ML19345H417

Application to Amend License R-37,changing Tech Spec 3.10 Re Fuel Element & Core Component Handling & Storage.Forwards Revision 21 to Sar,Revising Description & Analysis of Fuel Handling & Storage Facilities

ML19345H417
Person / Time
Site:	MIT Nuclear Research Reactor
Issue date:	05/14/1981
From:	Lisa Clark MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE
To:	John Miller Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Shared Package
ML19345H418	List: ML19345H417 ML19345H420
References
NUDOCS 8105200256
Download: ML19345H417 (2)

Text

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NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY ,

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TEbHNOLOGY kN o.K. H A'tLING 138 Albany Street Cambridge, Mass. 02139 L. CLARK.JR.

Daector (617)253- 4 202 Duector or neactor operations May 14, 1981 Mr. James R. Miller, Chief Standardization and Special Projects Branch Division of Licensing Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555

Subject:

SAR Revision No. 21 and License No. R-37 Amendment Request, Docket 50-20

Dear Mr. Miller:

Massachusetts institute of Technology is writing this letter to the Commission for two purposes:

(1) to submit Safety Analysis Report Revision No. 21, which revises the description and analysis of fuel handling and storage facilities at the MIT Reactor, and (2) to request an amendment to the Facility Operating License which would authorize storage of fresh fuel in a safe inside the con-tainment building instead of in the present fuel vault.

SAR Revision No. 21 The principal location for storage of unirradiated reactor fuel has been a vault in MIT Building NW12 adjacent to the containment building. Although the inventory of unirradiated special nuclear material is kept at a minimum and always well below formula quantitics, it is believed that storage in a safe within the containment will provide added physical security. A safe is available for this purpose and is described in the revised SAR pages submitted herewith, (Additional information regarding the physical security aspects of the safe are contair.ed in the revised Physical Security Plan dated July 24, 1980 and submitted to NRC on August 28, 1980).

The enclosed SAR Revision No. 21 discusses the safe from the viewpoint of criticality safety, describes the method of analysis and gives the results. It also describes other use and storage locations for irradiated and unirradiated fuel and presents the methods of criticality analyses and results. Very little information had previously been provided in the SAR with regard to these other locations.

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l Mr. J. R. Miller, USNRC, May 14, 1981 The enclosed SAR pages provide the above information and serve to update the

" Safety Analysis Report for the MIT Research Reactor (MITR-II), Report No, MITNE-115 (October 22, 1970)", as amended. Changes are indicated by marks in the righthand margin. An attached sheet lists the SAR pages to be removed and inserted and also provides a description of each change.

License No. R-37 Technical Specification Amendment Request Technical Specification 3.10 has authorized the handling and storage of fuel in designated areas, including the storage vault in Building NW12 (3.10-2d) and a storage locker inside the containment (3.10-2b). The requested amendment would sub-stitute a safe in the containment for the vault and would eliminate the temporary fuel storage locker which will not be an authorized storage location under the July 24, 1980 Physical Security Plan. It is also requested that Technical Specification 3.10-6 be deleted, since criticality analyses show that MITR-I and MITR-II fuel may safely be stared together provided that the limits developed for the more highly loaded MITR-II fuel are observed. (This actually will apply only to a few remaining MITR-I unassembled plates, since all MITR-I clements have been shipped off site).

Revised pages for Technical Specification 3.10 are submitted herewith. Changes are indicated by marks in the righhand margin. The attached sheet lists the pages that would be superseded and gives an explanation of each change.

The SAR revision submission and the Technical Specification amendment applica-tion have been reviewed and approved by the MIT Reactor Safeguards Committee.

In order to permit an orderly transition from one fresh fuel storage facility to the other, it is requested that NRC allow a period of about 90 days for compliance with the new Technical Specification after its effective date.

Your prompt attention to this matter will be appreciated. Please contact me if further information should be required.

Sincerely, w' & 4W Lincoln Clark, Jr.

LC/gw

Enclosures:

1) SAR Revision No. 21

2) Technical Specification Amendment Request

, cc: MITRSC (with enclosures)

USNRC - NRR (3 signed and 19 copies, with enclosures)

USNRC - DMB 11'l d d R)* SS_hy M, 19f_/

Subscribed and Sworn to before me this / 'r' S day of N y 19&'/ ,

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