ML20260H442
| ML20260H442 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Grand Gulf, River Bend  |
| Issue date: | 09/08/2020 |
| From: | Siva Lingam NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL4 |
| To: | Schrage J Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| References | |
| L-2020-LLR-0079 | |
| Download: ML20260H442 (4) | |
Text
From:
Lingam, Siva Sent:
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 3:01 PM To:
Schrage, John Cc:
Dixon-Herrity, Jennifer; Gonzalez, Hipo; Cheruvenki, Ganesh; Gaston, Ronald William; Shaw, Jim; Schenk, Timothy A; Lee, Samson
Subject:
Entergy Fleet (Grand Gulf and River Bend) - Official RAIs for RR Associated with Updating ASME Code RR SEs with NRC-Approved Revision of BWRVIP Guidelines (GG-ISI-020 and RBS-ISI-019) (EPID L-2020-LLR-0079)
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has reviewed your application for the subject relief request (RR) and concluded that additional information is required for complete evaluation. We transmitted the draft requests for additional information (RAIs) on September 1, 2020, and at your request, held a clarification call on September 8, 2020. Please note the following official RAIs, and provide your responses within 60 days from the date of this email as mutually agreed during the clarification call. Your timely responses will allow the NRC staff to complete its review on schedule.
By letter dated June 8, 2020 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)
Accession No. ML20160A032), Entergy Operations Inc. (the licensee) submitted a proposed revision to the NRC-approved alternatives (GG-ISI-020 and RBS-ISI-019) to use Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Vessel and Internals Project (BWRVIP) guidelines for Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (Grand Gulf), and River Bend Station, Unit 1 (River Bend).
The licensee requested to revise these NRC-authorized alternatives to allow the use of BWRVIP-18, Revision 2-A, BWR Vessel and Internals Project BWR Core Spray Internals Inspection and Flaw Evaluation Guidelines (NRC Approval Letter and Safety Evaluation (SE) ADAMS Accession No. ML16011A), BWRVIP-41, Revision 4-A, BWR Vessel and Internals Project BWR Jet Pump Assembly Inspection and Flaw Evaluation Guidelines (NRC Approval Letter and SE ADAMS Accession No. ML18130A024),and BWRVIP-48, Revision 1, BWR Vessel and Internals Project BWR Vessel ID [Inside Diameter] Attachment Weld Inspection and Flaw Evaluation Guidelines, as applicable, instead of the currently authorized versions of these guidelines.
Regulatory Basis The regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.55a(g)(4), Inservice Inspection Standards Requirement for Operating Plants, state, in part, that ASME Code Class 1, 2, and 3 components (including supports) must meet the requirements, except the design and access provisions and the preservice examination requirements, set forth in Section XI of the applicable editions and addenda of the ASME [American Society of Mechanical Engineers] BPV [Boiler and Pressure Vessel] Code
[ASME Code] to the extent practical within the limitations of design, geometry, and materials of construction of the components.
The regulations in 10 CFR 50.55a(z), Alternatives to Codes and Standards Requirements, state, in part, that alternatives to the requirements in paragraphs (b) through (h) of 10 CFR 50.55a may be authorized by the NRC if the licensee demonstrates that: (1) the proposed alternative provides an acceptable level of quality and safety, or (2) compliance with the specified requirements would result in hardship or unusual difficulty without a compensating increase in the level of quality and safety.
RAI-1
Issue:
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 03-08, "Guideline for the Management of Materials Issues," Revision 3 (ADAMS Accession No. ML19079A253) provides the industrys process for determining when an updated industry inspection and evaluation (I&E) guideline may be implemented by an industry licensee without NRC prior approval of the guideline. Grand Gulf and River Bend propose to use BWRVIP-48, Revision 1, as the basis for inspecting reactor pressure vessel (RPV) interior attachment welds in lieu of applicable ASME Section XI, Examination Category B-N-2 requirements. BWRVIP-48, Revision 1 was not submitted to the NRC staff for review and approval.
