal intervals" is replaced with a more explicit interval, 40 1 10 months, t
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The licensee subantted a proposed Type A test schedule based on a 40 z 10-month interval as required by the McGuire TSS. This schedule includes the tentative dates for Type A testing for the first two 10-year service periods, i
i As scheduled, tht third periodic Type A test for McCuire Unit I will be perforned during the End-of-Cycle 6 (EOC 6) refueling outage in 1990. The follcwing test, which would be the first test in tie second 10-year service period, would be performed during the EOC 9 refueling outage in 1994.
By the proposed schedule, the test interval of 40 1 10 months would be i
maintained in accore nce with the TSs.
The McGuire TS requirements presently conflict with requirenents for the a
' scheduled performance for the Type A testing delineated in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, for performing the third Type A lt.tk rate testing during the 10-year ' ISI. The first 10-year ISI is scheduled to occur during the EOC 7 L
refueling outage.
Performing the test at that time would exceed the 50-month j
maximum interve) 4110wed by the TSs. Type A testing during both the E00 6 and EOC 7 outages would be necessary if the requested exemption is not granted.
Results of previous tests demonstrate that changes in overall containment l
1eakage' rates occur over the course of several years and, therefore, are unlikely to be revealed over a one-year test interval. Moreover, performance l'
l of. Type A tests during two successive refueling outages, (e.g., during the EOC 6 1
end E00 7 outages) woulo be both excerf.ive and unnecessary.
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,4, Granting the exemption would result in nearly equal intervals batween tests, keep the testing within the 40 :t 10-month interval, and eventually result in the sixth periodic test occurring during the second 10-year 151 outage, consistent with Appendix J.
The Consission's staff considers the requirement that the third test occur during the 10-year 151 cutage to be of minimal safety significance when compared to the actual interval between tests.
The licensee's proposal maintains the appropriate interval between tests for er.suring containrrent leakage integrity. As further evidence of this, the sttff has proposed a revision to Appendix J (51 FR 39533, Octobcr 29, 1986) that would eliminate the requirenant that the third Type A tast per 10-year service period coincide with the 10-year 151. The staff, therefore, tii.d: +ha requested exemption and associated TS change to be acceptable.
V.
The Comission has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1) this exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent with the conson defense and security. The Comission further determines that special circumstances, as provided in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii), are present justifyire the exemption, namely, that application of the regulation in the particular circumstances is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. The underlying purpose of the rule is to require Type A leak r6te testing of the containment at periodic intervals sufficient to determine whether there has been degradation of containment leakage characteristics and to provide a basis for predicting future containu nt integrity. The test schedule to be implemented by the licensee
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under the exempted regulation is sufficient to achieve this underlying purpose in that.it provides for tests at appropriate intervals.
Accordir, gly, the Commissior hereby grants an exemption as described in Section III above from Section III.D.I.(a) of Appendix 0 to 10 CFR Part 50 to the effect that the Type A test on McGuire Unit 1, that would otherwise be j
scheduled for the 10-year 151 outage (EOC 7,1991), is authorized to be 1
performed instead during the Unit i E00 6 outage in 1990.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the gr6nting
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of this Exemption will not have a significant impact on the environment i
(August-24,1990,55FR34782).
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This Exemption is effective upon issuance.
J FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY C0WilSS10N e e,-
. Gus C.
ainas, Acting Director
' Division of Reactor Projects - I/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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i Dated at Rockville, Maryland this ' 28th day of August, 1990.
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