ML20154M925
| ML20154M925 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Brunswick  |
| Issue date: | 09/20/1988 |
| From: | Buckley B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Utley E CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT CO. |
| References | |
| 2.206, NUDOCS 8809290140 | |
| Download: ML20154M925 (2) | |
Text
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F DISTRIBUTION
'Doctet'F11ei NRC PDR Local PDR September 20, 1988 PD21 r/f S. Varga (14E4)
G. Lainas Docket Nos. 50-325 E. Adensam t
and 50-324 P. Ariderson l
B. Buckley OGC Mr. E. E. Utley E. Jordan (MNBB3302) l Senior Executive Vice President B. Grimes (9A2)
Power Supply and Engin2ering &
ACRS(10) i Construction Carolina Power & Light Company P. O. Box 1551 Raleigh, North Carolina 27602 i
Dear Mr. Utley:
SUBJECT:
PETITION FILED BY OHIO CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBLE ENERGY.
BRUNSWICK STEAM ELECTRIC PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 i
Enclosed for your information is a copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988 from i
the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Representative of the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy (0CRE). The letter (1) acknowledges j
receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations, (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner's request for i
innediate action wit 1 respct:t to all Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), and (3)
-i states that the Petition h being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations.
)
Please contact me if you have questions on this issue, i
l Sincerely, N8.fihyyi +
l Bart C. Buckley, Sen or Project Manager i
Project Directorate II.1 Division of Reactor Projects I/II Enclosure l
As stated cc w/ enclosure:
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Mr. E. E. Utley Brunswick Steam Electric Plant Carolina Power & Light Company Units 1 and 2 cc:
Mr. P. W. Howe Mr. J. L. Harness Vice President Plant General Manager Brunswick Nuclear Project Brunswick Steam Electric Plant Box 10429 P. O. Box 10429 Southport, North Carolina 28461 Southport, North Carolina 28461 Nr. R. E. Jorks, General Counsel Mr. H. A. Cole Carolina Power & Light Company Special Deputy Attorney General P. O. Box 1551 State of North Carolina Raleigh, NJrth Carolina 27602 Post Office Box 629 Raleigh, North Carolina 27602 Mr. Mark S. Calvert Associate General Counsel Mr. Robert P. Gruber Carolina Power & Light Company Executive Director Post Office Box 1551 Public Staff - NCUC Raleigh, North Carolina 27602 Post Office Box 29520 Raleigh, North Carolina 27626-0520 Mr. Christopher Chappell, Chairman Board of Comissinners Post Office Box 249 Bolivia, North Caroli.a 28422 firs. Chrys Baggett Statt Clearinghouse Budget and flanagement 116 West Jones Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 Resident Inspector U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Star Route 1 Post Office Box 208 Southport, North Carolina 28461 Regional Administretor, Region II U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission 101 Harietta Street, Suite 2900 Atlanta, Georgia 30323 Mr. Dwayne H. Brown, Chief Radiation Protectien Branch Division of Facility Services N. C. Department of Human Resources 701 Barbour Drive Raleigh, North Carolina 27603-2008
Enclosure
'o UNITED STATES g
3, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION e
h
,I wasmorow, o. c. mss August 26, 1988 Ms. Susan L. Hiatt Representative of Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc.
8275 Munson Road Mentor, OH 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 innediate 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 reactors, 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 reactors in cold shutdown, (2) develop and implement specified procedures relating to the thermal-hydraulic instability issues, (3) demonstrate that certain specified training has been provided relating to these procedures, (4) demonstrate the capability of instrumentation related to power oscil-lations, (5) develop simulators capable of modeling power oscillations similar to those occurring at LaSalle and out-of-phase power oscillations, (6) report to the NRC regarding all past incidents in which recirculation pumps have tripped off, (7) submit to the NRC justification for continued operation of BWRs, and (8) submit a report to the NRC within one year demonstrating compliance with GDC 12.
You also request that the Cornission reopen Generic issues B-19, B-59, the ATWS rulemaking and reconsider 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 safety issues which pose an irrediate safety concern for continued BWR operation. The staff has determined 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 regions 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 by inserting control rods.
If large oscillations should occur, and a manual scram is not initiated, it is expected that the high power level, Average Power Range Monitor (APRM) scram protection, which terminated the LaSalle event, would provide backup protection as was the case during the LaSalle event.
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Susan L. Hiatt (3) The magnitude of neutron flux oscillations induced by thermal-hydraulic instability is considerably higher than the oscillations in the average cladding heat flux because of inherent delay in the transfer of heat through the fuel rods. The NRC Augmented Inspection Team (AIT) for the March 9, 1988 LaSalle event reported that the amplitude of the heat flux oscillations during the event were estimated to be less than 10% of the value for the neutron flux oscillations and that bccause 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 ther.aal-hydraulic instabilities and on the actions that should be taken to suppress such oscillations if they should occur. Most BWRs have implemented such methods in response to NRC Gencric Letter 86-02 which provided for the technical resolution of Generic Issue B-19.
The operating linita-tions which ensure compliance with G0C 12 are enforced by plant technical specifications.
(5) Compliance with the recomendations in NRC Bulletin No. 88-07 will ensure that any licensed reactor operator or shif t technical advisor performing shif t duties at a BWR will have been thoroughly briefed regarding the LaSalle event; and that all BWR licensees will have adequate procedures and operator training prograns in place to address power oscillations, regardless of the results of any previous thermal-hydraulic stability analysis.
The NRC will perform inspections and take any necessary follow-up action to ensure that procedures and training programs acceptable to the technical staff have been put in place.
YourPetitionisbein$ateactionwillbetakenwithinareasonabletime.
treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations. Appropr A
copy of the notice that is being filed for publication with the Office of the Federal Register is enclosed for your information. Copies of thit htter are being sent to those named on the service lists for facilities listed in.
Sincerely, 2
n Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
1.
Federal Recister Notice 2.
List of Ta"cIII't'ies for cc
o
[7590-01]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[DOCKETNO.50-374)
COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPANY (LaSalle County Station, Unit 2)
RECE!PT OF PETITION FOR DIRECTOR'S DECISION Ut:0ER 10 CFR 2.206 Notice is hereby given that by Petition dated July 22, 1988, Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc. requested the Director of Ntclear Reactor Regulation to take imediate 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 imediate relief was denied because the allegations which form the basis of the Petition did not reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an imediate safety concern for continued BWR operation.
The Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the Ccmission's regulations. As provided by i 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on the Petition within a reasonable time.
l A copy of the Petition is available for inspection in the Comission's Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, NW., Washington, D.C.
20555 and in the local public document room for LaSalle County Station Unit 2 at Jacobs Memorial Library, Illinois Valley Comunity College, Rural Route One, Oglesby, Illinois 61348.
>D a
D FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
\\q
+TA+f Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regula Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 26 day of August, 1988
Susah L. Hiatt 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 Hos. 50-324 & 50-325)
CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING CO., ET AL. (Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 Docket No. 50-440)
COMMONWEALTH EDIS!0N CO. (Dresden Nuclear Power Plant, Units 2 & 3, Docket Nos. 50-237 & 50-249 ; (Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 & 2 Docket Nos. 50-254 & 50-265 ; (LaSalle County Station, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-373 & 50-374 CONSUMERS POWER CO. (Big Rock Point, Docket No. 50-155)
DETROIT EDISON CO. (Fermi 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)
ILLINDIS POWER CO. (Clinton Nuclear Plant, Docket No. 50-461) 10WA ELECTRIC LIGHT & POWER CO. (Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant, Docket 50-331)
GENERAL PUBLIC llTILITIES (0yster Creek Station, Docket No. 50-219)
L0hGISLANDLIGHTINGCO.(ShorehamNuclearPowerPlant,DocketNo.50-322)
MISSISSIPPI POWER & LIGHT CO. (Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Docket No. 50-416)
NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT (Cooper Station, Docket No. 50-298)
NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP, (Nine Mile Point, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-220 & 50-410)
NORTHEAST UTILITIES (Millstone, Unit 1 Docket No. 50-245)
NORTHERN STATES POWER CO (Monticello huclear Power Plant, Docket No. 50-263)
PENNSYLVANIA POWER & LIGHT CO. (Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 & 2 Docket No. 50-387 8 50-388)
PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC CO. (Peach Bottom Nuclear Station, Units 2 & 3. Docket No.
50-277 & 50-278); (Limerick Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1. Docket No. 50-352)
F0WER AUTNORITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (James A. Fitzpatrick Station, DocketNo.50-333)
PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS CO. (Hope Creek Generating Station, Docket No. 50-354)
TESNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (Browns Ferry Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, & 3, Docket Nos 50-259,50-260,and50-296)
YERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant, Docket No. 50-271)
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