ML20203C779
| ML20203C779 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 02/04/1999 |
| From: | NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20203C777 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9902120230 | |
| Download: ML20203C779 (3) | |
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UNITED STATES j
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION o
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20066 0001 y**O'Wl SAFETY EVA1.UATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULAllQB RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO.113TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-57 PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS COMPANY ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC COMPANY,
HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION DOCKET NO. 50-354
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By letter dated October 19,1998, Public Service Electric & Gas Company (the licensee) submitted a request for changes to the Hope Creek Generating Station (HCGS) Technical Specifications (TSs). The requested changes would eliminate restrictions imposed by TS 3.0.4 for the Filtration, Recirculation and Ventilation System (FRVS) during fuel movement and CORE ALTERATION activities. Specifically, TS Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) 3.6.5.3.1 and 3.6.5.3.2 would each be revised to add a note stating that the provisions of TS 3.0.4 are not applicable for initiation of handling of irradiated fuel in the secondary containment and CORE ALTERATIONS provided that the plant is in OPERATIONAL CONDITION 5, with reactor water level equal to or greater than 22 feet 2 inches.
2.0 BACKGROUND
As described in Section 6.8 of the HCGS Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR), the FRVS consists of two subsystems that are required to perform post-accident, safety-related functions simultaneously. These subsystems are the recirculation system and the ventilation system.
The FRVS recirculation subsystem consists of six 25% capacity units, each consisting of a fan and filter train loccted inside the Reactor Building. The recirculation subsystem recirculates and filters the air in the Reactor Building following a loss-of-coolant accident, refueling accident, or high radioactivity in the Reactor Building in order to reduce offsite dost, significantly below 10 CFR Part 100 guidelines. Following a Reactor Building isolation, all six of the recirculation units automatically s' art (two of the units are subsequently manually stopped and placed in the " Auto" mode) and the Reactor Building air is recirculated through the filter trains for cleanup. This subsystem is the initial cleanup system before discharge is made via the FRVS ventilation subsystem to the outdoors.
The FRVS ventilation subsystem consists of two 100% capacity units, each consisting of a fan and filter train located inside the Reactor Building. The ventilation subsystem maintains the Reactor Building at a negative pressure with respect to the outdoors. The subsystem takes 9902120220 990204 PDR ADOCK 05000354 P
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l suction from the discharge duct of the FRVS recirculation subsystem and discharges the air through the filter trains to the outdoors via a vent at the top of the Reactor Building. Following a Reactor Building isolation, one of the ventilation units automatically starts while the other is in j
standby.
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HCGS TS LCOs 3.6.5.3.1 and 3.6.5.3.2 provide the operational limitations for the FRVS ventilation and recirculation subsystems respectively. ACTION a.2 of each of these LCOs i
pertains to OPERATIONAL CONDITION
- which is defined in these LCOs as plant operation j
3.
"when irradiated fuel is being handled in the secondary containment and during CORE t
ALTERATIONS and operations with a potential for draining the reactor vessel." In OPERATIONAL CONDITION *, TSs 3.6.5.3.1 and 3.6.5.3.2 permit one FRVS ventilation unit and one to two recirculation units to be inoperable for up to 7 days prior to suspension of the a
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OPERATIONAL CONDITION
- activities.
The provisions of TS 3.0.4 are currently applicable to ACTION a.2 of TSs 3.6.5.3.1 and 3.6.5.3.2. As described in the HCGS TS Bases, TS 3.0.4 establishes limitations on a change in 3
i OPERATIONAL CONDITION when an LCO is not met. TS 3.0.4 prohibits entry into an l
OPERATIONAL CONDITION when the conditions for the LCO are not met and the associated ACTION requires a shutdown if they are not met within a specified time interval. The purpose of j
this specification is to ensure that facility operation is not initiated or that higher conditions of operation are not entered when corrective action is being taken to obtain compliance with a specification by restoring equipment to operable status.
in order to comply with the TS 3.0.4 requirements, HCGS cannot initiate handling of irradiated fuel in the secondary containment, perform CORE ALTERATIONS or start operations with a 3
i potential to drain the reactor vessel unless all FRVS ventilation units and recirculation units are i
operable. The licensee has stated that these restrictions have imposed significant scheduling j
restrictiens during refueling outages, since the majority of OPEP.ATIONAL CONDITION
- activities take place in outages when FRVS subsystems and their support systems also need to be taken out of service for 18-month maintenance and surveillance activities. Delays in the 4
restoration of any FRVS components and their support systems adversely impact outage critical l
path schedules when OPERATIONAL CONDITION
- activities are required to be performed.
Therefore, the licensee has requested that a note be added to TSs 3.6.5.3.1 and 3.6.5.3.2 4
stating that the provisions of TS 3.0.4 are not applicable for initiation of handling of irradiated fuel in the secondary containment and CORE ALTERATIONS provided that the plant is in OPERATIONAL CONDITION 5, with reactor water 13 vel equal to or greater than 22 feet 2 inches.
3.0 EVALUATION The staff has reviewed the supporting documents provided with the proposed amendment. The staff finds that the licensee's proposed change to TS 3.6.5.3.1 and 3.6.5.3.2 is more restrictive than the revised language of 3.0.4 in the improved Standard Technical Specifications. The staff also reviewed the licensee's UFSAR analyses to determine whether or not the proposed changes will affect the Design Basis Accident dose analyses. Following a fuel handling accident,
'I 4 the licensee credits the iodine removal capability of one FRVS ventilation unit only. No credit is taken for the iodine removal capability of the FRVS recirculation units. The proposed TS change requires that one ventilation unit and four recirculation units be operable when entering into OPERATIONAL CONDITION *. Therefore, since one FRVS ventilation unit will be operable, the proposed change does not impact the previously analyzed fuel handling accident. The licensee has committed to provide administrative controls that will: (1) limit activities that can be initiated with FRVS in degraded configurations and (2) retain the 7-day limitation on operation within the FRVS LCO Action Statement. Based on the above, the staff concludes that the proposed amendment is acceptable.
4.0 STATE CONSULTATION
In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the New Jersey State Official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendment. The State official had no comments.
5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
The amendment changes a requirement with respect to installation or use of a facility component located within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20. The NRC staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluents that may be released offsite, and that there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. The Commission has previously issued a proposed finding that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, and there has been no public comment on such finding (63 FR 64121). Accordingly, the amendment meets the eligibility criteria for categu cal exclusion set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9). Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b) no environmental
' impact statement or environmental assessment need be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that: (1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.
Principal Contributors: R. Tadessa R. Ennis Date: February 4, 1999