ML040840032

Request for Additional Information, Proposed Amendment Concerning Electrical Power Sources

ML040840032
Person / Time
Site:	Oyster Creek
Issue date:	03/24/2004
From:	Tam P NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1
To:	Crane C AmerGen Energy Co
References
TAC MB8481
Download: ML040840032 (6)

Text

March 24, 2004 Mr. Christopher M. Crane President and Chief Nuclear Officer AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555

SUBJECT:

OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: PROPOSED AMENDMENT CONCERNING ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCES (TAC NO. MB8481)

Dear Mr. Crane:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is reviewing the subject proposed amendment, requested by your application dated April 21, 2003, as supplemented by letter dated September 11, 2003. On March 11, 2004, we held a telephone conference with Mr. D. Robillard, et al., of your staff, on comments we previously e-mailed to your staff (available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System under Accession No. ML040570479). During the telephone conference, the NRC staff determined that additional information is needed to complete its review of the subject application. Enclosed please find the NRC staffs request for additional information.

Your staff agreed that it can respond by March 31, 2004. If you have any questions, please call me at 301-415-1451.

Sincerely,

\RA\

Peter S. Tam, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-219 cc: See next page

March 24, 2004 Mr. Christopher M. Crane President and Chief Nuclear Officer AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555

SUBJECT:

OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: PROPOSED AMENDMENT CONCERNING ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCES (TAC NO. MB8481)

Dear Mr. Crane:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is reviewing the subject proposed amendment, requested by your application dated April 21, 2003, as supplemented by letter dated September 11, 2003. On March 11, 2004, we held a telephone conference with Mr. D. Robillard, et al., of your staff, on comments we previously e-mailed to your staff (available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System under Accession No. ML040570479). During the telephone conference, the NRC staff determined that additional information is needed to complete its review of the subject application. Enclosed please find the NRC staffs request for additional information.

Your staff agreed that it can respond by March 31, 2004. If you have any questions, please call me at 301-415-1451.

Sincerely,

\RA\

Peter S. Tam, Senior Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate I Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Sincerely, Docket No. 50-219 cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC PDI-1 R/F RLaufer PTam OGC NLe ACRS CBixler, Region I SLittle SSaba Accession Number: ML040840032 OFFICE PDI-1/PM PDI-1/LA IROB-A IROB-A/SC PDI-1/SC NAME PTam SLittle NLe TBoyce RLaufer DATE 3/18/04 3/18/04 3/18/04 3/23/04 3/24/04 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION PROPOSED AMENDMENT RE: DC ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCES

References:

AmerGen application for amendment dated April 21, 2003, as supplemented by letter dated September 11, 2003.

(1) The application stated that station batteries B and C each has two associated full-capacity chargers. One charger on each battery is in service at all times with the second charger available in the event of a charger failure.

a. Please explain the administrative control, if any, under which the plant operator would know which one of the two battery chargers is the one that is in service at all times to maintain the DC subsystem operable. Please provide information regarding AC power supply sources to the battery chargers during normal plant operation and during loss of offsite power sources.

b. When the charger described as "in service at all times" is declared "inoperable" and the "second charger" is switched in to substitute for the inoperable charger, what maintenance actions, if any, and within what time frame, will be initiated for the inoperable charger while the completion time specified by Specifications 3.7.D.1 and 3.7.D.2 is in effect? What were the causes and length of outage time for each of the battery chargers that had been declared inoperable in the past 3 years?

c. Please identify and justify compensatory measures that will be implemented during the proposed 7-day allowed outage time for one inoperable battery charger, and then two inoperable chargers for station batteries B and C. In your discussion, please explain the differences between a functional and an inoperable charger; these terms are currently included in your plant procedures.

(2) The application stated that each station battery has two associated full capacity chargers. For Modes 1, 2, and 3, one charger for each battery is in service and the other is kept as a "second charger."

a. Please define "full capacity charger," and state if each of the chargers was designed to be capable of handling transient loading demand requirements for all initiating events if the associated battery is out of service for any reason. This includes the adequacy of the battery charger to handle transient loading requirements caused by the re-alignment of the AC sources following a reactor trip including their design margins.

Enclosure

b. The application stated that the battery is estimated to be 98% charged when its stable charging current measurement is less than or equal to 2 amps for the station batteries. Assuming that the battery is 98% charged and the battery has reached 85% of its aging capacity some time after its previous discharge 24-month test cycle and before the next 24-month cycle test, please provide justification that the battery is still capable of handling transient loading demand requirements for all initiating events if both of the associated battery chargers are out-of-service for any reason during this time frame.

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station cc:

Chief Operating Officer H. J. Miller AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Regional Administrator, Region I 4300 Winfield Road U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Warrenville, IL 60555 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Senior Vice President - Nuclear Services AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Mayor of Lacey Township 4300 Winfield Road 818 West Lacey Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Forked River, NJ 08731 Site Vice President - Oyster Creek Senior Resident Inspector Generating Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 445 P.O. Box 388 Forked River, NJ 08731 Forked River, NJ 08731 Director Licensing Vice President - Mid-Atlantic AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Operations Nuclear Group Headquarters AmerGen Energy Company, LLC P.O. Box 160 4300 Winfield Road Kennett Square, PA 19348 Warrenville, IL 60555 Manager Licensing - Oyster Creek and John E. Matthews, Esquire Three Mile Island Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Nuclear Group Headquarters Washington, DC 20004 Correspondence Control P.O. Box 160 Kent Tosch, Chief Kennett Square, PA 19348 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Oyster Creek Generating Station Plant Bureau of Nuclear Engineering Manager CN 415 AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Trenton, NJ 08625 P.O. Box 388 Forked River, NJ 08731 Vice President - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Regulatory Assurance Manager Exelon Generation Company, LLC Oyster Creek 4300 Winfield Road AmerGen Energy Company, LLC Warrenville, IL 60555 P.O. Box 388 Forked River, NJ 08731 Vice President - Operations Support AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station cc:

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 2301 Market Street, S23-1 Philadelphia, PA 19101 Pete Eselgroth, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Correspondence Control Desk AmerGen Energy Company, LLC 200 Exelon Way, KSA 1-N-1 Kennett Square, PA 19348