ML20304A144
| ML20304A144 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palisades  (DPR-020) |
| Issue date: | 11/02/2020 |
| From: | Booma Venkataraman Plant Licensing Branch III |
| To: | Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| Venkataraman B | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2020-LRM-0088 | |
| Download: ML20304A144 (5) | |
Text
November 2, 2020 LICENSEE:
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
FACILITY:
Palisades Nuclear Plant
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, PUBLIC TELECONFERENCE WITH ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS INC. REGARDING A PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE FOR REPAIR OF REACTOR VESSEL HEAD PENETRATIONS FOR PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT (EPID L-2020-LRM-0088)
On September 21, 2020, a Category 1 public teleconference was held between the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy, the licensee) and Framatome Inc. (Framatome) via a teleconference.
The meeting notice dated September 15, 2020, is available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at Accession No. ML20260H350. A list of attendees is enclosed.
The purpose of the teleconference was for the NRC staff to discuss with Entergy its proposed relief request for an alternative to the requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code,Section XI, related to the repair of certain Palisades Nuclear Plant (Palisades) reactor vessel closure head penetrations. No regulatory decisions were made during the meeting. The NRC staff noted in its opening remarks that Palisades was currently in a safe shut down condition, in a refueling outage, and the NRC staff did not have any immediate safety concerns regarding this issue. Further, the NRC staff noted in its opening remarks that this was a Category 1 public meeting, and meetings in this category are typically held between staff and the licensee to discuss specific regulatory or technical topics for a specific facility. Further the NRC staff stated, the public will have an opportunity to communicate with the NRC after the business portion of the meeting but before the meeting is adjourned, as outlined in the meeting agenda. The scope of the meeting is the specific forthcoming licensing action - relief request as I [the NRC staff] described. We encourage the public to ask questions, however for general questions or questions outside the scope of this meeting, we request you to contact NRCs office of public affairs.
Discussion During the meeting, Entergy described its proposed relief request, RR 5-8, for an alternative to ASME B&PV Code,Section XI, requirements for repair of reactor vessel head penetrations, pertaining to nozzle locations 17 and 34 for Palisades. The licensee indicated that it planned to submit its proposed request on September 23, 2020, and request NRC staffs verbal approval by October 1, 2020. Further, the licensee stated that its approval date was based on the current reactor head penetrations repair schedule. The licensee also indicated that the proposed duration request for the alternative was 20 months based on Entergys notification of cessation of permanent power operations at Palisades, currently planned for no later than May 31, 2022.
Entergy indicated that it identified the two Palisades reactor pressure vessel head penetrations that require repair as a result of examinations of the reactor head performed during the ongoing refueling outage. The licensee described the inservice examinations conducted on the reactor head penetrations by ultrasonic method and the discovery of indications on reactor vessel closure head at penetrations 17 and 34. Further, the licensee indicated that display characteristics consistent with primary water stress corrosion cracking were identified and that no detectable leak path signature were found on the indications.
Framatome provided a detailed description of how it plans to conduct nozzle repairs on behalf of the licensee, noting that its plan for restoring the pressure boundary by the half-nozzle welding method, which has been widely used in past repairs of reactor head penetrations. Entergy indicated that the life expectancy of the weld repairs proposed was conservatively estimated for 21.8 effective full power months (EFPM), due to the fact that the licensee expects to operate Palisades for one more fuel cycle, approximately 20 months, and the repairs are for the remaining time to plant shutdown as planned. The licensee also discussed the differences between the proposed relief request, and the relief request for Palisades reactor vessel head penetration repairs conducted in 2018. Entergy indicated that surface stress improvement (i.e.,
peening) will not be performed as part of repairs for the proposed request. The licensee indicated that it would include the proprietary and non-proprietary version of the service life of the Life Assessment Summary with its relief request submittal for NRC staff review.
The NRC staff asked several clarifying questions of the licensee which included the following topics:
clarity on the volumetric examination indications, the basis and consideration of margin in the 21.8 EFPM calculation, details on comparison of the proposed repair with respect to the past Palisades relief requests, a discussion on the stress surface peening, and why it was not being proposed for the weld repair, technical justifications for the relief request, and the licensee documentation that will be needed to support NRC staffs expedited review.
The NRC staff noted that it may request additional information in order to make a determination of reasonable assurance of safety. Further, the NRC staff noted that the additional information would only be requested as necessary but may be likely due to the differences from the past precedent for this type of repair for Palisades.
During the public question and answer session of the meeting, the NRC staff received questions and comments from Ms. Jan Boudart, Nuclear Energy Information Service, Mr. Kraig Schulz, Dont Waste Michigan, Mr. Kevin Kamps, Beyond Nuclear, and Mr. Michael Keegan, MI Safe Energy Future. The NRC staff answered questions specific to the proposed relief request on the following topics:
Proposed alternative repair duration of EFPM years versus a duration for 27 years (what the plant is licensed).
Effect of leaving stress improvement off on the proposed repair, and its effect on subsequent nondestructive evaluations.
Expectation of all 54 nozzles to receive ultrasonic examination during the outage.
NRC staffs adequate review of the licensee request and the requested short turnaround.
Public meeting forms were not received.
Please direct any inquiries to me at (301) 415-2934 or Booma.Venkataraman@nrc.gov.
/RA/
Booma Venkataraman, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch III Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-331
Enclosure:
List of Attendees cc: Listserv
Enclosure LIST OF ATTENDEES SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, PUBLIC WEBINAR TO DISCUSS PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE FOR REPAIR OF REACTOR VESSEL HEAD PENETRATIONS ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS INC.
PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT DOCKET NO. 50-255 Name Organization U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Participants Nancy Salgado NRC April Nguyen NRC Booma Venkataraman NRC Jay Collins NRC Stephen Cumblidge NRC Ali Rezai NRC Austin Young NRC Paul Laflamme NRC Courtney S. Peters NRC Rhex Edwards NRC John Bozga NRC Edison Fernandez NRC Prema Chandrathil NRC Victoria Mitlyng NRC Licensee Participants Jim Miksa Entergy Joe Jerz Entergy Stephanie Weimer Entergy Greg Hubers Entergy Phil Couture Entergy Howard Mahan Entergy Joe Weicks Entergy Dave Gerber Entergy Bob Allen Entergy Steve Hunter Framatome Ashok Nana Framatome Sarah Davidsaver Framatome Members of Public Jan Boudart Nuclear Energy Information Service Kraig Schulz MI Safe Energy Future Kevin Kamps Beyond Nuclear/ Dont Waste Michigan Micheal Keegan Dont Waste Michigan Carolyn Ferry Palisades Park Homeowners Doug Kull Electric Power Research Institute Organizations Brian McVicar Reporter NY Media Group Richard Mattson Structural Integrity Associates Anit Woodawar Public
- by e-mail OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL3/PM NRR/DORL/LPL3/LA*
NRR/DORL/LPL3/BC*
NAME BVenkataraman SRohrer NSalgado (for JWiebe)
DATE 10/28/2020 11/02/2020 11/02/20 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL3/PM*
NAME BVenkataraman DATE 11/02/20