ML19344C125
| ML19344C125 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nuclear Energy Institute |
| Issue date: | 11/25/2019 |
| From: | Holtzman B Nuclear Energy Institute |
| To: | Joseph Donoghue Office of Administration, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| 84FR57057 00001, ATF-ISG-2019-XX, NRC-2019-0208 | |
| Download: ML19344C125 (4) | |
Text
PUBLIC SUBMISSION As of: 12/4/19 2:02 PM Received: November 25, 2019 Status: Pending_Post Tracking No. 1k3-9dii-640h Comments Due: November 25, 2019 Submission Type: API Docket: NRC-2019-0208 Supplemental Guidance Regarding the Chromium-Coated Zirconium Alloy Fuel Cladding Accident Tolerant Fuel Concept Comment On: NRC-2019-0208-0001 Supplemental Guidance Regarding the Chromium-Coated Zirconium Alloy Fuel Cladding Accident Tolerant Fuel Concept Document: NRC-2019-0208-DRAFT-0001 Comment on FR Doc # 2019-23186 Submitter Information Name: Benjamin Holtzman Address:
1201 F Street, NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC, 20004 Email: bah@nei.gov Organization: Nuclear Energy Institute General Comment Comments on Draft Supplemental Guidance Regarding the Chromium-Coated Zirconium Alloy Fuel Cladding Accident Tolerant Fuel Concept (ATF-ISG-2019-XX)
Attachments 11-25-19_NEI Response on Draft Supplemental Guidance _
Page 1 of 1 12/04/2019 https://www.fdms.gov/fdms/getcontent?objectId=09000064841b00e9&format=xml&showorig=false SUNSI Review Complete Template = ADM-013 E-RIDS=ADM-03 ADD: Tekia Govan COMMENT (1)
PUBLICATION DATE:
10/24/2019 CITATION 84 FR 57057
BENJAMIN HOLTZMAN Senior Project Manager, Fuel and Radiation Safety 1201 F Street, NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20004 P: 202.739.8031 bah@nei.org nei.org November 25, 2019 Mr. Joseph E. Donoghue Director, Division of Safety Systems Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001
Subject:
Comments on Draft Supplemental Guidance Regarding the Chromium-Coated Zirconium Alloy Fuel Cladding Accident Tolerant Fuel Concept (ATF-ISG-2019-XX)
Project Number: 689
Dear Mr. Donoghue:
On behalf of the nuclear energy industry, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)1 submits the attached comments on the draft Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) Supplemental Guidance Regarding the Chromium-Coated Zirconium Alloy Fuel Cladding Accident Tolerant Fuel Concept (ATF-ISG-2019-XX). NEI has been working with the NRC to establish regulatory guidance that may be used by NRC staff reviewing industry applications involving chromium-coated zirconium alloy clad fuel products. The ISG also provides insights on staff expectations for vendor topical submittals for accident tolerant fuel (ATF). This ISG supplements the guidance in NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan. We appreciate the staff soliciting public comment on the draft ISG and the opportunity to present our initial views of the document during the public meeting on August 6, 2019.
The ISG has evolved over the past several months and has been clarified regarding NRCs expectations with respect to how the ATF coated cladding applications should be assessed. While industry appreciates the NRCs efforts to address the previous NEI comments transmitted in our August 14, 2019, letter there remain a couple areas that could still be improved to provide regulatory certainty to industry. Industrys concerns are that the draft ISG continues to allow for the interpretation by a reviewer that the NRC is attempting to regulate the manufacturing process through fuel qualification rather than the current provisions of 10 CFR 50 Appendix B. This position is contrary to how fuel products are currently qualified where the fuel suppliers produce high-quality, defect free fuel rods through the current supply chain qualification process, quality 1 The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is responsible for establishing unified policy on behalf of its members relating to matters affecting the nuclear energy industry, including the regulatory aspects of generic operational and technical issues. NEIs members include entities licensed to operate commercial nuclear power plants in the United States, nuclear plant designers, major architect and engineering firms, fuel cycle facilities, nuclear materials licensees, and other organizations involved in the nuclear energy industry.
Mr. Joseph E. Donoghue November 25, 2019 Page 2 control of suppliers and manufacturing, product inspections and certifications. NRC can then audit the vendor quality assurance program. As such, the existing manufacturing oversight framework is considered to be adequate. NUREG-0800 is and should remain a performance-based standard. This position was agreed upon by NRC management at the public meeting on August 6.
Additionally, while the NRC is transforming to become a modern, risk-informed regulator - Fuels licensing continues to lag behind the rest of the NRC in becoming risk-informed. Adequate protection - no undue risk
- does not mean zero risk. The area of Fuels licensing continues to be regulated deterministically on design-basis accident considerations only. This approach is unnecessarily conservative and demonstrates a lack of risk-informed perspective. Per the direction provided by the Commission in SRM-SECY-19-0036, industry would like risk-informed performance-based ideas written in the ISG directing the staff to apply risk-informed principles when the prescriptive application of deterministic criteria is unnecessary to provide for reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety.
Thank you for your consideration of our comments. We look forward to continue working with the NRC through the ISG publication process and industrys ATF activities as we work to deploy batch reloads by 2023. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact me.
