ML20245J700
| ML20245J700 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Sequoyah  |
| Issue date: | 08/04/1989 |
| From: | Black S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Robinson L CHATTANOOGA PUBLISHING CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8908180140 | |
| Download: ML20245J700 (9) | |
Text
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Ms. Lola Robinson DCrutchfield JZwolinski National Advertising BDLiaw GPA/PA Chattanooga Publishing Company RPierson GPA/CA E
400 East lith Street BWilson 0GC Chattanooga, Tennessce 37403 JBrady ADSP Reading
Dear Ms. Robinson:
In accordance with our telephone conversation of Friday, August 4, 1989, enclosed is the Public Notice for the Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant, Units l 'and 2, that we would like to have published on Tuesday, August 8, 1989 in the Chattanooga News. Free Press and the Chattanooga Times. Also enclosed is~ the Advertising Order approving this publication. After publication, please send a copy of the tear sheet and the notice to my attention.
If you have any questions, please call me at 1-301-492-0796.
Sincerely, Suzanne Black, Assistant Director for Projects TVA Projects Division Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation L
Enclosures:
1.
Public Notice 2.
Advertising Order M*I cc w/ enclosure:
See next page l
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OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
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General Counsel Tennessee Valley Authority Mr. Kenneth M. Jenison 400 West Summit Hill Drive Senior Resident Inspector ET 11B 33H Sequoyah Nuclear Plant U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 2600 Igou Ferry Road Mr. F. L. Moreadith Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379 Vice President. Nuclear Engineering Tennessee Valley Authority Mr. Michael H. Mobley, Director 400 West Summit Hill Drive Division of Radiological Health WT 12A 12A T.E.R.R.A. Building, 6th Floor 150 9th Avenue North Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 Nashville, Tennessee 37219-5404 Dr. Mark 0. Medford Vice President and Nuclear Dr. Henry Myers, Science Advisor Technical Director Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs Tennessee Valley Authority 6N 38A Lookout Place U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C.
20515 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801 Tennessee Valley Authority Manager, Nuclear Licensing Rockville Office and Regulatory Affairs 11921 Rockville Pike Tennessee Valley Authority Suite 402 SN 157B Lookout Place Rockville, Maryland 20852 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801 Mr. John L. LaPoint Site Director Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P. O. Box 2000 Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379 Mr. M. Burzynski Acting Site Licensing Manager Sequoyah Nuclear Plant P. O. Box 2000 Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379 County Judge Hamilton County Courthouse Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 101 Marietta Street, N.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30323
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i PUBLIC NOTICE i
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NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND OPERATING LICENSES AT SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has received an application dated August 2,1989, from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA or the licensee) for exigent amendments to the operating licenses for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.
Units 1 and 2, located in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
If approved, the amendment temporarily would revise Surveillance Require-ment (SR) 4.4.11.a. " Reactor Coolant System Vents," of the Sequoyah Technical Specifications (TS).
This is one of the SRs to determine if the reactor vessel head vent system is operable.
The proposed changes are to add a footnote to the requirement that the manual isolation valves for the reactor vessel head vent system must be locked open.
The footnote states that "the requirement to verify that the upstream manual isolation valves are locked in the open posi-tion is waived until the cycle 4 refueling outage.
This waiver is granted on a one-time basis.
At the first Mode 5 outage following the issuance of the above waiver, a flow verification test will be performed to verify that the manual isolation valves are open." The changes would apply for both Units 1 and 2 until the next refueling outage, which is the Cycle 4 refueling outage for both units.
The Cycle 4 refueling outages are scheduled for Spring of 1990 for Unit 1 and Fall of 1990 for Unit 2.
On July 28, 1989, TYA discovered that the two manual isolation valves upstream of the reactor vessel head vent system for each unit were verified i
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open before the restart of each unit from the last refueling outage but not locked open as required by the TS.
Except for this, the head vent system is operable.
The requirement that these valves be locked open did not exist at the time the units restarted. The valves cannot now be locked because the units are at 100% power and the valves are inaccessible when the reactor is at power because of their proximity to the reactor vessel head and the high radiation levels in that area.
Also, the missile shields above the reactor vessels would have to be removed.
Tne TS require that if the manual isolation valves cannot be locked the units must be shut down by August 27, 1989, thirty days later.
The proposed changes would allcw both units to continue operating with the manual isolation valves not being locked until the Cycle 4 refueling outage for each unit.
In its letter dated August 2, 1989, TVA explained that flow verification tests of the head vent system conducted during startup for each unit provides further assurance that the manual isolation valves are open.
Because of the relatively short time between when the flow tests were run and when the valves became inaccessible during the startup of the units, it is unlikely that the valves could have been accidently closed.
The manual isolation valves are inside containment for each unit and access to the containments is controlled.
However, in order to provide further verification that the manual isolation valves are open, TVA stated that it will perform a second set of flow verifica-tion tests on the head vent systems when each unit next enters Mode 5 or cold shutdown.
In its letter dated August 2, 1989, TVA provided the following details concerning its conclusion that the manual isolation valves are open.
The i
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3 manual isolation valves on Unit I were verified open on August 5,1988 by a two-person sign-off. ' On August 26, 1988, flow was verified through the head vent system during performance of Surveillance Instruction (SI) 166.41 which indicates again that the manual isolation valves.in Unit I are open.
Following the performance of SI-166.41, access to the manual isolation valves was restric-ted by removing the scaffolding from lower containment and setting the missile shield in place in preparation for entry into Mode 4.
The missile shield was set in place on September 24, 1988, and Unit 1 entered Mode 4 on September 27, 1988.
The manual isolation valves on Unit 2 were verified open on March 10, 1989 by a two-person sign-off.
On March 26, 1989, flow was verified through the system during performance of SI-166.41 which indicates that the manual isolation valves in Unit 2 are open.
Following the performance of SI-j66.41, access to the manual isolation valves was restricted by removing the scaffolding from lower containment and setting the missile shield in place in preparation for entry into Mode 4.
The missile shield was set in place on March 26, 1989.
The missile shield was removed to facilitate leakage repair work and reset on March 30, 1989, and Unit 2 entered Mode 4 on April 5, 1989.
The manual isolation valves on each unit have been verified open by two independent means and the head vent system is available to perform its intende function.
Therefore, it is concluded that locking the manual isolation valves is not needed to meet the underlying purpose of SR 4.4.11.a until the next refueling outage.
A second flow test during the next entry into Mode 5 would be a further verification that the valves are open.
Requiring the flow verification tests to verify the manual isolation valves are open was not
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considered when the requirements on the reactor vessel vent system were added to the TS because they were not proposed by TVA.
The proposed changes provide an alternative, reliable method to assure the manual isolation valves are open.
i The manual isolation valves would have to be locked open to return to power from the Cycle 4 refueling outage for each unit.
The Comission has determined that this change shodd be implemented as soon as possible.
The amendment would permit the licensee to continue operating the units until the Cycle 4 refueling outage.
The proposed changes have no adverse effect on safety and would be benefic /al to overall plant safety because the units would not be forced into an unnecessary shutdown.
Because the manual isolation valves are not locked, the reactor vessel head vent system is considered inoperable and the TS require that power be removed from the system.
The staff issued a Waiver of Compliance on July 31, 1989 to return power to the reactor vessel head vent system.
This Waiver of Compliance from the TS is temporary until this amendment request is acted on.
Conse-quently, the NRC staff has determined that exigent circumstances exist which justify reducing the public notice period norme 11y provided for licensing amendments and proposes to issue the amendment'at the close of business of August 10, 1989.
The licensee and the NRC staff have evaluated this proposed change with regard to the determination of whether or not a significant hazards considera-tion is involved.
Operation of Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2, in accordance with the proposed amendment will not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
The reactor vessel head vent system is designed to vent non-condensible gases and steam from the I
5 reactor coolant system, if needed, to maintain adequate core cooling following an accident.
This system normally is not operated.
The only purpose of the manual isolation valves is to isolate the head vent system from the reactor vessel. These valves must be open for the head vent system to c
function.
The assurance that the valves are open for both units is the double verification check of valve position and the flow verification test.
The proposed changes provide en alternate, reliable method to assure the manual isolation valves are open.
Therefore, because the head vent system remains fully operational in the event of an accident, the proposed change does not affect the assumptions or consequences of any previously analyzed accident.
