GNRO-2012/00124, Response to NRC Request for Additional Information - GGNS Criticality Safety Analysis License Amendment Request

Response to NRC Request for Additional Information - GGNS Criticality Safety Analysis License Amendment Request

ML12296A417
Person / Time
Site:	Grand Gulf
Issue date:	10/22/2012
From:	Richey M Entergy Operations
To:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Document Control Desk
References
GNRO-2012/00124, TAC ME7540
Download: ML12296A417 (4)

Text

Entergy Operations, Inc.

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station P. O. Box 756 Port Gibson, MS 39150 Marty L. Richey Director, Nuclear Safety Assurance Tel. (601) 437-6787 GNRO-2012/00124 October 22, 2012 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555

SUBJECT:

Response to NRC Request for Additional Information -

GGNS Criticality Safety Analysis License Amendment Request Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Docket No. 50-416 License No. NPF-29

REFERENCES:

1. Entergy Operations, Inc. letter to the NRC (GNRO-2011/00076),

License Amendment Request - Criticality Safety Analysis and Technical Specification 4.3.1, Criticality, September 9, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML1125321287)

2. NRC e-mail to Entergy Operations, Inc., Grand Gulf Nuclear Station Request for Additional Information Regarding Criticality Safety Analysis Amendment (ME7540), July 25, 2012 (ADAMS Accession

1. ML12207A488)

3. Entergy Operations, Inc. letter to the NRC (GNRO-2012/00120),

Responses to NRC Requests for Additional Information -

GGNS Criticality Safety Analysis License Amendment Request, October 1, 2012

Dear Sir or Madam:

In Reference 1, Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy) submitted to the NRC a license amendment request (LAR), which proposes to:

1. Revise the criticality safety analysis (CSA) for the spent fuel and new fuel storage racks;

2. Impose additional requirements for the spent fuel and new fuel storage racks in Technical Specification (TS) 4.3.1, Criticality; and

3. Delete the spent fuel pool loading criteria Operating License Condition 2.C(45).

GNRO- 2012/00124 Page 2 of 2 In Reference 2, the NRC transmitted to Entergy twenty-six (26) requests for additional information (RAIs) pertaining to the CSA LAR. Entergy responded to these RAIs via Reference 3. In the response to RAI 12, Entergy identified that the configuration of Region II of the spent fuel storage racks has been redefined to require a full checkerboard pattern (8 empty out of 16 cells) rather than the 6 empty out of 16 cells previously identified in the CSA LAR. The change in configuration was necessary to produce a final kmaximum value below the 0.95 limit with the inclusion of a misloaded assembly case as an abnormal bias condition, as explained in the response to RAI 12.

The revised TS insert page for TS 4.3.1.1 reflecting this change is provided in the attachment to this letter. Please replace Page 4 of 4 of Attachment 2 to the CSA LAR (Reference 1) with this page.

The No Significance Hazards Determination and the Environmental Consideration provided in Reference 1 are not impacted by this change.

This letter contains no new commitments.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Guy Davant at (601) 368-5756.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct; executed on October 22, 2012.

Sincerely, MLR/ghd

Attachment:

Revised Page for TS 4.3.1.1 cc: Mr. Elmo E. Collins, Jr. NRC Senior Resident Inspector Regional Administrator, Region IV Grand Gulf Nuclear Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Port Gibson, MS 39150 612 East Lamar Blvd., Suite 400 Arlington, TX 76011-4005 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission State Health Officer ATTN: Mr. A. B. Wang, NRR/DORL (w/2) Mississippi Department of Health ATTN: ADDRESSEE ONLY P. O. Box 1700 ATTN: Courier Delivery Only Jackson, MS 39215-1700 Mail Stop OWFN/8 B1 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852-2378

ATTACHMENT GRAND GULF NUCLEAR STATION GNRO-2012/00124 REVISED PAGE FOR TS 4.3.1.1

Attachment to GNRO-2012/00124 Page 1 of 1 Inserts Insert 1 TS 4.3.1.1:

c. Fuel assemblies having a maximum k-infinity of 1.26 in the normal reactor core configuration at cold conditions;

d. Fuel assemblies having a maximum nominal U-235 enrichment of 4.9 weight percent;

e. Region II racks are controlled as follows:

1. Storage cells with any Boraflex panel which has received a gamma dose in excess of 2.3E10 rads or which has a Boron-10 areal density less than 0.0165, which are designated within the Spent Fuel Pool Rack Boraflex Monitoring Program, are treated as Region II panels.

2. Storage cells face-adjacent to Region II panels are either restricted from fuel storage by physically blocking the isolated cells or are configured to meet, as a minimum (i.e.,

additional cells may be blocked), the Region II fuel storage configuration requirements in Figure 4.3-1.

3. When a 4x4 array of cells is classified as Region II and face-adjacent to another Region II 4x4 storage array, the new Region II 4x 4 array is required to be blocked in the same 8-of-16 pattern and at the same orientation as the adjacent Region II 4x4 storage configuration.

Figure 4.3-1 Region II 4X4 Storage Configuration Fuel Assembly Storage Location Location Physically Blocked to Prevent Storage Insert 2 TS 4.3.1.2:

c. Fuel assemblies having a maximum k-infinity of 1.26 in the normal reactor core configuration at cold conditions;

d. Fuel assemblies having a maximum nominal U-235 enrichment of 4.9 weight percent.