ML20127E167
| ML20127E167 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Millstone  |
| Issue date: | 01/11/1993 |
| From: | Varga S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | CONNECTICUT YANKEE ATOMIC POWER CO., NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20127E154 | List: |
| References | |
| IEIN-85-071, IEIN-85-71, NUDOCS 9301190186 | |
| Download: ML20127E167 (5) | |
Text
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p' UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of
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NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY COMPANY
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Docket No. 50-245
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(Millstone Nuclear Power Station,
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Unit 1)
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EXEMPT 198 I.
The Northeast Nuclear Energy Company (NNECO, the licensee) is the holder of Facility Operating License No. DPR-21 which authorizes operation of Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1.
The license provides, among other things, that Millstone Unit 1 is subject to all rules, regulations, and Orders of the Commission now or hereafter in-effect.
The plant is a multi-unit boiling water reactor at the licensee's site located in New London County, Connecticut.
II.
One of the cos.ditions of all operating licenses for water-cooled power reactors, as specified in 10 CFR 50.54(o), is that primary reactor containments shall meet the containment leakage test requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J.
More specifically the following section requires that:
9301190186 930111
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10 CFR part 50. Appendix J.Section III.A.6.(b)
If two consecutive periodic Type A tests fail to meet the applicable acceptance criteria in Ill.A 5.(b), notwithstanding the periodic retest schedule of Ill.D, a Type A test shall be performed at each plant shutdown for refueling or approximately every 18 months, whichever occurs first, until two consecutive Type A tests meet the acceptance criteria in Ill.A.S.(b), after which time the retest schedule specified in 111.0 may be resumed.
Millstone Unit I has failed the acceptance criteria for the "As-found" Type A tests in 1987 and 1991.
The Type A test is a test of the. entire containment building and is normally performed every 3 to 4 years, such that three tests are conducted every 10-year period.
Containment penetrations are also testable by local leak rate tests (Type B and Type C tests) which are required every refueling outage and at least every 2 years.
III.
By letter dated November 4, 1992, the licensee requested an exemption-to the requirements of Section III.A.6 (b) proposing a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and alternate leakage rate test program in lieu of more frequent Type A tests.
The licensee's proposed CAP is consistent with hRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement Information Notice (IN) No. 85-71, issued Augt;t.:2, 1985.
This Information Notice provides guidance to licensees that states in-circumstances as described above:
... the general purposo of maintaining a high degree of containment integrity might be bet ter served through an improved maintenance and _
testing program for containment penetration boundaries and isolation ~
valves.
In this situation, the licensee may submit a Corrective Action Plan with an alternative leakage test program proposal as an exemp_ tion-request for NRC staff review.
If this submittal is approved by the NRC staff, the licensee may implement the corrective action and alternative leakage test program in lieu of the required increase in Type A test.
frequency incurred after the failure of two successive Type A tests.
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~3-NNECO's November 4,1992, submittal showed that during: the "As-Found" Type A tests in 1987 and 1991, Type C local leak rates (of containment isolation valves) were the reason for the "As-Found" failures. NNECO's submittal also showed that if the problem penetrations (valves IC-6 and IC-7 in 1987, and penetration X-25/202D (valves AC-7 through AC-12] in 1991) had been excluded, both the "As-Found" and "As-Left" leak rates would have been less than the acceptance criteria provided in Appendix J and, therefore, acceptable.
The licensee's justification for the proposed exemption is that the Type A tests failed in the "As-Found" condition in 1987 and 1991 because of a few specific penetrations.
These penetrations have (except for one) been demonstrably corrected; corrective action has been taken on the remaining penetration, but the success of the corrective action has not yet been fully confirmed.
For the one potentially questionable penetration, the licensee will perform mid-cycle Type C testing.
Further,- additional corrective action will be taken at the next refueling outage. The NRC staff has reviewed the test reports and the licensee's proposed and implemented CAP. The NRC staff finds that the licensee has identifiad the problem penetrations that caused the Type A test failures _in 1987 and 1991, and has instituted an effective CAP to address these problems. There is -reasonable assurance that the containment leakage-limiting function will be maintained and the staff finds that a forced 1
outage to perform a Type A test is not necessary. The normal Appendix J Type A test schedule (three tests in 10 years) will require Type A tests _at the next two refueling outages (currently expected to be in 1994 and 1% 5).
LI l
Additional information concerning the NRC staff's review can be found in a -
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. safety evaluation dated January 11, 1993, supporting Amendment No. 60.
Millstone Unit l's Technical Specifications repeat the requirement of Appendix J, therefore, NNEC0 requested a Technical Specification change in a letter dated September 29, 1992, as supplemented by November 6, 1992. On January 11, 1993, the NRC approved NNEC0's Technical Specification change concurrently with this exemption.
IV.
Accordingly, the Commission has ietermined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), the requested exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, ar.d is consistent with the ccmon defense and security.
Further, the Commission finds that special circumstances are present in that application of the regulation in these particular circumstances would not serve the underlying purpose of the rule and is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule, in that, as discussed in Section III, the proposed alternative better meets the purpose of correcting excess leakage. The exemption provides only a one-time temporary relief from the applicable regulation and the licensee has made good faith efforts to comply with the regulation by implemiiting an alternative program to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule.
An exemption is hereby granted from the requirements of Section III.A.6.(b) of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50, which require an accelerated Type A containment integrated leak rate test frequency when two consecutive Type A tests have failed to meet their acceptance criteria.
The approximately 18-month interval from the 1991 Type A test is waived until the next scheduled
-i refueling outage (currently scheduled for February 195 j based on the licensee's aggressive Corrective Action Plan.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this Exemption will have no significant impact on the quality of the human environment (58 FR 589 ).
This Exemption is effective upon issuance.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Original signed by Steven A. Varga, Director Division of Reactor Projects - 1/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 11th day of January 1993
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