ML20113G539

Application for Amend to License DPR-24,to Rescind Addl Operational Conditions Re Degraded Steam Generators Imposed by 791130 Confirmatory Order.Fee Paid

ML20113G539
Person / Time
Site:	Point Beach
Issue date:	01/11/1985
From:	Fay C WISCONSIN ELECTRIC POWER CO.
To:	Harold Denton, John Miller Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
TAC-56868, NUDOCS 8501240396
Download: ML20113G539 (4)

Text

..

Wisconsin Electnc mea couesur 231 W. MICHIGAN, P.O. BOX 2046, MILWAUKEE, WI 53201 January 11, 1985 CERTIFIED MAIL Mr. H. R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20555 Attention: Mr . J . R. Miller, Chief Operating Reactors, Branch 3 Gentlemen:

DOCKET NO. 50-266 FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE DPR-24 LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO RESCIND OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS OF CONFIRMATORY ORDERS IMPOSED DUE TO DEGRADED STEAM GENERATORS -

POINT BEACH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 1 In accordance with 10 CFR 50.59 and 50.90, Wisconsin Electric Power Company (Licensee) hereby requests an amendment to Facility Operating License DPR-24 for Point Beach Nuclear Plant Unit 1. The purpose of this amendment is to rescind the conditions originally imposed on Point Beach Unit 1 by Confirmatory Order for Modification of License dated November 30, 1979 and Order Modifying Confirmatory Order dated January 3, 1980.

Additional operational conditions were proposed in 1979 to provide assurance that Unit 1 would continue to operate safely following the inservice inspections of the Point Beach Unit 1 steam generators during the August 1979 and October 1979 outages.

Those inspections had indicated extensive intergranular attack and caustic stress corrosion cracking on certain of the external surfaces of the steam generator tubes. License No. DPR-24 was amended to include the following conditions by Confirmatory Order for Modification of License dated November 30, 1979:

1. a) Within 30 effective full-power days, a 2,000 psid primary-to-secondary hydrostatic test and a 800 psid secondary-to-primary hydrostatic test will be performed. Should any significant leakage develop as a result of either test, the leaking tubes will be identified and plugged.

8501240396 850111 gg PDR ADOCK 05000266 P PDR Lf'OO 95 ,es,c5?/y

p , -

n Mr. H. R. Denton January 11, 1985 i

b) within 60 effective full-power days, the same primary-to-secondary and secondary-to-primary

~ hydrostatic tests will be repeated, and an eddy current program will be submitted to the NRC for staff review.

2. Primary coolant activity for Point Beach Nuclear L Plant Unit 1 will be limited in accordance with l the provisions of Sections'3.4.8 and 4.4.8 of the l Standard Technical Specifications for Westinghouse l Pressurized Water Reactors, Revision 2, July 1979, j rather than Technical Specification 15.3.1.C.

[ 3. Close surveillance of primary-to-secondary leakage will be continued and the reactor will be shut down for tube-plugging on detection and confirmation of any of the following conditions:

a) Sudden primary-to-secondary leakage of 150 gpd

(0.1 gpm) in either steam generator.

b) Any primary-to-secondary leakage in excess of 250 gpd (0.17 gpm) in either steam generator.

c) An upward trend in primary-to-secondary leakage in excess of 15 gpd (0.01 gpm) per day.when l- measured primary-to-secondary leakage is above  !

l 150 gpd. i

-4. The reactor will be shut down, any leaking steam generator tubes' plugged, and an eddy current examination performed if any of the following conditions are present:

a) Confirmation of primary-to-secondary leakage in l

either. steam 'generntor -in excess of. 500 gpd -(0.35 gpm) .

I b) Any two identified leaking tubes in any 20 -

calendar' day period.

This eddy current program w'll i be submitted to the NRC for staff review. 1

5. The NRC staff will be provided with a summary of the results of the eddy current examination' performed

! under items 1 and 4 above, including a description of l' -the quality. assurance program covering tube _ examination and plugging. This summary will include a photograph r of the tubesheet of each steam generator which will verify the location of tubes which have been. plugged.

t >

- , . . - . . . . ~. ~ - - _ _ . - - - . - ~ - - -~

p 1: l...

.Mr. H. R.-Denton January 11, 1985-L

6. The licensee will not resume operation after the

- eddy current examinations required to be-performed

in accordance with condition 1.b) or 4 until the

-Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation determines in writing that the results of such tests are acceptable.

