ML062920034
| ML062920034 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 10/27/2006 |
| From: | Rowley J NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR |
| To: | Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| Rowley J, NRR/DLR/RLRB, 415-4053 | |
| References | |
| %dam200612 | |
| Download: ML062920034 (10) | |
Text
October 27, 2006 LICENSEE:
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
FACILITY:
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL HELD ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2006, BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC., CONCERNING INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff (the staff) and representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., (ENO) held a telephone conference call on September 25, 2006, to discuss and clarify the staffs requests for additional information (RAIs) concerning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Station (VYNPS) license renewal application (LRA). The conference call was useful in clarifying the staffs questions. provides a listing of the conference call participants. Enclosure 2 contains a listing of the issues discussed with the applicant, including a brief discussion of the items status.
The applicant had an opportunity to comment on this summary.
/RA/
Jonathan Rowley, Project Manager License Renewal Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271
Enclosures:
As stated cc w/encls: See next page
ML062920034 OFFICE PM:RLRB LA:RLRB BC:RLRB NAME JRowley I. King JZimmerman DATE 10/25/06 10/27/06 10/27/06
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Mr. David R. Lewis Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1128 Mr. David OBrien, Commissioner Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. James Volz, Chairman Public Service Board State of Vermont 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2701 Chairman, Board of Selectmen Town of Vernon P.O. Box 116 Vernon, VT 05354-0116 Operating Experience Coordinator Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station 320 Governor Hunt Road Vernon, VT 05354 G. Dana Bisbee, Esq.
Deputy Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301-6937 Chief, Safety Unit Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Ms. Carla A. White, RRPT, CHP Radiological Health Vermont Department of Health P.O. Box 70, Drawer #43 108 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05402-0070 Mr. James M. DeVincentis Manager, Licensing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Resident Inspector Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 176 Vernon, VT 05354 Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency ATTN: James Muckerheide 400 Worcester Rd.
Framingham, MA 01702-5399 Jonathan M. Block, Esq.
Main Street P.O. Box 566 Putney, VT 05346-0566 Mr. John F. McCann Director, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Gary J. Taylor Chief Executive Officer Entergy Operations 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Mr. John T. Herron Sr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Oscar Limpias Vice President, Engineering Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Christopher Schwartz Vice President, Operations Support Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Michael J. Colomb Director of Oversight Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Travis C. McCullough Assistant General Counsel Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Theodore Sullivan Site Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. James H. Sniezek 5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801 Mr. Garrett D. Edwards 814 Waverly Road Kennett Square, PA 19348 Ms. Stacey M. Lousteau Treasury Department Entergy Services, Inc.
639 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, LA 70113 Mr. Norman L. Rademacher Director, NSA Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. Raymond Shadis New England Coalition Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Mr. James P. Matteau Executive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street, Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Mr. William K. Sherman Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. Michael D. Lyster 5931 Barclay Lane Naples, FL 34110-7306 Ms. Charlene D. Faison Manager, Licensing 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. James Ross Nuclear Energy Institute 1776 I Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006-3708
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Diane Curran, Esq.
Harmon, Curran, Spielberg &
Eisenberg, L.L.P 1726 M Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036
Note to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., from Jonathan Rowley dated October 27, 2006
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL HELD ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2006, BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC., CONCERNING INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION HARD COPY DLR R/F JRowley E-MAIL:
JFair RWeisman AMurphy RPettis GGalletti DShum GBagchi SSmith (srs3)
SDuraiswamy YL (Renee) Li RidsNrrDlr RidsNrrDlrRlra RidsNrrDlrRlrb RidsNrrDlrRlrc RidsNrrDlrReba RidsNrrDlrRebb RidsNrrDe RidsNrrDci RidsNrreEemb RidsNrrDeEeeb RidsNrrDeEqva RidsNrrDss RidsNrrDnrl RidsOgcMailCenter RidsNrrAdes JRowley RLaufer JShea CAnderson, RI RPowell, RI DScrenci, RI MModes, RI DPelton, Sr. Resident MYoung RidsOpaMail LIST OF PARTICIPANTS FOR TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS THE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION September 25, 2006 Participants Affiliations Jonathan Rowley U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Lambros Lois NRC Ganesh Cheruvenki NRC Naeem Iqbal NRC Andy Taylor Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO)
Lori Potts ENO Dave King ENO Ron Finnin ENO Larry Luckins ENO VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION September 25, 2006 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff (the staff) and representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., held a telephone conference call on September 25, 2006, to discuss and clarify the staffs requests for additional information (RAIs) and other issues concerning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS) license renewal application (LRA). The following issues were discussed during the telephone conference call:
RAI 2.3.3.8-1 License renewal application (LRA) drawing LRA-G-191163-SH-01-0, Fire Protection System Inner Loop, shows the yard fire hydrants as out of scope (i.e., not colored in purple). Verify whether the yard fire hydrants are in scope of license renewal in accordance with Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 54.4(a) (10 CFR 54.4(a)) and subject to an aging management review (AMR) in accordance with 10 CFR 54.21(a)(1). If they are excluded from the scope of license renewal and not subject to an AMR, please provide justification for the exclusion.
Discussion: The staff found the applicants response in their September 20, 2006, letter (License Renewal Application, Amendment 14) to this RAI incomplete. The staff reiterated its position that yard fire hydrants require an AMR and asked for additional information. The applicant will provide a supplemental response to this concern in a future letter to the NRC.
RAI B.1.2-1 The applicant states that the Control Rod Drive (CRD) return line nozzle has been capped at VYNPS. The staff requests that the applicant provide the following information regarding the cap and the weld.
(1)
Describe the configuration, location and material of construction of the capped nozzle.
This should include the existing base material for the nozzle, piping (if piping remnants exist) and cap material, and any welds.
(2)
Describe how the aging effects for this weld and the cap are managed in accordance with the guidelines of BWRVIP-75, BWR Vessel and Internals Project (BWRVIP),
Technical Basis for Revisions to Generic Letter 88-01 Inspection Schedule.
(3)
Discuss whether the event at Pilgrim (leaking weld at capped nozzle, September 30, 2003) is applicable to VYNPS. The staff issued Information Notice 2004-08, Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary Leakage Attributable to Propagation of Cracking in Reactor Vessel Nozzle Welds, dated April 22, 2004, which states that the cracking occurred in an Alloy 182 weld that was previously repaired extensively. Discuss experience with previous leakage at the VYNPS capped nozzle, if any. Include in your discussion the past inspection techniques applied, the results obtained, and mitigative strategies imposed.
Provide information as to how the plant-specific experience related to this aging effect impacts the attributes specified in AMP B.1.2, BWR CRD Return line Nozzles.
Discussion: The staff required clarification of the applicants response in their September 20, 2006, letter (License Renewal Application, Amendment 14) to this RAI. The applicant clarified that BWRVIP-75 would be followed at VYNPS in the period of extended operation.
RAI B.1.2-2 Section 4 of the Generic Aging Lessens Learned Report (GALL) AMP XI.M6, BWR Control Rod Drive (CRD) Return Line Nozzle, recommends that the aging degradation in the CRD return line nozzles should be monitored per the inspection recommendations specified in NUREG-0619, BWR Feedwater Nozzle and Control Rod Drive Return Line Nozzle Cracking.
Section 8.2(2) of NUREG-0619 recommends that ultrasonic testing (UT) should be performed on the welded connection joining the rerouted CRD return line to the system which then returns the flow to the reactor vessel during each refueling outage.
In a letter dated January 15, 1982, the applicant made a commitment to the staff indicating that it will perform UT examination of the CRD to the reactor water cleanup (RWCU) weld joint as discussed in NUREG-0619 for three consecutive refuel outages. The applicant further stated that upon the completion of these inspections, the inspection frquency will be reassessed based on the inspection results. In AMP B.1.2, BWR CRD Return Line Nozzle, the applicant stated that it inspected the CRD return line to the RWCU weld joint using UT methods for three consecutive refuel outages and found no indications. Since no indications were found, the applicant intends to take exception to GALL AMP XI.M6, in which the applicant proposes not to inspect the aforementioned weld joint during the extended period of operation. The staff determined that the following information regarding the subject weld is required to complete its review.
(1)
The applicant should provide technical justification for not performing the UT examination of the subject weld as recommended by the GALL AMP XI.M6 and NUREG-0619 during the extended period of operation.
(2)
The applicant should confirm that the CRD return lines that are connected to RWCU piping system that fall under the jurisdiction of the ASME Code,Section XI boundary will be inspected per the ASME Section XI Code.
Discussion: The staff required clarification of the applicants response in their September 20, 2006, letter (License Renewal Application, Amendment 14) to this RAI. The applicant provided the necessary clarification.
RAI 4.2-1 In Section 4.2.1 of the VYNPS LRA it is stated that...the reactor fluence....has been projected to the end of the period of extended operation. In Sections 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 of the LRA there is no discussion of how this extrapolation was performed. Vermont Yankee has been approved for operation at an extended power uprate. In general, power uprates are based on revised axial power profiles with higher axial peaks at a lower axial location. Therefore, extrapolation of the existing axial profile may not provide an accurate projection.
In view of the above, please respond to the following:
(1)
Compare the axial power profiles (at the peak power azimuthal location) and confirm that the extrapolation remains valid.
(2)
Confirm that the projected operating plan will support the assumed axial power profile to the end of the period of extended operation.
Discussion: The staff found the applicants response in their September 20, 2006, letter (License Renewal Application, Amendment 14) to this RAI incomplete. The staff requested clarification on whether the applicant had accounted for the shift in axial power profile due to the power uprate when performing the extrapolation. The applicant agreed to provide the staff the GE-NE-0000-2342-R1-NP report mentioned in the response. The staff will review the report to verify the values provided in the response.