Request:
Provide a summary of the revised changes between BWRVIP-48-A and BWRVIP-48, Revision 1. Based on these changes, justify why BWRVIP-48, Revision 1 may be implemented as an acceptable basis for inspection of the applicable RPV interior attachments welds without prior NRC staff approval of the methods in BWRVIP-48, Revision 1.
RAI-2
Issue:
The licensee of Grand Gulf and River Bend stated that it has implemented On-Line Noble Chemical (OLNC) mitigation method to reduce the susceptibility of intergranular stress corrosion cracking in stainless steel welds. The effectiveness of the OLNC is determined by measuring the electrochemical potential (ECP) of the test coupon and the minimum platinum content on the test coupon in the monitoring system of the RPV. For the OLNC method, the NRC staff issued a safety evaluation to 2018 supplement to the BWRVIP-62-A report, BWR Vessel and Internals Project, Technical Basis for Inspection Relief for BWR Internal Components with Hydrogen Injection (ADAMS Accession No. ML18142A019). The NRC staffs SE on BWRVIP-62-A discusses the acceptance criteria regarding the Category 3A Noble Metal Chemical Addition parameters and implementation steps, including a number of conditions on implementation of OLNC additions into the reactor coolant system.
Request:
Provide Information regarding how the licensee is meeting the NRC staffs Conditions on use of OLNC additions as issued in the NRC staffs SE for BWRVIP-62-A (e.g., conditions on ECP values and Platinum content of the test coupons).
RAI-3
Issue:
The licensee is crediting BWRVIP-47-A, BWR Vessel and Internals Project Boiling Water Reactor Lower Plenum Inspection and Flaw Evaluation Guidelines (NRC Approval Letter ADAMS Accession No. ML052490537, Electric Power Research Institute Non-Proprietary Report ADAMS Accession No. ML20206D304) as an alternative I&E basis for RPV internal lower plenum components. However, BWRVIP-47-A does not include any re-inspection criteria for RPV internal lower plenum components
that are inspected in lieu of the applicable requirements for the components in Examination Category B-N-2, Item No. B13.40 of the ASME Code,Section XI, Table IWB-2500-1, Examination Categories.
Request:
a) Provide information regarding the type of inservice inspections (ISI) and the frequencies of ISI (consistent with ASME Code,Section XI criteria) that have been performed to date, on the aforementioned RPV internal lower plenum components.
b) Justify the basis for using the I&E bases in BWRVIP-47-A to inspect the RPV internal lower plenum components for the requested ISI interval given that the BWRVIP report does not include any re-inspection criteria for RPV internal lower plenum components.
Siva P. Lingam U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Project Manager Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 Grand Gulf Nuclear Station Entergy Fleet Location: O-9E22; Mail Stop: O-9E03 Telephone: 301-415-1564 E-mail address: Siva.Lingam@nrc.gov
Hearing Identifier:
NRR_DRMA Email Number:
770 Mail Envelope Properties (BL0PR0901MB421039517D11D560DF84EB59F6290)
Subject:
Entergy Fleet (Grand Gulf and River Bend) - Official RAIs for RR Associated with Updating ASME Code RR SEs with NRC-Approved Revision of BWRVIP Guidelines (GG-ISI-020 and RBS-ISI-019) (EPID L-2020-LLR-0079)
Sent Date:
9/8/2020 3:01:06 PM Received Date:
9/8/2020 3:01:06 PM From:
Lingam, Siva Created By:
Siva.Lingam@nrc.gov Recipients:
"Dixon-Herrity, Jennifer" <Jennifer.Dixon-Herrity@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Gonzalez, Hipo" <Hipolito.Gonzalez@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Cheruvenki, Ganesh" <Ganesh.Cheruvenki@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Gaston, Ronald William" <rgasto1@entergy.com>
Tracking Status: None "Shaw, Jim" <jshaw5@entergy.com>
Tracking Status: None "Schenk, Timothy A" <TSCHENK@entergy.com>
Tracking Status: None "Lee, Samson" <Samson.Lee@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Schrage, John" <jschrag@entergy.com>
Tracking Status: None Post Office:
BL0PR0901MB4210.namprd09.prod.outlook.com Files Size Date & Time MESSAGE 6688 9/8/2020 3:01:06 PM Options Priority:
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