ML080430700

Technical Specifications (TS) Changes TS-431 and TS-418 - Extended Power Uprate (EPU) - Schedule Regarding EPU

ML080430700
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry
Issue date:	02/11/2008
From:	Langley D Tennessee Valley Authority
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
TAC MD5262, TAC MD5263, TAC MD5264, TVA-BFN-TS-418, TVA-BFN-TS-431
Download: ML080430700 (5)

Text

February 11, 2008 TVA-BFN-TS-418 TVA-BFN-TS-431 10 CFR 50.90 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Mail Stop OWFN, P1-35 Washington, D. C. 20555-0001 Gentlemen:

In the Matter of

)

Docket Nos. 50-259 Tennessee Valley Authority )

50-260 50-296 BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT (BFN) - UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 -

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (TS) CHANGES TS-431 AND TS-418 -

EXTENDED POWER UPRATE (EPU) - SCHEDULE REGARDING EPU (TAC NOS. MD5262, MD5263, AND MD5264)

By letters dated June 28, 2004 and June 25, 2004 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML041840109 and ML041840301), TVA submitted license amendment applications to the NRC for the EPU of BFN Unit 1 and BFN Units 2 and 3, respectively. The proposed amendments would change the operating licenses to increase the maximum authorized core thermal power level of each reactor to 3952 megawatts.

TVA has met with the NRC staff several times recently to discuss the schedule for providing the remaining information required for approval of EPU for BFN Units 1, 2, and 3. As discussed in these meetings on November 30, 2007, December 10, 2007, and January 25, 2008, and provided in our letter dated December 14, 2007, TVA is requesting approval of

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Page 2 February 11, 2008 EPU in time to support the next Unit 1 refueling outage scheduled for October 2008. Scheduling of remaining issues continues to be discussed weekly with the NRC Project Manager for BFN. The principal unresolved issue remaining for BFN EPU approval is the analyses regarding the structural integrity of the steam dryers at EPU conditions. As outlined in our January 31, 2008, letter which provided responses to Round 15 Request for Additional Information (RAI), TVA is in the process of re-performing the BFN steam dryer stress analyses. The schedule provided in our January 31, 2008, letter for completing the analyses and providing the remaining RAI responses is based upon the timely resolution of outstanding issues with bias and uncertainty values that should be applied to these analyses. Continuing changes in bias and uncertainty values will require the re-performance of the steam dryer analyses which rely upon limited shared resources with other nuclear utilities performing similar EPU analyses.

The following list provides the current planned schedule for submittal of the remaining EPU items.

Item Schedule Date RAI Round 15 Group 11 January 31, 2008 (Completed)

RAI Round 162 March 6, 2008 RAI Round 15 Group 21 March 6, 2008 Unit 1 Steam Dryer Stress Analysis and Limit Curves March 6, 2008 RAI Round 15 Group 31,2 March 31, 2008 Unit 2 Steam Dryer Stress Analysis and Limit Curves March 31, 2008 Unit 3 Steam Dryer Stress Analysis and Limit Curves June 16, 2008 1 Grouping based on schedule for completed response provided in Enclosure 1 to the January 31, 2008 letter.

2 The response to RAI EMCB.167/134 from RAI Round 16 will be provided in RAI Round 15 Group 3.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Page 3 February 11, 2008 The performance of the Unit 3 steam dryer analysis is predicated on obtaining main steam line strain gage data at full power during the startup from the Spring 2008 refueling outage. Although completion of the Unit 3 stress analysis is not forecast until mid-June, the Unit 3 steam dryer analysis will utilize the same methodology as the Unit 1 and Unit 2 steam dryer stress analyses (and the same Unit 2 steam dryer finite element model) that will be submitted for NRC review in March. These similarities should facilitate NRC's review of the Unit 3 analysis.

TVA will keep the NRC staff apprised of progress and any changes that may impact the above activities through regular communications.

No new regulatory commitments are made in this submittal. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact me at (256)729-2636.

Sincerely, Original signed by:

David T. Langley Manager of Licensing and Industry Affairs

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Page 4 February 11, 2008 cc : State Health Officer Alabama State Department of Public Health RSA Tower - Administration Suite 1552 P.O. Box 303017 Montgomery, Alabama 36130-3017 NRC Senior Resident Inspector Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant 10833 Shaw Road Athens, AL 35611-6970 Rebecca L. Nease, Branch Chief U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Suite 23T85 Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8931 Eva Brown, Project Manager U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (MS 08G9)

One White Flint, North 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852-2739

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Page 5 February 11, 2008 JEE:DAH:BAB cc G. P. Arent, EQB 1B-WBN W. R. Campbell, Jr. LP 3R-C S. M. Douglas, POB 2C-BFN R. F. Marks, Jr., PAB 1C-BFN D. C. Matherly, BFT 2A-BFN L. E. Nicholson, BR 4X-C B. A. Wetzel, BR 4X-C M. D. Skaggs, NAB 2A-BFN S. A. Vance, WT 6A-K E. J. Vigluicci, ET 11A-K NSRB Support, LP 5M-C EDMS WT CA-K, s:lic/submit/subs/epu/steam dryer v02.11.doc