ML20154N059

Forwards NRR Ack Receipt of Petition Filed by Ocre Under 10CFR2.206 & Responding Negatively to Petitioner Request for Immediate Action Re Bwrs,For Info

ML20154N059
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone
Issue date:	09/22/1988
From:	Boyle M Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Mroczka E NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY CO.
References
2.206, NUDOCS 8809290180
Download: ML20154N059 (2)

Text

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O 8tP t i 1998 I , Docket No. 50-245 l '

)

f Mr. Edward J. Mroczka Senior Vice President Nuclear Engineering and Operations '

Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 270 '

Hartford, Connecticut 06141-0270 i

Dear Mr. Mroczka:

l Enclosed for your inforwatton is a copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988, from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Representative of the Chio Citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE). Theletter(1) acknowledges  !

receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's  !

regulattens (2) responds in the negative to the Petitior,er's request for i instediate action with respect to all Boiling Water Reactors, and (3) states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations.

i Please centact ce if ycu have any questions on this issue.  ;

Sincerely, original signed by Michael L. Boyle, Project Manager [

Project Directorate I-4 i Division of Reactor Projects I/II i Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i

Enclosure:

As stat (d  !

l cc w/ enclosure:  !

l See next page i l

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)lSTk"BUTLON Mle - M. Boyle '

NRC & Local PCRs OGC (for info, only)

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. Mr.' Edward J. Mroczka Millstone Nuclear' Power Station Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Unit No. 1 CC:

Gerald Garfield, Esquire R. M. Kacich, Manager Day, Berry and Howard Generation Facilities Licensing Counselors at Law Northeast Utilities Service Company City Place Post Office Box 270 Hartford, Connecticut 06103-3499 Hartford, Connecticut 06141-0270 W. D. Romberg, Vice President D. O. Nordquist Nuclear Operations Manager of Quality Assurance Northeast Utilities Service Company Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Post Office Box 270 Post Office Box 270 Hartford, Connecticut 06141-0270 Hartford, Connecticut 06141-0270 Kavin McCarthy, Director Regional Administrator t- Radiation Control Unit Region !

Department of Environmental Protection U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission State Office Building 475 Allendale Road Hartford, Connecticut 06106 King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406

) Bradford S. Chase, Under Secretary First Selectmen Energy Division Town of Waterford Office of Policy and Management 1

Hall of Records 80 Washington Street 200 Boston Post Road Hartford, Connecticut 06106 Waterford, Connecticut 06385 S. E. Scace Station Superintendent W. J. Raymond Resident Inspector Millstone Nuclear Power Station MillstoneNuclearPowerStation '

Northeast Nuclear Energy Company c/o V. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Post Office Box 128 Post Office Box 811 >

Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Niantic, Connecticut 06357 J. P. Stetz, Unit Superintendent

? Millstone Unit No. 1 '

Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Post Office Box 128 Waterford, Connecticut 06385 I

UNITED STATES p ^ ,.

g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION suASHING TON. D. C. 30064

\e.../ 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 levnediate 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.

i The specific relief requested is to order all BWR licensees to (1) place their  !

reactorsincoldshutdown,(2)developandimplementspecifiedprocedures relating to the thermal-hydraulic instability issues, (3) demonstrate that ,

certain specified training has been provided relating to these procedures, l

! (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 i

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 compItancewithGDC12.  !

You also request that the Commission reopen Generic i Issues B-19, B-59, the ATWS rulemaking and reconsider the use of End-of-Cycle Recirculation Pump Trip on BWRs. l Your request for irrediate relief is denied because the allegations which form the basis for your Petition do not reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an imediate safety conce'rn for continued BWR operation. The staff has determined that continued operation of BWRs is justified for the following i reasons:

(1) Current BWR Technical Specifications place restrictions on power operation of the reactor ender conditions of natural circulation or l

single recirculation loop cooling such that operation in regions of 1

i low thermal-hydraulic stability is limited to infrequent, short-term l

) transient conditions following anticipated operational occurrences.

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! (2) Neutron flux oscillations are detectable with proper sionitoring and i

can be easily suppressed b If large i

oscillations should occur,yand inserting control a manual rods.

scram is not initiated, it is expected that the high power level, Average Power Range Monitor l (APRM) scram protection, which terminated the LaSalle event, would provide backup protection as was the case during the LaSalle event. l 1

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. Susan L. Hiatt 2 )

1 (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 Ins pection Team (AIT)fortheMarch9,1988LaSalleeventreportedthattie 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 because of the smaller changes in heat flux, ,

thermal limits for the fuel were not exceeded. I i

(4) General Electric Company has provided BWR licersees with guidance on the proper methods to monitor for thermal-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 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 plant technical specifications. i l

(5) Compliance with the recoreendations in NRC Bulletin No. 88-07 will ensure that any licensed reactor operator or shift 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 l adequate procedures and operator training programs in place to '

address power oscillations, regardless of the results of any i previous thermal-hydraulic stability analysis. The NRC will perform i inspections and take any necessary follow-up action to ensure that

>rocedures and training programs acceptable to the technical staff inve been put in place.

Your Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations. Appropriate action will be taken within a reasonable time. A I copy of the notice that is being file'd for publication with the Office of the '

Federal Register is enclosed for your inforination. Copies of this letter are being sent to those named on the service lists for facilities listed in Enclosure 2.

Sincerely, kh( ..

Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosures:

1. Federal Register Notice

2. List of Facilities for cc

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, [7590-01)

NUCLEAR REGULATORY C0mlSSION

[DOCKETNO.50-374) i l Com0NWEALTH EDISON COMPANY (LaSalleCountyStation, 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 Tor Responsible Energy, Inc. requested the Director of Nuclear j Reactor Regulation to take issnediate 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 .

t I

1 denied because the allegations which form the basis of the Petition did not

) reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an trenediate safety concern [

j for continued BWR operation.

)

The Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the Consnission's regulations. As provided by i 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on the Petition within a reasonable time. i

, t j A copy of the Petition is available for inspection in the Comunission's Public

Document Room,1717 H Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20555 and in the local public 4

document room for LaSalle County Statio1 Unit 2 at Jacobs Memorial Library,  !

Illinois Valley Comumnity College, Rural Route One, Oglesby, Illinois 61348.

) FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY Com!S$10N

! , Cg n en

! Taomas E. Murley, Director j office of Nuclear Re: Stor Regu i

Dated at Rockville, Maryland I this36dayofAugust,1988 i yl%&=~{}$-~

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Susab L. Hiatt Enclosure 2

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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)

Com0NWEALTH EDISI0il CO. (Dresden Nuclear Power Plant, Units 2 & 3 Docket Nos. 50-237&50-249;(QuadCitiesNuclearPowerPlant, Units 1&2, Docket Nos. 50-254 & 50-265 ; (LaSalle County Station, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-373 4 50-374 CONSUMERSPOWERCO.(BigRockPoint,DocketNo.50-155)

DETROIT E0150N CO. (Fermi Unit 2. Docket Nc. 50-341)

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

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

ILLINOIS POWER CO. (Clinton Nuclear Plant, Docket No. 50-461) 10WA ELECTRIC LIGHT & POWER CO. (Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant, Docket 50-331)

! SENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES (Oyster Creek Station Docket No. 50-219) t LOhGISLANDLIGHTINGCO.(ShorehamNuclearPowerPlant,DocketNo.50-322)

MISSISSIPPI POWER & LIGHT CO. (Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Docket No. 50-416) l j NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT (Cooper Station, Docket No. 50-298)

N!AGARA N0 HAWK POWER CORP (Nine Mile, Point. Units 1 & 2 Docket Nos. 50-220 4 50-410)

NORTHEASTUTILITIES(Millstone, Unit 1DocketNo.50245) i NORTHERN STATES POWER CO. (Monticello Nuclear Power Plant, Docket No. 50-263)

PENNSYLVANIA POWER & LIGHT CO. (Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 & 2, Docket No. 50-387 & 50-388)-

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

j 50 217 & 50-278); (Limerick Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1. Docket No. 50-352)

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

Docket No. 50-333)

PUPLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & EAS CO. (Hope Creek Generating Station, Docket No. 50-354) l 1

l TENNESSEE vat. LEY AUTHORITY (Browns Ferry Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, & 3, i Docket Nos 50259,50-260,and50-296) j VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant. Docket No. 50-27 WASHINGTON PUBLIC POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM (WNP Unit 2, Docket No. 50-397)

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