ML20154K907

Forwards NRR Ack Receipt of Petition Filed by Ocre Under 10CFR2.206 & FRN Re BWR Stability

ML20154K907
Person / Time
Site:	River Bend
Issue date:	09/20/1988
From:	Paulson W Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Deddens J GULF STATES UTILITIES CO.
References
NUDOCS 8809260042
Download: ML20154K907 (4)

Text

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September 20, 1988 Docket No. 50-450 Gulf States Utilities ATTN: Mr. James C. Deddens SeniorVicePresident(RBNG)

Post Office Box 220 St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775

SUBJECT:

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COPNISSION LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BOILING WA1ER REACTOR (BWR) STABILITY Enclosed for your infortoation is a copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988 from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Representative of the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE). Theletter(1) acknowledges receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.20G of the Connission's regulations, (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner's request for ina.ediateactionwithrespecttoallBWRs,and(3)statesthatthePetition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Coninission's regulations.

Please ccntact me if you have any questions on this issue.

Sincerely,

/s/

Walter A. Paulson, Project Manager Project Directorate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - III, IV, V and Special Projects

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:

See next page DISTRIBUTION Dictet File. 7 NFC PDR Local PDR PD4 Reading L. Rubenstein J. Calvo P. Noonan W. Paulson OGC-Rockville E. Jordan B. Grires ACRS(10)

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September 20, 1988

. Docket No.50-45C Gulf States Utilities ATTN: Mr. James C. Deddens SeniorVicePresident(RBNG)

Post Office Box 220 St. Francisville. Louisiana 70775

SUBJECT:

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR) STABILITY Enclosed for your infomation is a copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988 from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Representative of the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE). The letter (1) acknowledges receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.20G of the Comission's regulations, (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner's request for imediate action with respect to all BWRs, and (3) states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations.

Please contact me if you have any questions on this issue.

Sincerely,

/s/

Walter A. Paulson, Project Manager Project Directorate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - !!!,

IV, Y and Special Projects

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:

See next page DISTRIBUTION DolcTet o File NRC PDR Local PDR PD4 Reading L. Rubenstein J. Calvo P. Noonan W. Paulson OGC-Rockville E. Jordan B. Grimes ACRS(10)

PD4 Plant File M. Caruso PD4/L$

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, t ,; WASHINGTON, D. C. 20666 September 20, 1988

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Docket No. 50-458 Gulf States Utilities ATTN: Mr. James C. Deddens SeniorVicePresident(RBNG)

Post Office Box 220 St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775

SUBJECT:

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COPMISSION LETTER ACKh0KLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR) STABILITY Enclosed for your information is e copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988 from the Director, Office of Nuclear Peactor Regulation to the Representative of the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE). Theletter(1) acknowledges receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations, (2) responds in the aegative to the Petitioner's request for in ediate action with respect to all BWRs, and (3) states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR ?.204 nf the Comission's regulations.

Please contact me if you have any lutstions on this issue.

Sincerely,

, $bd Walter A. Paulson, Project Manager Project Directorate - IV

. Division of Reactor Projects - !!!,

IV, Y and Special Projects

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:

See next page .

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Mr. James C. Deddens Gulf States Utilities Company River Bend Nuclear Plant cc Troy B. Conner, Jr. , Esq. Mr. J. E. Booker Conner and Wetterhahn Manager-River Bend Oversight 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW P. O. Box 2951 Washington, D.C. 20006 Beaumont, TX 77704 Mr. Les England Mr. William H. Spell, Administrator Director - Nuclear Licensing Nuclear Energy Division Gulf States Utilities Company Office of Environmental Affairs P. O. Box 220 P. O. Box 14690 St. Francisville. LA 70775 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70898 Richard M. Troy, Jr., Esq.

Assistant Attorney General in Charge Mr. J. David McNeill, !!!

State of Louisiana Department of Justice William G. Davis, Esq.

234 Loyola Avenue Decartment t/' Justice New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 Attorney Gene 41's Office '

7434 Perkins kaad Resident :nspector Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 P. O. Box 1051 St. Francisville Louisiana 70775 H. Anne Plettinger 3456 Villa Rose Drive Gretchen R. Rothschild-Reinike Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 Louisianians for Safe Energy. Ir.c.

