ML070950286

Request for Additional Information, Regarding Proposed License Amendment for a Spent Fuel Pool Boraflex Remedy

ML070950286
Person / Time
Site:	Turkey Point
Issue date:	04/11/2007
From:	Mozafari B NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLII-2
To:	Stall J Florida Power & Light Co
Mozafari B, NRR/ADRO/DORL, 415-2020
References
TAC MC9740, TAC MC9741
Download: ML070950286 (5)

Text

April 11, 2007 Mr. J. A. Stall Senior Vice President, Nuclear and Chief Nuclear Officer Florida Power and Light Company P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420

SUBJECT:

TURKEY POINT PLANT, UNIT NOS. 3 AND 4 - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING PROPOSED LICENSE AMENDMENT FOR A SPENT FUEL POOL BORAFLEX REMEDY (TAC NOS. MC9740 AND MC9741)

Dear Mr. Stall:

By letter dated January 27, 2006, Florida Power & Light Company submitted requests to amend the Operating Licenses for Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 3 and 4. The proposed amendments would revise the Technical Specifications to include new spent fuel pool storage patterns and the use of Metamic rack inserts, in order to remove reliance on Boraflex as a neutron absorber.

On August 8, 2006, and October 24, 2006, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff issued Requests for Additional Information (RAIs). Your response was provided by letter dated November 28, 2006. Subsequently, the NRC staff has identified a need for additional details and clarification of the proposed surveillance program for the Metamic rack inserts.

These are contained in the enclosed RAI.

This request was discussed with members of your staff and as a result of the teleconference on April 1, 2007, Mr. James Connolly agreed that a response would be provided by April 30, 2007.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-2020.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Brenda Mozafari, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-250 and 50-251

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page

Mr. J. A. Stall TURKEY POINT PLANT Florida Power and Light Company cc:

Mr. William E. Webster Division of Emergency Preparedness Vice President, Nuclear Operations Department of Community Affairs Florida Power & Light Company 2740 Centerview Drive P.O. Box 14000 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 Attorney General M. S. Ross, Managing Attorney Department of Legal Affairs Florida Power & Light Company The Capitol P.O. Box 14000 Tallahassee, Florida 32304 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 Michael O. Pearce Marjan Mashhadi, Senior Attorney Plant General Manager Florida Power & Light Company Turkey Point Nuclear Plant 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Florida Power and Light Company Suite 220 9760 SW. 344th Street Washington, DC 20004 Florida City, FL 33035 William Jefferson, Jr., Site Vice President James Connolly Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Licensing Manager Florida Power and Light Company Turkey Point Nuclear Plant 9760 SW. 344th Street 9760 SW 344th Street Florida City, FL 33035 Florida City, FL 33035 County Manager Mark Warner, Vice President Miami-Dade County Nuclear Operations Support 111 Northwest 1 Street, 29th Floor Florida Power and Light Company Miami, Florida 33128 P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 Senior Resident Inspector Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Mr. Rajiv S. Kundalkar U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Vice President - Nuclear Engineering 9762 SW. 344th Street Florida Power & Light Company Florida City, Florida 33035 P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 Mr. William A. Passetti, Chief Department of Health Becky Ferrare Bureau of Radiation Control Licensing Department Administrator 2020 Capital Circle, SE, Bin #C21 Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1741 9760 SW 344th Street Florida City, FL 33035 Mr. Craig Fugate, Director

ML070950286 NRR-088 OFFICE LPL2-2/PM LPL2-2/LA CSGB/BC-A LPL2-2/BC NAME BMozafari BClayton AHiser TBoyce by memos dated DATE 04/06/07 04/06/07 12/15/06 & 1/19/07 04/11/07 REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR SPENT FUEL POOL BORAFLEX REMEDY FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 3 AND 4 DOCKET NOS. 50-250 AND 50-251 By letter to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) dated January 27, 2006 (ML060900250), Florida Power and Light Company (the licensee) submitted a request for review and approval of an amendment to the Turkey Point Unit 3 Operating License (DPR-31) and Turkey Point Unit 4 Operating License (DPR-41). The proposed amendments would revise Technical Specifications Sections 3/4.9.1 - Boron Concentration, 3/4.9.14 - Spent Fuel Storage, and 5.5.1 - Criticality, to include new spent fuel storage patterns and the use of Metamic' rack inserts. Additional information regarding the Metamic' rack inserts was provided by the licensee in a letter dated November 28, 2006 (ML063420191). Based on further review of the information provided by the licensee, the NRC staff has determined that the following additional information is required to complete the review.

