ML19253C120
| ML19253C120 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | River Bend  |
| Issue date: | 11/20/1979 |
| From: | Seyfrit K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Weigand J GULF STATES UTILITIES CO. |
| References | |
| IEB-79-26, NUDOCS 7911300013 | |
| Download: ML19253C120 (1) | |
Text
ffG UNITED STATES
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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REGloN IV 2 (1
' f ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76012 o
611 RYAN PLAZ A DRIVE, SUITE 1000
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November 20, 1979 In Reply Refer To:
RIV Docket Nos.
50-458/IE Bulletin No. 79-26 50-459/IE Bulletin No. 79-26 Gulf States Utilities Attn:
Dr. J. G. Weigand General Manager, Nuclear Projects Post Office Box 2951 Beaumont, Texas 77704 Gentlemen:
The enclosed IE Bulletin No. 79-26 is forwarded to you for information.
No written response is required. If you desire additional information re-garding this matter, please contact this office.
Sincerely, 7b/ A 2c C Karl V. S frit Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of Recently Issued IE Bulletins 1443 232 7911800 U h,
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UNITED STATES SSINS:
6820 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Accession No.:
0FFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT 7910250475 WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 IE Bulletin No. 79-26 Date:
November 20, 1979 Page 1 of 4 BORON LOSS FROM BWR CONTROL BLADES Description of Circumstances:
The General Electric Company (GE) has informed us of a failure mode for control blades which can cause a loss of boron poison material.
Hot cell examinations of both foreign and domestic blades have revealed cracks near the upper end of stainless steel tubing and loss of boron from the tubes.
The cracks and boron loss have so far been ggnfined to locations in the poison tubes with more than 50 percent Boron-10 (B ) local depletion. Observed crack sizes range from a quarter to a half inch in length and from one to two mils in width.
GE has postulated that the cracking is due to stress corrosion induced by solidification of boron carbide (B C) particles and swelling of the compacted 4
B C as helium and lithium concentrations grow. Once primary coolant penetrates g
tIIe cladding (i.e., the cracking has progressed through the cladding wall and the helium-lithium pressures are sufficient to open the gack), boron is leached out of the tube at locations with more than 50 percent B local depletion (local depletion is considered to be twice the average depletion).
It was furt!jg:- found with similar cracking but with less than 50 percent local depletion of B
, that leaching did not occur even though primary coolant had penetrated the cladding.
The cracking and boron loss shorten the design life of the control blade.
According to the GE criteria the end of design life is reached when the re-activity ygrth of the blade is reduced by 10 percent, which corresponds to 42 percent B depletion averaged over the top quarter of the control blge Because of the leaching mechanism, GE has reduced the allowance for B depletion averaged over the top quarter of the control blade from the 42 percent value to 34 percent.
The safety significance of boron loss is its impact on shutdown capability and scrs;n reactivity. Although shitdown capability is demonstrated by shutdown margin tests after refueling, the calculated control blade worths ased in the tests are based on the assumption that no boron loss has occurred. Reduction in scram reactivity due to boron loss could increase the severity of Critical Power Ratio (CPR) reductions during the plant transients and could increase the consequences of control rod drop accidents.
Because the locations of limiting Average Planar LHGR (APLHGR) are DUPLICATE DOCUMENT monitoring is not affected by bor
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2j4 Entire document previously entered into system under:
191025bt/15 nNO No. of pages: