ML20059F990

Application for Amend to License DPR-29,revising Tech Specs to Reflect Use of Generally Approved Fuel Type GE 8x8NB in Reload Cycle 12 & Resultant Change in Min Critical Power Safety Limit to 1.06

ML20059F990
Person / Time
Site:	Quad Cities
Issue date:	08/31/1990
From:	Stols R COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO.
To:	Murley T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Shared Package
ML20059F994	List: ML20059F990 ML20059F999
References
NUDOCS 9009120081
Download: ML20059F990 (3)

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- )i Commonwealth 1400 Opus Plac) Edison

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-( . Downers Grove. Illinols 60515 August 31, 1990 Dr..ThomasLE, Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comadssion .

Washington,'DC 20555  :

Subject:

Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 .,

-Proposed Amendment to-Technical Specification  !

Minimum Critical Power Ratio Limit.

License No. DPR-29 NRC-Docket No; 50-254 i

Dear Dr. Murley:

Pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 50.90, Commonwealth Edison Company proposes to amend Facility Operating License No. 29, Appendix A, Technical Specifications to-reflect the use of generically approved i fuel type GE8x8NB in.the reload Unit 1. Cycle 12 and.the resultant j change in the Mininum Critical Power Ratio. (MCPR) safety lindt f rom 1.07 to 1.06. .

-l Attachment 1 provides a description of the proposed Technical:

Specification change. Attachment 2 summarizes the proposed change.

The proposed-Technical Specification _page change is provided in Attachment 3. Attachment 4 documents the CECO determination of No Significant Hazards Consideration based on the criteria in 10 CFR 50.92. The proposed amendment has been reviewed and approved ~by CECO On-Site and Off-Site Review in accordance with Company procedures' .

. CECO is notifying the State of Illinois of our request and our-determination of No Significant Hazards Consideration;by providing a copy of this letter and the attachment' to the 1Alinois Department of Nuclear Safety.

If there are any .,uestions regarding this matter, please~ direct- ,I them to me at 708/515-7283.

l Very truly yours,

- ' ) il Rita Stols Nuclear Licensing Administrator .

Attachments it Description of Proposed Amendment Request 2: Summary of Proposed Change 3: Proposed Changes to Appendix A, Technical Specification 4: Evaluation of Significant' Hazards Consideration (

cc: L.N. Olshan-Project Manager, NRR L A. Bert Davis-Regional Administrator, RIII T. Taylor-Senior Resident Inspector, Quad Cities l Office of Facility Safety-IDNS p (l

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9009120081 900831 b PDR ADOCK 05000254)

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( , .- ATTACIBIENT > 1 DESCRIPTIM OF AREEMDAEENT REQUEST P

General- Electric (GE) has been continuously refining and improving the

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fuel design used.in BWRs.- -GE's continued advancement in' their fuel- I design has, in the past,J 1ed to Minimum Critical: Power Ratio (MCPR) safety limit values unique to particular fuel types.- For.a given1 '

plant, the value of the MCPR safety lindt in-the Technical '

Specification may change as new fuel types.are-licensed.

Technical Specification Section 1.1/2.1 (" Fuel Cladding Integrity").

j for Quad Cities Unit l' currently defines-the Minimum Critical Power Ratio (MCPR) safety limit as 1.07. This amendnent request 1 proposes that the MCPR safety lindt be revised to 1.06. ,

Amendment 14 to NEDE-24011-P-A-9, "GeneralLElectric Standard-Application for Reactor Fuel"; (GESTAR) , . which has received NRC ,

approval, allows D-lattice plants. to. apply a MCPR safety lindt of 1.04.

following the second successive reload of high bundle R-factor fuel.

Since the last three reloads for Unit 1 consisted.of high R-factor :4 fuel (BP8X8R and GE8X8EB), the current,MCPR safety. limit of l'07 is-conservative. ., .

During Cycle 12 operation, Quad Cities-Unit 1 will be using its first 4 reload of GE8x8NB fuel. The major differences between-the'GE8x8EB. .

(reload fuel for the last two cycles) and the GE8x8NB designs are the' '

utilization of a large central water rod (LCWR), a:high performance spacer and U-235 axial enrichment variation for the GE8x8HB fuel.

From a thermal-nechanical standpoint,-the GE8x8NB design is the same a that of the GE8x8EB. However, the hydraulic design change of using one LCNR and a high performance spacer has resulted in changes to the bundle flow area, hydraulic diameter, heated perimeter and spacer loss. I coefficients. The analysis of the thermal-mechanical ~and hydraulic portion of the GE8x8NB design has been performed using NRC apfroved codes and methodology, and the analysis and results have been accepted' by the NRC. A new critical power correlation has also been developed and approved for use on GE8x8NB fuel. .-The GE8X8NB fuel has been generically approved for use by the NRC (Amendment.18 to -

NEDE-24011-P-A-9).

e A MCPR safety limit of 1.06 for GE8x8NB fuel was' determined using.NRC- l approved methodology discussed in Section-4.3-of:GESTAR. This is the -

same methodology used in determining the MCPR safety limit for' previous GE fuel designs. This value ensures that'99.9% of the fuel -

rods would be expected to avoid boiling transition during steady-state or transient conditions with a 95% confidence level.. For:these reasons, a safety limit MCPR of 1.06 for GE8x8NB is appropriate.

P Commonwealth Edison, therefore, proposes to revise the MCPR safety limit beginning with Cycle 12 to 1.06, whica is the MCPR safety lindt corresponding to GE8X8NB fuel. This represents the most conservative -;

MCPR safety limit for all resident fuel types for Quad Cities 1 Cycle

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i ATTACIBGENT l g .- ..,.

StBAlkRY OF PRCFOSED CRANGES ,

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1. Page 1.1/2.1-1 ' (DPR-29)

-Section1 1.1/2.1l" Fuel' Cladding Integrity.",=contains a listing of-N l Specifications:which-have been established to preserve the integrity of the cladding, which includesithe Minimum Critical'

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Power Ratio, (MCPR) safety limit. The current value of 1.07 will be revised to a:new MCPR. safety, limit--of:1.06. ,

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