AECM-89-0145, Cycle 4,Startup Physics Test Summary

Cycle 4,Startup Physics Test Summary

ML20247J865
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf
Issue date:	07/21/1989
From:	Cottle W SYSTEM ENERGY RESOURCES, INC.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
AECM-89-0145, AECM-89-145, NUDOCS 8907310355
Download: ML20247J865 (7)

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Wuwa T. COULE Vce Presdent - July 21, l989 fAcko Oceatens U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Station F1-137 Washington, D.C. 20555 Attention: Document Control Desk Gentlemen:

SUBJECT:

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station Unit 1

-Docket No. 50-416 License No. NPF-29 l

. Post'RF03 Startup Test Report AECM-89/0145' l

S/ stem Energy Resources, Inc. (SERI) is transmitting, with this letter, the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) Unit 1 Post Refueling.

Outage-2 (RF03) Startup Test Report. This report is sent in compliance with the requirements of Grand Gulf Technical Specifications 6.9.1.1, 6.9.1.2, and 6.9.1.3.

The startup physics testing was completed on June 9, 1989. The attached report provides a summary of each test and the results where applicable.

If further information is required, please contact this office.

Yours truly, W T Ce g

WTC

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aECM-89/0145 2 ,3e 2 cc: Mr. D. C. Hintz (w/a)

Mr. T. H. Cloninger (w/a)

Mr. J. G. Cesare (w/o)

Mr. R. B. McGehee (w/a)

Mr. N. S. Reynolds (w/a)

Mr. H. L. Thomas (w/o)

Mr. H. O. Christensen (w/a)

Mr. Stewart D. Ebneter (w/a)

Regional Administrator U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II 101 Marietta St., N.W., Suite 2900 Atlanta, Georgia 30323 Mr. L. L. Kintner, Project Manager (w/a)

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop 14B20 Washington, D.C. 20555 I

l PCOM SPECIAL REPORT

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Attacharnt to AECM-89/0145 Pg. I of 5 GRAND GULF NUCLEAR STATION UNIT 1 CYCLE 4 STARTUP PHYSICS TEST

SUMMARY

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) resumed commercial operation for Cycle 4 on April 30, 1989 following a Refueling / Maintenance Outage.

The Cycle 4 reload consisted of replacing 248 General Electric (GE) 8X8 fuel assemblies and 28 Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF), 8X8-fuel.

assemblies with 272 ANF 8X8 fuel assemblies and 4 ANF 9X9 fuel assemblies. The following startup tests were performed during Refueling-Outage - 3 (RF03) and while attaining full power after'Rr03 and are summarized in this report:

1) Core Loading Verification

2) Control Rod Functional Testieg

3) Shutdown Margin Determination

4) TIP Asymmetry In addition to the above startup physics tests, the startup test program included: Core Monitoring System Verification, Neutron System Response, Recirculation System Calibration, and other surveillance testing as required by GGNS Technical Specifications. The additional test results are available at the site on request.

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t - z Attachment to AECM-89/0145 Pg. 2 of 5 STARTUP PHYSICS TEST El CORE LOADING VERIFICATION Purpose Ensure each reactor fuel assembly is in its correct core location, oriented properly, l -

and seated properly in its support piece.

Criteria The reactor core is visually checked to verify conformance to the vendor supplied core loading pattern. Fuel assembly serial numbers, orientations, and core locations are recorded. A height check is performed to verify all assemblies are properly seated.

Results The as-loaded core was verified for proper fuel assembly serial numbers, locations, orientation, and seating in accordance with the i

ANF Cycle 4 core loading pattern. The core verification procedure I was successfully completed on April 4, 1989.

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Attechm2nt'to AECM-89/0145 Pg. 3 of 5 STARTUP PHYSICS TEST #2 CONTROL ROD FUNCTIONAL TESTING Purpose Verify operability of each control rod by:

l normal withdrawals and insertions ensuring it is latched to its control rod drive and moves at design speeds without excessive friction.

Criteria Functional testing of each control rod is performed to ensure proper operability. This testing includes withdrawal and insertion timing, coupling verification and friction testing where required.

Results Each control rod was verified operable before the Reactor Vessel Operational Hydro Test.

A control rou coupling check was performed in accordance with GGNS Technical Specification surveillance requirement 4.1.3.4 each time a control rod was fully withdrawn.

I Each individual control rod was timed during a normal withdrawal and insertion sequence. Control rods with stroke times outside the i tolerance of normal stroke time i 20% were readjusted to within normal stroke time i 10%. This was in accordance with GE recommendations.

Since no control cells were disassembled and no fuel assembly channels were outside the requirements of UFSAR Section 4.2.3.3.10,'no rod friction tests were performed.

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Attachment to AECM-89/0145 i Pg. 4 of 5 i STARTUP PHYSICS TEST #3 i

SHUTDOWN MARGIN DETERMINATION t i

Purpose To ensura:

the reactor can be made suberitical from all operating conditions, the reactivity transients associated with postulated accident conditions are controllable within acceptable limits, and the reactor will be maintained sufficiently suberitical to preclude inadvertent criticality in the shutdown condition.

Criteria Control rods are withdrawn in their standard sequence until criticality is achieved. The shutdown margin of the core is determined from calculations based on the critical rod pattern, the reactor period, and the moderator temperature. To ensure no reactivity anomaly exists, the actual critical control rod positions will be verified to be within 1% delta k/k of the predicted critical control rod position.

Results The in-sequence critical shutdown margin surveillance procedure was completed on April 28, 1989.

The Cycle 4 minimum shutdown margin (SDM) at the beginning-of-cycle (BOC) was calculated to be 1.4197% delta k/k (R value is equal to 0) which was well within GGNS Technical Specification 3.1.1 requirement of 0.38% delta k/k.

The calculated reactivity difference between the actual and predicted ,

SDM was 0.1703% delta k/k which was less than the GGNS Technical Specification 3.1.2 requirement of not exceeding 1% delta k/k.

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.' Attachmsnt to AECM-89/0145 Pg. 5 of 5 STARTUP PHYSICS TEST #4 TIP ASYMMETRY CHECK Purpose Verification that the observed variance in integral XTGBWR-calculated TIP responses at GGNS is statistically consistent with the variance of l the integral TIP measurements used in ANFs Neutronics Methods for '

Design and Analysis.  !

l Criteria j A gross asymmetry check is performed as part of a detailed statistical uncertainty evaluation of the TIP System. A complete set of TIP data i is obtained at steady state conditions while' greater than 85% rated  !

power. A total average deviation or uncertainty is determined for all ]

symmetric TIP pairs as well as the maximum absolute deviation. The results will be evaluated to assure proper operation of the TIP System l and symmetry of the core loading. ,

Results The TIP Reproducibility and Symmetry Uncertainty calculations were performed on June 9, 1989 at a reactor core thermal power of 100%. A {

total of four Chi-squared tests were performed. The first consistency '

test examined the vatiance in the combined measured and calculated integral TIP data. The second consistency test evaluated variance in ,

the measured integral TIP responses for symmetric locations. The (

third and fourth test repeated the first two tests on a planar basis by renormalizing the nodal TIP distribution to unity within each plane separately for both the measured and calculated TIP distributions.

The results of the four tests are as follows:

Test Chi-Squared Value Critical Value 1 17.20 60.48 2 1.60 30.14 3 338.86 950.13 4 29.86 426.46 All of the Chi-squared values were much less than the critical values indicating no TIP Asymmetry exists.

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