ML22304A005
| ML22304A005 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Cooper  |
| Issue date: | 10/26/2022 |
| From: | Bonifanti M, Palm N Electric Power Research Institute |
| To: | Thomas Wengert Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| 2022-069 | |
| Download: ML22304A005 (1) | |
Text
EPl21 2022-069 BWR Vessel & Internals Project (BWRVIP)
(via e-mail)
October 26, 2022 Document Control Desk U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 115 5 5 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 Attention:
Mr. Tom Wengert
SUBJECT:
Cooper 300° Surveillance Capsule Location (Re-insertion into the Reactor Vessel)
References:
Updated BWR Integrated Surveillance Program (ISP) Implementation Plan, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2012. 1025144.
- 2. NUREG-1944, "Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of Cooper Nuclear Station," Docket No. 50-298, ~ebraska Public Power District, October 2010.
- 3. BWRVIP Letter 2020-116, "Cooper 300° Surveillance Capsule Location," to Mr.
Thomas Wengert, December 17, 2020.
The purpose of this letter is to inform the NRC that the Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) 300° reactor pressure vessel (RPV) surveillance capsule that was removed from RPV during the refueling outage in October 2020 has been re-inserted at the same 300° azimuthal location. This Integrated Surveillance Program (ISP) capsule for the initial 60-year license renewal (LR) period of extended operation (PEO), also referred as an ISP(E) capsule, was temporarily stored in the spent fuel pool (SFP) at the facility during the 2-year cycle of operation from fall 2020 until the capsule was returned to its proper location during the fall 2022 refueling outage.
The CNS 300° surveillance sample* holder assembly was removed from the RPV inner wall as a planned evolution during the fall 2020 refueling outage to provide access to a core shroud vertical weld for non-destructive examination (NDE) as desc_ribed in [Reference 3]. The decision was. made by the Licensee not to re-install the surveillance specimen holder until the next refueling outage in fall 2022 to avoid damaging the sample holder as a result of excessive forces needed to re-engage the specimen holder with the RPV attachment brackets utilizing existing installation equipment.
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BWRVIP 2022-069 Actions have now been taken, as tracked by the CNS vessel internals program, to ensure reinstallation of the CNS 300° surveillance sample holder assembly during the 2022 fall refueling outage.
The BWRVIP project managers for the ISP at EPRI were contacted regarding the inability to reinstall the surveillance capsule sample holder prior to the reactor reassembly process in fall 2020 [Reference 3]. The CNS 300° capsule is included as an ISP host plant for the U.S. BWR fleet as defined in BWRVIP-86, Revision 1-A [Reference 1]. Table 7-1 shows the CNS 300° capsule withdrawal to be performed in 2029 for testing, evaluation and analysis.
Since the CNS refueling outages are currently performed in even years, and CNS informed the BWRVIP that after the 300° capsule is reinstalled for the required additional irradiation exposure time, the withdrawal will be planned for the fall 2030.refueling outage. According to Section 4.2 of BWRVIP-86 Revision 1-A, capsules will be withdrawn in the years indicated in the withdrawal schedule, plus or minus one year. The projected capsule fluence at the time of withdrawal in 2030 is expected to remain unchanged since the reinstallation of the surveillance capsule holder has been successfully completed during the fall 2022 refueling outage. Therefore, a fall 2030 withdrawal of the CNS 300° capsule will be within the NRC approved ISP(E) program requirements.
Due to the successful re-insertion of the CNS 300° capsule during the fall 2022 refueling outage, these corrective actions meet the intent ofNUREG-1944 [Reference 2], Section 3.1.2.2.3, item (2) which states, in part, that the licensee's program "includes recommendations for maintaining untested capsules in storage for future reinsertion." In conclusion, the actions taken by CNS continue to meet the requirements of the CNS Renewed Facility Operating License, the BWRVIP ISP(E) implementation plan and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix H, "Reactor Vessel Surveillance Program Requirements."
If you have any questions on this subject, please contact Steve Williams (BWRVIP ISP Project Manager) by email at swilliams@epri.com or by telephone at 704.574.5386.
Sincerely, Martin Bonifanti, Constellation, BWRVIP Chairman Nathan Palm, EPRI, BWRVIP Program Manager c:
Tom Wengert, NRR Project Manager-Cooper Thomas.Wengert@nrc.gov Linda R. Dewhirst, NPPD, lrdewhi@nppd.com T. McClure, NPPD S. Richter, Energy Northwest, S. Williams, EPRI D. Bush, PSEG N. Palm, EPRI 2