ML20196F763

Forwards Insp Rept 50-293/98-203 on 980928-1023.No Violations Noted.Three Issues Identified Re Containment Flooding,Surveillance Testing Criteria & Protection for RBCCW System from High Energy Line Break Inside Drywell

ML20196F763
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	11/24/1998
From:	Norkin D NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Ted Sullivan BOSTON EDISON CO.
Shared Package
ML20196F769	List: IR 05000293/1998203 ML20196F763
References
50-293-98-203, NUDOCS 9812070120
Download: ML20196F763 (4)

See also: IR 05000293/1998203

Text

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k " ' UNITED STATES

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E NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION  ;

f WASHINGTON, D.C. 3088HIO01

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November 24, 1998 )

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Mr. Theodore A. Sullivan

Vice President - Nuclear and Station Director

Boston Edison Company

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

600 Rocky Hill Road

Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360-5599

SUBJECT: NRC INSPECTION REPORT 50-293/98-203

Dear Mr. Sullivan:

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From September 28 through October 23,1998, the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), inspection Program Branch,

' conducted a design inspection of the residual heat removal (RHR) system at the Pilgrim Nuclear ] .

Power Station, (PNPS). The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate the capability of the

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selected system to perform the design bases safety functions, the adherence of the system to its '

design and licensing bases, and the consistency of the as-built configuration and system  !

operations with the updated final safety analysis report (UFSAR). The team discussed the

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significant findings of the inspection with your staff during the team exit meeting on October 23,

. 1998.

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. As discussed in the enclosed report, the team concluded that the RHR system was capable of  !

performing its intended safety functions, although some discrepancies were identified.

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Additionally, the team concluded that the support systems, such as reactor building closed

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cooling water (RBCCW) and electrical distribution, provided adequate margin to ensure short-

term and long-term RHR system emergency core cooling performance objectives.

, The PNPS efforts to assemble, verify, and correct design basis documentation for the RHR and

RBCCW systems have generally resulted in new calculations of good quality and a consolidated

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design basis document (DBD) that was useful to the team during their review. Once completed

on other systems, these documents should provide useful design information for future activities.

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Prior to the team's arrival on-site, contractors for the Boston Edison Company (BECo), the

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owner and operator of Pilgrim, performed several third party reviews to evaluate the design

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basis for the RHR system as well as several other systems. These reviews identified many

- good issues, and problem reports (PR)s were issued to document specific findings. When i'

necessary, your staff took immediate corrective or compensatory actions to ensure system

j operability.

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! 9812070120 981124 7

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M C R E C E nlT E B C G

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Th:odora A. Sullivan -2-

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The NRC team identified three issues at Pilgrim which appear to be similar to issues currently

being reviewed by the NRR technical staff for other facilities. First, flooding the containment as

part of the LOCA mitigation strategy results in radiological and equipment environmental

consequences more severe than currently addressed in the UFSAR. The second concern is

whether surveillance testing criteria or the LOCA analysis adequately accounts for instrument

uncertainties. The third item involves the degree of protection for the RBCCW system from a

high energy line break inside the drywell. NRR's resolution of these generic issues will be i

applied during the Region i followup to any additional actions taken by your staff. l

Electrical penetration protective devices were not designed to withstand full fault current. This

issue will be referred to the NRR technical staff for additional review. Improvements described

by your staff associated with more frequent testing of electrical penetrations single protective  ;

devices should provide further assurance of equipment reliability. Additionally, your on-going

review of station battery testing methods and submittal of TS revision if necessary should also

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result in improvements in the testing area. l

Please provide a schedule, within 60 days, detailing your plans to complete the corrective

actions for the open items listed in Appendix A to the enclosed report. This schedule will enable

the NRC staff to plan for the reinspection and closecut of these items.

As with all NRC inspections, we expect that your staff will evaluate the applicabiP.y of the results

and specific findings of this inspection to other systems and compone.6 iinaughout the plant.

In addition, please evaluate the inspection findings, both specific and programmatic, against

your response to the NRC's October 9,1996, request for information pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54

(f) regarding the adequacy and availability of design basis information.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790(a), a copy of this letter and the enclosure will be placed in the

NRC Public Document Room. NRC Region I via separate correspondence will handle any

enforcement action resulting from this inspection. Should you have any questions conceming

the enclosed inspection report, please contact the project manager, Mr. A. B. Wang at

(301) 415-m5, or the inspection team leader, Mr. M. W. Branch, at (301) 415-1279. j

Sincerely,

Original signed by:

Donald P. Norkin, Chief

Operating Reactor inspection Support Section

Division of Inspection and Support Programs

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Docket No.: 50-293

Enclosure: Inspection Report 50-293/98-203

cc w/ Enclosure: See next page

DOCUMENT NAME: G;\pil98203.Itr & G:\pil98203.rpt

To receive a copy of this document. Indicate in the box: *C" = Copy without enclosures *E* = Copy with enclosures *N' = No copy

.

OFFICE PIPB: DISP l D:PD1-3 l PIPB: DISP % sM l

NAME MBranch' CThomas' DNorkin \%

DATE ill /98 11/ /98 1 'l W 8 M4

• See previous concurrence OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

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_ _ _ _ ..- _ ._ _- - _ ..- __ _ _ _ _ . . ._ ._= .__ .

l Mr. Theodora A. Sullivzn

Boston Edison Comp ny Pilgrim Nucl:ar Powar St tion

cc:

Mr. Ron Ledgett

Executive Vice President Mr. Jack F. Alexander

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800 Boyleston Street Nuclear Assessment Group Manager

Boston, MA 02199 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

600 Rocky Hill Road

Resident inspector Plymouth, MA 02360-5599

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Mr. David F. Tarantino

Post Office Box 867 Nuclear information Manager

Plymouth, MA 02360 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

!

600, Rocky Hill Road

Chairman, Board of Selectmen Plymouth, MA 02360-5599

11 Lincoln Street

Plymouth, MA 02360 Ms. Kathleen M. O'Toole

Secretary of Public Safety

Chairman, Duxbury Board of Selectmen Executive Office of Public Safety

Town Hall One Ashburton Place

878 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02108

Duxbury, MA 02332

Mr. Peter LaPorte, Director

Office of the Commissioner Attn: James Muckerheide

Massachusetts Department of Massachusetts Emergency Management

Environmental Protection Agency

One Winter Street 400 Worcester Road

Boston, MA 02108 P.O. Box 1496

Framingham, MA 01701-0317

Office of the Attomey Genera!

.

One Ashburton Place Chairman, Citizens Urging

20th Floor Responsible Energy

Boston, MA 02108 P.O. Box 2621

Duxbury, MA 02331

Mr. Robert M. Hallisey, Director

RM.ation Control Program Citizens at Risk

Massachusetts Department of P.O. Box 3803

Public Health Plymouth, MA 02361

305 South Street

Boston, MA 02130 John M. Fulton

Assistant General Counsel

Regional Administrator, Region 1 800 Boyleston St., P-361

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Boston, MA 02199

475 Allendale Road

King of Prussia, PA 19406 Chairman

Nuclear Matters Committee

Ms. Jane Fleming l

Town Hall

l' 8 Oceanwood Drive 11 Lincoln Street

! Duxbury, MA 0233 Plymouth, MA 02360

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! Mr. C. Stephen Brennion Mr. William D. Meinert

Regulatory Affairs Department Manager Nuclear Engineer

Boston Edison Company Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale

600 Rocky Hill Road Electric Company

Plymouth, MA 02360 5599 P.O. Box 426

Ludlow, MA 01056-0426

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