ML050180493

License Amendment No. 211, Revise Reactor Vessel Hydrostatic and Leak Testing Requirements

ML050180493
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	03/16/2005
From:	Boska J NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1
To:	Kansler M Entergy Nuclear Operations
Fretz R, NRR/DLPM, 415-1324
References
TAC MC2707
Download: ML050180493 (13)

Text

March 16, 2005 Mr. Michael Kansler President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601

SUBJECT:

PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE:

REACTOR VESSEL HYDROSTATIC AND LEAK TESTING REQUIREMENTS (TAC NO. MC2707)

Dear Mr. Kansler:

The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 211 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-35 for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim). This amendment is in response to your application dated April 14, 2004.

This amendment approves changes to the Pilgrim Technical Specifications (TSs) to add new limiting conditions for operation to permit inservice hydrostatic testing and system leakage pressure testing of the reactor coolant system at temperatures greater than 212 °F, with the reactor shut down.

A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's biweekly Federal Register Notice.

Sincerely,

/RA/

John P. Boska, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-293

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 211 to License No. DPR-35

2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page

March 16, 2005 Mr. Michael Kansler President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601

SUBJECT:

PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE:

REACTOR VESSEL HYDROSTATIC AND LEAK TESTING REQUIREMENTS (TAC NO. MC2707)

Dear Mr. Kansler:

The Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 211 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-35 for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim). This amendment is in response to your application dated April 14, 2004.

This amendment approves changes to the Pilgrim Technical Specifications (TSs) to add new limiting conditions for operation to permit inservice hydrostatic testing and system leakage pressure testing of the reactor coolant system at temperatures greater than 212 °F, with the reactor shut down.

A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's biweekly Federal Register Notice.

Sincerely,

/RA/

John P. Boska, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-293

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 211 to License No. DPR-35

2. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

D. Roberts C. Anderson, RI OGC PUBLIC PDI-2 R/F C. Raynor J. Boska G. Hill (2) ACRS TBoyce J. Uhle L. Lois Accession Number: ML050180493 Package: Tech Specs:

• SE input provided. Editorial changes made.

OFFICE PDI-2/PM PDI-2/LA SRXB/SC* IROBA/SC OGC PDI-2/SC NAME JBoska CRaynor JUhle TBoyce KKannler DRoberts DATE 2/28/05 2/22/05 05/25/2004 3/3/05 3/14/05 3/15/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station cc:

Resident Inspector 600 Rocky Hill Road, M/S 1 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Plymouth, MA 02360-5508 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Post Office Box 867 Mr. Jack Alexander Plymouth, MA 02360 Manager, Reg. Relations and Quality Assurance Chairman, Board of Selectmen Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station 11 Lincoln Street 600 Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, MA 02360 Plymouth, MA 02360-5599 Chairman, Duxbury Board of Selectmen Mr. David F. Tarantino Town Hall Nuclear Information Manager 878 Tremont Street Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Duxbury, MA 02332 600 Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, MA 02360-5599 Office of the Commissioner Massachusetts Department of Ms. Jane Perlov Environmental Protection Secretary of Public Safety One Winter Street Executive Office of Public Safety Boston, MA 02108 One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place Mr. Stephen J. McGrail, Director 20th Floor Attn: James Muckerheide Boston, MA 02108 Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Dr. Robert M. Hallisey, Director 400 Worcester Road Radiation Control Program Framingham, MA 01702-5399 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Offices of Health and Chairman Human Services Nuclear Matters Committee 174 Portland Street Town Hall Boston, MA 02114 11 Lincoln Street Plymouth, MA 02360 Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mr. William D. Meinert 475 Allendale Road Nuclear Engineer King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company Mr. John M. Fulton P.O. Box 426 Assistant General Counsel Ludlow, MA 01056-0426 Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Steve Brennion Supt., Regulatory & Industry Affairs Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station cc:

Mr. Gary J. Taylor Director, Nuclear Safety Assurance Chief Executive Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Entergy Operations 440 Hamilton Avenue 1340 Echelon Parkway White Plains, NY 10601 Jackson, MS 39213 Ms. Charlene D. Faison Mr. John T. Herron Manager, Licensing Sr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. 440 Hamilton Avenue 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Michael J. Colomb Mr. Michael A. Balduzzi Director of Oversight Site Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. 440 Hamilton Avenue Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station White Plains, NY 10601 600 Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, MA 02360-5508 Senior Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mr. Stephen J. Bethay Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Director, Nuclear Assessment 600 Rocky Hill Road Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. Mail Stop 66 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Plymouth, MA 02360-5508 600 Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, MA 02360-5508 Ms. Stacey Lousteau Treasury Department Mr. Bryan S. Ford Entergy Services, Inc.

