ML19242A543
| ML19242A543 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/05/1979 |
| From: | Snyder B NRC OFFICE OF POLICY EVALUATIONS (OPE) |
| To: | Gilinsky V, Hendrie J, Kennedy R NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| FOIA-80-336 NUDOCS 7908030099 | |
| Download: ML19242A543 (6) | |
Text
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sfn nico UNITED STATES eIh i
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION nC W ASH.NG TON, D. C. 20555 e
8 h
June 5, 1979 g.....j MEMORANDUM FOR: Chairman Hendrie Commissioner Gilinsky Commissioner Kennedy Commissioner Bradford Commissioner Ahearne FROM:
B. J. Snyder, Acting Director, OPE
SUBJECT:
ESTIMATED FUEL REQUIREMENTS FOR TARAPUR REACTORS I am providing for your information a revised analysis of the fuel requirements and schedule for the Tarapur reactors.
This updates information given to you in my previous'memorandur. dated January 16,1979 and factors in the current application, XSNM-1379.
CONCLUSIONS 1.
With the receipt of XSNM-1222 (approved by the Comission on March 23, 1979) and considering the fuel already on aand, the Indians have cdequate material for operation of TAPS I until May 1983 and TAPS II until December 1982.
2.
If approved, XSNM-1379 permits another refueling and year of operation for both plants: TAPS I probably can operate until August 1984 and TAPS II until March 1984.
3.
Shipment of XSNM-1379 by sea could occur as late as December 1981 without any apparent impact on the reactor schedules. Air shipment could extend this date by up to two months, at considerably greater cost.
4.
The above schedules of fuel supply and usage may not alloa adequate operational contingency in case of a major problem (e.g., high leakage rate of fuel during reactor operations).
DISCUSSION As dis' cussed in my January 16 memorandum, the average usage during 1977 and 1978 has been 56 subassemblies (S/A) per refueling.
Acknculedgement of this icwer usage rate, as opposed to the optimum rate of 85 S/A per refueling, is givea in the State Department's March 28 submission on XSNM-1379 (ref. SECY 233, March 30, 1979). An average usage rate of 60 5/A per refueling has been
Contact:
S. J. Snyder, OPE 63-43276 580 707 79090300
Comission assumed, in this memorandum, consistent with the State Department's figure for "nonopt} mum" operations.*
The total fuel available if XSNM-1379 is approved is:
ENRICHMENT ON HAND **
XSNM-1222 XSNM-1379 TOTAL 2.66%
13,165 kg 9,120 kg 12,160 kg 34,445 kg 2.1%
10,350 6,080 6,080 22,510 1.66%
3,625 1,520 1,520 6,665
- Includes scrap Assuming no lo.sses in processing and fabricating, the 34,445 kg of the 2.66%
enrichment limits the fuel production tn 402 S/A. To this is added the number of completed S/A--97 (ref. State Department telegram of December 18,1978) giving a total of 499 S/A available.
The March 28, 1979 State Department submission states that 488 S/A would be available.
The difference of 11 S/A can be accounted for by an c..sumed 2% material loss during processing and f abrication, which appears reasonable. Using the 488 S/A at the average rate of 60 per refueling allons for eight refuelings.
The figure on the next page shcus the projected refueling and operations senedule, based on a 3-month refueling shutdtwn and 12-month operating cycle.
This figure is basically the same as given in my carlier analysis (January 16), with corrections for a 1-month slip in the schedule for TAPS II as given by State in their March 28 submission.
In a more recent State Department telegram from Bombay, on April 20, 1979, it was reported that delays were being experienced in the ongoing TAPS 11 refueling.
The cause and duration of these delays were specified, nor were the number of fuel S/A to be inserted.
nu t, As may be seen in the following figure, TAPS I can probably operate until August 1984 and TAPS 11 until March 1984 if XSNM-1279 is shipped by sea no later than December 1981.
This alloas adequate time for transport, customs clearances and fuel fabrication.
Maintaining the most efficient operation of the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) where the TAPS fuel is produced has not been.f actored into this analysis. Thi.s point was discussed in more detail in my previcus memoranda of January 16 and January 18 on this subject.
In the March 28 Estate Department submission, thev state that annual refueling with 60-65 S/A is a non-optimum condition and has resulted in pcwer reductions to ibcut 70% of design level.
They go on te state that this non-optimum operation has been chosen largely because of continuing ;ncertainties regarding the supply of fresh fuel.
Not mentioned by State were the recent prcolems with adequate spent fuel storage capacity.
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In the attached Appendix, I have presented for your information an analysis of the anticipated unbalance among the three enrichments of fuel the Indians will have available, assuming XSNM-1379 is approved.
As may be seen in the Appendix, this unbalance among quantities of fuel enrichments could be corrected by the Indians ordering a different mix of enrichments than they have in recent orders.
This provides up to three more refuelings and 2-1/2 vears more operation (until September 1986) of TAPS II and 15 months more operatica (until November 1985) of TAPS I.
I hope this information will be useful.to you.
Please let me knoa if you have any questions on the above, or if you want additional information.
Consistent with your decision on my January 16 memorandum, a copy of this memorandum is being placed in the Public Cocument Room.
Attachment:
Appendix cc:
L. Bickwit, w/atch S. Chilk, w/atch L. Gossick, w/atch J. Shea, w/atch (Public Document Room, w/atch 580 3;0
APPENDIX APPAFENT UNBALANCE IN THE INDIAN FUEL SUPPLY For some reason the Indian fuel supply has beeri consistently unbalanced among the thre~e enrichments required for TAPS subassemblies.
Each subassembly requires:
U-Enrichment' kg U-Total 2.66%
85.6 2.1%
42.8 1.66%
11.6 TOTAL 140 As tabulated earlier in this memorandum, the supply of each enrichment, assuming approval of XSNM-1379 is:
U-Enrichment kg-U Available "S/A" Possible 2.66%
34,445 34,445/85.6 = 402 2.1%
22,510 22,510/42.8 = 526 1.66%
6,665 6,665/11.6 = 575 Maximized fuel utilization could be accomplished by balancing the supply of the two higher enrichments to use the excess of 1.66% material and produce 575 S/A instead of only.402 S/A.
This would require an ceder of:
2.66% material 575-402 = 173 x 85.6 = 14.808 kg 1520 kg per UF6 cylinder
= 9.74 cylinders or 10 cylinders of UFc 0 2.66% enrichment 2.1% material 575-526 = 49 x 42.8 = 2097 kg 1520 kg per UF6 cylinder
= 1.38 cylinders or 2 cylinders of UFc 3 2.1% enrichment 58o 3i1
Having a total of 672 S/A (575 added to the 97 completed S/A on hand in December 1978),
with an average of 60 S/A per refueling provides 11 refuelings.
This compares to 8 ref*elings possible with XSNM-1379 combined with currently available material.
u These three additional refuelings would all operation of TAPS I for about 15 months longer, to November 1985 and TAPS II for about 2-1/2 years longer to September 1986.
.