1. On Page 2 of 10 of the November 28, 2006, supplemental submittal, you provided the selection criteria for the inserts that will be inspected at each surveillance. In addition, you stated that a minimum of five inserts will be inspected during each surveillance per spent fuel pool (SFP). Given that you have requested approval for welded, formed, and welded and formed Metamic' inserts, the different types of inserts in the SFPs should be included as insert selection criteria. For example, if all three types of inserts are installed in the SFPs, at least one of each insert type should be included in the five inserts being inspected each surveillance per SFP. Discuss your plans to include this insert selection criteria to your surveillance program.

2. Prior to the installation of the Metamic' inserts, you indicated that an insert receipt inspection will be performed on page 5 of 8 of the November 28, 2006, supplemental submittal discuss the inspections that will be performed during this receipt inspection.

3. As a verification of your visual examinations, you are planning to perform dimensional (length, width, and thickness) and weight measurements at 8 and 20 years on at least one insert per SFP, as indicated on page 7 of 8 of the November 28, 2006, supplemental submittal. Given that this is a new material and your request is for a new application, more frequent verification seems appropriate. For example, dimensional and weight measurements could be performed at 4, 12, 20, and 30 years. Discuss your plans to include more frequent verification inspections in the surveillance program and justify the proposed frequency.

4. Given that the performance of Metamic' is dependent on its neutron attenuation, it is necessary that a licensee demonstrate that the materials neutron attenuation properties Enclosure

are adequate. Discuss your plans to incorporate neutron attenuation testing into your surveillance program. Neutron attenuation could be incorporated into the surveillance program in two ways: (1) neutron attenuation testing of active inserts could be performed at 4, 12, and 20 years, or (2) sacrificial inserts could be appointed to be removed from service and replaced with new inserts at 4, 12, and 20 years for neutron attenuation testing. Provide the justification for the proposed frequency. In addition, provide the insert selection criteria for those inserts to be tested for their neutron absorption. Also, your surveillance program should address the acceptance criteria and corrective actions for when an insert fails neutron attenuation testing.

5. You have indicated the acceptance criteria and corrective actions for the visual inspections and the dimensional and weight measurements. Ultimately, the insert will be removed from service and replaced. In addition, you indicated that diagnostic dimensional and weight measurements will be performed on failed inserts. Describe your plans to include diagnostic neutron attenuation testing when an insert fails the acceptance criteria.

6. Given that Metamic' is a new material and your request is for a new application, we request that you submit the results of each surveillance to the NRC staff. The reporting requirements should be addressed in your surveillance program. The reporting requirements should include the results of the baseline inspection and all subsequent inspections (i.e., visual, length, width, thickness, weight, and neutron absorption).

Discuss how soon after completion of each surveillance this report will be submitted.

7. You indicated that two coupons will be neutron attenuation tested during Surveillance Periods 4, 12, 20 and 30 for the "lead unit. Please discuss how many coupons will be placed in the SFP of the "lead unit. The need for additional coupons should be taken into consideration if coupons fail the neutron attenuation test. In addition, state whether the two coupons that are neutron attenuation tested during each surveillance will be returned to the SFP. If not, please justify.

8. Provide the acceptance criteria for the neutron attenuation tests and the actions to be taken when the acceptance criteria are not met for the "lead unit. Include a discussion of when surveillance may be performed in the "other unit. The operating history of both units should also be considered in the acceptance criteria.

9. You indicated that you plan to perform the proposed surveillance on the "lead unit. The "lead unit" will be the unit that has Metamic' inserts first placed in the SFP. You stated that the operating conditions for the inserts will essentially be identical. Given that differing operating conditions, fuel types, and fuel burnup can be introduced to either unit, discuss how you intend to evaluate the functionality of the inserts in the "other unit.