ML20084G372

Supplemental Information Needed for Acceptance of License Amendment Request for Measurement Uncertainty Recapture Power Uprate (MUR)

ML20084G372
Person / Time
Site:	Oconee
Issue date:	03/27/2020
From:	Michael Mahoney Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	Burchfield J Duke Energy Carolinas
Mahoney M (301) 415-3867
References
EPID L-2020-LLS-0000
Download: ML20084G372 (4)

Text

March 27, 2020 Mr. J. Ed Burchfield, Jr.

Site Vice President Oconee Nuclear Station Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC 7800 Rochester Highway Seneca, SC 29672-0752

SUBJECT:

OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION, UNITS 1, 2 AND 3 - SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION NEEDED FOR ACCEPTANCE OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY RECAPTURE POWER UPRATE (EPID L-2020-LLS-0000)

Dear Mr. Burchfield:

By letter RA-19-0144 dated February 19, 2020, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request for the Oconee Nuclear Station (Oconee),

Units 1, 2 and 3. Duke Energy proposes to amend the Technical Specifications (TSs) of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47 and DPR-55 (Oconee, Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively), to support a measurement uncertainty recapture (MUR) power uprate.

This letter provides the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs (i.e.,

the staffs) acceptance review of the licensees application. The staff performs acceptance reviews to determine if an application contains sufficient technical information in scope and depth to allow the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review and to render, in an appropriate time frame for the associated action, an independent assessment of the proposed action. The staff also performs acceptance reviews to identify whether an application has any readily apparent information insufficiencies in its characterization of the regulatory requirements or the licensing basis of the plant.

The staff reviewed the application and concluded that it needs the information delineated in the enclosure to this letter to make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the application in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment. The staff requests the licensee to supplement its application to address the information requested in the enclosure within 13 business days from the date of this letter.

This will enable the staff to begin its detailed technical review. If the licensee does not submit the requested information within this time frame, the staff will not accept the application for review pursuant to 10 CFR 2.101 and will cease its review activities associated with the application. If the licensee submits the information within the requested time frame, the staff will notify the licensee if it subsequently accepts the application for review and, by separate correspondence, if it needs any further information to support its detailed technical review.

The staff discussed the information requested and the associated time frame in this letter with Mr. Arthur Zaremba of Duke Energy on March 26, 2020.

J. E. Burchfield Any inquiries regarding this matter can be directed to me at (301) 415-3867 or Michael.Mahoney@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Michael Mahoney, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-269, 50-270, and 50-387

Enclosure:

Supplemental Information Needed cc: Listserv

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION NEEDED LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY RECAPTURE POWER UPRATE DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION, UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 DOCKET NOS. 50-269, 50-270 AND 287

Background

By letter dated February 19, 2020 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML20050D379), Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request for the Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2 and 3. Duke Energy proposes to amend the Technical Specifications (TSs) of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47 and DPR-55 (Oconee, Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively), to support a measurement uncertainty recapture (MUR) power uprate.

The NRC staff reviews spent fuel pool criticality in consideration of the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50, Section 68 (10 CFR 50.68), Criticality accident requirements. In part, 10 CFR 50.68 requires for licensees that do not credit soluble boron in the criticality analyses, that the k-effective (keff) of the spent fuel pool (SFP) storage racks must not exceed 0.95 at a 95-percent probability, 95-percent confidence level.

Although the licensee addressed the systems effects of the proposed MUR on the Fuel Storage and Handling System in Section VI of Enclosure 2 of its license amendment request, the effects of the proposed MUR on the SFP criticality analyses are not addressed.

Insufficiencies The NRC staff reviewed the application and concluded that it needs the following information to make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the application in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment.

1. Describe the effects that the MUR would have on the SFP criticality analyses (burnup credit, burnable poison removal (BP-Pull) penalty, etc.), considering the content and formatting guidelines provided in Section II or III (analyses that are bounded or not bounded, respectively, by the proposed MUR) of Attachment 1 to Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2002-03, Guidance on the Content of Measurement Uncertainty Recapture Power Uprate Applications (ADAMS Accession No. ML013530183).

Enclosure

ML20084G372 *via email OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/PM* NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/LA* NRR/DSS/SFNB/BC*

NAME MMahoney KGoldstein RLukes DATE 03/24/2020 03/24/2020 03/24/2020 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/BC* NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/PM*

NAME MMarkley MMahoney DATE 03/24/2020 03/27/2020