! 7. The licensee will complete a review of Emergency l Operating Procedure 3A, Revision 9, dated March 29, ,

-1978, confirm that-this procedure is appropriate i for use in the' case of a steam generator tube rupture,

! and have completed a retraining program for all licensed reactor operators and senior reactor operators ,

in this procedure before return to power.

8. Unit'l will not be operated with more than 18%.of tubes i

plugged in either steam generator.

L 2 (License No. DPR-24-was further amended by order Modifying

! Confirmatory Order dated January 3,1980 as follows:)

a 9. Unit 1 will:be operated at a reactor coolant pressure i of 2000 psia with the associated parameters-(i.e.,

- overtemperature AT and' low pressurd er pressure trip j point) with limits indicated in the Safety Evaluation

Report appended to the Orders.

! 10. 'The licensee shall develop and follow the necessary procedures for operating Unit 1 at the conditions described in Condition 1 above.

L -These license' conditions'have been satisfied. Items 1,-

i . 5, 6, 7, and 10 were completed within the time periods specified i - and, except for the' portions of items.5 and 6 which relate-to^ i

. . itent 4, are no longer relevant. Items'2 and 9 have'been incor--

porated into the Point Beach Nuclear'-Plant Technical Specifications. -

s 1

v As you know, th'e Unit l~ steam generator lowerc assemblies

- were replaced during a. refueling and maintenance' outage from t October 1983 to March 1984. The replacement steam generator s

lower assemblies essentially duplicate the physical characteristics of'the original units and' include' additional features which increase the operating reliability'and reduce the potential for-j~ corrosion of'the steam generator components. Accordingly, the degraded condition of the ' Point Beach Unit 1 steam ' generators which necessitated these Confirmatory Orders no' longer exists.

Consequently, the remaining conditions of Confirmatory Order i for Modification of License dated November 30, 1979 no longer L are necessary to assure safe operation of Point Beach Nuclear  ;

- Plant Unit 1 and should be rescinded as conditions of License >

- No. DPR-24.

4 4

-#m a v we " w e- e.--,,,.-%  %%-,_w.w.,e,. ,r ,m, ,.,,,.~%,g _ , , _ , _ . - _ .e.y_m , y r,r,,.,,g,,ye.. m,,, _ , , _ _ _ . _ _ ,

l

, l Mr. H. R. Denton January ll, 1985 Using the standards and criteria specified in 10 CFR 50.92, we have determined that the action proposed by this amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. As discussed above, License No. DPR-24 was amended by Confirmatory Orders with conditions to provide assurance of the continued safe operation of Point Beach Nuclear Plant Unit 1 with steam generators which had exhibited tube degradation. The original Unit 1 steam generator lower assemblies have been replaced. Thus, the integrity of j the. primary pressure boundary of the steam generator tubes I has been restored to the integrity of the primary pressure boundary of the original steam generators before the onset of the tube degradation. Rescinding the conditions of the Confirmatory Orders as requested above would only eliminate those conditions which were specifically instated to provide j assurance that Point Beach Nuclear Plant could continue to i operate safely with steam generators in a degraded condition.

Accordingly, we believe that the proposed amendment to License DPR-24 for the operation of Point Beach Nuclear Plant Unit 1 does not constitute a significant hazards consideration.

As discussed in 48 Federal Register 14864, the NRC has provided guidance of examples of amendments that are not likely to involve significant hazards consideration. These circumstances also satisfy one of those examples, specifically, "A relief granted upon demonstration of acceptable operation from an operating restriction that was imposed because acceptable operation was not yet demonstrated."

Enclosed with this request is a check in the amount of

$150 for the application fee required by 10 CFR 170.

In accordance with Commission regulations, enclosed are three signed originals and, under separate cover, forty copies ,

of this amendment application. Please. contact us if you have any j questions. i 1

Very truly yours, k-Vice President-Nuclear Power j C. W. Fay -

l Enclosure (Check No. 825714) l

' Copies to NRC Resident Inspector R. S. Cullen, PSCW l l

Subscribe and sworn to before me this /V day of January 1985.

bb'sh,}//.

~ Notary Public, State op/ Wisconsin My Commission expires )$w V //[i[. l

!'. - . _ .