ML20070J123
| ML20070J123 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Sequoyah  |
| Issue date: | 03/05/1991 |
| From: | Donohew J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20070J126 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9103150276 | |
| Download: ML20070J123 (8) | |
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7590-01
.s UNITED STATES NUCLEAR' REGULATORY COMMISSION r
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY DOCKET'NO. 50-328-NOTICE OF CCNSIDERATION OF ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT TO-FACILITY OPERATING LICFNSE AND PROPOSED NO SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS CONSIDE N TION DETERMINATION AND OPPORTUhlTY FOR HEARING' The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Corr.ission) is considering issuance of an amendmer.t to Facility Operating License No. DPR-79 issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority (the licensee) for operation of Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, which is located in Hamilton Ccunty, Tennessee.
The proposed amendment, in the licensee's letter dated February 14, 1991, would modify Section 3/4.5.1.1, Cold Leg Injection Accumulators, of the SequoyahNuclearPlant, Unit 2,TechnicalSpecifications(TSs). The change.
would reduce the required boron concentrttion for one of the four cold leg i
i injectionaccumulatorsfrombetween2,400and2,700partspermillion(ppm)-
boron to between 1,900 and:2,700 ppm boron.
This would reduce the frequency at which the Unit 2 cold leg accumulator No.- 3 is being removed from service for l
periodic craindowns and refills. This periodic evolution has been necessary as a result of a continuing small-rcactor coolant inleakage into the accumulator on the order of 0.1 to 0.2 gallon.per minute.. The' licensee requested an' expeaited review so that' this -relief may be implergented as soon as pcssible.
The change would be.only for the current Unit 2 Cycle 5 operation. Unit-2.is scheduled to shut down for the Unit 2 Cycle 5 ' refueling outage in early October 1991.
l 9103150276 910313 PDR.ADOCK 05000328 p
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Before issuance of the proposed license amendment, the Comission will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act) and the Commission's regulations.
The Congnission has made a proposed determination that the request for amendment involves no significant hazards consideration.
Under the Comis-sion's regulations in 10 CFR 50.92, this means that operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment would not (1) inycive e significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety. The Comission's prcposed determination is based on the licensee's evaluation of the proposed amendment agair.st the criteria in 10CFR50.92(c). The licensee concluded in its application that the proposed amendment did not represent a significant hazards consideration because the prcpesed amendment will not:
1.
Involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
The char.ge of boron concentration requiremerts for a cold leg injection accumulator (CLA) cannot increase the probability of an accident because the CI A only provides accident mitigation functions and the boron concentration of a CLA cannot initiate any design basis accident.
The consequences of an accident will not be increased as demonstrated in Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Safety Evaluation Checklist (SECL)90-631. This SECL evaluates all affected design basis accidents and verifies the acceptability of having one CLA at 1,900 parts per million (ppm) boron concentration with respect to the safety analysis. Additionally, if no changes were implemented, the CLA availability for accident mitigation would be reduced and thereby increase the possibility that the consequences of an accident could be increased.
Therefore, this change will reduce the possibility that the consequences of an accident will be increased.
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Create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously analyzed.
CLA boron concentration chaages cannot create any accident. The CLA boron concentration requirements in the TS are for accident mitigation purposes only and therefore would not contribute to the creation of any accident previously enalyzed or not.
3.
Involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.
The decrease from 2,400- to 1,900-ppm boron concentration for one CLA does not irapart any margin of safety. This boron reduction is accept-able because extra conservatism exists in the present CLA boron concentration TS requirements. The changes to increase the minimum CLA boron concentration to 2,400 ppm employed the strategy to select the highest possible boron concentration to bound SQN Cycle 5 design-charges and accommodate future fuel reloads. This provides CLA boron concentrations well above that required for the margin of safety.
This decrease in CLA boron concentration reduces the available margin of the 180-ppm, mixed mean sump boron concentration to maintain the core subcritical by apprcximately 5 ppm. Therefore, additional conservttism exists in CLA boron concentration that will allow the reduction to 1,900-ppm bcron without affecting the reouired margin of safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's no significant hazards con-sideration determination and agrees with the licensee's determination. There-fore, based on the above considerations, the Commission has'made a proposed determination that the amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration.
The Commission is seeking public comments on this proposed determination.
Any cottents received within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice will be considered in making any final determination. The Commission will not normally make a final determination unless it receives a' request for a hearing.
Written cor'ments may be submitted by mail to the Regulatory Publications Branch, Division of Freedom of Information and Publications Services, Office of-Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C.
20555,-
cnd should cite the publication date and page number of this FEDERAL REGISTER 1
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4-notice. Written comments may also be delivered to Room P-223, Phillips Building, 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Copies of written comments received may be examined at the NRC Public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street,-N.W., Washington, D.C.
The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to intervene is discussed below.
