ML063480515

RAI, Relief Request to Utilize ASME Code Case N-659

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

Text

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

SUBJECT:

THREE MILE ISLAND, UNIT 1 - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING 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 System Accession 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 examination required by the ASME Code,Section III, Subarticle NC-5222. Additionally, the licensee requested 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 relief request 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 Regulation Docket No. 50-289

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page

ML063480515 OFFICE LPLI-2/PM LPLI-2/LA CPNB/BC LPLI-2/BC NAME FSaba CRaynor TChan HChernoff DATE 01/08/07 01/03/07 01/08/07 1/22/07

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 cc:

Site Vice President - Three Mile Island Nuclear Director - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Station, Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-E P. O. Box 480 Kennett Square, PA 19348 Middletown, PA 17057 Director Senior Vice President - Nuclear Services Bureau of Radiation Protection AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Pennsylvania Department of 4300 Winfield Road Environmental Protection Warrenville, IL 60555 Rachel Carson State Office Building P.O. Box 8469 Vice President - Operations, Mid-Atlantic Harrisburg, PA 17105-8469 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 3-N Plant Manager - Three Mile Island Nuclear Kennett Square, PA 19348 Station, Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Vice President - Licensing and Regulatory P. O. Box 480 Affairs Middletown, PA 17057 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Regulatory Assurance Manager - Three Warrenville, IL 60555 Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Regional Administrator P.O. Box 480 Region I Middletown, PA 17057 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road Ronald Bellamy, Region I King of Prussia, PA 19406 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road Chairman King of Prussia, PA 19406 Board of County Commissioners of Dauphin County Michael A. Schoppman Dauphin County Courthouse Framatome ANP Harrisburg, PA 17120 Suite 705 1911 North Ft. Myer Drive Chairman Rosslyn, VA 22209 Board of Supervisors of Londonderry Township Vice President, General Counsel and R.D. #1, Geyers Church Road Secretary Middletown, PA 17057 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 2301 Market Street, S23-1 Senior Resident Inspector (TMI-1) Philadelphia, PA 19101 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 219 Middletown, PA 17057

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 cc:

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

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THREE MILE ISLAND, UNIT 1 RELIEF REQUEST TO UTILIZE ASME CODE CASE N-659 TAC NO. MD3170 DOCKET NO. 50-289

1. By letter dated September 28, 2006, AmerGen Energy Company requested to use American 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) has reviewed 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 of October 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 the volume 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 appropriate transducer 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 examination and/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.