ML17342A750
| ML17342A750 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Point Beach, Turkey Point, Quad Cities, 05000000 |
| Issue date: | 07/08/1987 |
| From: | Mcdonald D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| TAC-57398, TAC-57399, NUDOCS 8707160289 | |
| Download: ML17342A750 (9) | |
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UNITEDSTATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 July 8I 1987 Docket Nos.
50-250 and 50-251 LICENSEE: Florida Power and Light Company FACILITY: Turkey Point Units 3 and 4
SUBJECT:
Sumary of Meeting Held With Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) on June 23, 1987, Regarding Boraflex Used in the Turkey Point Spent Fuel Pool (SFP)
Racks
REFERENCE:
TAC Numbers 57398 and 57399 Back round Members of the staff met with representatives of the licensee, Westinghouse
, and BISCO Products, Inc. (list of attendees enclosed),
to discuss recently i'dentified problems with the use of boraflex as a neutron absorber in SFP racks.
The results of inspections performed by two utilities of boraflex neutron absorber (poison) material used in their SFPs have identified anomalies in the boraflex.
Boraflex is also used in the Turkey Point Plant SFP racks.
Wisconsin Electric Power Company provided the staff results of the surveillance program for boraflex used in the Point Beach Nuclear Plant SFPs by letter dated February 11, 1987.
Comonwealth Edison Company provided the staff results of recent inspections of boraflex used in the squad Cities SFPs by letter dated May 5, 1987.
The reports conclude that there is no significant safety concern at this time.
The Point Beach report indicates that small samples in which significant deterioration was identified were not found to be representative of the full size boraflex sheets used in their SFP racks.
The guad Cities.report indicates that numerous gaps were found in the boraflex in the racks due to shrinkage of the boraflex material.
The report further indicated that the design still maintains the SFP's criticality below.95 K ff.
The reracking of the SFPs at Turkey Point Units 3 and 4 are the subject of a current hearing.
The reports provided by the two utilities were the subject of Board Notification (BN) 87-11 dated June 15, 1987.
The information in the reports is relevant and material to Contention 5 which has been admitted by the Board in the FPL Turkey Point Plant SFP Expansion Proceedings (OLA-2).
The contention is concerned with the deterioration or failure of materials used in the Turkey Point SFP expansions.
The staff is examining the new information about boraflex to determine whether it would 'affect the staff's February 18, 1986
Response
to Licensee's Motion for Summary Disposition and affidavit con-cerning contention 10.
The contention was summarily disposed by Board Order dated March 25,
- 1987, and addressed possible SFP criticality.
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The staff has requested additional information (RAI) from utilities, including FPL, to determine the significance of the identified anomalies, any changes in their existing inservice surveillance programs for boraflex, and any corrective actions to be taken if determined necessary.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the RAI and exchange of any new information relating to boraflex.
~Sumar Representatives of the licensee sumarized what their response to the RAI would include, the supplier of the boraflex material (BISCO Inc ) di d th q
a ion tests and supplemental testing currently bein conducted, and ualific t nc.
scusse e
the SPP fabricator for the Turkey Point racks (Westinghousef discussed the Turkey Point rack design.
The licensee indicated that Point Beach Plant SFPs have boraflex material been in use 5
which has received the highest accumulated neutron dose Th t i 1
h years and some of the material has received a 20 year equivalent e
ma er a as radiation dose.
The small sample coupons experienced changes in physical characteristics such as color, size, hardness and brittleness but maintained their nuclear characteristics relating to neutron absorption capability.
Additional testing has been performed which indicates that the maximum shrinkage is 2 to 3X of the length of the boraflex material.
The differences in the fabrication process of the squad Cities and Turkey Point racks was discussed.
The fabrication of the squad Cities racks requires gluing and firmly clamping the boraflex material, does not use a protective wrapper and is not constructed from a single continuous sheet of boraflex.
The Turkey Point racks utilize single continuous sheets of boraflex, uses spots of adhesive to provide temporary support during fabrication and are totally enclosed.
The licensee does not expect the cracking or gaps in the boraflex observed in some of the guad City racks (less than half of the boraflex panels had cracks or gaps).
A representative of the supplier of boraflex indicated that the material has been in use since 1978.
Initial qualification testing indicated a
shrinkage'f'bout 2X.
Supplemental
- testing, being performed for the manufacturer utilizing a large number of samples, indicates that the maximum shrinkage will be 2 to 3%. It was further indicated that the conclusions of the guad Cities report were not valid due to the extrapolation process based on the original data.
General industry data for silicon material (not boraflex data) was used, the original tests lacked good control and improper measurement of the specific gravity of the material was made.
The supplier of the boraflex material notifies the industry of material problems or concerns through the SFP rack fabricators such as Westinghouse.
The final results of the supplemental testing should be available within two months.
The representatives of the rack fabricator discussed the overall fabrication process.
The adhesive used in spots is only to hold the boraflex material in place while the stainless steel wrapper is being welded to the rack.
It was further indicated that the physical geometry of the Turkey Point racks is much simpler than the squad Cities racks and did not require clamping and securing the boraflex.
The licensee representatives discussed the initial surveillance program for the boraflex material as noted in their amendment request for the SFP reracks.
The program utilizes several boraflex coupon samples in both Regions I and II of the racks.
In addition, a new program has been added which is called "Blackness Testing."
This program will detect any spatial distribution anomalies in the boraflex material if'hey were to occur.
The tests are per formed using a fast neutron source and thermal neutron detectors.
Any cracks or gaps will result in an increase in the number of thermal neutrons and the number of ther-mal neutrons will be low if the boraflex is intact and not degraded.
The licensee will continue to follow the industry efforts concerning boraflex (EPRI, BISCO and several utilities).
The results of these efforts will be evaluated and any actions warranted for the Turkey Point SFP racks will be taken.
The staff representatives indicated that the licensee's response should also include sensitivity studies to determine the effects of gaps in the boraflex material to determine if the criticality of the Turkey Point SFPs would be maintained below.95 K
The licensee indicated, based on their previous discussions that they Bfh not believe that gaps would occur but would provide the sensitivity studies requested by the staff.
The response to the RAI, including the sensitivity studies, will be provided to the staff within two weeks.
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Enclosure:
List of Attendees Daniel G. McDonald, Senior Project Manager Project Directorate II-2 Division of Reactor Projects-I/II cc:
See next page DISTRIBUTION NRC PDR Local PDR PD22 Rdg.
L. Rubenstein D. McDonald D. Miller OGC-Bethesda E. Jordan J. Partlow ACRS (10)
LA DM 7/
/87 L. Kopp R. Cilimberg V. Hodge C. McCracken C. Woodhead J.
Wing
- 022 DMcDonald:hc LRuben in 7/ 7 /87 7/P /87
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Mr. C. 0.
Woody Flor ida Power and Light Company Turkey Point Plant CC:
Harold F. Reis, Esquire Newman and Holtzinger, P.C.
1615 L Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036 Mr. Jack Shreve Office of the Public Counsel Room 4, Holland Building Tallahassee, Florida 32304 Norman A. Coll, Esquire
- Steel, Hector and Davis 4000 Southeast Financial Center Miami, Florida 33131-2398 Mr. C. M. Wethy, Vice President Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Florida Power and Light Company P.O.
Box 029100 Miami, Florida 33102 Mr. M. R. Stierheim County Manager of Metropolitan Dade County Miami, Florida 33130 Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station Post Office Box 57-1185 Miami, Florida 33257-1185 Jacob Daniel Nash Office of Radiation Control Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services 1317 Winewood Blvd.
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0?00 Intergovernmental Coordination and Review Office of Planning 8 Budget Executive Office of the Governor The Capitol Building Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Administra tor Department of Environmental Regulation Power Plant Siting Section State of Florida 2600 Blair Stone Road Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Regional Administrator, Region II U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comnission Suite 2900 101 Marietta Street Atlanta, Georgia 30323 Martin H. Hodder, Esquire 1131 NE, 86th Street Miami, Florida 33138 Joette Lorion 7269 SW, 54 Avenue Miami, Florida 33143 Mr. Chris J. Baker, Plant Manager Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Florida Power and Light Company P.O.
Box 029100 Miami, Florida 33102 Attorney General Department of Legal Affairs'he Capitol Tallahassee, Florida 32304
ENCLOSURE MEETING ATTENDANCE 6/23/87 BORAFLEX MATERIAL Daniel G. McDonald Larry Kopp James Ming Harold F. Reis Steve Frantz Jack DeMastry Russell Gouldy William Troskoski Ray Cilimberg Yern Hodge Conrad McCracken Colleen Woodhead Gary Knock Harry Flanders James S. Anderson Robert A. Viesemann Stanley N. Ehrenpreis Lynn Connor Don McGuigan NRC/Project Manager NRC/RSB NRC/Chem.
Fng. Branch Newman
& Holtzinger, P.C.
Newman
& Holtzinger, P.C.
Florida Power
& Light Company Florida Power
& Light Company Region II Coordinator, EDO NRC/NRR/VIB NRC/NRR/OGCB NRC/NRR/ECEB NRC/OGC Westinghouse/Design Eng.
Westinghouse/NCD Bisco Products, Inc.
Westinghouse NTSD Westinghouse, NTSD Doc. Search Associates NUS Corp.