ML11277A013

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Response to Request for Additional Information to Question 20 of Dated September 29, 2010
ML11277A013
Person / Time
Site: U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date: 09/26/2011
From: Timothy Debey
US Dept of Interior, Geological Survey (USGS)
To:
Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML11277A013 (1)


Text

SUSGS science for a changing world Department of the Interior US Geological Survey PO Box 25046 MS 974 Denver, CO 80225-0046 September 26, 2011 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555

Reference:

U.S. Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR), Docket 50-274, License R-1 13 Request for Additional Information (RAI) dated September 29, 2010

Subject:

Response to Question 20 of the Referenced RAI Mr. Wertz:

Question 20: NUREG-1537, Part 1, Appendix 14.1, Section 2.1, "Safety Limits," states that the NRC finds 530 'C an acceptable fuel and cladding temperature limit not to be exceeded under any conditions of operation." GSTR TS 14.2.1 states that "The temperature in an aluminum-clad TRIGA fuel element shall not exceed 995 'F (535 'C) under any mode of operation." Please provide a justification for using 995 'F (535 'C) as a safety limit.

Response: The referenced statement that "the NRC finds 530 'C an acceptable fuel and cladding temperature limit not to be exceeded under any conditions of operation," actually refers to aluminum-clad, aluminum matrix plate-type fuels and is therefore not valid for the GSTR TRIGA reactor.

Further down in NUREG-1537, Part 1, Appendix 14.1, Section 2.1, "Safety Limits," it states that "For aluminum-clad UZrH1 .0 LEU 8 w/o TRIGA fuel, NRC has accepted that the peak fuel temperature should not exceed 500 'C." The GSTR will accept the guidance and change GSTR TS 14.2.1 to read, "The

-temperature in an aluminum-clad TRIGA fuel element shall not exceed 932 'F (500 'C) under any mode of operation."

Sincerely, Tim DeBey USGS Reactor Supervisor I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on 9/26/11 Copy to:

Betty Adrian, Reactor Administrator, MS 975 USGS Reactor Operations Committee O 0 (e