2108 Broadway Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70118-5462 President of West Feliciana Police Jury Regional Administrator, Region IV P. O. Box 1921 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775 Office of Executive Director for Operations Mr. Frank J. Uddo 611 Ryan Plaza Drive. Suite 1000 Uddo & Porter Arlington, Texas 76011 6305 Elysian Fields Avenue Suite 400 Philip G. Harris New Orleans, Louisiana 70122 Cajun Electric Power Coop. Inc.

10719 Airline Highway P. O. Box 15540 Baton Rouge, LA 70895

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..... August 26, 1988 Ms. Susan L. Hiatt  !

Representative of Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy. Inc.

8275 Munson Road i Mentor, CH 44060

Dear Ms. Hiatt:

This is in response to your Petition of July 22, 1988, requesting that the '

Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (Director), take imediate action with respect to Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) to relieve what you allege to be undue risks to the public health and safety posed by the thermal-hydraulic instability of boiling water reacters, as revealed by an event at LaSalle County Station Unit 2 on March 9,1988.

The specific relief requested is to order all BWR licensees to (1) place their ecified procedures reactorsincoldshutdown,(2)developandimplementsp(3)damcastratethat relating to the thermal-hydraulic instability issues, certain specified training has been provided relating to these procedures, (4) demonstrate the capability of instrument 6 tion related to power oscil-lations, (5) develop simulators capable of modeling power oscillations similar to those occurring at LaSalle and out-of-phase aower oscillations (6) report to the NRC re trippedoff,)gardingallpastincidentsinwhic1recirculationpum (7) submit to the NRC justification for continued operation of BWRs and (8 submit a report to the NRC within one year demonstrating compItancewithGDC12. You also request that the Comission reopen Generic 1ssues B-19, B-59, the ATWS rulemaking and recorsider the use of End-of Cycle Recirculation Pump Trip on BWRs.

Your request for imediate relief is denied because the allegations which form '

the basis for your Petition do not reveal any new operational safet which pose an imediate safety concern for continued 3WR operation.y Theissues staff t has detennined that continued operation of BWRs is justified for the following reasons:

(1) Current BWR Technical Specifications place restrictions on power operation of the reactor under conditions of natural circulation or single recirculation loop cooling such that operation in regicns of low thermal-hydraulic stability is limited to infrequent, short-term transient conditions following anticipated operational occurrences.

(2) Neutron flux oscillations are detectable with proper monitoring and can be easily suppressed b If large oscillations should occur,yandinserting a manual contral rods.

scram is not initiated, it i is expected that the high sower level Average Power Range Monitor 4

(APRM) scram protection, witch terminated the LaSalle event, would ,

provide backup protection as was the case during the LaSalle event.  !

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Susan L. Hiatt -2 (3) The magnitude of neutron flux oscillations induced by themal-hydraulic instability is considerably higher than the oscillations in the ave age cladding heat flux because of inherent delay in the transfer of heat through the fuel rods. The NRC Augmented Ins section Team (AIT) for the March 9, 1988 LaSalle event reported that tie amplitude of the heat flux oscillations during the event were estimated to be lest than 10% of the value for the neutron flux esci11ations and f. hat because of the smaller changes in heat flux, thermal limits for the fuel were not exceeded.

(4) General Electric Company has provided BWR licensees with guidance on the proper methods to monitor for thermal-hydraulic instabilities and on the actions that should be taken to suppress such n

oscillations if they should occur. Most bWRs 1 ave implemented such inethods in response to NRC Generic Letter 86-02 which provided for the technical resolution of Generic Issue B-19. The operating limita-tions which ensure compliance with GDC 12 are enforced by plcnt technical specifications.

(5) Compliance with the recorvnendations in NRC Bulletin No. 88-07 will ensure that any licensed reactor operator or shift technical advisor perfoming shif t duties at a BWR will have been thoroughly briefed regarding the LaSalle event; and that all EWR licensees will have adequate procedures ind operator training prograns in place to address power oscillations, regardless of the results of any previous themal-hydraulic stability analysis. The NRC will perform inspections and take any necessary follow-up action to ensure that n ocedures and training programs acceptable to the technical staff neve been put in place.

Your Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations. Appropriate action will be taken w'.' thin a reasonable time. A copy of the notice that is being filed for publication with the Office of the Federal Register is enclosed for your infomation. Copies of this letter are being sent to those named on the service lists for facilities listed in Enclosure 2.

Sincerely, S C -

Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosures:

1. Federal Register Notice

2. List of Facilities for cc

< [7590-01) kUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[DOCKETNO.50-374]

COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPANY (LaSalle County Station, Unit 2)

RECEIPT OF PETITION FOR DIRECTOR'S DECISION UNDER 10 CFR 2.206 Notice is hereby given that by Petition dated July 22, 1988, Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc s equested the Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to take irenediate action with respect to Boiling Water Reactors to relieve what Petitioner alleged to be undue risks to the public health and safety posed by an event at LaSalle County Station, Unit 2, in Illinois on March 9, 1988. Petitioner's request for issnediate relief was .

denied because the allegations which forti the basis of the Petition did npt reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an innediate safety concern for continued BWR operation. -

The Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the Consnission's l

, regulations. As provided by i 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on the Petition within a reasonable time.

A copy of the Petition is available for inspection in the Consnission's Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20555 and in the local public document rcom for LaSalle County Station Unit 2 at Jacobs Memorial Library, Illinois Valley Comanunity t.ollege, Rural Route One, Oglesby, Illinois 61348.

TOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION l M ^; ; ;p--- '

T omas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regu a .

Dated at Rockville, Maryland a this 26 day of August, 1988  ;

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Susab L. Hiatt Enclosure 2

,. List of Facilities for cc BOSTON EDISON CO. (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Docket No. 50-293)

CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT CO. (Brunswick Station, Units 1 & 2 Docket Nos. 50-324 & 50-325)

CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING CO., ET AL. (Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1,DocketNo.50-440)

COP 910NWEALTH EDISION CO. (Dresden Nuclear Power Plant Units 2 & 3 Docket Mos. 50-237&50-249;(QuadCitiesNuclearPowerPlant, Units 1&2, Docket Nos. 50-254 & 50-265 ; (LaSalle County Station, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-373 & 50-374 CONSUMERSPOWERCO.(BigRockPoint,DocketNo.50-155)

DETROIT EDISON CO. (Fenni Unit 2, Docket No. 50-341)

GEORGIA POWER CO. (Hatch Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 & 2, Docket No. 50-321&50-366)

GULF STATES UTILITIES CO. (River Bend Station, Docket No. 50-458)

ILLINOIS POWER CO. (Clinton Nuclear Plant Docket No. 50-461)

IDWA ELECTRIC LIGHT & POWER CO. (Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant, Docket 50-332)

GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES (Oyster Creek Station, Docket No. 50-219)

LONGISLANDLIGHTINGCO.(ShorehamNuclearPowerPlant,DocketNo.50322)

MISSISSIPPIPOWER&LIGHTCO.(GrandGulfNuclearStation,DocketNo.50-416)

NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISut!CT (Cooper Station, Docket No. 50-298)

NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP (Nine Mile Point, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-220 & 50-410)  !

NORTHEASTUTILITIES(Millstone, Unit 1DocketNo.50-245)

NORTHERN STATES POWER CO. (Monticello Nuclear Power Plant Docket No. 50-263)

PENNSYLVANIA POWE.': & LIGHT CO. (Susquehanna steam Electric Station Units 1 & 2 Docket No. 50-387850-388)-

PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC CD. (Peach Bottom Nuclear Station, Units 2 & 3. Docket No.

50-277 8 50-278); (Limerick Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1. Docket No. 50-352)

POWER AUTHORITY OF THE STATE DF NEW YORK (James A. Fitzpatrick Station.

Docket No. 50-333)

PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS CO. (Nope Creek Generating Station, Docket No. 50-354)

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (Browns Ferry Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, & 3 Docket Nos 50 259, 50-260, and 50-296) i VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Docket No. 50-271)

WASHINGTON PUBLIC POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM (WNP Unit 2. Docket No. 50-397)

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