Sincerely, Ben Holtzman Attachment c:
Jason Drake, NRR, NRC Robert Lukes, NRR, NRC Michael Orenak, NRR, NRC Andrew Proffitt, NRR, NRC Mary Jane Ross-Lee, NRR, NRC Josh Whitman, NRR, NRC NRC Document Control Desk
Comment#
Location Comment ProposedChange 1
AppendixB (asnoted)
Industryrecognizestheimportanceofprocesscontrolsinmanufacturingbutbelieves thattheNRCshouldnotlicensespecificmanufacturingprocesses.Industryhas broughtupthisconcernattheNRCPublicMeetingonAugust6thandNRC managementagreedthatthevendorsuppliersproducehighquality,defectfreefuel rodsthroughthecurrentsupplychainqualificationprocess,qualitycontrolof suppliersandmanufacturing,productinspectionsandcertificationsunderthe provisionsof10CFR50AppB.NUREG0800shouldremainaperformancebased standard.Furthermore,therewasagreementthatthecoatedcladdingconcepts addressedintheISGarenotconceptuallydifferentfromthecurrentfuelproducts andthattheexistingmanufacturingoversightframeworkisadequate.
However,theISGtextstillreferencesPIRTSection6.4.2andstatesthattheapplicant shouldensuretheperformanceconcernsreferencedinthePIRTSectionare addressed.Thiscreatesthepotentialforareviewertoregulateonprocessrather thanfollowthecurrentperformancebasedregulatoryprocessasnotedastheintent byNRCmanagementintheAugust6thPublicMeeting.Therefore,theISGtextshould beclarifiedthatthespecificsofthemanufacturingprocessshouldnotbeincludedin thelicensingcriteria.
Pleaserevisethetextasnoted:
Currentlyitisnotpossibletodefinitivelystatewhatdataareavailable tojustifytheseproperties,becausesmalld.Differencesinapplicant specificprocessescanhaveasignificantimpactonthefinalmechanical andmaterialproperties.Therefore,theapplicantshouldprovidedata orotherjustificationfromitsspecificcladdingproducttojustify materialpropertymodels.(AppendixBpage1of7)
...microstructures,andhigherductilitycompliantlayerscanbeutilized toreduceinterfacestrains.Theimportantmechanicalandmaterial propertiestobereviewedarethoseofthefinishedapplicantspecific fuelproduct,notthoseduringaninterimmanufacturingprocess.
(AppendixB.2,page3of7) 2 AppendixA (Asnoted)
TheNRCistransformingtobecomeamodern,riskinformedregulatorbutFuels continuetolagbehindtherestoftheNRCinbecomingriskinformed.Themissionof theNRCisreasonableassuranceofadequateprotectionofpublichealthandsafety asnotedintheNRCletterApplyingthePrinciplesofGoodRegulationasaRisk InformedRegulator.Adequateprotection(nounduerisk)doesnotmeanzerorisk.
Theareaoffuelslicensingcontinuestoberegulateddeterministicallyondesignbasis accidentconsiderationsonly.Anyriskinformedperformancebasedidea,while acceptedinprinciple,arenotimplementedinregulationsorguidanceasthereisa fearafailureforanyaspectofthefuelproductatanytime.
Thisapproachisunnecessarilyconservativeanddemonstratesalackofriskinformed perspective.Thefuelpelletmatrixandfuelcladdingarethefirsttwoboundaries protectingthepublic,buttheyarenottheonlyboundaries.Afailureofthefuel matrixandfuelcladdingdoesnotcreateasituationwherethereasonableassurance ofadequateprotectionofpublichealthandsafetyisnolongermaintained-thoughit isabadandcostlydayforboththefuelsupplierandutility Pleaserevisethetextasnoted:
PotentialnewdamagemechanismshavebeenidentifiedinAppendix C,SectionC.4,ofthisISG.Thereviewershouldensurethatthese mechanismshavebeenruledoutsufficientlybytheapplicantforthe domainapprovedbytheNRCsuchthattheentiretyofthefuelin concertwiththesupportingsystemsmaintainsthereasonable assuranceofadequatepublichealthandsafety,thatexistingSAFDLs alreadyprotectagainstthemechanisms,orthatnewSAFDLshave beendevelopedtoprotectagainstthem.
Baseduponaninvestigationofavailableperformancetestingand knowndatagaps,Section6.4.2ofthePIRTreportidentifiedseveral performanceconcernsforchromiumcoatedzirconiumalloys.The reviewershouldensurethattheseperformanceconcernshavebeen ruledoutsufficientlybytheapplicantforthedomainapprovedbythe NRCsuchthattheentiretyofthefuelinconcertwiththesupporting systemsmaintainsthereasonableassuranceofadequatepublichealth andsafety,thatexistingSAFDLsalreadyprotectagainstthedamage mechanisms,orthatnewSAFDLshavebeendevelopedtoprotect againstthem.(AppendixA,pages2and3of9)
ThePIRTreportalsosuggeststwopathsthatanapplicantmaytaketo analyzeeachproperty:treatingthecladdingandcoatingasseparate layersandtreatingthecladdingandcoatingtogetherasacomposite material.Asubsetofthecompositematerialstrategymaybeto demonstratethatthecoatingwillhaveanegligibleimpactona propertyandtousethepropertyoftheunderlyingsubstrate.Anyof thesepathsmaybeappropriateprovidedsufficientjustificationfrom theapplicantsuchthattheentiretyofthefuelinconcertwiththe supportingsystemsmaintainsthereasonableassuranceofadequate publichealthandsafety,andavarietyofthesestrategiesmaybeused todispositionthevariousproperties.(AppendixA,page4of9)