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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-06-0093 April 24, 2006
Contact: U. Shoop, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Potential Causes of Extensive Wear Damage to Steam Generator Tubes at Oconee Units On April 10, 2006, the staff held a public meeting with Duke Energy Nuclear, LLC (the licensee) at NRC Headquarters. The licensee updated the staff on its continuing investigation of the root cause of the wear being observed on the steam generator (SG) tubes at Oconee, Units 1 and 2. Although a large number of tubes have been observed to exhibit wear, the wear is not safety significant because the depth of the wear has been limited. The tube wear was first observed in 2005 after one cycle of operation following replacement of the steam generators at both units. Oconee, Unit 3 plans to conduct its first inservice inspection of its replacement SGs during the Spring 2006 refueling outage. The licensee has identified a number of potentially contributing factors including acoustically induced vibration, operation at low power, higher than expected tube-to-tube support plate (TSP) wear coefficient, TSP movement, reduced contact area between the tube and TSP, and localized flow instabilities related to the geometry of the tube-to-TSP annulus. Additional instrumentation will be installed at Unit 3 during the Spring 2006 outage and at Unit 1 during the Fall 2006 outage to assist in evaluating the root cause. The licensee expects to identify the root cause and begin implementing corrective actions by the end of the year. Mexican Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSNS) Briefing On April 4 and 6, 2006, the staff briefed Mr. Victor Gonzalez of CNSNS on the NRC regulatory experience with extended power uprates (EPU). Mr. Gonzalez is the Director of Nuclear Safety for CNSNS, and anticipates receiving an EPU application next year. The topics discussed included steam dryer integrity, adverse flow effects, power ascension testing, exceptions to performing large transient testing, and the overall staff review process for EPUs using appropriate review standards and standard review plans. The briefings were found to be mutually beneficial for EPU information exchange. Observation of International Laboratory Accreditation Program (ILAC) Evaluation of the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) On April 7, 2006, the staff observed an ILAC peer evaluation of the A2LA program in Rochester, NY. The observation was a continuation of the A2LA laboratory assessment that began the previous week in Woburn, MA, as part of an ILAC peer evaluation. The primary purpose of the NRC observation was to evaluate the effectiveness of the ILAC peer evaluation process for possible future NRC acceptance for international calibration laboratories. ACRS Full Committee Meeting on TRACG On April 6, 2006, the staff met with the ACRS Full Committee to discuss the draft safety evaluation report for the application of the TRACG code to ESBWR stability and the staff analysis of potential hazards along the Mississippi River in support of the Grand Gulf ESP. Grand Gulf FEIS Delivered to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) On April 7, 2006, the staff delivered the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Grand Gulf early site permit (ESP) application to the EPA. The final EIS is now available in ADAMS at Accession No. ML060900037. Browns Ferry Nuclear Unit 1 - Fire Protection The staff met with representatives from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on April 5, 2006, to discuss the fire protection program requirements for the restart of Browns Ferry Nuclear (BFN) Unit 1. The staff noted that several aspects of the draft version of BFN Units 1-3 Fire Protection Report are inconsistent with current regulatory requirements. The NRC staff informed TVA that it must ensure compliance with the applicable fire protection regulations prior to restart. TVA was encouraged to take advantage of the enforcement discretion offered by the Commission to initiate corrective actions on any noncompliance from current regulations, before September 6, 2006, and develop a plan to complete them within 3 years. The staff also indicated that TVA must fix any risk-significant non-compliances, prior to restart. At the conclusion of the meeting, the licensee stated that it will evaluate its options for ensuring compliance with the applicable regulations, and may request a meeting at a later date to inform the staff of its plan. Draft Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.205 - Risk-Informed Performance-Based Fire Protection On April 6, 2006, the staff presented the subject document to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) for final endorsement. The staff expects to receive ACRS endorsement to issue the RG with two recommendations: (1) ensure that the requirement for a peer review of the licensee fire probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) is applied to all levels and types of fire PSAs, including, e.g., fire individual plant examinations of external events; and (2) a generic recommendation regarding improving the analytic quality of human reliability assessments as used in fire PSA as well as all other PSAs. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) Big Rock Point Decommissioning Project On April 12, 2006, the staff met with staff from Big Rock Point (BRP) to discuss the status of the decommissioning project, the proposed format and content of the Final Status Survey Report (FSSR), and the future release of a portion of the site for unrestricted use. BRP anticipates submittal of the FSSR in the fall of 2006, with NRC approval of the release of the land by the end of CY 2006. Nickel Institute's Yucca Mountain Workshop On April 5-6, 2006, staff from NRC and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses attended the subject Workshop, in Las Vegas, NV. At the workshop, Bechtel SAIC, the Department of Energy's (DOE's) primary Yucca Mountain Project contractor, provided updates on the potential engineering barriers for the geologic repository, including the waste package; drip shield; and the transport, aging, and disposal canister. Additional information was provided on the nickel industry's ability to produce Alloy 22 nickel plate for waste packages, and the development of a new neutron absorber material using a nickel-chromium-molybdenum-gadolinium alloy. Staff Issues Certificate of Compliance (COC) for New High-Enriched Uranium Transport Package Design On April 7, 2006, the staff issued a COC to DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration, for a new high-enriched uranium transport package design, Model No. ES-3100. The authorized contents include high-enriched uranium in oxide form, both metal and alloys, and uranyl nitrate crystals. The package consists of an outer drum assembly and an inner containment vessel surrounded by a neutron absorber. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Meeting on Management Systems for Transport During the week of April 3, 2006, staff attended a Technical Meeting held to resolve comments on IAEA draft document DS 326, titled "Management Systems for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material." Staff represented the U.S. and NRC during resolution of the comments made by Member States on DS 326. All Member States' comments were resolved during the meeting. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Halden Program Group (HRP) Meeting, Manchester, United Kingdom On April 4-5, 2006, the staff participated in the subject meeting, and discussed the annual HRP report for 2005, and the new 2006 - 2008 HRP research plan, with a focus on the first year of research activities. Continued interaction between NRC and Halden will ensure NRC technical and regulatory issues are appropriately considered during the entire three-year program plan (from 2006 through 2008). Meetings with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Issy-les-Mulineaux, France From April 4-7, 2006, the staff participated in the subject meetings to discuss the first year program scope of the planned Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction Follow-on (MCCI-2) program and to obtain the Program Review Group (PRG) and Management Board (MB) recommendations. Thirteen OECD countries are participating in the MCCI-2 program, and NRC is the host organization. The work will be performed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), once it is approved by the Commission. The results of this program will be used in development, verification, and validation of the MELCOR code, which is used to analyze severe accidents for operating and new reactors. Meeting with UK Nuclear Installations Inspectorate staff, Liverpool, UK On April 6, 2006, the staff met with staff of the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive, Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Managing Safety unit. This new unit has responsibility for safety culture, safety management, and management of change, among other topics. NRC staff discussed recent initiatives in the area of safety culture and several other human factors efforts (e.g., human factors issues for new reactors, operator workload, and fitness-for-duty rulemaking plans). NII described its activities in the area of safety culture and safety management, and discussed its new safety culture assessment tool, which is based on approaches used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. NII also discussed its Safety Assessment Principles (SAPs), two of which address leadership and management for safety and human factors. These SAPs are currently available for public comment and the NRC staff was invited to comment. NIST Workshop on Establishing the Scientific Foundation for Performance-Based Fire Codes On April 6, 2006, the staff presented an overview of the recent projects the NRC has undertaken to improve fire risk analysis at the subject workshop during a session on building design and the role of analytical and computational tools. The presentation provided a brief overview of the new risk-informed, performance-based fire protection rule 10 CFR Part 50.48(c) on permanent changes to the licensing basis, the role of fire risk assessment, and the factors important to better understanding fire risk to nuclear safety. RES and EPRI on Cooperative Fire Research Meeting On April 12, 2006, the staff and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) discussed potential collaborative activities in fire research. The main purposes of the meeting was to discuss updating the current Fire Risk Addendum to the NRC/EPRI Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Nuclear Safety Research. Ongoing and potential fire modeling and fire Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) activities, including fire aspects of low power and shutdown operations, an update of the fire PRA methodology in NUREG/CR-6850, a fire Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT), and fire Human Reliability Assessment (HRA), were discussed. Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) Preliminary Notifications
Office of Administration (ADM) Revision of NRC Form 7, Application for NRC Export/Import License, Amendment, or Renewal (AH89 - Part 110) On April 13, 2006, the NRC published a direct final rule in the Federal Register (71 FR 19102) that amends the regulations governing the export and import of nuclear material. The direct final rule reflects the consolidation of all license requests in one application form. An applicant will now use revised NRC Form 7 to apply for each type of licensing request (export, import, combined export/import, amendment, and renewal). The direct final rule becomes effective June 27, 2006. On April 13, 2006, the NRC published the companion proposed rule to this direct final rule in the Federal Register (71 FR 19135). The comment period closes May 15, 2006. Office of Information Services (OIS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of April 7 through April 13, 2006:
Office of Human Resources (HR)
Office of Small Business and Civil Rights (SBCR) NRC Receives Gold Star Award from Small Business Administration On April 12, 2006, the NRC was awarded the Gold Star Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration during Small Business Week 2006. The NRC received the award for its exemplary performance and commitment to achieving its small business procurement goals in Fiscal Year 2005 and for consistently providing prime contracting and subcontracting opportunities to small, disadvantaged, and women-owned businesses. The Director of the Office of Small Business and Civil Rights accepted the award on behalf of the NRC. Other agencies that received the award included the State Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Office of Public Affairs (OPA) The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) received significant media inquiries on the following: Chairman Diaz's retirement announcement. Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant unit shutdowns. Responses to GAO report on security at nuclear power plants. Tritium contamination at Braidwood. Oyster Creek license renewal. Other Public Affairs Items: OPA staff participated in the emergency exercise involving the Seabrook nuclear plant. OPA staff supported several end-of-cycle meetings for nuclear plants.
Office of the Secretary (SECY)
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Region II (RII) Westinghouse Fuel Facility Licensee Performance Review On April 12, 2006, the Deputy Regional Administrator and the Director, Division of Fuel Facility Inspection visited the Westinghouse fuel facility for a site tour and conducted the 2006 Licensee Performance Review in Columbia, SC. Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Annual Assessment Meetings During the week of April 11-14, 2006, the staff held the NRC ROP Annual Assessment Meetings for the Crystal River, Brunswick and Hatch Nuclear Power Plants. The meetings were held at or near the nuclear plants and were open to the public. Region III (RIII) Byron End-of-Cycle Meeting On April 10, 2006, the staff met with representatives of Exelon Generation Co. at the Byron Nuclear Power Station training facility to discuss the end-of-cycle performance assessment for the plant. Several members of the public and news media attended with interest in tritium contamination of groundwater near the Byron plant. Prairie Island End-of-Cycle Meeting On April 12, 2006, the staff met with representatives of Nuclear Management Co. at the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Station training facility to discuss the end-of-cycle performance assessment for the plant. Region IV (RIV) Fort Calhoun Station Annual Assessment Public Meeting On April 11, 2006, the staff conducted a public meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, to discuss Fort Calhoun Station's safety performance for 2005. Participants included Omaha Public Power District officials and Region IV staff. Two representatives from the state of Nebraska attended. Callaway Engineering Initiatives Public Meeting On April 13, 2006, the staff conducted a public meeting in Arlington, Texas, with representatives of the Callaway Nuclear Plant. Topics discussed included: steam generator and turbine rotor replacement outage, component design bases self assessment, equipment reliability issues and performance indicators, Alloy-600 mitigation plans, and an update on Callaway's containment sump modification. Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)
The Senate and House are in recess until April 24. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)/
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