ML20132D728
| ML20132D728 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  |
| Issue date: | 09/26/1985 |
| From: | Miraglia F Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20132D729 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8509300271 | |
| Download: ML20132D728 (3) | |
Text
7590-01 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMPISSION In the Matter of
)
COPPONUEALTH EDIS0N COMPANY Docket No. 50-249 (Dresden Nuclear Power Station,
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Unit No. 3)
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EXEMPTION I.
Conmonwealth Edison Company (CECO) (the licensee) is the holder of a Facility Operating License No. DPR-25 which authorizes operation of the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit No. 3 (the facility). This license provides, among other things, that the facility is subject to all rules, regulations and Orders of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.
The facility is a boiling water reactor located at the licensee's site in Grundy County, Illinois.
II.
By letter dated August 26, 1985, Ceco requested an exemption from the requirements of Appendix J,10 CFR Part 50, Sections III.D.2(a) and III.D.3 so that the required two year test interval between type B and C testing of certain valves, vents, drains, sumps and penetrations, which maintain centainment integrity at design basis accident conditions, can be extended fer 30 days to conform with the start of the next refueling outage for Dresden Unit 3.
l Dresden Unit 3 shut down for its Cycle 9 refueling outage on September 30, 1983. The. required Appendix J, type B and C, local leak rate testing commenced on September 30, 1983 and continued through March 1084 The unit 8509300271 850926 DR ADOCK 05 29
, was originally scheduled to shut down for its Cycle 10 refueling outage in
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the Spring of 1085. This would have allowed the Type B and C testing to be completed during the required 2 year interval. However, damage to the High Pressure Turhire rotor during initial startup attempts in the Spring of 1984 extended the outage by approximately 4 months to July 24, 1984.
Due to this unanticipated outage extension and other considerations, the shutdown for Cycle 10 refueling has been delayed to October 26, 1985. This will result in extending the 2 year test interval required by Appendix J for Type B and C tests about 30 days.
Because of the aforementioned outage extension, the operational period of Dresden 3 between its startup for Cycle 9 (July 24,1984) and the scheduled October 26, 1985 shutdown (approximately 15 months) will be less than the nonnal 18 month cycle. The normal end-of-cycle coastdown period to the Technical Specification limit of 45 percent power is approximately 31 months. Dresden 3 started coastdown in the middle of August 1985 and, thus, the October 26, 1985 shutdown would mean a coastdown period of approximately 23 months. Therefore, the operational challenge to the components required to be given the Type B and C tests within the 2 year interval required by Appendix J has, even with the proposed 30 day extension, been less than usually occurs during the 2 year interval. Based on these circumstances and reduced power levels, the staff believes that a significant safety margin still exists for these components.
Accordingly, in view of the above analysis, the staff concludes that the likelihood of these components failing at design basis accident conditions during the additional 30 days is remote and that offsite doses during such an event will be within the values previously analyzed and found acceptable.
Therefore, a one-time exemption from the requirements of Sections III.D.?(a) and III.D.3 of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50 is justified and should be granted.
r I
III.
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10.CFR 50.12, this exemption is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public interest, and hereby grants an exemption as described in Section II above from Sections III.D.2(a) and III.D.3 of Appendix J to the extent that the 2 year interval for performing Type B tests, except for air locks, and Type C tests may be extended for 30 days, on a one-time basis only, for Dresden Unit No. 3.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this Exemption will have no significant impact on the environment (September 25, 1985, 50 FR 38908).
This Exemption is effective upon issuance.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMISSION
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t Frank J.O.Miraglia, Deputy Director Division of Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Bethesda, Maryland this 26th day of September 1985, i
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