ML20195J886

Forwards Amends 182 & 168 to Licenses NPF-10 & NPF-15, Consisting of Proposed Tech Specs Change Number 498,revising TS 3.3.1, RPS Instrumentation - Operating

ML20195J886
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	11/23/1998
From:	Nunn D SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
Shared Package
ML20195J890	List: ML20195J886 ML20195J896 ML20195J902
References
NUDOCS 9811250102
Download: ML20195J886 (3)

Text

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An misav imaxmoxu- cannny November 23, 1998

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U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk l Washington, D. C. 20555 Gentlemen:

Subject:

Docket Nos. 50-361 and 50-362 Proposed Technical Specification Change Number NPF-10/15-498 Reactor Trip Operating Bypass Removal Setpoints San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Units 2 and 3 i Enclosed are Amendment Application Number 182 to Facility Operating License ,

NPF-10, and Amendment Application Number 168 to Facility Operating License I NPF-15, for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Units 2 and 3, respectively. The Amendment Applications consist of Proposed Technical Specification Change Number (PCN)-498.

PCN-498 is a request to revise Technical Specification (TS) 3.3.1, " Reactor Protective System (RPS) Instrumentation - Operating."

Specifically, the Proposed Change requires reinstatement of the Log Power reactor trip at or above 4E-5% RATED THERMAL POWER (RTP) upon decreasing reactor power (the current setpoint is s 1E-4% RTP). The Log Power reactor trip has an operational bypass which must be used to raise power above the setpoint (allowable value of 5 0.93% RTP). 1 1

The Proposed Change makes a similar change for the Reactor Coolant Flow - Low, the Local Power Density - High, and the Departure From Nucleate Boiling Ratio 3

- Low (RCS Flow /LPD/DNBR) reactor trips. Specifically, the Proposed Change \

requires these trips to be reinstated at or below 1.5E-4% RTP upon increasing )

reactor power (the current setpoint is 1 1E-4% RTP). TheRCSFlow/LPD/DNBR reactor trips each has an operational bypass which may be used at low power levels to prevent spurious reactor trips.

tli The Proposed Change also removes the word " automatically" from the requirement to reinstate the Log Power and RCS Flow /LPD/DNBR reactor trips. Automatic reinstatement has been and will continue to be a backup for manual reinstatement. However, manual reinstatement would not comply, verbatim, with the current TS wording.

9811250102 981123' PDR ADOCK 05000361 P PDR P. O. Box 128 San Ckinente. CA 92674 0128 949-368 1480 Fax 949-368-1490

Document Control Desk Amendment No. 142 (submitted as PCN-500) was issued under emergency conditions for Unit 2 only on September 25, 1998. This amendment corrected a long-standing incorrect use of terms (' THERMAL POWER' for ' logarithmic power') in Notes (a) and (d), the subject of this amendment request. Our understanding is that since the comparable emergency circumstances did not apply to Unit 3, the change proposed in PCN-500 would be issued at a later date. Because the same footnotes are affected, Proposed Change 498 also replaces " THERMAL POWER" with " logarithmic power" as the process variable for the affected bistables for Unit 3. " THERMAL POWER" as defined in the SONGS 2 and 3 TS includes decay heat power and is inappropriate for the intended application, where fission power (only) should be used.

The RPS instrumentation as designed and installed at SONGS is not capable of meeting the current TS 3.3.1 requirement to have the Log Power reactor trip automatic reinstatement setpoint be > 1E-4% RTP and the RCS Flow /LPD/DNBR reactor trip automatic reinstatement setpoint be < 1E-4% RTP at the same time.

Therefore, some channels of operating bypass removal in both Unit 2 and Unit 3 for the Log Power reactor trip or the RCS Flow /LPD/DNBR reactor trips may be inoperable in MODE 2, "Startup." For this reason, Southern California Edison (SCE) requests NRC approval of these Amendment Requests in time to support the Unit 2 restart from the upcoming Cycle 10 refueling outage.

SCE requests these amendments be issued effective as of the date of issuance, to be implemented within 30 days from the date of issuance. An issuance date prior to February 1, 1999 would support the Unit 2 restart.

If you woulti like additional information regarding this Proposed Technical Specification Change, please let me know.

Sincerely, C

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fL I

l Enclosure I

cc: E. W. Merschoff, Regional Administrator, NRC Region IV J. A. Sloan, NRC Senior Resident Inspector, San Onofre Units 2 and 3 J. W. Clifford, NRC Project Manager, San Onofre Units 2 and 3 S. Y. Hsu, Department of Health Services, Radiologic Health Branch i

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l l-l ENCLOSURE l AMENDMENT APPLICATIONS 182 AND 168 (PCN-498) i

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