By April 10, 1991, the licensee may file a request for a hearing with respect to issuance of the amendment to the subject facility operating license and any person whose interest may be affected by this procet oit.g cnd who wishes to participate _ as a party in the proceeding must file a written petition for leave to intervene.
Request-for a hearing and petitions for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's " Rules of Practice for Dorxstic Licensing Proceedings" in 10 CFR Part 2.
Interested persons should consult a current copy of 10 CFR I.714 which is available at the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, N.W.,
Wdshington, D.C. 20555 and at the Local Public Document Room located at-the-Chattanooga-Hamilton County Library,1001 Broad Street, Chattanuoga, Tennessee 37402.
If a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is filed by the above date, the Commissico or du Atomic Safety and Licensing Board,-
designated by the Commission or by the Chairman of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition and the Secretary or the designated Atomic Safety-and Licensing _ Board will issue a notice of hecring or an appropriate order.
As required by 10 CFR Section 2.714, a petition for leave to intervene shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of the pro-ceeding. The petition should specifically explain the reasons why intervention
should be permitted with particular reference to the following factors:
(1) the nature of the petitioner's right under the Act to be made party to the proceeding; (2) the nature and axtent of the petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (3) the possible effect of any order which may be entered in the proceeding on the petitioner's interest. The petition should also identify the specific aspect (s) of the subject matter of the proceeding as to which petitioner wishes to intervene. Any person who has filed a petition for leave to intervene or who has been admitted as a party may amend the petition without requesting leave of the Board up to fifteen (15) days prior to the first prehearing conference scheduled in the proceeding, but such an anended petition trust satisfy the specificity requirements described above.
Not later than fif teen (15) days prior to the first prehearing conference scheduled in the proceeding, a petitioner shall file a supplement to the petition to intervene which must include a list of the contentions which are sought te be litigated in the I:atter. Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue et law or fact to be raised or cortroverted.
In addition, the petitioner shall provide a brief explanation of the bases of the contenticr. ard a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which the petitioner intends to rely in provir.g the contention at the hearing. The petitioner must also provide
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i references to those specific sources and documents of which the petitioner is aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts or expert opinien.
Petitioner must provide sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact.
Contentions shall be limited to matters within the scope of the amendment
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under consideration. The contention must be one which, if proven, would entitit the petitioner to relief. A petitioner who fails to file such a supplement which satisfies these requirements with respect to at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, and have the opportu-nity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing, including the opportu-nity to present evidence and crcss-examine witnesses.
If a hearing is requested, the Comission will make a final determination on the issue of no significant hazards consideration. The final determination will serve to decide when the hearing is held.
If the final determination is that the request for amendment invelves no significant hazards consideration, the Commission may issue the amendment and make it effectivt, notwithstanding the request for a hearing. Any hearing held would take place af ter issuance of the arrendment.
If a final determination is that the amendment involves a significant hazards consideration, any hearing held would take place before the issuance of l
any amendment.
Norm 11y, the Comission will not issue the amendment until the expiration of the 30-day notice period. However, should circumstances change during the notice period such that failure to act in a timely way would result, for example, ir, derating or shutdown of the facility, the Commission may issue the license amendment before the expiration of the 30-day notice period, provided j
that its final determination is that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration. The final determination will consider all public and State coments received. Should the Comission take this action,-it will-i i
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7-publish a notice of issuance and provide for opportunity for a hearing af ter issuance. The Comission expects that the need to take this action will occur very inf requently.
A request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene must be filed with the Secretary of the Comission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, D.C. 20555, Attention: Docketing and Services Branch, or may be delivered to the Comission's public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
20555, by the above date. Where peti-tions are filed during the last ten (10) days of the notice period, it is requested that the petitioner promptly so inform the Comission by a toll-free telephone call to Western Union at 1-(800)325-6000(inMissouri 1-(800)342-6700).
The Western Union operator should be given Datagram Identification Number 3737 and the follcwing message addressed to Mr. Frederick J. Hebdon, Director, project Directorate 11-4:
(petitioner's name and telephone number), (date petitionwasmailed),(plantname),and(publicationdateandpagenumber of this FEDERAL REGISTER notice). A copy of the pctition should also be sent to the Office of the General Ccunsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Cormission, Washirgton, D.C. 20555, and to the General Counsel, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Sumit Drive, E11 B33, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902, attorney for the licensee.
Nontimely filings of petitions for leave to intervene, amended petitions, supplemental petitions and/or requests for hearing will.not be entertained absent a determination by the Commissien, the presiding officer or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition and/or request should be granted based upon a balancing cf the factors specified in 10 CFR 2.714(a)(1)(1)-(v) and2.714(d).
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s e For further details with respect to this action, see the application for amendment dated February 14, 1991, which is available for public inspection at i
the Comission's Public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, It.W., Washington, D.C. 20555 and at the Local Public Documtnt Room located at the Chattanooga-Hamilten County Library, 2001 Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 5th day of March.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION r
nager Project Directorate II-A Division of Reactor Projects - 1/11 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 0
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