ML20094H135
| ML20094H135 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Byron, Braidwood  |
| Issue date: | 11/08/1995 |
| From: | Pontious H COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO. |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9511140014 | |
| Download: ML20094H135 (4) | |
Text
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Commonwealth FAliv>n Company 1400 Opus Place j#
Downers Grove. 11.60515 November 8,1995 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, D.C. 20555-0001
Subject:
SupplementalInformation Regarding the Application for Amendment to Appendix A, Technical Specification 5.3.1, Fuel Assemblies, for Byron Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2 Facility Operating Licenses NPF-37 and NPF-66 NRC Docket Nos. 50-454 and 50-455 Braidwood Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2 Facility Operating Licenses NPF-72 and NPF-77 NRC Docket Nos. 50-456 and 50-457
References:
See Attachment Ladies and Gentlemen:
In Reference 4, Commonwealth Edison Company (Comed) proposed to amend Appendix A, Technical Specifications, for Facility Operating Licenses NPF-37, NPF-66, NPF-72, and NPF-77 for Byron Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2 (Byron), and Braidwood Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2 (Braidwood), respectively. Comed proposed to revise Technical Specification 5.3.1, Fuel Assemblies, to allow use of an altemate zirconium based fuel cladding, ZIRLO. Limited substitution of fuel rods by ZIRLO filler rods would also be permitted. Two editorial changes were also proposed. Comed requested that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Staff review and approve this license amendment request no later than January 5,1996, in order to support the receipt of new fuel with ZIRLO cladding for Spring 1996 Refuel Outages at both Byron and Braidwood.
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J USNRC Document Control Desk 2-November 8,1995 Due to the expedited nature of this request, Comed decided to limit the scope of the l
proposed changes to only those actually needed, rather than rewriting Technical Specification 5.3.1, Fuel Assemblies, in accordance with the guidance provided in Generic Letter 90-02, Supplement 1 (GL 90-02S1) (Reference 1). Also factored into this decision was that the guidance provided in GL 90-02S1 has been incorporated into the Improved Standard Technical Specifications (ISTS) (Reference 2) and Comed had pmviously notified the USNRC Staff of its intent to convert to ISTS at Byron and Braidwood (Reference 3) with a submittal targeted for June 1996.
During the USNRC Staff review of Comed's license amendment request (Reference 4) one particular concern was raised mlating to the guidance provided in GL 90-02St. In GL 90-02S1, the USNRC Staff proposed, in part, the following words be included in a line-item change for " Fuel Assemblies" in Section 5, " Design Features" of the technical specifications. " Fuel assemblies shall be limited to those fuel designs that have been analyzed with applicable NRC staff-approved codes and methods, and shown by tests or analyses to comply with all fuel safety design bases." Although this requimment is implied by the current Byron and Braidwood Technical Specifications, it is not explicitly stated. This issue was not addressed in the license amendment request because, as previously stated, the proposed changes were limited to those actually requimd to support the receipt of new fuel with ZIRLO cladding for Spring 1996 Refuel Outages at both Byron and Braidwood. Comed pmvides the following additional information to address the USNRC Staff concem.
Comed has contracte_d with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Westinghouse) through the year 2000 to provide fuel for Byron and Braidwood. Westinghouse changes fuel designs in accordance with a USNRC staff-approved topical report, WCAP-12488-A, " Westinghouse Fuel Criteria Evaluation Process," October 1994 (Proprietary). If certain criteria are satisfied, Westinghouse can make changes to existing fuel designs without prior USNRC staff review and approval; however, Westinghouse did agree to submit any such changes to the USNRC staff for information.
Byron and Braidwood will implement the guidance provided in GL 90-02S1 through their planned conversion to the ISTS, currently scheduled for implementation prior to the expiration of the fuel contract. If there is a change to the fuel contract prior to ISTS implementation, Comed will notify the USNRC staff.
To the best of my knowledge and belief, the statements contained in this document are
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true and correct. In some respects these statements are not based on my personal knowledge, but on information furnished by other Comed employees, contractor employees, and/or consultants. Such information has been reviewed in accordance with company practice, and I believe it to be reliable.
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'USNRC Document Control Desk November 8,1995 Please addmss any comments or questions regarding this matter to this office.
Very truly yours, Harold D. Pontiou, Jr.
Nuclear Licensing Administrator Attachment cc:
H. J. Miller, Regional Administrator - RIII G. F. Dick Jr., Byron Project Manager - NRR R. R. Assa, Braidwood Project Manager - NRR H. Peterson, Senior Resident Inspector - Byron S. P. Ray, Acting Senior Resident Inspector - Braidwood Office of Nuclear Facility Safety - IDNS fl0FFICIAL SEAL ~
Signed before me l
MARY JO YACK on this [d day of 7%%d4-
,1995 (ll-$*, SYIYI"IIIY'-S$!7]
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ATTACHMENT I
References
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1.
Generic Letter 90-02, " Alternate Requirements for Fuel Assemblies in the i
Design Features Section of Technical Specifications," Supplement 1, dated
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July 31,1992 i
2.
NUREG-1431, " Standard Technical Specifications for Westinghouse Plants,"
Revision 1, April 1995 3.
Karl L. Kaup / Kenneth L. Graesser (Comed) letter to USNRC Document Control Desk, Notification of Intent to Adopt the Improved Standard Technical
' Specifications at Braidwood and Byron Nuclear Power Stations, dated May 31,1995 4.
Harold D. Pontious, Jr. (Comed) letter to USNRC Document Control Desk, j
Application for Amendment to Appendix A, Technical Specifications, for Operating Licenses NPF-37, NPF-66, NPF-72, and NPF-77 regarding Fuel j
Assemblies, dated September 14,1995 i
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