ML19312D827

Outlines Fuel Surveillance Program for Implementation After Cycle 5 Operation.Evaluation of Core Performance Indicates Limited Program Will Be Adequate.Requests Concurrence by 800701

ML19312D827
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	04/30/1980
From:	Mayer L NORTHERN STATES POWER CO.
To:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8005050181
Download: ML19312D827 (2)

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April 30, 1980 Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PL'NT Docket No. 50-282 License No. DPR-42 Fuel Surveillance In the safety evaluation for Amendments 35 (DPR-42) and 29 (DPR -60), dated April 20, 1979, the NRC staff stated that Northern States Power Company should determine the extent of fuel surveillance to be conducted after Cycle 5 operation. This program is to be based on coolant activity behavior during normal operation.

Each month the plant nuclear engineering staf f evaluates the core performance for each unit. Included in the evaluation is a review of % defects, iodine ratios, and beta gamma activity. Comparisons were conducted for each of these parameters for Cycle 4 which contained 121 Westinghouse fuel assemblies, and Cycle 5 throu.gh 7200 MWD /MTU, which included 40 Exxon fuel assemblies.

Data obtained is summarized below:

Nominal Nominal Parameter Cycle 4 Value Cycle 5 Value GrossP-i' 3.3E-01 2E-01 Iodine Ratio >1.8 0.9

% Fuel Defects 2E-02 3E-03 There has been a decrease in these three parameters from Cycle 4 to Cycle 5 and there has been no significant increase in parameter values in Cycle 5.

On this basis, we conclude that the Exxon Nuclear Company fuel has had negligible impact on the RCS activity.

For this reason, we will conduct a limited fuel surveillance program.

During the refueling scheduled for August, 1980 we will conduct a complete videotape scan of all four sides of three fuel assemblies containing gadolinia. The fuel assemblies to be scanned will be selected from those 1

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.' NORTH]RN CTATES POWER COMPANY e

Director af Nuclear Reactor Regulation Page 2 April 30, 1980 9

having the higher burnups. Since extensive measurements have been conducted by ENC for fuel assemblies not containing gadolinia, we will not conduct visual measurements on the non gadolinia bearing assemblies.

For each refueling, a separate procedure is generated suf ficiently prior to the outage to document all fuel assembly moves to be conducted. The fuel surveillance program planned will affect the time involved and sequence of events. For this reason, we request that the NRC provide concurrence with the proposed program by July 1, 1980. Approval is requested by this time '"

to ensure that any changes to the proposed plan do not affect the critical . . .

path of the refueling outage.

Please contact this of fice for any additional information in regard to this subjeet.

g 0./p L 0 Mayer, PE Manager of Nuclear Support Services LOM/ JAG /ak cc: G Charnoff J G Keppler i

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