ML053290209
| ML053290209 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000083 |
| Issue date: | 01/12/2006 |
| From: | Lyon C NRC/NRR/ADRA/DPR/PRTA |
| To: | Vernetson W Univ of Florida |
| Lyon C, NRR/ADRA/DPR/PRT, 415-2296 | |
| References | |
| TAC MC8801 | |
| Download: ML053290209 (11) | |
Text
January 12, 2006 Dr. William G. Vernetson Director of Nuclear Facilities University of Florida Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering 202 Nuclear Sciences Center P.O. Box 118300 Gainesville, FL 32611-8300
SUBJECT:
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: FUEL BOX THERMOCOUPLES (TAC NO. MC8801)
Dear Dr. Vernetson:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 25 to Amended Facility Operating License No. R-56 for the University of Florida Training Reactor.
The amendment consists of changes to the technical specifications (TSs) in response to your application dated October 28, 2005.
The amendment reduces the number of thermocouples required to monitor primary coolant temperature at the fuel box inlets and outlets and clarifies where the primary coolant temperature measurement is to be taken.
A copy of the safety evaluation supporting Amendment No. 25 is also enclosed.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Carl F. Lyon, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-83
Enclosures:
- 1. Amendment No. 25
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc w/enclosures: See next page
University of Florida Docket No. 50-83 cc:
Dr. Alireza Haghighat, Chairman Nuclear & Radiological Engineering Department University of Florida 202 Nuclear Sciences Center P.O. Box 118300 Gainesville, FL 32601-8300 Administrator Department of Environmental Regulation Power Plant Siting Section State of Florida 2600 Blair Stone Road Tallahassee, FL 32301 State Planning and Development Clearinghouse Office of Planning and Budgeting Executive Office of the Governor The Capitol Building Tallahassee, FL 32301 William Passetti, Chief Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C21 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1741
January 12, 2006 Dr. William G. Vernetson Director of Nuclear Facilities University of Florida Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering 202 Nuclear Sciences Center P.O. Box 118300 Gainesville, FL 32611-8300
SUBJECT:
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT RE: FUEL BOX THERMOCOUPLES (TAC NO. MC8801)
Dear Dr. Vernetson:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 25 to Amended Facility Operating License No. R-56 for the University of Florida Training Reactor.
The amendment consists of changes to the technical specifications (TSs) in response to your application dated October 28, 2005.
The amendment reduces the number of thermocouples required to monitor primary coolant temperature at the fuel box inlets and outlets and clarifies where the primary coolant temperature measurement is to be taken.
A copy of the safety evaluation supporting Amendment No. 25 is also enclosed.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Carl F. Lyon, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-83
Enclosures:
- 1. Amendment No. 25
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc w/enclosures: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC DPR/PRT r/f OGC EHylton GHill (2) AAdams CLyon BThomas ACCESSION NO.: ML053290209 TEMPLATE #: NRR-106 OFFICE PRTA:PM PRTA:LA OGC PRTA:BC NAME CLyon EHylton SUttal (NLO) BThomas DATE 11/28/05 12/12/05 12/28/05 1/6/06 C = COVER E = COVER & ENCLOSURE N = NO COPY OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA DOCKET NO. 50-83 AMENDMENT TO AMENDED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 25 License No. R-56
- 1. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that A. The application for an amendment to Amended Facility Operating License No. R-56 filed by the University of Florida (the licensee) on October 28, 2005, conforms to the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act),
and the regulations of the Commission as stated in Chapter I of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR);
B. The facility will operate in conformity with the application, the provisions of the Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission; C. There is reasonable assurance that (i) the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public and (ii) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the regulations of the Commission; D. The issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; E. This amendment is issued in accordance with the regulations of the Commission as stated in 10 CFR Part 51, and all applicable requirements have been satisfied; and F. Prior notice of this amendment was not required by 10 CFR 2.105 and publication of a notice for this amendment is not required by 10 CFR 2.106.
- 2. Accordingly, the license is amended by changes to the Technical Specifications as indicated in the enclosure to this license amendment, and paragraph 2.C.(2) of Amended Facility Operating License No. R-56 is hereby amended to read as follows:
(2) Technical Specifications The Technical Specifications contained in Appendix A, as revised through Amendment No. 25, are hereby incorporated in the license. The licensee shall operate the facility in accordance with the Technical Specifications.
- 3. This license amendment is effective as of the date of its issuance and shall be implemented within 60 days of the date of issuance.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
/RA/
Brian E. Thomas, Branch Chief Research and Test Reactors Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
Changes to the Technical Specifications Date of Issuance: January 12, 2006
ENCLOSURE TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 25 AMENDED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-56 DOCKET NO. 50-83 Replace the following pages of Appendix A, "Technical Specifications," with the enclosed pages. The revised pages are identified by amendment number and contain vertical lines indicating the areas of change.
Remove Insert 5 5 26 26
SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION SUPPORTING AMENDMENT NO. 25 TO AMENDED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-56 THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA DOCKET NO. 50-83
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By letter dated October 28, 2005, the University of Florida (UF or the licensee) submitted a request for amendment to Amended Facility Operating License No. R-56 for the UF Training Reactor. The request would change the Technical Specifications (TSs) to allow operation of the UF Training Reactor (UFTR) with up to two thermocouples failed at the outlet lines of two fuel boxes and clarify where the primary coolant temperature measurement is to be taken.
TS 2.2, "Limiting Safety System Settings," Specification (3) states that:
The average primary coolant outlet temperature shall not exceed 155E F when measured at any fuel box outlet.
Specifically, the licensee proposes to change Specification (3) to read:
The average primary coolant outlet temperature shall not exceed 155E F when measured at any monitored fuel box outlet.
In addition, TS 5.6.1, "Primary Cooling System," states, in part, that:
The primary coolant system is instrumented as follows:
(1) thermocouples at each fuel box and the main inlet and outlet (eight total), alarming and recording in the control room Specifically, the licensee proposes to change the statement to read:
The primary coolant system is instrumented as follows:
(1) thermocouples at $ 4 fuel box outlets and the main inlet and outlet (six total), alarming and recording in the control room
2.0 BACKGROUND
The primary coolant system at the UFTR is described in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) for the UFTR, section 5.2, "Primary Coolant System." The system is a closed loop cooling system. Water from a storage tank is pumped by the primary coolant pump through the
primary side of a heat exchanger to the bottom of six fuel boxes. The water flows upward into the boxes past the fuel plates to overflow pipes located above the fuel and then into a header for return to the storage tank.
Eight thermocouples provide primary coolant temperature information. A thermocouple (No. 7) measures the temperature of the primary coolant from the heat exchanger that is supplied to the fuel boxes. Each of the fuel box outlet lines contains a thermocouple (Nos. 1-6) which sends information to a data acquisition system in the control room. The coolant from the six fuel boxes flows together into a single return line which discharges to the primary coolant storage tank. Located in this return line is a thermocouple (No. 8) which monitors the combined coolant bulk temperature from the fuel boxes. The information from all thermocouples (Nos. 1-
- 8) is supplied to the reactor protection system for alarm and trip functions.
3.0 EVALUATION The licensee proposes to revise the TSs to allow operation of the UFTR with up to two thermocouples failed at the outlet lines of two fuel boxes. The TSs specify the minimum number of operable temperature indicators and the surveillance requirement for primary coolant temperature. TS 3.2.3, "Reactor Control and Safety Systems Measuring Channels,"
requires a minimum number of 6 operable primary coolant temperature indicators for reactor operation. TS Table 3.2, "Safety system operability tests," requires a daily check of high average primary coolant outlet temperature. In addition, TS 2.1, "Safety Limits," Specification (2) requires that "[t]he primary coolant outlet temperature from any fuel box shall not exceed 200E F. The licensee proposes no changes to TS 2.1, TS 3.2.3, or TS Table 3.2.
Because of the high radiation fields to which the core region thermocouples are subjected, one has failed on several occasions and one is currently failing. Since the UFTR is scheduled for conversion from high enriched uranium to low enriched uranium, the proposed changes will permit any repair of up to two failed fuel box thermocouples to be delayed until the fuel conversion is made. The licensee states that the proposed changes will reduce the necessity for periodic core area entries and the associated personnel exposure.
The licensee proposes to revise TS 5.6.1 to require thermocouples at $ 4 fuel box outlets and the main inlet and outlet (six total), alarming and recording in the control room. This is consistent with the requirement of TS 3.2.3 for a minimum number of 6 operable primary coolant temperature indicators. The proposed change is also consistent with the requirement of TS Table 3.2 for a daily check of high average primary coolant outlet temperature. The average primary coolant outlet temperature is properly made at thermocouple No. 8, the main outlet. The licensee does not propose to change the requirement for the main inlet and outlet thermocouples. The licensee states that any transient in an unmonitored box would be indicated in adjacent temperature transients to easily assure the safety limit is not reached. In addition, coolant flow, which would also indicate any developing problem in the fuel boxes, is a monitored TS parameter. Therefore, the proposed changes will not result in difficulty in complying with TS 2.1. Since the proposed changes to TS 5.6.1 are consistent with the existing requirements of TS 3.2.3, TS 2.1, and TS Table 3.2, the changes are acceptable to the staff.
The licensee proposes to change TS 2.2, Specification (3) to require that the average primary coolant outlet temperature shall not exceed 155E F when measured at any monitored fuel box outlet. The proposed change simply clarifies the requirement of where the temperature
measurement is taken and is consistent with the proposed change to TS 5.6.1 and the existing requirements of TS 3.2.3, TS 2.1, and TS Table 3.2. Therefore, the proposed change to TS 2.2 is acceptable to the staff.
4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
This amendment changes the requirements with respect to installation or use of a facility component located within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20 or changes the inspection and surveillance requirements. The NRC staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluents that may be released offsite, and that there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. Accordingly, the amendment meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9). Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b),
no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.
5.0 CONCLUSION
The NRC staff has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that the proposed amendment does not (1) involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) result in a significant reduction in a margin of safety. Therefore, the amendment does not involve a significant hazards consideration.
The NRC staff has also concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that:
(1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations, and (3) the issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.
Principal Contributor: C. Lyon Date: January 12, 2006