ML20206Q014
| ML20206Q014 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/14/1986 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Ward D Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| References | |
| REF-GTECI-A-45, REF-GTECI-DC, TASK-A-45, TASK-OR ACRS-GENERAL, NUDOCS 8608270423 | |
| Download: ML20206Q014 (6) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES g
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p, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 5
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+o August 14, 1986 g
Mr. David A. Ward, Chainnan Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C.
20555
Dear Mr. Ward:
SUBJECT:
ACRS COMMENTS ON THE BABC0CK & WILC0X (B&W) OWNERS GROUP SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM I am responding to your letter of July 16, 1986 to Mr. Stello.
In that letter, you expressed concern that the B&W Owners Group (BWOG) Safety and Performance Improvement Program was directed at improving plant on-line performance rather 4
than having plant safety as its central focus. Additionally, your letter pro-vided several specific comments regarding the reassessment program for the B&W plants. This letter provides the staff's response to your concern and comments.
In a letter dated June 2,1986 to Mr. Hal Tucker, Chairman of the BWOG, the staff noted that the BWOG program was primarily addressed at trip reduction and improving the post-trip response of the B&W plant. While the staff believed that such a program was necessary to reduce the frequency of complex transients in B&W plants, it also expressed concern that the BWOG program goals were not broad enough. The staff intends, through working level meetings with BWOG, to ensure that the scope of the specific projects in the program are broad-based.
Based upon the recent working level meetings with the BWOG on the ICS/NNI eval-uations and the sensitivity studies being performed by MPR Associates, the staff i
believes this approach will ensure that the broader plant safety issues are addressed as well.
With respect to your specific comments concerning the overall reassessment pro-gram, the staff provides the following responses:
1.
The staff agrees that good management is an important factor in the safe operation of nuclear facilities. However, the staff believes that l
management issues can be more effectively addressed on a plant-spe-cific basis in existing programs such as the staff's Systematic Appraisal of Licensee Performance program and also in INP0's appraisal program. Accordingly, the staff does not plan to pursue management i
issues in its reassessment of B&W plants. The staff will, however, t
examine whether there are plant-specific design differences which may l
be responsible for the differing operating histories among the plants.
r 2.
The staff and the BWOG both recognize that the B&W system responds differ-l ently to upsets than do other pressurized water reactors (PWRs). To determine whether these differing response characteristics.are safety significant, the BWOG program includes thermal-hydraulic analyses, to be performed by MPR Associates, which examine the D&W plant response to system upsets and compare the responses to those for other PWRs.
Additionally, the staff will be utilizing the B&W plant operating experience to ensure that the response characteristics of the B&W plant have been appropriately considered within the existing PRAs for the QhtW *[ dC.R3 8608270423 860814 g.D-K PDR ACRS GENERAL PDR g
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2-B&W plants. These activities will allow the staff to make judgments concerning the safety significance of the B&W plant response.
3.
While the BWOG program does not have a specific activity to address decay heat removal reliability, the staff notes that many of the elements in the BWOG program address decay heat removal. These ele-ments include the ICS/NNI evaluations, the main feedwater system review, the. secondary plant relief system review and the EFW/AFW system review. The composite result of these activities should assure the reliability of decay heat removal.
With respect to alternate decay heat removal concepts, the BWOG will be examining feed and bleed cooling in the sensitivity study being performed by MPR Associates. However, this activity is expected to only examine current capabilities at B&W plants; new alternate decay heat removal concepts are not being considered. The staff also does not intend to examine alternate decay heat removal concepts as part of the B&W plant reassessment activities. Alternate concepts for the B&W plants, as well as other PWRs, are being examined as part of the resolution of USI A-45, " Shutdown Decay Heat Removal Requirements."
The staff looks forward to continued interaction with the ACRS on the B&W plant reassessment program.
Sincerely, M
Harold R. Denton, Dir ctor Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
August 14, 1986
- B&W plants. These activities will allow the staff to make judgments concerning the safety significance of the B&W plant response.
3.
While the BWOG program does not have'a specific activity to address decay heat removal reliability, the staff notes that many of the elements in the BWOG program address decay heat removal. These ele-ments include the ICS/NNI evaluations, the main feedwater system review, the secondary plant relief system review and the EFW/AFW system review. The composite result of these activities should assure the reliability of decay heat removal.
With respect to alternate decay heat removal concepts, the BWOG will be examining feed and bleed cooling in the sensitivity study being performed by MPR Associates. However, this activity is expected to only examine current capabilities at B&W plants; new alternate decay heat removal concepts are not being considered. The staff also does not intend to examine alternate decay heat removal concepts as part of the B&W plant reassessment activities. Alternate concepts for the B&W plants, as well as other PWRs, are being examined as part of the resolution of USI A-45, " Shutdown Decay Heat Removal Requirements."
The staff looks forward to continued interaction with the ACRS on the B&W plant reassessment program.
Sincerely, 984tG#iAL1HfsNED St R. Vollmer for Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DISTRIBUTION Central File JTaylor JCalvo HDenton/RVollmer RSB File Dross GHolahan PPAS PDR JHeltemes CMiller DMossburg/KToms NRR 869-485 VStello GCunningham DHumenansky FMiraglia JRoe JDavis RHernan
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DCrutchfield TRehm WRegan CThomas JSniezek TMarsh NLauben g ~d RJones
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August 14, 1986 B&W plants.
