ML20245D818

Forwards NRR Ack Receipt of Petition Filed by Ocre Under 10CFR2.206 Re BWR Stability

ML20245D818
Person / Time
Site:	Cooper
Issue date:	09/20/1988
From:	Oconnor P Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Trevors G NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
References
2.206, NUDOCS 8810070180
Download: ML20245D818 (3)

Text

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September 20, l'988

, Docket No. 50-290.

Mr. George A. Trevors', Division Manager - Nuclear Support

, Nebraska Public Power District Post Office Box 499 Columbus, Nebraska 68601

SUBJECT:

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY. COMMISSION LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR) STABILITY Enclosed for your information is a copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988 from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Representative of the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE). Theletter(1) acknowledges.

receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations, (2) responds in the. negative to the Petitioner's request for immediate action with respect to all BWRs, and (3) states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Commission's regulations.

Please contact me if you have any questions on this issue.

Sir.cerely,

/s/

Paul W. O'Connor, Project Manager Project Directorate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - III, l IV, Y and Special Projects

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:

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'- September 20, 1988 Docket No. 50-298 Mr. George A. Trevors, Division Manager - Nuclear Support Nebraska Public Power District Post Office Box 499-Columbus, Nebraska 68601

SUBJECT:

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF 2.206 PETITION REGARDING BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR) STABILITY Enclosed for your infomation is a copy of a letter dated August 26, 1988 from the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the Representative of the Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy (OCRE). Theletter(1) acknowledges receipt of a Petition filed by OCRE under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations, (2) responds in the negative to the Petitioner's request for imediate action with respect to all BWRs, and (3) states that the Petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations.

Please contact me if you have any questions on this issue.

Sincerely,

& .&J Paul W. O'Connor, Project Manager Project Directorate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - III, IV, V and Special Projects

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:

See next page i

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S e O

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, *~ . Mr. George A. Trevors

. Nebraska Public Power District Cooper Nuclear Station Cc:

Fr. G. D.' Watson, General Counsel Nebraska Public Power District P. O. Box 499

- Columbus, Nebraska 68601 Cooper Nuclear Station ATTN: Mr. Guy R. Horn, Division Manager of Nuclear Operations P. O. Box 98 Brownville, Nebraska 68321 Dennis Grams, Director

' Nebraska Department of Environmental Control P. O. Box 98922 Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-8922-Mr. Larry Bohlken, Chairman Neraha County Board of Commissioners Nemaha County Courthouse 1824 N Street Auburn, Nebraska 68305 Senior Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P. O. Box 218 Brownville Nebraska 68321 Regional Administrator, Region IV U.S. Nuclear Pegulatory Commission 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000 Arlington, Texas 76011 Mr. Harold Borchart, Director Division of Radiological Health Department of Health 301 Centennial Mall, South P. O. Box 95007 Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-5007

. Enclosure g UNITED STATES

[ NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION g s ,

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[,, August 26, 1988 Ms. Susan L. Hiatt Representative of Ohio Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc.

8275 Munson Road Mentor, OH 44060

Dear Ms. Hiatt:

This is in response to your Petition of July 22, 1988, requesting that the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (Director), take immediate action with respect to Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) to relieve what you allege to be undue risks to the public health and safety posed by the thermal-hydraulic instability of boiling water reactors, as revealed by an event at LaSalle County Station Unit 2 on March 9,1988.

The specific relief requested is to order all BWR licensees to (1) place their ecified procedures reactors relating tointhe cold shutdown, (2) develop thermal-hydraulic instability and implement sp(3) demonstrate that issues, certain specified training has been provided relating to these procedures, (4) demonstrate the capability of instrumentation related to power oscil-lations, (5) develop simulators capable of modeling power oscillations similar to those occurring at LaSalle and out-of-phase power oscillations, (6) report to the NRC regarding all past incidents in which recirculation pumps have tripped BWRs, and off,)(7) submit (8 submit to thetoNRC a report the NRC justification within one foryear continued demonstrating operation of compliance with CDC 12. You also request that the Commission reopen Generic Issues B-IS, B-59, the ATHS rulemaking and reconsider the use of eld-of-Cycle Recirculation Pump Trip on BWRs.

Your request for immediate relief is denied because the allegations which form the basis for your Petition do not reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an inmediate tafety concern for continued BWR operation. The staff has determined that continued operation of BWRh is justified for the folicwing reasons.

(1) C".- ': SWR Technical Specifications place restrictions on power operation of the reactor under conditions of natural circulation or single recirculation loop cooling such that operation in regions of low thermal-hydraulic stability is limited to infrequent, short-term transient conditions following anticipated operatic ial occurrences.

(2) Neutron flux oscillations are detectable with proper monitoring and can be easily suppressed by inserting control rods. If large oscillations should occur, and a manual scram is not initiated, it is expected that the high power level, Average Power Range Monitor (APRM) scram protection, which terininated the LaSalle event, would provide backup protection as was the case during the LaSalle event. '

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4 Susan L. Hiatt (3) The magnitude of neutron flux oscillations induced by thermal-i hydraulic instability is considerably higher than the oscillations l

in the average cladding heat flux because of inherent delay in the transfer of heat through the fuel rods. The NRC Augmented Ins section i Team (AIT)fortheMarch9,1988LaSalleeventreportedthattie amplitude of the heat flux oscillations during the event were estimated to be less than 10% of the value for the neutron flux oscillations and that because of the smaller changes in heat flux, thermal limits for the fuel were not exceeded.

(4) General Electric Company has provided BWR licensees with guidance on the proper methods to monitor for thermal-hydraulic instabilities and on the actions that should be taken to suppress such oscillations if they should occur. Most BWRs have implemented such methods in response to NRC Generic Letter 86-02 which provided for the technical resolution of Generic Issue B-19. The operating limita-tions which ensure compliance with GDC 12 are enforced by plant technical specifications.

(5) Compliance with the recommendations in NRC Bulletin No. 88-07 will ensure that any licensed reactor operator or shift technical advisor performing shift duties at a BWR will have been thoroughly briefed regarding the LaSalle event; and that all BWR licensees will have adequate procedures and operator training programs in place to address power oscillations, regardless of the results of any previous thermal-hydraulic stability analysis. The NRC will perform inspections and take any necessary follow-up action to ensure that procedures and training programs acceptable to the technical staff have been put in place.

Your petition is being treated under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations. Appropriate action will be taken within a reasonable time. A copy of the notice that is being filed for publication with the Office of the Federal Register is enclosed for your information. Copies of this letter are being sent to those named on the service lists for facilities listed ir Enclosure 2.

Sincerely,

,. m L -

Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosures:

1. Federal Register Notice

2. List of Facilities for cc

[759001)

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[DOCKETNO.50-374]

COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPANY (LaSalle County Station, Unit 2)

RECEIPT OF PETITION FOR DIRECTOR'S DECISION UNDER 10 CFR 2.206 Notice is hereby given that by Petition dated July 22, 1988, Ohio -

. Citizens for Responsible Energy, Inc. requested the Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to take imediate action with respect to Boiling Water Reactors to relieve what Petitioner alleged to be undue risks to the public health and safety posed by an event at LaSalle County Station, Unit 2, in Illinois on March 9, 1988. Petitioner's request for imediate relief was .

denied because the allegations which form the basis of the Petition did not reveal any new operational safety issues which pose an imediate safety concern for continued BWR operation.

The Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulations. As pr6vided by i 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on the Petition within a reasonable time.

A copy of the Petition is available for inspection in the Comission's Public Document Room,1717 H Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20555 and in the local public document room for LaSalle County Station Unit 2 at Jacobs Memorial Library, Illinois Valley Comunity College, Rural Route One, Oglesby, Illinois 61348.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION fW Tnomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regu a - .

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 26 day of August, 1988

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C/ L/ f l y A f M W ~

Sbsh.) L. Hiatt Encitsure 2 Litt of Facilities for cc BOSTON EDISON CO. (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Docket No. 50-293)

CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT CO. (Brunswick Station, Units 1 & 2 Docket Hos. 50-324 & 50-325)

CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING CO., ET AL. (Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1,DocketNo.50-440)

COMMONWEALTH EDISION CO. (Dresden Nuclear Power Plant, Units 2 & 3, Docket Nos. 50-237 & 50-249 ; (Quad Cities Nuclear Power P* at, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-254 & 50-265 ; (LaSalle County Station, Units 1 & 2 Docket Nos. 50-373 & 50-374 CONSUMERS POWER CO. (Big Rock Point, Docket No. 50-155)

DETROIT EDISON CO. (Fermi Unit 2, Docket No. 50-341) i GEORGIA POWER CO. (Hatch Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 & 2, Docket No. 50-321&50-366)

GULF STATES UTILITIES CO. (River Bend Station, Docket No. 50-458)

ILLINDISPOWERCO.(ClintonNuclearPlant,DocketNo.50-461)

IDWA ELECTRIC LIGHT & POWER CO. (Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant, Docket 50-331)

GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES (Oyster Creek Station, Docket No. 50-219) 1.ONG ISLAND LIGHTING CO. (Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Docket No. 50-322)

MISSISSIPPI POWER & LIGHT CO. (Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Docket No. 50-416)  ;

NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT (Cooper Station, Docket No. 50-298)

NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER' CORP. (Nine Mile Point, Units 1 & 2, Docket Nos. 50-220 & 50-410)

NORTHEAST UTILITIES (Millstone, Unit $ Docket No. 50-245) i NORTHERN STATES POWER CD. (Monticello Nuclear Power Plant, Docket No. 50-263)

PENNSYLVANIA POWER & LIGHT CO. (Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 & 2 Docket No. 50-387&50-388).  !

PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC CO. (Peach Bottom Nuclear Station, Units 2 & 3. Docket No.  ;

50-277 & 50-278); (Limerick Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1, Docket No. 50-352)  ;

POWER AUTHORITY DF THE STATE DF NEW YORK (James A. Fitzpatrick Station, Docket No. 50-333)

PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS CO. (Hope Creek Generating Station, Docket No. 50-354)

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (Browns Ferry Nuclear Station Units 1, 2, & 3, Docket Nos 50-259,50-260,and50-296)

VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant, Docket No. 50-271)

WASHINGTON PUBLIC POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM (WNP Unit 2, Docket No. 50-397) 1

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