ML20245D191

Forwards Public Notice Re Util 890616 Application for Amends for Licenses DPR-77 & DPR-79,revising Spec Re Position Indication sys-operating.Requests Publication in Chattanooga News-Free Press & Chattanooga Times on 890621

ML20245D191
Person / Time
Site:	Sequoyah
Issue date:	06/19/1989
From:	Black S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Robinson L CHATTANOOGA PUBLISHING CO.
References
NUDOCS 8906270009
Download: ML20245D191 (8)

Text

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• - -- June 19, 1989

, Docket Nos. 50-327 Distribution and 50-328 . Docket: Files MSimms NRC PDR" JDonohew Local PDR EJordan DCrutchfield ACRS(10)

Ms. Lola Robinson BDLiaw GPA/PA National Advertising RPierson GPA/CA Chattanooga Publishing Company BWilson SQN Rdg. File 400 East lith Street SBlack OGC Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403 JBrady ADSP Reading

Dear Ms. Robinson:

In accordance with our telephone conversation of Monday, June 19, 1989, enclosed is the Public Notice for the Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 that we would like to have published on Wednesday, June 21, 1989 in the Chattanooga News-Free Press and the Chattanooga Times. Also enclosed is the Advertising Order approving this publication. After publication, please send a copy of the tear sheet and the notice to my attention. If you have any questions, please call me at 1-301-492-0796.

Sincerely, Original signed by Suzanne Black Assistant Director for Projects TVA Projects Division Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosures:

1. Public Notice

2. Advertising Order cc w/ enclosure:

See next page f

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e Ms. Lola Robinson CC:

General Counsel Mr. Kenneth M. Jenison Tennessee Valley Authority Senior Resident Inspector 400 West Summit Hill Drive Sequoyah Nuclear Plant E11 B33 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 2600 Igou Ferry Road Suddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379 Mr. F. L. Moreadith Vice President, Nuclear Engineering Mr. Michael H. Nobley, Director Tennessee Valley Authority Division of Radiological Health 400 West Summit Hill Drive T.E.R.R.A. Building, 6th Floor W12 A12 150 9th Avenue North Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 Nashville, Tennessee 37219-5404 l Dr. Mark 0. Medford Dr. Henry Myers, Science Advisor

! Vice President and Nuclear Committee on Interior

! Technical Director and Insular Affairs Tennessee Valley Authority U.S. House of Representatives SN 157B Lookout Place Washington, D.C. 20515 Chattar.ooga, Tennessee 37402-2801 Tennessee Valley Authority Mr. M. J. Ray, Acting Director Rockville Office Nuclear Safety and Licensing 11921 Rockville Pike Tennessee Valley Authority Suite 402 SN 157B Lookout Place Rockville, Maryland 20852 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37a02-2801 m Mr. John L. LaPoint Site Director Sequoyah fiuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P. O. Box 2000 Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379 fir. M. Burzynski Acting Site Licensing Man 6ger Sequoyah Nuclear Plant P. O. Box 2000 Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379 County Judge Hamfiton County Courthuuse Chattanooga, Tennessee 57402 Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 101 Marietta Street, N.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30323

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PUBLIC NOTICE NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND OPERATING LICENSE AT SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 1 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has received an application ' dated June 16, 1989, from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA or the. licensee) for an exigent amendment to the operating license for. the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Unit I located in Hamilton County, Tennessee.

If approved, the amendment temporarily would revise Specification 3.1.3.2,

" Position Indication System-Operating," to allow the licensee to use an alternative method to determine the position of a control rod in a shutdown -

bank, where the rod has an inoperable rod position indicator (RPI), .from that specified in the specification. The change would apply only for. Unit 1 until the next outage of sufficient duiation when maintenance can be performed to repair the inoperable RPI but no later than the Unit 1 Cycle 4 refueling outage scheduled ,or April of 1990. The change would also state that the provisions of Specification 3.0.4 do not apply so that the licensee may change reactor modes during this time period with the RPI inoperable.

