ML090610061
| ML090610061 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | National Bureau of Standards Reactor |
| Issue date: | 03/03/2009 |
| From: | William Kennedy Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch |
| To: | Richards W US Dept of Commerce, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) |
| Kennedy W, NRR/ADRA/DPR/PRT, 415-2784 | |
| References | |
| TAC MD3410 | |
| Download: ML090610061 (5) | |
Text
March 3, 2009 Dr. Wade Richards, Manager of Operations and Engineering NIST Center for Neutron Research National Institute of Standards and Technology U.S. Department of Commerce 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8561 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8561
SUBJECT:
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY TEST REACTOR - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING FOLLOW-UP ITEMS (TAC NO. MD3410)
Dear Dr. Richards:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing the review of your application for renewal of Facility Operating License No. TR-5 for the National Institute of Standards and Technology test reactor dated April 9, 2004, as supplemented by letters dated October 2, 2006; May 30, and August 14, 2007; and September 16, October 21, and December 8, 2008. Based on questions raised during the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) subcommittee meeting held February 4, 2009, NRC staff determined that additional information and clarification contained in the enclosure is required to address the ACRS questions. As we agreed during our telephone conversation on February 12, 2009, please provide a response to the enclosed request for additional information no later than March 17, 2009. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 50.30(b), your response must be executed in a signed original under oath or affirmation.
If you have any questions regarding this review, please contact me at 301-415-2784 or by electronic mail at William.Kennedy@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
William B. Kennedy, Project Engineer Research and Test Reactors Branch A Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.: 50-184
Enclosure:
As stated cc w/enclosure: See next page
National Institute of Standards and Technology Docket No.: 50-184 cc:
Environmental Program Manager III Radiological Health Program Air & Radiation Management Adm.
Maryland Dept of the Environment 1800 Washington Blvd Suite 750 Baltimore, MD 21230-1724 Director, Department of State Planning 301 West Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Director, Air & Radiation Management Adm.
Maryland Dept of the Environment 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 710 Baltimore, MD 21230 Director, Department of Natural Resources Power Plant Siting Program Energy and Coastal Zone Administration Tawes State Office Building Annapolis, MD 21401 Marilyn J. Praisner, President Montgomery County Council 100 Maryland Avenue Rockville, MD 20850 Test, Research, and Training Reactor Newsletter University of Florida 202 Nuclear Sciences Center Gainesville, FL 32611
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REACTOR DOCKET NO. 50-184 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing the review of your application for renewal of Facility Operating License No. TR-5 for the National Institute of Standards and Technology test reactor dated April 9, 2004, as supplemented by letters dated October 2, 2006; May 30, and August 14, 2007; and September 16, October 21, and December 8, 2008. Based on questions raised during the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) subcommittee meeting held February 4, 2009, NRC staff determined that additional information and clarification is required to address the ACRS questions. Please provide a response to the following questions, as agreed by March 17, 2009.
- 1.
Provide a discussion of the methodology used to monitor the groundwater at the reactor site for contamination by releases of radioactive material from the facility.
- 2.
Section 3.4 of National Bureau of Standards Reactor (NBSR) 14, Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology Reactor - NBSR, states that the building and reactor systems have been analyzed and shown to be able to withstand the stresses generated by a 0.1 g earthquake loading. This statement references the National Bureau of Standards Reactor Final Safety Analysis Report dated 1966. Please provide a discussion of seismically-induced damage to any safety-related structures and components that have been installed since the analysis in 1966. Please provide a discussion of seismically-induced damage to any structures and components that have been installed since the analysis in 1966 whose failure could impact proper operation of safety-related structures and components.
- 3.
The most recent revision of the proposed Technical Specifications (TSs) submitted September 16, 2008, contains some surveillance requirements that are less conservative than those specified in the current TSs and/or those recommended by the guidance contained in American National Standard ANSI/ANS-15.1-2007. These surveillance requirements include the starting function of the emergency sump pump, start testing of the diesel generators, and voltage and specific gravity testing of the station battery. For each deviation from the standard, please provide a discussion that explains why the recommended surveillance requirement contained in ANSI/ANS-15.1-2007 is inappropriate or overly-conservative for the NBSR. For each decrease in conservatism in the surveillance requirements in the proposed TSs from the surveillance requirements in the current TSs provide a discussion that explains how the decrease in conservatism maintains the current level of safety. Alternately, revise the proposed TSs to be in conformance with the standard and/or the current TSs.
- 4.
Please provide a detailed, step-by-step explanation of the experiment review, approval, and implementation process. Include discussions of the applicable requirements
specified in the proposed TSs and administrative requirements that ensure no experiment will have an adverse impact on reactor safety or the health and safety of the public and personnel.
- 5.
Please provide a discussion and analysis of the adequacy of natural circulation cooling in the event that DWV-19 is isolated during extended full-power operation. Include discussion of heat sinks, flow paths, peak vessel temperature, and ability of the pressure relief valve to perform its intended function. Also please discuss any actions or preventative measures needed to mitigate the consequences of such an occurrence or prevent it altogether.
- 6.
The moderator temperature coefficient and moderator void coefficient presented during the ACRS subcommittee meeting appeared to be inconsistent with each other. Please discuss how these coefficients were determined including methods of calculation.
Please discuss whether these coefficients necessarily need to be consistent given the methods of calculation. Please discuss how these coefficients represent the most limiting conditions in the coolant and/or how the values chosen for these coefficients provide adequate conservatism.
- 7.
Please discuss the storage and disposal of Class B and Class C wastes that may be generated at the NBSR during the period of the renewed license. Note that your response should not contain any sensitive or security-related information.
- 8.
Proposed TS 3.9.1, Fuel Storage, specifies that all fuel elements shall be stored and handled in geometry such that the calculated keff shall not exceed 0.90 under optimum conditions of water moderation and reflection. Please provide a summary and discussion of this calculation for storage in the spent fuel storage pool. Note that your response should not contain any sensitive or security-related information.
- 9.
Please clarify whether the confinement building design is based on loading from 100-mph sustained winds or a 100-mph wind gust.
- 10.
Please provide a discussion of the derivation of the 50-year and 100-year numerical scaling factors for wind speeds.
- 11.
If Caribbean hurricane wind data was used to estimate the 100-year maximum wind gust speed at the NBSR site, please provide a discussion of the relevance of that data to winds at the NBSR site. Otherwise, please provide a discussion of the wind data used to estimate the 100-year maximum wind gust speed for the NBSR site.
- 12.
In March 2008, storms in the Washington DC metro area generated wind gust speeds of 74 mph and 60 mph measured at Reagan National Airport and 66 mph measured at Dulles International Airport. Discuss how this storm data affects the projection of the 100-year maximum wind gust speed.
- 13.
Please discuss the technical basis for the applied additional rain-on-snow loading, including historical data to justify the assumed 50% rain fraction.
March 3, 2009 Dr. Wade Richards, Manager of Operations and Engineering NIST Center for Neutron Research National Institute of Standards and Technology U.S. Department of Commerce 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8561 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8561
SUBJECT:
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY TEST REACTOR - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING FOLLOW-UP ITEMS (TAC NO. MD3410)
Dear Dr. Richards:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing the review of your application for renewal of Facility Operating License No. TR-5 for the National Institute of Standards and Technology test reactor dated April 9, 2004, as supplemented by letters dated October 2, 2006; May 30, and August 14, 2007; and September 16, October 21, and December 8, 2008. Based on questions raised during the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) subcommittee meeting held February 4, 2009, NRC staff determined that additional information and clarification contained in the enclosure is required to address the ACRS questions. As we agreed during our telephone conversation on February 12, 2009, please provide a response to the enclosed request for additional information no later than March 17, 2009. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 50.30(b), your response must be executed in a signed original under oath or affirmation.
If you have any questions regarding this review, please contact me at 301-415-2784 or by electronic mail at William.Kennedy@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
William B. Kennedy, Project Engineer Research and Test Reactors Branch A Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.: 50-184
Enclosure:
As stated cc w/enclosure: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC DPR/PRT r/f RidsNrrDpr RidsNrrDprPrta RidsNrrDprPrtb GLappert, NRR WKennedy, NRR ACCESSION NO.:ML090610061 Office PRTA:PM PRTA:LA PRTA:BC PRTA:PM Name WKennedy GLappert KBrock WKennedy Date 03/03/09 3/2//09 03/03/09 03/03/09