These activities will allow the staff to make judgments concerning the safety significance of the B&W plant response.
3.
While the BWOG program does not have a specific activity to address decay heat removal reliability, the staff notes that many of the elements in the BWOG program address decay heat removal. These ele-ments include the ICS/NNI evaluations, the main feedwater system review, the secondary plant relief system review and the EFW/AFW system review.
The composite result of these activitics should assure the reliability of decay heat removal.
With respect to alternate decay heat removal concepts, the BWOG will be examining feed and bleed cooling in the sensitivity study being performed by MPR Associates.
However, this activity is expec_ted to only examine current capabilities at B&W plants; new alternate decay heat removal concepts are not being considered. The staff also does not intend to examine alternate decay heat removal concepts as part of the B&W plant reassessment activities. Alternate concepts for the B&W plants, as well as other PWRs, are being examined as part of the resolution of USI A-45, " Shutdown Decay Heat Removal Requirements."
The staff looks forward to continued interaction with the ACRS on the B&W plant reassessment program.
Sincerely, N4GINAL SIGNED BY R. Vollmer for Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc:
W. Regan DISTRIBUTION T. Marsh Central File JTaylor J. Calvo RSB File Dross G. Holahan VStello JHeltemes C. Miller JRoe GCunningham D. Humenansky TRehm PCR R. Hernan JSniezak JDavis
- SEE PREVIOUS PAGE N,[1/3dh 0FC :RSB:DPLB*
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RSB:DPLB:BC* DP' :AD 2%==____DPLB:D NAME :RJones:cm NLauben CThomas DC utchfield FMiraglia DATE :07/31/86 07/31/86 07/31/86 OJ'/ql86 07/ /86
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0FFICIAL RECORD COPY 1
J August 14, 1986 B&W plants. These activities will allow the staff to make judgments concerning the safety significance of the B&W plant response.
3.
While the BWOG program does not have a specific activity to address decay heat removal reliability, the staff notes that many of the elements in the BWOG program address decay heat removal. These ele-ments include the ICS/NNI evaluations, the main feedwater system review, the secondary plant relief system review and the EFW/AFW system review. The composite result of these activities should assure the reliability of decay heat removal.
With respect to alternate decay heat removal concepts, the BWOG will be examining feed and bleed cooling in the sensitivity study being performed' by MPR Associates. However, this activity is expected to only examine current capabilities at B&W plants; new alternate decay heat removal concepts are not being considered. The staff also does does not intend to examine alternate decay heat removal concepts as part of the B&W plant reassessment activities. Alternate concepts for the B&W plants, as well as other PWRs, are being examined as part of the resolution of USI A-45, " Shutdown Decay Heat Removal Requirements."
l The staff looks forward to continued interaction with the ACRS on the B&W plant reassessment program.
Sincerely, ORIGINALSIGNED BY R. Vollmer for Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc:
W. Regan' DISTRIBUTION T. Marsh Central File JTaylor J. Calvo RSB File Dross G. Holahan VStello JHeltemes C. Miller JRoe GCunningham D. Humenansky TRehm
'PDR R. Hernan JSniezak JDavis M. Rubin
- SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE SHEET OFC :RSB:DPLB R5B:DPLB:5L RSB:DPLBgG DPLB:AD DPLB:0 UEhE bones c T NLauben TbaC bCrutchfke5d Fhkrakk$
'DATE :07/ /86 07/
/86 07g//86 07/ /86 07/ /86 31 31 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY
August 14, 1986 B&W plants. These activities will allow the staff to make judgments concerning the safety significance of the B&W plant response.
3.
While b e BWOG program does not have a specific activity to address elemer. neat removal reliability, the staff notes that many of the decay
.ts in the BWOG program address decay heat removal. These ele-ments include the ICS/NNI evaluations, the Main Feedwater System Review, the Secondary Plant Relief System Review'and the EFW/AFW System Review. The composite result of these activities should en-hance the reliability of decay heat removal.
With respect to alternate decay heat removal concepts, the BWOG will be examining feed and bleed cooling in the Sensitivity Study being performed by MPR Associates. However, this activity is expected to only examine current capabilities at B&W plants; new alternate decay heat removal concepts are not being considered. The staff also does does not intend to examine alternate decay heat removal concepts as part of the B&W plant reassessment activities. Alternate concepts for the B&W plants, as well as other PWRs, are being examined as part of the resolution of USI A-45, " Shutdown Decay Heat Removal Requirements."
.The staff looks forward to continued interaction with the ACRS on the B&W plant reassessment program.
Sincerely, fel!%LSIGNED BY R. Vollmer for Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc:
W. Regan DISTRIBUTION T. Marsh Central File JTaylor J. Calvo RSB File Dross G. Holahan VStello JHeltemes C. Miller JRoe GCunningham D. Humenansky TRehm PDR R. Hernan JSniezak JDavis M. Rubin OFC :RSB:DP B RSB:DPLB:SL RSB:DPLB:BC DPLB:AD DPLB:D hake R one :c hLaubenk CThomas DCrutchfkekd Fhirakka DATE:07@/86 07/g/86 07/ /86 07/ /86 07/ /86 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY