ML20154N298
| ML20154N298 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hatch  |
| Issue date: | 09/26/1988 |
| From: | Crocker L Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Hairston W GEORGIA POWER CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8809290261 | |
| Download: ML20154N298 (3) | |
Text
i September 26, 1988 Doc 4:et flos.
50-321 50-366 Mr. W. G. Hairston, III Senior Vice President -
Puclear Operations Georgia Pcwer Company P. O. Box 4545 Atlanta, Georgia 30302
Dear Hr. Hairston:
Enclosed for your information is a copy of a letter dated August F,1948 from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Resp /eser.tative of the Ohio citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE).
The let+er (1) acknowledges receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.206 of ther Comission's
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regulations, (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner *> request f"-
l innediate action with respect to all Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), and (3) states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.;06 of the Commission's regulations.
Please contact me if you have questions on this issue.
Since rely, Original Signed By:
Lawrence P. Crocker, Project Manager Project Directorate II-3 Division of Reactor Projects - I/II
Enclosure:
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3 Mr. W. G. Hairston, III Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Georgia Power Company Units Nos. I and 2 CC' G. F. Trowbridge, Esq.
Mr. R. P. Mcdonald Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge Executive Vice President -
2300 N Street, N. W.
Nuclear Operations Washington, D.C.
20037 Georgia Power Company P.O. Box 4545 Mr. L. T. Gucwa Atlanta, Georgia 30302 Engineering Department Georgia Power Company P. O. Box 4545 Atlanta, Georgia 30302 Nuclear Safety and Compliance Manager Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Georgia Power Company P. O. Box 442 Baxley, Georgia 31513 Mr. Louis B. Long Southern Company Services, Inc.
P. O. Box 2625 Birmingham, Alabama 35202 Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Route 1, Box 725 Baxley, Georgia 31513 Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Connission 101 Marietta Street, Suite 2900 Atlanta, Georiga 30323 Mr. Charles H. Badger Office of Planning and Budget Room 610 270 Washington Street, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Mr. J. Leonard Ledbetter, Comissioner Department of Natural Re?)urces 270 Washington Street, N.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Chairman Appling County comissioners County Courthouse Baxley, Georgia 31513
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UNITED 8TATES
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMIS310N o
WASHi#f0 TON, D. C. 30004 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 issnediate 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 themal-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 procradures 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 tc those occurring at LaSalle and out-of-phase power escillations, (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 compliancewithGDC12.
You also request that the Comission 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 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 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 xmer level, Average Power Range Monitor (APRM) scram protection, witch terminated the LaSalle event, would provide backup protection as was the case during the LaSalle event.
i l
5 Susan L. Hiatt,
(3) The magnitude of neutron flux oscillations induced by thermal-hydraulic instability is considerably higher than tie oscillations in the average cladding heat flux because of inherent delay in the transfer of heat through the fuel rc.ds. The NRC Augmented Inspection 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 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 Issue 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 shif t technical advisor perfonning shift 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 programs 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
?rocedures and training programs acceptable to the technical staff 1 ave 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.
Sincerely, 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]
i NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMISSION
[DOCKETNO.50-374)
COMMONWEALTH 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 for Responsible Energy, Inc. requested ;be Director of Nuclear Rear: tor Regulation to take imediate action with respect to Boiling Water Reactors to reltave 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 ce*diate relief was denied because the allegations which forin the basis of u Petition did not reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an irmzdiate 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 5 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 Meecrial Library, Illinois Yalley Cosuunity College, Rural Route One, Oglesby, Illinois 61348.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMISSION Zs 3 -
9 T ones E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regu a Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 26 day of August,1988 1869&20%tb--+p.
5 Su' sat,L. Hiatt I'ut 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, UnitI,DocketNo.50-440)
C0m0NWEALTH EDISION 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)
GULFSTATESUTILITIESCO.(RiverBendStation,DocketNo.50-458)
ILLIN0ISPOWERCO.(ClintonNuclearPlant,DocketNo.50-461)
IOWA ELECTRIC LIGHT & POWER CO. (Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant, Docket 50-331)
GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES (0yster Creek Station, Docket No. 50-219)
LONG ISLAND LIGHTING CO. (Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Docket No. 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 H0 HAWK POWER CORP. (Nine Mile Point, Units 1 & 2, Docket Hos. 50-220 & 50-410)
NORTHEASTUTILITIES(Millstone, Unit 1DocketNo.50-245)
NORTHERN STATES POWER CO. (Monticello Nuclear Power Plant, Docket No. 50-263)
PENNSYLVANIA POWER S LIGHT CO. (Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units I & 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 YORK (James A. Fitzpatrick Station, DocketNo.50-333)
PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS CO. (Hope Creek Generating Station, Docket No. 50 354)
TENNESSEEVALLEYAUTHORITY(BrownsFerr 50-259, 50-260, and 50-296) y Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, & 3 Docket Nos YERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant, Docket No. 50-271)
WASHINGTONPUBLICPOWERSUPPLYSYSTEM(WNPUnit2,DocketNo.50-397)