An RPi for a Unit 1 control rod in shutdown bank D has been declared inoperable because of voltage fluctuations in the analog RPI instrumentation '

channel. Action a.1 of Specification 3.1.3.2 requires the determination of the position of the non-indicating rod indirectly by the moveable incore detectors at least once every eight hours while.the RPI is inoperable. The use of the incore detector system to comply with Action 4.1 woul J increase the use of the incore det:ctor system from once each month to 90 f t 2s each month, significantly i

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2 increasing the wear on the associated thimble tubes. The moveable incore detectors move through thimble tubes. TVA has stated that it has determined that Sequoyah, Unit 1 must be shut down to repair the inoperable RPI.

This increased use of the incore detector system and the resulting wear on-the thimble tubes are nonconservative. The concerns for the wear on these tubes were identified in NRC Bulletin 88-09, "Thi-51e Tube Thinning In Westing-house Reactors " issued on July 26, 1988. Excessive wear of the thimble tubes-results in a degradation of the reactor coolant system pressure boundary and Cdn Create the possibility of a non-isolable ledk of reactor coolant. The thimble tubes are part of the reactor coolant ' pressure boundary.

TVA has determined that the objectives of Action a.1 of Specifica-tion 3.1.3.2 can be met with an inoperable RPI in a shutdown bank without subjecting the incore thimble tubes to unnecessary additional wear. TVA will install a strip chart recorder to track the output voltage of the stationary gripper coil on the non-indicating rod (s) and verify at least once every eight hours that the non-indicating rod (s) has not changed position. This eight-hour i

surveillance period is consistent with the current operational requirements-in Action a.1 for rod position determination. If the coil has changed state, a determination of the non-indicating rod (s) position will be made by use of the i moveable incore detectors. In addition, at least once every 31 days, a full-core flux map of the Unit I core will be performed and the position of any non-indicating rod (s) will be determined using the moveable incore detectors.

This is to determine operability of the full-length control rods as required by Surveillance Requirement 4.1.3.1.2. Those periodic surveillance will provide additional assurance that the non-indicating rod (s) is in the expected position.

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3 The Comission has determined that this change should be implemented as soon as possible. The amendment would permit the licensee to continue deter-mining the position of the control rod, in the shutdown bank with the inoper -

able RPI, without subjecting the thimble tubes to excessive wear. The proposed changes have no adverse effect on safety and would be beneficial to overall plant safety. Excessive weer of the thimble tubes results in a degradation of the reactor coolant system pressure boundary and can create the possibility of a non-isolable leak of reactor coolant. The proposed change will reduce the likelihood of the re'-ctor coolant boundary being compromised and should be permitted with minimum delay. Consequently, the NRC staff has determined that exigent circumstances exist which justify reducing the public notice period normally provided for licensing amendments and proposes to issue the amendment at the close of business on June 23, 1989.

The licensee has evaluated this proposed change with regard to the determinat?,on of wnether or not a significant hazards consideration is i involved. Operation of Sequoyah, Unit 1 in accordance with the proposed 3 1

amendment will not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an occident previously evaluated. The proposed change to the Sequoyah, Unit 1 Technical Specifications is to provide an alternative method for verifying shutdown rod position in the event the associated RPI becomes inoperable. The proposed change meets the intent of the current specification in that it ensures verification of position of the shutdown rod (s) once every -

eight hours. The proposed change provides only an alternative method of l monitoring shutdown rod position and does not change the assumption or j consequences of any previously evaluated accident. Therefore, the praposed i

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change will not increase the probability or consequences of any previously -

]

evaluated accident. The proposed amendment will not create the possibility of a neW.or different End of Accident from any previously analyzed. As described j above, the proposed change provides only an alternative method of determining shutdown rod (s) position. The proposed change does not affect the reactor protection system or the full-length rod control system. Therefore, the

. proposed change does not crcate the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously analyzed.

The proposed amendment will not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety. The Bases of Specification 3.1.3.2 state that the '

operability of the control RPIs is required to determine control rod positions dnd thereby ensure Compliance with the control rod alignment and insertion limits. The proposed change does not alter the requirement to determine rod position but provides an alternative and reliable nethod for determining the position of the effe:cted rod (s). Therefore, the proposed change does not reduce the margin of safety, i

Following an initial review of this application, the requested amendment has been evaluated against the standards in 10 CFR 50.92 and the NRC staff has J

made a proposed (preliminary) determination that the requested amendment involves no significant hazards considerations. The changes do not affect the possibility or consequences of any accident previously considered, nor create the possibility of an accident of a different kind, nor decrease any. margin of sa fe ty.

If the proposed determination that the requested license amendment involves no significant hazards consideration becomes final, the staff will issue the amendments without first offering an opportunity for a public

5 hearing. An opportunity for a hearing will be published in the Federal Register at a later date and any hearing request will not delay the effective date of the amendment.

If the staff decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significant hazards consideration, a notice of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before the amendment is issued.

Comments on the proposed determination of no significant hazards consideration may be telephoned to Suzanne Black, Assistant Director for Projects, by collect call to 1-301-492-0796. All comments received by close of business on June 23, 1989 will be considered in reaching a final determination, A copy of the application may be examined at the NRC's Local Public Document Room located at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Library,1001 Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 and at the Consission's Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, N.W. , Washington, D.C. 20555.

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a 200o stansers Farm No.1843 ADVERTISING ORDER DEPA3TMENT OR ESTABLISHMENT, eUAEAU 03 OFFICE oRoER uuusEn og_gg_oggg Nuclear Regulatory Commistion DATE June 19 , 1989 The pubhsher of the publication named below is authorized to publish the enclosed advertisement according to the schedule charged to private individuals with the usual discounts, it is to be below provided the rates are not in excess of the commercial rates set solid, without paragraphing, and without any display in the heading unless otherwise expressly authorized in the specifications.

$attanoo'ga'Y E Y d"I*nat"tanooga Free Press, 400 E. lith St., Chattanooga, TN 37403 SUBJECT OF ADVERTISEMENT EDIT 1oM OF PAPER ADVERTISEMENT APPEARED

_Dminvah Nuclear Plant NUMBER OF TIMES ADVERTISEMENT APPEARED

, Ohe DATE(s) ADVERTISEMENT APPEARED l SPECIFICATIONS FOR ADVERTISEMENT (ex t a va.i 1 a).1 e 14 sue - - m. ',t.$

Two column wide and deep as necessary g33g f f e f -w- O py;0h!!JcN SYMBOL 'i'/'W M pf;03 tai!CD:

• 4 W-N 5 COPY FOR ADVERTISEMENT

/ A fi n A h

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l SEE ATTACHED

., . . . . . , . , ,.~

. . . , ~m;ct h3Pps/ Branch l BUSIfjESS CONTACT: Jack Donohew 1-301-492-0704; Suzie Black, 1-301-492-0796 URGENT: Division of Contracts, 1-301-492-4597 This certifies availability of FY1988 funds as follows:

Amount:$1000,Approp. Symboll:

Certifying Official: Date:

AUTHORITY TO ADVERTISE .

l NUMBER INSTRUMENT OF ASSIGNMENT NUMBER DATE DATE slGNATURE OF AUTHORIZING OFFICIAL TITLE INSTRUCTIONS TO PUBLISHERS Extreme care should be exercised to insure that the specifica-Your bill for this advertising order should be submitted on the tions for advertising to be set other than solid be definite, clear, "Public Voucher for Advertising" form, which is pri and specific since no allowance will be made for paragraphing or reverse of this form, immediately after the las'. publ for display or leaded or prominent headings, unless specifically advertisement. If copies of the printed advertisement ordered, or for additional space required by the use of type other than that specified. Specifications for advertising other than solid able, complete the affidavit provided on the voucher. Submit the and the advertisement copy submitted to the publisher will be voucher and a copy of the printed advertisement to >.. ..

attached to the voucher. The following is a sample of solid line advertisement set Up in accordance with the usual Government requirements.

DEPARTsf ENT OF E!CHWAYS & TRAFFIC.

D.C. Bids are requested for arst sprtue 1968 ee. IMPORTANT anent concrete repair contract. includlee inel-

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$Na"H.'conElt n$"o7:"i.0E0,z ,i$ycQ BB sidewalk repair and 2.000 eu rda. PCC Class Charges for advertising when a cut, matrix, stereotype or electro-

• type is furnished will be based on actual space used and no allow-repa$r's*Efr'BYdIne m *'a((8I$

as tNn t'f ance will be made for shrinkage.

M,*gtge*r D,.C.ged ,g b,i,da g e in no case shall the advertisement extend beyond the date and Nmnabar is sess, edition stated in this order.

1143-307

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