ML17037C346

Letter Responding to the July 27, 1971 Letter Regarding a Partial Refueling and Requesting Additional Information So That the Commission May Continue Review and Evaluation

ML17037C346
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	08/13/1971
From:	Morris P US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
To:	Brosnan T Niagara Mohawk Power Corp
References
Download: ML17037C346 (4)

Text

AUG 18 1971 Docket No. 50-220 Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation ATTN: Mr. Thomas J. Brosnan Vice President and Chief Engineer 300 Erie Boulevard Hest Syracuse, New York 13202 Gentlemen:

Your letter dated July 27, 1971, informed us that you are scheduling a partial refueling of the Nine Mile Point (RP) reactor on September 19, 1971. The proposed reload fuel will contain a burnable poison, gadolinium oxide (Gd203), mixed with the U02. Based on our review of the information presented, we consider that the use of the proposed fuel may involve an unreviewed safety question as defined in Section 50.59 of 10 CPR Part 50 and that operation with the proposed fuel requires authorization by the Commission. To continue our review and evaluation of the proposed refueling at KP, the following additional information is required".

1. Describe your evaluation of the consequences of possible loading errors associated with the proposed refueling.

Consider errors associated with the multiple enrich<<

ments, the gadolinium poison, and the exchange of fuel rods of an assembly, and consider possible errors in locating and positioning an assembly in the core in connection with poison curtain position.

2. In view of the fuel failures experienced to date, describe measures and programs you are employing or propose to institute to provide improved quality of gadolinium-bearing fuel as fabricated and an augmented surveillance of the core fuel during operations.

3. Your July 27, 1971 letter stated that the performance of gadolinium-containing fidel has been demonstrated successfu1ly in other Bus and that we have reviewed such fuel for several other facilities. Clarify your

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Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation - 2 AUG 13 1971 to other dockets to indicate'the information I'eferences that is relevant to the proposed RP operation with gadolinium-bearing fuel as regards gadol'inium content, margins to fuel melting and clad damage during steady-state and transient operations, including uncertainties in power distribution,, as a function of burnup, and similarly the margin-to-fuel damage for control>>rod-drop accident conditions.

4. . Describe in detail the effect of the proposed fuel on analytical results'btained from the study you are performing in response to our letter to you dated July 22, 1971, concerning the AEC interim acceptance criteria for the performance of emergency core cooling if you desire systems'lease contact us additional, discussion or clarification of the information requested.

Sincerely, Original signed b'tr peter A. M0rrls Peter A. Morris, Director Division of Reactor Licensing cc: Arvin E. Upton, Esquire Distribution LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby 6 MacRae 1821 Jefferson Place, N. Q.

M. Dooly, DR R. Engelken, CO (2)

Washington, D. C." 20036 H. Shapar, OGC J. R. Buchanan, ORNL Docket File PDR DR Reading DRL Reading Branch Reading ACRS (3)

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