ML15107A059
| ML15107A059 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Prairie Island  (DPR-42, DPR-60) |
| Issue date: | 05/15/2015 |
| From: | Beltz T Plant Licensing Branch III |
| To: | |
| Beltz T | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML15107A060 | List: |
| References | |
| MF5839, MF5840 | |
| Download: ML15107A059 (5) | |
Text
LICENSEE:
FACILITY:
SUBJECT:
Xcel Energy UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 May 15, 2015 Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2
SUMMARY
OF THE APRIL 14, 2015, PUBLIC MEETING WITH XCEL ENERGY AND WESTINGHOUSE TO DISCUSS A POTENTIAL FUTURE LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST REGARDING THE USE OF INTEGRAL FUEL BURNABLE ABSORBER NEUTRON ABSORBERS IN WESTINGHOUSE 422V+
FUEL ASSEMBLY DESIGN (TAC NOS. MF5839 AND MF5840)
On April 14, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff held a Category 1 public meeting with representatives of Northern States Power Company - Minnesota, doing business as Xcel Energy (the licensee), and Westinghouse, at NRC headquarters. The purpose of the meeting was for the licensee to discuss its future license amendment request submittal to combine Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber (IFBA) and gadolinium (Gd) neutron absorbers in the Westinghouse 422+ fuel assembly design for operations and fuel storage at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant (PINGP), Units 1 and 2. Specifically, Xcel Energy planned to describe the preliminary conclusions on the effects of the proposed change; discuss the proposed schedule for submitting the license amendment request; and discuss the scope of the NRC staff's review, including a spent fuel pool criticality safety analysis license amendment request.
The licensee's slide presentation followed handout material provided during the meeting and docketed on the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at Accession No. ML15105A037. The licensee indicated during the meeting that the information provided in its presentation may be made publicly-available.
Xcel Energy discussed its initiative to combine IFBA and Gd neutron absorbers in the Westinghouse 422V+ fuel assembly design for PINGP operations and fuel storage.
Meeting points of discussion and comments are summarized below:
Xcel Energy indicated that PINGP will be the first facility to use IFBA/Gd in nuclear fuel assemblies. The IFBA and Gd will be incorporated in the same fuel assembly, but not in the same fuel rod.
Xcel Energy (with Westinghouse support) explained that this IFBA/Gd change will improve the hold-down effect of neutron absorbers and provide flexibility to better control the operating cycle length and improve some safety margins. The use of IFBA/GD has a benefit of "levelizing" boron concentration through the operating cycle.
The NRC staff asked various questions regarding the fuel assembly geometry and dimensions. AREVA indicated that there will be no change in either the geometry or dimensions of the fuel assembly containing IFBA/Gd.
Xcel Energy indicated that IFBA/Gd fuel assemblies are not specifically licensed for the current dry cask storage, and that this will need to be addressed from a regulatory perspective in the future. The licensee also indicated that loading of the first IFBA/Gd fuel assemblies into dry cask storage would not occur until approximately 2032, and estimated that one less spent fuel cask will need to be loaded on the ISFSI during the remaining period of licensed operation utilizing the IFBA/Gd fuel assemblies.
Xcel Energy staff explained how their preliminary Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.59 review provided high confidence that the effects of IFBA/Gd on reactor operations could be implemented without prior NRC approval. The NRC staff stated its understanding of the initiative's merits, but provided some considerations to include in the 10 CFR 50.59 review (e.g., provide an improved evaluation of the potential change in radiological source term).
The NRC staff indicated that Xcel Energy further examine its 1 O CFR 50.59 review to ensure that all aspects of the change are evaluated, and some staff further indicated that certain changes could not be made under 10 CFR 50.59. The staff mentioned some examples associated with the technical specifications (TSs), such as how modeling or methodology changes could affect Core Operating Limits Report (COLR) references or how the IFBA and Gd rod interaction may impact design requirements such as departure from nuclear boiling.
Xcel Energy presented its basis for requiring prior NRC approval of the expected changes that affect spent fuel pool (SFP) operations, which are related to Table 4.3.1 of the PINGP TSs. Accordingly, Xcel Energy stated plans to submit a license amendment request with a supporting criticality analysis in November 2015, and that it will request NRC approval by November 2017.
