ML20154N222

Forwards NRR to Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy Ack Receipt of Petition Per 10CFR2.206.Request for Immediate Relief Denied Since Allegations Did Not Reveal Any New Operational Safety Issues Posing Safety Concern

ML20154N222
Person / Time
Site:	Hope Creek
Issue date:	09/22/1988
From:	Rivenbark G Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Miltenberger S Public Service Enterprise Group
References
NUDOCS 8809290230
Download: ML20154N222 (3)

Text

..

• September 22, 1988 Occket Nos. 50-354  ;

I Mr. Steven E. Miltenberger l Vice President and Chief Nuclear  !

Officer i Public Service Electric and Gas  !

Company  :

Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038

SUBJECT:

NRC LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BWR '

STABIL ITY I RE: HOPE CREEK GENEPATING STATION Enclosed for your information 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 2.206 of the Comission's regulations, (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner's request for imediate action with respect to all Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), and (3) a states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations.

j Please contact me if you have questions on this issue.  ;

Sincerely,

/s/ '

[

l George Rivenbark, Project Manager l 4

Project Directorate I-2 +

l Division of Reactor Projects I/!!

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation f I

Enclosure:

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k....,/ _ September 22, 198 Docket Nos. 50-354 Mr. Steven E. Miltenberger Vice President and Chief Nuclear l Officer  !

Public Service Electric and Gas .

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Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Oear Mr. Miltenberger:

SUBJECT:

NRC LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BWR STABILITY RE: HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION Enclosed for your information 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 CFP 2.206 of the Comission's regulations. (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner's request for imediate action with respect to all Boiling Water Reactors (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 questions en this issue.

Sincerely, N wAM i

George Rivenbark. Project Manager Project Directorate I-2 l Division of Reactor Projects I/II l Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation t t

Enclosure:

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As stated [

cc: Service List

I UNITED STATES

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August 26, 1988 Ms. Susan L. Hiatt '

Representative of Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc.

8275 Hunson 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 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 reactors, as revealed by an event at LaSalle County Station Unit 2 on March 9,1988, t The sp?cific 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 i BWRs, and (8) submit a report to the NRC within one year demonstrating i compliance with GDC 12. You also request that the Comission reopen Generic Issues B-19, B-59, the ATWS ..lemaking and reconsider the use of End-of-Cycle Recirculation Fump 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 imediate 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 I

operation of the reactor under conditions of natural circulation or i' 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 terininated the LaSalle event, would provide backup protection as was the case during the LaSalle event. g S S $ 950 0 l;{ 2[f

4 Susan L. Hiatt _

(~) The magnitude of neutron flux oscillations induced by thermal-

e. Jraulic instability is considerably higher than the oscillations in 'he average cladding heat flux because of inherent delay in the hafer of heat through the fuel rods. The NRC Augmented Inspection Wu (A!T) for the March 9,1988 LaSalle event reported that the nplitade 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.

(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 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 !ssue B-19. The operating limita-tions which ensure compliance with GDC 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 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 adequate procedures and operator training prograns in place to address previous power oscillations, thermal-hydraulic regardless stability of theThe analysis. results of an)l perform NRC wil 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.

Your Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations. Appropriate action will be taken within 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 information. Copies of this letter are being sent to those named on the service lists for facilities listed in Enclosure 2.

Sincerely, C -

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]

hUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[00CKET NO. 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. requested the Director of Nuclear 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 Peti'.for 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 Comission's 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 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 Connunity College, Rural Route One, Oglesby, Illinois 61348.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMIS$10N v 2MW Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regu a Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 26, day of August, 1988 f-(f4dl-C 2U 2 ll- j(

i

.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, Docket No. 50-440)

COMMONWEALTH EDISION 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 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)

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

IOWA ELECTRIC LIGHT & POWER CO (Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant, Docket 50-331)

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

LONG ISLAND LIGHTING CO. (Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Docket No. 50 322)

MISSISS!PPIPOWER&LIGHTCO.(GrandGulfNuclearStation,DocketNo.50-416)

NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT (Cooper Station, Docket No. 50-298)

N!AGARA 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 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.

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

POWER AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORX (James A. Fitzpatrick Station, DocketNo.50-333)

PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS CO. (P,1pe Creek Generating Station, Docket No. 50 354)

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (Browns Ferry Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, & 3 Docket Nos 50-259,50-260,and50-296)

YERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. (Vennont Yankee Nuclear Plant, Docket No. 50 271)

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

l Mr. Steven E. Miltenberger Hope Creek Generating Station Public Service Electric & Gas Co.

cc:

M. J. Wetterhahn, Esquire Conner & Wetterhahn Suite 1050 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20006 R. Fryling, Jr. , Esquire Law Department - Tower SE 80 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07101 Resident inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 241 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Mr. J. Hagan General Manager - Hope Creek Operations Hope Creek Generating Station P.O. Box 118 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Mr. B. A. Preston, Manager Licensing and Regulation Nuclear Department P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Regional Administrator, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406 Mr. David M. Scott, Chief Bureau of Nuclear Engineering Division of Environmental Quality Department of Environmental Protection State of New Jersey CN 411 Trenton, New Jersey 08625