ML19308C758
| ML19308C758 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Bellefonte  |
| Issue date: | 09/20/1976 |
| From: | Ross D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Suhrke K BABCOCK & WILCOX CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8002010282 | |
| Download: ML19308C758 (3) | |
Text
%
%o usMito STATES y
t NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j
j
)*
WASHt900 TON,D C. 20665 o
s.,*****/
SEP 2 01976 Mr. Kenneth E. Suhrke Manager, Licensing Babcock & Wilcox Company Nuclear Power Generation Box 1260 Lynchburg, Virginia 24505
Dear Mr. Suhrke:
We have received your letter of June 28, 1976 regarding our fuel surveillance requirements. On July 7 and July 23, telephone discussions were held on this subject with W. Keyworth and G. Geissler of your staff.
The purpose of this letter is to take issue with some comments made in your letter and to restate our position on fuel surveillance for the Mark C fuel design.
The NRC surveillance program (enclosed) has been designed to help develop statistically significant data for confirmatory performance evaluation. This program is required of all PWR vendors. While we acknowledge that the performance of B&W fuel to date has been good, we note that long-term performance data for your currently operating 15 x 15 fuel is meager. Thus, the data base for our review of such performance is limited.
In your letter of June 28, 1976, you indicate that NRC had approved the surveillance program that was proposed in the B&W Ictter of July 26, 1974. The referenced B&W 1etter included few details of any surveillance program.
In our letter of August 14, 1974, we concluded that the proof-test (lead assembly) program was appropriate and we specifically requested that more detail be provided about the precharacterization and post irra-diation examination aspects of your testing and surveillance plans. These details, a's they relate to your first full cores of Mark C fuel (sometimes referred to as-verification surveillance or supplemental surveillance),
were submitted for the first time in your letter of June 28, 1976.
800 2 010 d 7
-e s
Mr. Kenneth E. Suhrke The NRC-required Mark C surveillance program and the Part A Visual Inspection of your letter dated June 28, 1976 differ in the quantity of assemblies to be er==ined (100% vs. 35%), the number of full cores com-mitted to the prsgram (2 vs. 1) and the action required if unusual con-ditions are found (follow-on investigation vs. unspecified). These are important differences and we conclude that the proposed B&W surveillance i
program for the initial full core applications of the Mark C fuel design is inadequate.
We continue to require the surveillance program for new fuel designs described in the enclosure.
If you have any further questions regarding this matter, please call R. O. Meyer (301-492-7603).
Sincerely, 4
Denwood F. Ross, Ass stant Director for Reactor Safety Division of Systems Safety Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
Fuel Surveillance Program i
f t
t
4 g
Enclosure
. Mark C 17 x 17 Puel Surveillance Program To provide verification of the reliable performance of Babcock & Wilcox 17 x 17 fuel assemblies, a supplemental fuel surveillance program will be conducted at Plant A and B.
The program will consist of a visual inspection of all the peripheral rods in the initial core fuel assemblies as they are discharged into the spent fuel pool. Approximately one-third of the initial core fuel assemblies will be inspected during each of the l
first three refueling periods. The visual inspection will include ob-servations for cladding defects, fretting, rod bowing, corrosion, crud deposition and geometric distortion.
The initial core loading will contain two precharacterized fuel assemblies in each of the three fuel zones of the core. Precharacterization will establish baseline data that could be used to facilitate the evaluaticn of f uci performance, dimensional changes, or any anomalics that might be evident during the visual examination.
If any anomalies are detected during the visual examination, further investigation will be performed. Depending on the nature of the ob-served condition, the further examination could include appropriate surface, dimensional, or gamma inspections of the fuel assemblies. If the fuel assembly design enables reconstitution, individual fuel rods may also be examined. Under unusual circumstances, destructive exam-ination of a fuel assembly or individual fuel rods may be required, but this would not be accomplished on site or within the time of the refueling outage.
The NRC will be advised of the normal refueling schedule, and will be notified at least ten days in advance of any planned supplemental fuel surveillance inspections so that it may observe the inspections and the resultant evaluations of the fuel assembly performance. Following each such inspection and prior to reactor re-startup, an oral report of the results and conclusions of the inspection will be made to NRC. Within 30 days of completion of the inspection a written report will be submitted to NRC.
e a
4