ML20138C725

Responds to 850402 Requested Changes to Tech Spec 3/4.1.3.3 Re Control Rod Position Indication Sys When in Modes 3,4 & 5.Footnote Re Applicable Spec When RTS Breakers in Closed Position Ambiguous & Inadequately Supported

ML20138C725
Person / Time
Site:	Mcguire, McGuire
Issue date:	12/11/1985
From:	Youngblood B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Tucker H DUKE POWER CO.
References
TAC-57322, TAC-57323, NUDOCS 8512130077
Download: ML20138C725 (3)

Text

.

.1 ,

i 'o UNITED STATES

~g l 8 o . NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

-: $ ,I WASHINGTON, D. C. 20066 I'

k...../ DEC 111985

[

f Docket Nos.: 50-369 and 50-370 l ,

[

~

Mr. H. B. Tucker, Vice President Nuclear Production Department Duke Power Company 422 South Church Street Charlotte, North Carolina 28242

Subject:

Technical Specifications Change Request Regarding Rod Position Indication System, McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 i

Your letter of April 2,1985, requested changes to McGuire Technical Speciff _

cation 3/4.1.3.3 for the control rod position indication system when in Modes -

3, 4 and 5. Specification 3.1.3.3 requires that one rod position indicator (excluding demand position indication) be operable and capable of determining the control rod position within certain steps for each shutdown or control rod not fully inserted. The required action for an inoperable indicator is to

[ immediately open the reactor trip system (RTS) breakers. A footnote presently indicates that this specification applies when the RTS breakers are in the

closed position. One of the proposed changes would add a second condition to

, this applicability footnote; namely, the Control Rod Drive System capable of rod withdrawal.

We find the meaning of the proposed addition to the footnote to be somewhat ambiguous. Your Justification and Safety Analysis (attachment II) states that t this footnote change is of no safety concern because the rod position indica-  !

i tors are not needed if the rods cannot be withdrawn and may prevent unnecessary opening of the RTS breakers (underlining added for emphasis). Apparently, the meaning of the footnote addition is that the RTS breakers need not be opened if, somehow, the Control Rod Drive System is believed to be incapable of rod .

j l, withdrawal.

i~

j If the above meaning is correct, we also find the proposed addition to the

footnote to be inadequately supported. Your submittal provides no discussion li of the procedure by which a Control Rod Drive System is determined to be in-capable of rod withdrawal and makes no comparison as to whether such procedure i

provides the same degree of confidence against inadvertent rod motion as would

opening the RTS breakers. Accordingly, we are unable to agree with your 10 CFR I; 50.92 conclusions that reliance on such a procedure in lieu of opening trip breakers would not 1) involve a significant increase in the probability or i consequences of an accident previously evaluated, 2) create the possibility of l a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated, or 3)involveasignificantreductioninamarginofsafety.

8512130077 851211 PDR ADOCK 05000369 P PDR -

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

DEC 111985 Mr. H. B. Tucker Pending a revised submittal clarifying and justifying the proposed change to the applicability footnote, we propose to take no further action on this portion of your request. Contact our Project Manager, Darl Hood, on (301)

'492-8408, if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

/5 /

B. J. Youngblood, Director PWR Project Directorate #4 Division of PWR Licensing-A cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

Doctet tile:..g NRC PDR "' ~ ~

Local PDR PRC System PWR#4 Rdg MDuncan-DHood OELD

.ACRS (10)

JPartlow EJordan BGrimes NTrehan b

eb DM1  %@ iTR sso n 1(

PWR#4/DPWR-A EICSB/DBWR EICSB/PWR-A PWR#4/DPWR-A PWR Dl'WR-A DHood/mac NTrehan FRosa MDuncan BJYo blood 12/jp/85 12/ g /85 12//0/85 12/ go /85 12/ 85

V

ev..

Mr. H. B. Tucker Duke Power Company McGuire Nuclear Station cc:

Mr. A. Carr Dr. John M. Barry Duke Power Company Department of Environmental Health P. O. Box 33189 Mecklenburg County .

422 South Church Street 1200 Blythe Boulevard- -

Charlotte, North Carolina 28242 Charlotte, North Carolina 28203 Mr. F. J. Twogood County Manager of Mecklenburg County Power Systems Division 720 East Fourth Street Westinghouse Electric Corp. Charlotte, North Carolina 28202 P. O. Box 355 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230 Chairman, North Carolina Utilities Comission Mr. Robert Gill Dobbs Building Duke Power Company 430 North Salisbury Street Nuclear Production Department Raleigh, North Carolina 27602 P. O. Box 33189

Charlotte, North Carolina 28242 Mr. Dayne H. Brown, Chief i Radiation Protection Branch J. Michael McGarry, III, Esq. Division of Facility Services --

Bishop Liberman, Cook, Purcell Department of Human Resources and Reynolds P.O. Box 12200 1200 Seventeenth Street, N.W. Raleigh, North Carolina 27605 Washington, D. C. 20036

Senior Resident Inspector c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

' Route 4 Box 529 Hunterville, North Carolina 28078 l

Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, 101 Marietta Street, N.W., Suite 2900 Atlanta, Georgia 30323 L. L. Williams Operating Plants Projects Regional Manager

! Westinghouse Electric Corporation - R&D 701 i P. O. Box 2728 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230 i

l.

l:w - - -

- . -