ML102010055

Mcguire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, License Amendment, Issuance of Amendments Regarding Deletion of a License Condition Restricting Fuel Rod Burnup

ML102010055
Person / Time
Site:	Mcguire, McGuire
Issue date:	08/05/2010
From:	Jacqueline Thompson Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	Repko R Duke Energy Carolinas
Thompson, Jon 415-1119
References
TAC ME2620, TAC ME2621
Download: ML102010055 (16)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 August 5,2010 Mr. Regis T. Repko Vice President McGuire Nuclear Station Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC 12700 Hagers Ferry Road Huntersville, NC 28078

SUBJECT:

MCGUIRE NUCLEAR STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2, ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENTS REGARDING DELETION OF A LICENSE CONDITION RESTRICTING FUEL ROD BURNUP (TAC NOS. ME2620 AND ME2621)

Dear Mr. Repko:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 258 to Renewed Facility Operating License (RFOL) NPF-9 and Amendment No. 238 to RFOL NPF-17 for the McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2. The amendments consist of the deletion of license conditions in each of the unit's RFOLs in response to your application dated October 29, 2009.

The amendments delete a license condition located in each of the unit's RFOLs which restricts the maximum fuel rod average burnup. Deletion of this condition would allow the maximum fuel rod average burnup up to increase.

A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is also enclosed. A Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commission's biweekly Federal Register notice.

R. Repko -2 If you have any questions, please call me at 301-415-1119.

Sincerely, Jon Thompson, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 11-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-369 and 50-370

Enclosures:

1. Amendment No. 258 to NPF-9

2. Amendment No. 238 to NPF-17

3. Safety Evaluation cc w/encls: Distribution via Listserv

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC DOCKET NO. 50-369 MCGUIRE NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 258 Renewed License No. NPF-9

1. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:

A. The application for amendment to the McGuire Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (the facility),

Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-9, filed by the Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (licensee), dated October 29, 2009, complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations as set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; 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 (i) that the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, and (ii) that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; 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; and E. The issuance of this amendment is in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied.

2. Accordingly, the license is hereby amended by page changes to the Renewed Facility Operating License as indicated in the attachment to this license amendment.

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3. This license amendment is effective as of its date of issuance and shall be implemented within 30 days of issuance.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION iCa/L~zL~/Il,~) .t ~ 1 Gloria Kulesa, Chief t' Plant Licensing Branch 11-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Attachment:

Changes to License No. NPF-9 Date of Issuance: August 5, 2010

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC DOCKET NO. 50-370 MCGUIRE NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 2 AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 238 Renewed License No. NPF-17

1. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:

A. The application for amendment to the McGuire Nuclear Station, Unit 2 (the facility),

Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-17, filed by the Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (the licensee), dated October 29,2009, complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations as set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; 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 (i) that the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, and (ii) that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; 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; and E. The issuance of this amendment is in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied.

2. Accordingly, the license is hereby amended by page changes to the Renewed Facility Operating License as indicated in the attachment to this license amendment.

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3. This license amendment is effective as of its date of issuance and shall be implemented within 30 days of issuance.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 1Cc~fcL Gloria Kulesa, Chief .

Plant Licensing Branch 11-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Attachment:

Changes to License No. NPF-17 Date of Issuance: August 5, 2010

ATTACHMENT TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 258 RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-9 DOCKET NO. 50-369 AND LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 238 RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-17 DOCKET NO. 50-370 Replace the following pages of the Renewed Facility Operating Licenses with the attached revised pages. The revised pages are identified by amendment number and contain marginal lines indicating the areas of change.

Remove License Pages License Pages NPF-9 NPF-9 page 3 page 3 Appendix B, page 1 Appendix B, page 1 NPF-17 NPF-17 page 3 page 3 Appendix B, page 1 Appendix B, page 1

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'(4) Pursuant 10 tl1e Acl and 10 CFR Par1l30, 40 and 70', to rec:eiw*. PONess 8nd ule In amounts 81 ntqulrvd Ifiy byprvducl, SOUf1>> or speclll nudelr melena' without ntS~Uon to chemical or phylbl' form, for. sample lnelylls or Inltrument callbrltlon or allOCl8ted with I'Idtoecttw appa,.. or components; (5) Pursuant to the Act and 10 CFR Partl30. 40 and 70. to pol,"I, but not leparate, luch byprodUC1l and .peelel ~lear rrete"ts * "'8Y be pn;lCIuced by the oper'llton of McGuIre Nuclear S18l1on, Units l' and Z.r8nd' (e) PursU8nt to the Ac;t Ind 10 CFR PlII'1I30 .nd 40: 10 receive, poIl8l1.nd prooelS for I'8laa.. or trlnsfer tUc;h byproduct material 8S may be produced by ttw Duke Trulning 'nd Tuchnology Center, C. This renewed operating kenle Shell be deemed'to con""in end iIIUb)ec;t to, the ,

c:ondiUons spec;med In the Commllllon'l regut.Uonl set fot1h In 10 CFR Chapter land Is lubjec;t to all8ppUcabie provlllonl of the A~ end to the rvlel, or regul8Uonl, and orders of the CofnmIIIk)n now here8fter In effac;t; and II lubject to the additJonel condl1JonllPtdl'ed or inc;orpor8ted below:

(1) Maximum Power Level The Ncensee Is authorized to operate the fac;Hity at a reactor c;ore full steady ltate power level of 3411 m&gewan. thermal (100%).

(2) TeqlO)ca' Seec;~Kiations The Technlc81 SDRCtnc;etlonl cantBlnud in Appendlx'A, al revised throuSh Amendment No. 258, al'8 herebY Incorporated Into thlt ,.".".,d operating licenle. Tne 1k;en188 shell op8fl1te the facility In aCCOf\jB~e with the Technical Speclftcstion" (3) Upd8ted Final Safety Analysis Report

,TI'te Updated Fln.. 1Safety Anelysls Report supplemenl submmed p~u8nt to 10 CFR 54.21 (d)... ",vllod on Oooember 16, 2002, "'C;"Pes c;er1tllrt future ectlvitles to be compleled betOI1l the period of eldended ~".tton.

Duke shall complole lhe~e a~lv.1n no Illor then June 12, 2021, 8nd 'hili notify the NRC In WffIlng when Implement81 10n of these actlvltlot II complete 8nd can be verlned by N~C lnapection.

The Updlted FInal S8fety Anlllys~ 'Repon ~upplemont a. reviled on Dec;ember 16, 2002, dOIic;!ibed 8tlQw, shell be Inetuded In the neJCl sc;heduled upd8te 10 the Upd8ted Final Safety Anatysts Report raquirwd by 10 CFR 50.71(e)(-4), following Issuance ofthil renewed opara1Jng Hcen...

Until that update II c;ornpfele, Duke mily make C;h8nget to the prQgr8ms dellc;ribed In such supplement wtthout prior commission 8pproVill, provided Ih81 DUke ev81Ul1tes each suc;h ctenge pursuant to the entort8 38t forth In 10 CF'R 5059 and olhclWi3c c;ompl~ wtth Ihe ruGUlromo"1D In th8!

secliOn.

Renewttd L1C8n1e No. NPF*9 Amondment No, 258

APPENDIX B ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-9 Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC shall comply with the following conditions on the schedules noted below:

Amendment Additional Implementation Number Conditions Date 184 The schedule for the performance of new and Within 90 days of revised surveillance requirements shall be as the date of this follows: amendment.

For surveillance requirements (SRs) that are new in Amendment No. 184 the first performance is due at the end of the first surveillance interval that begins at implementation of Amendment No. 184. For SRs that existing prior to Amendment No. 184, including SRs with modified acceptance criteria and SRs whose intervals of performance are being extended, the first performance is due at the end of the first surveillance interval that begins on the date the surveillance was last performed prior to implementation of amendment No. 184. For SRs that existed prior to Amendment No. 184, whose intervals of performance are being reduced, the first reduced surveillance interval begins upon completion of the first surveillance performed after implementation of Amendment No. 184.

Renewed License No. NPF-9 Amendment No. 258

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(4) Pursuan, to the Act and to CFR Partl 30. 40 IIld 70',.10 naive, ponesl and ule In amounts al required' 8ny byproduct, 10Urce or IPK181 nucllar ma'erlel without m1I1ctton,o chemical or phY1llc81 form, for IIInpIe lInalyell or lnl1rUment celbnlllon or llsoclated wtth radloac'lve epperltul or componentl; (5) P\nuant to the Act and 10 CFR Perts 30, 40 end 70, to po...... but no' I.r.'e. luch byprvducta aMlpeclal nuclear ma,ertell .. may be produced' by the operation of ~u're Nuclear S'I'lon, Vnltl , and 2; Ind, (6) Pursuen' to the Act and 10 CFR'Par1l30 and 40, to receive, POllOI' and procell for nrieBle or InInlfer IUch byproduct metertel IS mey be prodUced by the Duke Trllnlng and Technology Center.

C. '0 This reneMd operating licente shall be deemed con1B1n and .. IUbJt~ to the condltlonllpeclfled In the Commlllton'l regula'lonllet for1h In 10 CFR Chap'er

'0 land II subJect all applicable provtaionl of the Ac' end to the rule.,

regulatlonl, and ordn of the Commlnlon now or here.fter In e"va; Ind Is subject to the additional cond~lonllpeeified or Incorporated below:

(1) M,xlmum Power Level

'0 The llcenlee Is authorized op,rilte the facility 8t a reactor core full lteady ltete power level of 3411 megawatts thermal (100%).

(2) lpehnical Sp,eif!cations

. The Technical SpAr.ifir.uUOns contained in Appendix A, as revlHd through Amendment No. 238 ~re hereby Incorponlted Into thlt renewed OPerating license. :The licensee Ihall Operate the fBdlty In ICCOl'dence with the TechnIce I speelflC8tlo,ns.

(3) Updated Final S,fotv AnsOCtls Report The Upd.,ed Final S8fetyAnaty1la RePOrt supplement submltted pUl'$U8fl'

'fu'ure 0 10 CFR 'h. period 54.21(d), ** reviud on Oecember 16. 2002. d"lcrlbet cer1.ln ac1M1le:t to be completed ~fQra gt e~.ncIeG ope""~n.

Ouke .han comp18te lheIe activities no lat.r 'han March 3. 2023, and shell notify the NRC In writing when implemvn,atlon ot thele 8cU"itles is complete and cen be verlfled by NRC InlJpectlon.

The Upd8ted Flnsl Safety Anulyaia Report supplement al reVised on DeCember 16, 2002, described "bove. "hlllI be Included In ,he neXl schedUled update 10 the Updated FInEtI Safety Anutyllt Repor1 ",qulrvd by 10 CFR 50.71(eX4). followtng llsauanc8 of ,hli renewwd operltlng license.

Un,i1 tile, upda'e Is complete, Duke may make changa 10 the progra~

described In suCh lupplemen' without prior CommissiOn appf'O'fll, provided that Ouke evaluates each luch change pursuant to the criteria eet forth in 10 CFR ~0.59, and Otherw\S8 Compiles wl'h the requirements in the' section.

Rer'lewed License No. NPF*11 Amendmen'No. 238

APPENDIX B ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-17 Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC shall comply with the following conditions on the schedules noted below:

Amendment Additional Implementation Number Conditions Date 166 The schedule for the performance of new and Within 90 days of revised surveillance requirements shall be as the date of this follows: amendment.

For surveillance requirements (SRs) that are new in Amendment No. 166 the first performance is due at the end of the first surveillance interval that begins at implementation of Amendment No. 166. For SRs that existed prior to Amendment No. 166, including SRs with modified acceptance criteria and SRs whose intervals of performance are being extended, the first performance is due at the end of the first surveillance interval that begins on the date the surveillance was last performed prior to implementation of amendment No. 166. For SRs that existed prior to Amendment No. 166, whose intervals of performance are being reduced, the first reduced surveillance interval begins upon completion of the first surveillance performed after implementation of Amendment No. 166.

Renewed License No. NPF-17 Amendment No. 238

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 258 TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NPF-9 AND AMENDMENT NO. 238 TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NPF-17 DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC MCGUIRE NUCLEAR STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-369 AND 50-370

1.0 INTRODUCTION

By application dated October 29, 2009 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML093140092), Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke, the licensee), requested changes to the Renewed Facility Operating Licenses (RFOLs) for the McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 (McGuire 1 and 2). The proposed changes would delete a license condition located in each of the unit's RFOLs which restricts the maximum fuel rod average burn up. Deletion of this condition would allow the licensee to increase the maximum fuel rod average burnup.

McGuire 1 and 2 have a condition in Appendix B of each of their RFOLs which limits the peak rod average burnup to up to and including 60 Gigawatt-days per Metric Ton Uranium (GWd/MTU) until the completion of a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) environment assessment (EA) supporting an increased limit. In January 2001, the NRC staff published NUREG/CR-6703, entitled "Environmental Effects of Extending Fuel Burnup Above 60 Gwd/MTU," (ADAMS Accession No. ML010310298) to support the bumup increase. The McGuire 1 and 2 reactor cores contain a Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) robust fuel assembly (RFA) design with a 17x17 array. The RFA fuel design features the ZIRLO material for fuel rod cladding and other assembly structures, which were approved in topical report (TR) WCAP-12610-P-A, "VANTAGE+ Fuel Assembly Reference Core Report." The VANTAGE+ fuel design, including the RFA fuel, was approved to a peak rod average burnup limit of 60 GWd/MTU. In letter dated May 25,2006 (ADAMS Accession No. ML061420458), the NRC staff approved the Westinghouse request for the VANTAGE+ fuel burnup limit to be increased to 62 GWd/MTU, conditioned upon the evaluation of the fuel performance using the PAD 4.0 code. The PAD 4.0 code is a Westinghouse fuel performance code, as described in TR WCAP-15063-P-A, "Westinghouse Improved Performance Analysis and Design Model (PAD 4.0)," and was approved to a peak rod average burnup limit of 62 GWd/MTU.

-2 Based on the EA dated January 2001 and the NRC staff approval of TR WCAP-1261 O-P-A (along with the additional burnup using this TR authorized by the NRC staff in its letter dated May 25, 2006), the licensee requested an amendment for each of the RFOLs at McGuire 1 and 2 for the purpose of removing the license condition located in each RFOL, Appendix B, related to a fuel burnup limit. This license amendment will enable the licensee to increase the peak rod average burnup limit up to and including 62 GWd/MTU for RFAs.

2.0 REGULATORY EVALUATION

The regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 50, Section 50.90, "Application for Amendment of License or Construction Permit," allow a licensee to amend or change the original license application.

The regulation at 10 CFR 50.92, "Issuance of Amendment," states in part that:

In determining whether an amendment to a license ... will be issued to the applicant, the Commission will be guided by the considerations which govern the issuance of initial licenses ... to the extent applicable and appropriate.

The regulation at 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, "General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants, Criterion 10, "Reactor design," (GDC 10) states that:

The reactor core and associated coolant, control, and protection systems shall be designed with appropriate margin to assure that specified acceptable fuel design limits

[SAFDLs] are not exceeded during any condition of normal operation, including the effects of anticipated operational occurrences.