The NRC staff offered a set of questions regarding applicability of analysis methodology to the combination of IFBA/Gd, appropriate analysis benchmarks, and depletion uncertainties.
The staff also requested justification for a SFP multiple-misleading accident analysis, including a full and detailed discussion of bounding conditions.
There was general agreement that a future public meeting (in approximately 4 months) may be helpful to improve alignment with NRC staff expectations.
The Enclosure to this meeting summary contains the list of participants.
Before the meeting adjourned, all meeting participants were given the opportunity to comment on any aspects of the meeting.
No regulatory decisions or commitments were made during the meeting. There were no members of the public in attendance at the meeting, either in the room or recognized on the telephone conference line. The NRC staff received no public comments and no meeting feedback forms.
Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-3049 or e-mail terry.beltz@nrc.gov.
Docket Nos.: 50-282 and 50-306
Enclosure:
List of Participants cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ Terry A. Beltz, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 111-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) PUBLIC MEETING WITH XCEL ENERGY, INC., AND WESTINGHOUSE TO DISCUSS A PROPOSED LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST REGARDING INTEGRAL FUEL BURNABLE ABSORBER RODS IN NUCLEAR FUEL AT THE PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 NAME Glenn Adams Reed Anzalone Michael Baumann Terry Beltz Andrew Blanco Margaret Chernoff Courtney Corley Gene Eckholt Sue Goetz Kevin Heller Henry Hoelscher Christopher Jackson Fred Korsaty Steven Mcsorley Matthew Pannicker John Parillo Darrin Smith Christopher Wagener Michael Wenner Greg Williams Kent Wood Matthew Yoder ORGANIZATION Xcel Energy NRC/NRR/DSS/SNPB Xcel Energy NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL3-1 1 Westinghouse NRC/NRR/DSS/STSB2 Westinghouse Xcel Energy NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL3-1 1 NRC/NRR/DSS/SNPB3 Xcel Energy NRC/NRR/DSS/SRXB4 NRC/NRR/DSS/SRXB4 Xcel Energy NRC/NRR/DSS/SNPB3 NRC/NRR/DRA/ARCB5 Westinghouse Westinghouse Westinghouse Westinghouse NRC/NRR/DSS/SRXB4 NRC/NRR/DE/ESGB6 The following individuals participated by telephone:
Steve Schaeffer Harold Scott Xcel Energy NRC/RES/DSA/FSCB 7 1 Office of Nuelear Reactor Regulation, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Plant Licensing Branch 111-1 2 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Division of Safety Systems, Technical Specifications Branch 3 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Division of Safety Systems, Nuclear Performance and Code Review Branch 4 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Division of Safety Systems, Reactor Systems Branch 5 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Division of Risk Assessment, Radiation Protection and Consequence Branch 6 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Division of Engineering, Steam Generator Tube Integrity and Chemical Engineering Branch 7 Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Division of Systems Analysis, Fuel and Source Term Code Development Branch Enclosure Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-3049 or e-mail terry.beltz@nrc.gov.
Docket Nos.: 50-282 and 50-306
Enclosure:
List of Participants cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC LPL3-1 R/F RidsNrrDorllpl3-1 Resource RidsNrrLAMHenderson Resource RidsNrrPMPrairielsland Resource RidsRgn3MailCenter Resource RidsAcrsAcnw_MailCTR Resource RidsOgcRp Resource ADAMS Accession Numbers:
Package: ML15107A060 Meeting Notice: ML15084A121 Meeting Summary: ML15107A059 Licensee Slide Presentation: ML15105A037 OFFICE LPL3-1/PM LPL3-1/LA NAME TBeltz MHenderson DATE 05/05/15 05/05/15 OFFICE AR CB/BC ESGB/BC NAME UShoop GKulesa DATE 05/08/15 05/11/15 IRA/
Terry A. Beltz, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 111-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation CJackson, NRR JDean, NRR RElliott, NRR UShoop, NRR GKulsea, NRR MChernoff, NRR JParillo, NRR SRXB/BC CJackson 05/07/15 LPL3-1/BC DPelton (MChawla for) 05/13/15 KWood, NRR MPanicker, NRR MYoder, NRR KHeller, NRR RAnzalone, NRR FKorsaty, NRR HScott, RES SN PB/BC JDean 05/07/15 LPL3-1/PM TBeltz 05/15/15 STSB/BC RElliott 05/08/15 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY