ML120100513

Texas A&M System, Texas Engineering Experiment Station, NRC Request for Additional Information License Renewal

ML120100513
Person / Time
Site:	05000128
Issue date:	01/11/2012
From:	Linh Tran Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch
To:	Reece W Texas A&M Univ
Meyer W, NRR/DPR/PRLB, 301-415-0897
References
TAC ME1584
Download: ML120100513 (4)

Text

January 11, 2012 Dr. Warren D. Reece, Director Nuclear Science Center Texas Engineering Experiment Station 1095 Nuclear Science Road MS 3575 College Station, Texas 77843

SUBJECT:

TEXAS A&M SYSTEM, TEXAS ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION -

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE NUCLEAR SCIENCE CENTER REACTOR LICENSE RENEWAL (TAC NO. ME1584)

Dear Dr. Reece:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is continuing the review of your application for renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-83, dated February 27, 2003, as supplemented on March 30, 2005, July 22, 2009, August 30, 2010, May 27, June 9, and November 11, 2011. During our review, several questions have arisen for which we need additional information and clarification.

The enclosed request for additional information (RAI) identifies the additional information needed to complete our review. Please provide responses to the enclosed RAI within 10 days of the date of this letter.

In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.30(b), you must execute your response in a signed original document under oath or affirmation. Your response must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 50.4, Written Communications.

Information included in your response that is considered security, sensitive, or proprietary, that you seek to have withheld from the public, must be marked in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding.

If you have any question, please contact Walter Meyer at (301) 415-0897 or by electronic mail at Walter.Meyer@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Duane Hardesty, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-128

Enclosure:

As stated

ML120100513 TEMPLATE # NRR-088 OFFICE PRLB :PM PRLB: PM PRPB: LA PRLB: ABC PRLB: PM NAME WMeyer DHardesty DBaxley for GLappert JQuichocho DHardesty DATE 1/10/2012 1/10/2012 1/10/2012 01/11/2012 01/11/2012

Texas A&M University Docket No. 50-128 cc:

Mayor, City of College Station P.O. Box Drawer 9960 College Station, TX 77840-3575 Governors Budget and Planning Office P.O. Box 13561 Austin, TX 78711 Texas A&M University System ATTN: Jim Remlinger, Associate Director Nuclear Science Center Texas Engineering Experiment Station 1095 Nuclear Science Road MS 3575 College Station, Texas 77843 Radiation Program Officer Bureau of Radiation Control Dept. Of State Health Services Division for Regulatory Services 1100 West 49th Street, MC 2828 Austin, TX 78756-3189 Technical Advisor Office of Permitting, Remediation & Registration Texas Commission on Environmental Quality P.O. Box 13087, MS 122 Austin, TX 78711-3087 Test, Research and Training Reactor Newsletter 202 Nuclear Sciences Center University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY TEXAS ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION NUCLEAR SCIENCE CENTER REACTOR FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-83 DOCKET NO. 50-128 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is continuing the review of your application for renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-83, dated February 27, 2003, as supplemented on March 30, 2005, July 22, 2009, August 30, 2010, May 27, June 9, and November 11, 2011. During our review, several questions have arisen for which we need additional information and clarification. Please address and provide the requested information to the following:

1.

NUREG-1537, Part 1, Section 4.5.3, Operating Limits, states that the applicant should present information about reactor operating limits relating to reactivity, specifically control rod worth, excess reactivity and shutdown margin. The Reactor Startup Report dated April 30, 2007, and submitted to the NRC by letter dated August 30, 2010, provides calculated and measured control rod worth, excess reactivity and shutdown margin for the initial startup of the low-enriched uranium 30/20 core, which may not apply to the current reactor operating limits. The following information is needed to complete our review:

a.

Please provide the most recent control rod worth data and excess reactivity calculation with the reactor against the thermal column and discuss the changes in excess reactivity due to fuel burn-up and the build-up of samarium-149 since the initial startup.

b.

Please provide a discussion of the current specification of shutdown margin in Technical Specification 3.1.3, Shutdown Margin, and consider increasing the shutdown margin to be consistent with the reactivity worth of xenon referenced in the definition of reference core condition or provide an explanation why a change to the shutdown margin specification is not necessary.

Enclosure