ML063480515

Three Mile Island, Unit 1, RAI, Relief Request to Utilize ASME Code Case N-659

ML063480515
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	01/22/2007
From:	Saba F E NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLI-2
To:	Crane C M AmerGen Energy Co
Saba F
References
N-659, TAC MD3170
Download: ML063480515 (5)

Text

January 22, 2007Mr. Christopher M. CranePresident and Chief Executive Officer AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555

SUBJECT:

THREE MILE ISLAND, UNIT 1 - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONREGARDING RELIEF REQUEST TO UTILIZE ASME CODE CASE N-659. (TAC NO. MD3170)

Dear Mr. Crane:

By letter dated September 28, 2006 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management SystemAccession No. ML062720058), AmerGen Energy Company (the licensee) requested relief from certain American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code) requirements at Three Mile Island, Unit 1. Specifically, the licensee has requested to use an alternative ultrasonic examination method in lieu of the radiographic examinationrequired by the ASME Code,Section III, Subarticle NC-5222. Additionally, the licenseerequested relief from the required examination to include 100% of the volume of the entire weld.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has reviewed the information provided in the reliefrequest and has identified the enclosed request for additional information (RAI). This RAI was discussed with Thomas Loomis of your staff on January 8, 2007, and it was agreed that your response would be provided within 30 days from the date of this letter.Please contact me at 301-415-1447, if you have any questions.Sincerely,/RA/Farideh E. Saba, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor RegulationDocket No. 50-289

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page

ML063480515OFFICELPLI-2/PMLPLI-2/LACPNB/BC LPLI-2/BC NAMEFSabaCRaynorTChanHChernoff DATE01/08/0701/03/0701/08/071/22/07 Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 cc:

Site Vice President - Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P. O. Box 480 Middletown, PA 17057Senior Vice President - Nuclear ServicesAmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555Vice President - Operations, Mid-Atlantic AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-N Kennett Square, PA 19348Vice President - Licensing and RegulatoryAffairs AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555Regional Administrator Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406ChairmanBoard of County Commissioners of Dauphin County Dauphin County Courthouse Harrisburg, PA 17120ChairmanBoard of Supervisors of Londonderry Township R.D. #1, Geyers Church Road Middletown, PA 17057Senior Resident Inspector (TMI-1)U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 219 Middletown, PA 17057Director - Licensing and Regulatory AffairsAmerGen Energy Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-E Kennett Square, PA 19348DirectorBureau of Radiation Protection Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Rachel Carson State Office Building P.O. Box 8469 Harrisburg, PA 17105-8469Plant Manager - Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P. O. Box 480 Middletown, PA 17057Regulatory Assurance Manager - ThreeMile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 480 Middletown, PA 17057Ronald Bellamy, Region IU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406Michael A. SchoppmanFramatome ANP Suite 705 1911 North Ft. Myer Drive Rosslyn, VA 22209Vice President, General Counsel andSecretary AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 2301 Market Street, S23-1 Philadelphia, PA 19101 Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 cc:

Dr. Judith JohnsrudNational Energy Committee Sierra Club 433 Orlando Avenue State College, PA 16803Eric EpsteinTMI Alert 4100 Hillsdale Road Harrisburg, PA 17112Correspondence Control DeskAmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 160 Kennett Square, PA 19348Manager Licensing - Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Exelon Generation Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-E Kennett Square, PA 19348Assistant General CounselAmerGen Energy Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONTHREE MILE ISLAND, UNIT 1 RELIEF REQUEST TO UTILIZE ASME CODE CASE N-659TAC NO. MD3170DOCKET NO. 50-2891.By letter dated September 28, 2006, AmerGen Energy Company requested to useAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code) Case N-659, "Use of Ultrasonic Examination in Lieu of Radiography for Weld Examination Section III, Division 1". The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) hasreviewed the ASME Code Case N-659 for endorsement as conditionally acceptable in draft Regulatory Guide DG-1134, "Inservice Inspection Code Case Acceptability, ASME Section XI, Division 1". Proposed conditions were provided in the Federal Register ofOctober 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 208), Pages 62948-62949. In order for the NRC staff to continue its review, please discuss how the proposed NRC conditions will be addressed for Three Mile Island, Unit 1.2.ASME Code Case N-659 states that the examination area shall include 100% of thevolume of the entire weld, plus 0.5T of each side of the welds, where T is the thickness of the weld. After reviewing figures 2 and 3 of your submittal, the NRC staff is unclear as to what is the exact weld area that will not be examined. Please provide the following:

a)Please discuss the computer modeling, if any, used to determine the appropriatetransducer size and angles for maximum volume coverage. Evaluate if using different shapes can increase the coverage. b)Please discuss other non-destructive methods (such as, surface examinationand/or eddy current) that were considered for improving the volume coverage and can get some depth as well. Explain whether and how the volume coverage can be improved.