The proposed amendment will not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously analyzed.
The proposed change does not affect the function or the design of the head vent system or of any other safety system in either unit.
The proposed changes only provide an alternative method of assuring the manual isolation valves are open.
The head vent system remains available to perform its intended function.
The proposed amendment will not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety because the changes propose a reliable method to assure valve position.
The head vent system is still available to perform its intended function.
Following an initial review of this application, the requested amendment has been evaluated against the standards in 10 CFR 50.92 and the NRC staff has I
made a proposed (preliminary) determination that the requested amendment involves no significant hazards considerations.
The changes do not signifi-cantly increase the possibility or consequences of any accident previously l
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j 6-b; considered, nor create the possibility of an accident of a different kind, nor
- significantly decrease any margin of safety.
If the proposed determination that the requested license amendment involves no significant hazards consideration becomes final, the staff will issue the amendments without first offering an opportunity for a public hearing. An opportunity for a hearing will be published in the Federal Register at a later date and any hearing request will not delay the effective
~date of the amendment.
-If the staff decides in its final determination that the amendment does I
involve a significant-hazards consideration a notice of opportunity for a-prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted. it will be held before the amendment is issued.
Comments on the proposed determination of no significant hazards consideration may be telephone to Suzanne Black, Assistant Director for Projects, by collect call to 1-301-492-0796.
All comments received'by close of business on August 10, 1989 will be considered in reaching a final determination.
A copy of the application may be examined at the NRC's Local Public Document Room located at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Library, 1001 Broad Street, Chattaricoga, Tennessee 37402 and at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2010 L Street, Gelman Building, N.W., Washington, D.C.
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.,,,,,, yes,s,eoo s w...re-m. iso ADVERTISING ORDER
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. croca muusu Nuclear R'egulaterry Commission i caft
-1 th_89-0994 pubbsh the enclosed sovertisement according to the scheduleThe publisher of the pu p/v/g set sohd. without paragraphing, and below provided the rates are not in escess of the commercial rates heading unless otherwise expressly authertred in t maut or TMt pusuNmes an3waso in Tion m Chattanooga Chattanooga Free Press, 400 E. lith St., Chattanooga, TN 37403
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MuMcCR OF TIMES AovtRTistMENT APPEARED One oAIE(s) AovEATistMENT APPEARED
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setemcAnons con AovenTissMawT Next available issue Three column wide and deep as necessary y}g, p. 25 0 3 3-T U B&Rfl0.y 9,qc.,l9.,pg.og."o.
APPROPRIATION ms.cERnnsp 31)(62co.-Q-p oo. o,
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gg SEE ATTACHED PimW an;l Etsbrce Analysis BrY BI/If BUSINESS CONTACT:
Jack Donohew 1-301-492-0704; Suzie Black 1-301-492 ancE 0796 URGENT: Division of Contracts, 1-301-492-4597 ThiscertifiesavailabilityofFy198$ funds as follows:
Amount: S1500 Approp. Symboll:
Certifying Official:
Date:
i AUTHORffY TO ADVERTISE MuweER INSTRUMENT OF ASSIGNMENT
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NUMeER DATE DATE c'
of 41 Ne orriciAL TITLE
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INSTRUCTIONS TO PUOLISHERS Eatreme care should be esercised to insure that the specifica-ti ns for advertising to be set other then solid be definits, clear.
Your bill for this advertising order should be submitted on th!
Cod specific since no allowance will be made for paragraphing or "Public Voucher for Advertising" form, which is printed on th for display or leaded or prominent heedings, unless specifically reverse of this form, immediately after the last publicj ordered, or for addt?Jonal space required by the use of type other advertisement. If copies of the printed advertisement are not ave) than that specified, Specifications for advertising other than solid able, complete the affidavit provided on the voucher. Submit the t
and the advertisement copy submitted to the publisher will be voucher and a copy of the pnnted advertisement to >..
attached to the voucher. The following is a sample of solid line advertteement set up in accordance with the usual Government i
requirements, l
DA Bles nas reemassed for Assi snspAarmer oF EIGEWAYS & Tume goes IMPORTANT E YrIW NsE E, getenwE $
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NA in no case shall the advertisement extend beyond the date I
edition stated in this order.
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