ML20062E045

Discusses 901106 Meeting Re Alternative Tube Plugging Criteria for Facility Steam Generators

ML20062E045
Person / Time
Site:	Farley
Issue date:	11/13/1990
From:	Varga S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Hairston W ALABAMA POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 9011190225
Download: ML20062E045 (4)

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISS10N

'i' WASHINGTON, D. C. 20$$$ .

k...*,o#) November 13, 1990 Docket No. 50-364 Mr. W. G. Hairston III L Senior Vice President u Alabama Power Company 1 40 Inverness Center Parkway L Post Office Box 1295 Birmingham, Alabama 35201 -

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SUBJECT:

STEAM GENERATOR TUBE' PLUGGING CRI'TERIA FOR JOSEPH M. FARLEY l NUCLEAR' PLANT, UNIT 2 l 1' 1 On .Novmber 6,1990, we met with your staff-to discuss alternative tube l

' plugging criteria for. the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant (Farley), Unit 2, steam generators. During the meeting, your staff presented information to l support your proposed future request for approval of the following: 1

1. - A110w'65 tubeg to remain in service with known axial, primary water stress corrosion cracks in the expansion zone region of the tube sheet.. These cracks exceed the requirements- of your Technical Specification for tube. plugging. Your justification for this request .

is based on a limited application of a new plugging criteria being l submittedtotheNRCbytheElectricPowerResearchInstitute(EPRI).

2. Continue to apply the 1.75 volt criteria for tube plugging applied by Alabama Power Company for outside diameterstress (00) previously.

corrosion cracks in the tube support plate region. Your justifi-cation, as described at' the meeting, is based on Farley operating ,

history and industry data that, at this voltage, even through-wall l cracks demonstrated no leakage, and on a current program by EPRI to develop new plugging criteria for OD cracks in the tube support plate region.

.You further stated at-the meeting, that you anticipated a need for NRC approval of-the:above by November 18,1990,- to avoid any significant impact to your

. current outage schedule.

We appreciate the value of your efforts to identify and control otential degradation mechanisms in your steam generators. We also acknow edge your efforts to investigate application of the new EPRI tube plugging criteria at i Farley, Unit 2. Futura disdussions between the NRC and the industry are I i planned on this issue subsequent to EPRI's formal submittal of the criteria and the staff's review.. However, we do not believe that we can adopt your proposal at-this time for the following reasoni:

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,-Mr. Hairston 2

3. The EPRI report, including detailed justifications, on which you base your proposal in Item 1 above, is not scheculed to be submitted to us until December 1990, and the new EPRI criteria for the tube support plate region (Item 2 above) are under development and may not be

, submitted for another year.

2. The new EPRI criteria for tube plugging are a radical departure from the current criteria and will require careful review by the NRC

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before acceptance. This may require a lengthy review and could not be accomplished on the schedule you requested, even if the documents >

1 were currently available. '

3. The use of the 1.75 volt criteria is unproven and rareviewed by the NRC.

4 Your request would allow plant operation with po'.entially known through. wall cracks and associated leakage. We do not believe there o is, at this time, adequate assurance of safe 09eration in such a degraded condition.

The basis for our position was discussed by telephone with your representative

-on November 9, 1990. Therefore, decisions regarding repair of the Farley, Unit

2 steam generators must utilize the tube plugging criteria as currently e; contained in the Technical Specifications.

Copies of the presentation materials from the November 6,=1990, meeting were .,

marked proprietary by Westinghouse. As requested in Westinghouse's November 2, i 1990, letter we are withholding disclosure of the material. Upon receipt of-the submittals required by 10 CFR 2.790, a copy of the non-proprietary version.

.will be included with the minutes of the November 6, 1990, meeting.-

y Sincerely, v l Original Signed By:

Steven A..Varga, Director Division of Reactor Projects - 1/11 Office of Nuclear Reactor _ Regulation

.cs: See next page-DISTRIBUTION See attached page> l l- -

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DATE :11/la/90 :11/ /3 /90 :11 A% - /90

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11/0/90 :11/h /90 - :11/V5/90 4)

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY  !

' Document Name: LTR HAIRSTON APC0 l i

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Mr. W. G.' Hairston, III Alabama Power Company Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant CC:

Mr. R. P. Mcdonald Resident Inspector Executive Vice President U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Nuclear Operations P. O. Box 24 - Route 2 Alabama Power Company Columbia, Alabama 36319 P. O. Box 1295 Birmingham, Alabama 35201 Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Mr. B. L. Moore 101 Marietta Street, Suite 2900

.Panager, Licensing Atlanta, Georgia 30323 Alabama Power Company P. O. Box 1295 Chairman Birmingham, Alabama 35201 , Houston County Comission Dothan, Alabama 36301 '

Mr. Louis B. Long, General Manager Southern Company Services, Inc. Claude Earl Fox M.D.

Houston County Comission StateHealthOfficer P. 0. Box 2625 . State Department of Public Health l Birmingham, Alabama 35?O2 State Office Building i Montgomergy, Alabama 36130 j

Mr. D. N. Morey General Manager - Farley, Nuclear Plant Mr. James H, Miller, 111. Esq.

P. O. Box 470. Balch and Bingham

'Ashford.' Alabama 36317 P. O. Box 306 1710 Sixth Avenue North

.Mr. J. D. Woodward Birmingham,. Alabama 35201 Vice-President - Nuclear Farley' Project Alabama Power Company P. O. Box 1295 1 '

Birmingham,. Alabama 35201

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/ DISTRIBUTION

, _MITlT NRC PDR Local POR S. Varga 14-E-4 G. 1.ainas 14-H-3 E. Adensam 14-B-20 l..- Reyes Rll P; Anderson 14-B-20 S. Hoffman 14-B-20

. 0GC (For inform. Only) 15-B-18 E. Jordan. NNBB-3302  ;

J. Richardson C. Cheng K. Wichman E. Murphy.

. . M. Caruso

. J. Partlow

' ACRS.(10). P-315 4

, farley File i

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