Manager, Licensing 639 Loyola Avenue Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. New Orleans, LA 70113 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station 600 Rocky Hill Road Jim Sniezek Plymouth, MA 02360-5508 5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801 Mr. Danny L. Pace Vice President, Engineering Mr. Kennety L. Graesser Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. 38832 N. Ashley Drive 440 Hamilton Avenue Lake Villa, IL 60046 White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Ronald Toole Mr. Brian OGrady 1282 Valley of Lakes Vice President, Operations Support Box R-10 Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. Hazelton, PA 18202 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Ms. Deb Katz, Executive Director Nuclear Security Coalition c/o Citizens Awareness Network Box 83 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Mr. John F. McCann

ENTERGY NUCLEAR GENERATION COMPANY ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC.

DOCKET NO. 50-293 PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 211 License No. DPR-35

1. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:

A. The application for amendment filed by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the licensee) dated April 14, 2004, complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations; B. The facility will operate in conformity with the application, the provisions of the Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission; C. There is reasonable assurance: (I) that the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, and (ii) that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations; D. The issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and E. The issuance of this amendment is in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied.

2. Accordingly, the license is amended by changes to the Technical Specifications as indicated in the attachment to this license amendment, and paragraph 3.B of Facility Operating License No. DPR-35 is hereby amended to read as follows:

B. Technical Specifications The Technical Specifications contained in Appendix A, as revised through Amendment No. 211, are hereby incorporated in the license. The licensee shall operate the facility in accordance with the Technical Specifications.

3. This license amendment is effective as of the date of issuance and shall be implemented within 30 days.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Darrell J. Roberts, Chief, Section 2 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Attachment:

Changes to the Technical Specifications Date of Issuance: March 16, 2005

ATTACHMENT TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 211 FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-35 DOCKET NO. 50-293 Replace the following pages of the Appendix A Technical Specifications with the attached revised pages. The revised pages are identified by amendment number and contain marginal lines indicating the areas of change.

Remove Insert Table of Contents, Page iii Table of Contents, Page iii 3/4.0-1 3/4.0-1 B3/4.0-1 B3/4.0-1 B3/4.0-2 B3/4.0-2 B3/4.0-3 3/4.14-1 3/4.14-2 B3/4.14-1 B3/4.14-2 B3/4.14-3

SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 211 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-35 ENTERGY NUCLEAR GENERATION COMPANY ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC.

PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION DOCKET NO. 50-293

1.0 INTRODUCTION

By letter dated April 14, 2004 (see Agencywide Documents Access and Management System, accession number ML041130279), Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the licensee) submitted a request for changes to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim) Technical Specifications (TSs). The requested changes would add a new limiting condition for operation (LCO) 3.0.7 to Section 3.0, Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) Applicability, a new TS Section 3.14, Special Operations, and a new LCO 3.14.A, Inservice Leak and Hydrostatic Testing Operation, to the TSs to permit inservice hydrostatic testing and system leakage pressure testing of the reactor coolant system (RCS) at temperatures greater than 212 °F with the reactor shut down.

2.0 REGULATORY EVALUATION

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code) requires periodic hydrostatic and leakage tests of the RCS in order to ensure the structural integrity of the RCS pressure boundary. Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR),

Part 50, Appendix G, states that pressure tests and leak tests of the reactor vessel that are required by Section XI of the ASME Code must be completed before the core is critical.

Pilgrim TS 3.6.A.2 also requires that the hydrostatic and leakage tests be performed at RCS temperatures greater than 158 °F. This minimum allowable temperature is based on reactor pressure vessel (RPV) fracture toughness requirements.

3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION

In order to achieve the required test temperatures and pressures, the licensee performs the RPV hydrostatic and leakage tests with the RCS in an essentially water-solid condition while operating the reactor recirculation and control rod drive pumps. Operation of the pumps provides mechanical heat, as well as maintains consistent temperatures throughout the RPV and RCS during the test. While performing hydrostatic and leakage testing, reactor operators must maintain RCS temperatures within established administrative limits in order to ensure that Enclosure

the RCS is above the minimum temperature of 158 °F (TS 3.6.A.2) and below the maximum temperature of 212 °F, which is the highest temperature allowed for cold shutdown (TS 1.0).

Because it is difficult to stay within the above limits while operating with decay heat and system stored energy addition, the licensee is requesting that it be allowed to perform these tests at temperatures above 212 °F, without entering the hot shutdown condition. TS requirements currently require that the plant temporarily enter the hot shutdown mode if RCS temperatures exceed 212 °F during the performance of the test. If the hot shutdown Mode is entered, Pilgrim TSs would place further restrictions and require that additional plant systems be placed in an operable status. The proposed TS changes would, in effect, exempt the licensee from certain hot shutdown requirements during the performance of RCS hydrostatic and leakage testing:

1. LCO 3.0.7 is added to designate LCO 3.14.A as a special operation and to permit performance of the tests. Special operations are optional.

2. TS Section 3.14 and LCO 3.14.A are added, stating that: (a) the average RCS temperature specified in the definition of cold shutdown and cold condition may be considered as not applicable, and (b) operation considered not to be in hot shutdown when the RCS is above 212 °F during the performance of hydrostatic and leakage tests.

3. Corresponding TS Bases sections were also added.

The proposed new LCO 3.14.A will require the following functions which normally apply to hot shutdown to be operable when performing hydrostatic and leakage tests:

• Table 3.2A, Reactor Low Water Instrumentation

• LCO 3.7.B.1, Standby Gas Treatment System (SGTS)

• LCO 3.7.C.1, Secondary Containment When performing hydrostatic and leakage tests and the above three functions are met, the following functions, which normally apply to hot shutdown, are not required to be operable during the testing:

• LCOs 3.5.A.1 and 3.5.A.2, Core Spray System

• LCOs 3.5.A.3 and 3.5.A.4, Low Pressure Coolant Injection System

• LCO 3.5.B.1, Residual Heat Removal (suppression pool cooling)

• LCO 3.5.B.2, Residual Heat Removal (containment spray)

• LCO 3.7.A.2, Primary Containment Integrity The primary containment integrity will not be maintained while LCO 3.14.A is in effect because the test requires that operators enter the primary containment to observe RCS components in order to determine whether or not there is any RCS leakage present.

Current operability requirements of LCO 3.5.E.1, ?Automatic Depressurization System (ADS),

are not affected by the proposed LCO because it is independent of the RCS temperature. The current operability requirements in LCO 3.6.D.1, ?Safety Relief Valves, are unaffected by the proposed LCO because their operability is not required unless RCS temperature is greater than 340 °F. Similarly, LCO 3.5.C.1, High Pressure Coolant Injection System, and LCO 3.6.D.1,

?Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System, are also not affected because operability is not required unless RCS temperature is greater than 365 °F.

Because the tests are performed at times of low decay heat at near cold shutdown, the reactor stored energy is very low. Under those conditions, the possibility for fuel failure and increase of water activity is minimal. Even so, should a leak take place, the secondary containment and the SGTS will be operable to mitigate the event. The secondary containment and the standby gas treatment systems are adequate for handling any airborne activity that may occur during the hydrostatic or leak tests. In case of a large primary steam leak, the vessel will depressurize very rapidly because it is water solid. LCO 3.5.A.5, which requires operability of two low pressure injection/spray subsystems, is more than adequate to keep the core cooled under conditions of low decay heat.

3.1 NRC Staffs Conclusion The NRC staff evaluated the proposed addition of LCO 3.14.A to allow the hydrostatic and leak tests to be performed at RCS temperatures higher than 212 °F. The proposed LCO 3.14.A is a special operations LCO, and as provided by LCO 3.0.7, the criteria of 10 CFR 50.36(c)(2)(ii) do not apply. The proposed TS change is based on considerations of acceptable consequences during normal testing and/or postulated accident conditions. Therefore, the NRC staff finds that the proposed changes are acceptable.

4.0 STATE CONSULTATION

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the Massachusetts State official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendment. The State official had no comments.

5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION

The amendment changes a requirement with respect to installation or use of a facility component located within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20. The NRC staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluents that may be released offsite, and that there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. The Commission has previously issued a proposed finding that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, and there has been no public comment on such finding (69 FR 76489). Accordingly, the amendment meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9). Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.

6.0 CONCLUSION

The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that: (1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the

Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.

Principal Contributor: L. Lois Date: March 16, 2005