3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION

3.1 Environmental Assessment In the EA to extend fuel burnup above 60Gwd/MTU dated January 2001, the NRC staff concluded that there were no significant adverse environmental impacts associated with increasing the peak rod average burnup for nuclear fuel assemblies to 62 GWd/MTU. The licensee evaluated the applicability of the EA dated January 2001 to McGuire 1 and 2 and determined that its analysis enveloped the impacts at McGuire 1 and 2. In an EA dated July 15, 2010 (ADAMS Accession No. ML101670302), the NRC staff issued a finding of no significant impact with respect to the removal of these license conditions from the RFOL, Appendix B, for each of these units. Based on these EAs, the NRC staff concluded that the peak rod average burnup for fuel at McGuire 1 and 2 can be increased to 62 GWd/MTU with no significant effect on the quality of the human environment.

3.2 NRC Staff's Position In the past, the NRC staff has approved various burnup limits for Westinghouse fuel designs and fuel performance codes. Noticeably, the VANTAGE fuel series, including VANTAGE+, was approved to a burnup limit of 60 GWd/MTU, and the more recent Westinghouse fuel performance code, PAD 4.0, was approved for use to the burnup limit of 62 GWd/MTU.

-3 Recently, the NRC staff conducted an audit of the Westinghouse documents describing the fuel data, analytical models, and the fuel change procedures. The NRC staff reviewed documents, including several plant reload analyses. The reload analyses provided results for all the SAFDLs as described in GDC 10. The analyses were typically performed at bounding conditions such that plant thermal-mechanical safety evaluations were not required for each reload cycle. The SAFDLs include rod internal pressure, clad stress and strain, corrosion, clad fatigue, fuel melting temperature, rod growth, creep collapse, etc. The results showed that all SAFDLs were met for the bounding conditions. The NRC staff also recognized that the SAFDLs were analyzed using the PAD 4.0 code, which was approved to a peak rod average burnup of 62 GWd/MTU. Based on the audit results, the NRC staff concludes that burnup limit for WCAP-1261 O-P-A can be increased to 62 GWd/MTU provided that the evaluation of the fuel design performance is performed with PAD 4.0. This is consistent with the letter from the NRC staff dated May 25, 2006, which approved the burnup increase for the VANTAGE fuel series. Therefore, the burnup limit of the VANTAGE+ fuel design including the McGuire 1 and 2 RFA fuel can be increased to a 62,000 GWd/MTU peak rod average.

3.3 License Condition The license condition of McGuire Units 1 and 2 in Appendix B of the RFOL states:

liThe maximum rod average burnup for any rod shall be limited to 60 GWd/MTU until the completion of an NRC environmental assessment supporting an increased limit."

The licensee proposes to delete the license condition. Based on the NRC staff's evaluation, the NRC staff finds this acceptable.

3.4 Summary of Technical Evaluation The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's proposed license amendment to delete a license condition. Based on the application and the evaluation as set forth above, the NRC staff concludes that the proposed license amendment to delete the license condition in Appendix B of the RFOL is acceptable for McGuire 1 and 2.

4.0 STATE CONSULTATION

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, the North Carolina State official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendments. The State official had no comments.

5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.21, 51.32, and 51.35, an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact was published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2010 (75 FR 43571).

Accordingly, based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission has determined that issuance of this amendment will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment.

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6.0 CONCLUSION

The Commission has 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 the amendments will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.

Principal Contributor: S. Wu Date: August 5, 2010

ML102010055

• no siQnificant chanQe from SE transmitted by memo dated 6/7/10 (ML101440422)

OFFICE NRRlLPL2-1/PM NRRlLPL2-1/LA DSS/SNPB/BC OGC/NLO NRRlLPL2-1/BC NRRlLPL2-1/PM LSubin GKulesa NAME JThompson MO'Brien AMendiola* (wi comments) (KCotton for) JThompson DATE 07/21/10 07/21/10 06/07/10 07/23/10 08/04110 08/04/10