ML20095D045

Submits Updated Fuel Conversion Schedule & Discusses Conditions That Should Be Mutually Agreeable to Issue Order to Convert for Facility

ML20095D045
Person / Time
Site:	University of Virginia
Issue date:	04/17/1992
From:	Mulder R VIRGINIA, UNIV. OF, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
To:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 9204240263
Download: ML20095D045 (3)

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iMU5 ; 3f ENGINEERING fl3 April 27, 1992 & AITl.lhD SClhSE .-

Director of the Of fice of Nuclear Reactor Regulation ' '"* "" " " * " *"*

i U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commi inn Washington, D.C. 20555 ,, ,

Re: University of Virginia's . dWth MVAR reactor, R'"I""

Facility License n-66, Docket No. 50-52. ' # "" ' " 22* 2"2 Update to Fuel Conversion Schedule of 03/23/92.

Gentlemant P

We are pleased to submit a revisica to the tentative LEU Fuel Conversion Schedule submitted to your office on March 23, 1992.

Since that date, we L:re contacted by EG&G's Idaho office and notified that construction of LEU fuel elements for the UVAR has begun at B&W and is expected to be completed in December 1992.

The date of conversion to LEU fuel is projected now for the beginnirg of 1993.

Its addition, we were approached by DOE about the establishment of a schedule for shipment of Va.'s HEU spent-fuel elements to Savannah River, utilizing the Cintichem spent-fuel cask which DOE acquired.-However, DOE informed us that a " bottleneck" may develop if the DOE Savannah River facility can't accept all the HEU fuel being shipped there by university research reactors. If this proves to be the case, DOE proposes to allow us to ship enough HEU fuel offsite to reduce the HEU inventory to below formula quantitles.

As the conversion date draws closer, the U.Va. reactor staff will raintain ever closer contracts with the NRC staff, to coordinate a date for the issuance of an order to Convert that is mutually agreaable. This order should be issued subject to: 1) LEU fuel is availability, and 2) U.Va.'s HEU fuel on-site holdings being reduced sufficiently to preclude security upgrade ramifications.

It is hoped that a period for simultaneous possession of both LEU and-HEU fuel can be avoided, and if not, reduced to a minimum.

Sin O b ,

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Robert U. Mulder, Director U.Va. Nuclear Reactor Facility n , li h W d j h I! dL l

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l cc: Mr. Donald Carlson, Safeguards Branch, USNRC, Washingtoni .j ~

l Mr. Alexander Adams, Non-Power Reactors, USNRC- Washingtonu j * ' 34 l U.S. NRC Regional Administrator, Region II, AbEta, Ga.

l Mr. Harry Prebble, Babcock and Wilcox, Lynchburg,, Virginia -

commesion emims _A_._. 19 <; e /

9204240263 920417 PDR ADOCK 05000062  ;

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F UPDATED 11EU TO LEU FUEL CONVERSION SCHEDULE FOR THE  :

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGI! IIA 8S 2MW UVAR REACTOR '

Submitted tor ,

Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission '

Washington, D.C. 20555 i Submitted by:

Robert U. Mulder Director of U.Va. Reactor Facility Department of Nuclear Engineering i and Engineering Physics University of Virginia 22902 April 1992 r

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9 UVAR FUEL CONVERSION SCHEDULE Milestones Dates *

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Availability of ECE conversion study funds September 86 -

EG&G's New Fuel Element Drawing Approved by U.Va. November 89  ;

Submittal to'the NRC of UVAR LEU SAR with an e"ulict. tion to convert to LEU Fuel, by 1. November 89 Submittal to the NRC of Response to NRC's Follow-up Questionnaire re: UVAR LEU SAR, by U.V3. February 91 Fitting of " Gummy" LEU Elements in UVAR

-core gridplato September 92 Notification Sent to NRC by U.Va.

of UVAR LEU fuel availability January 93 Issuance of NRC's " Order of Convert" A February 93  !

Several HEU Spent Fuel Shipments by U.Va. to Savannah River A + 1 mo.

Completion of HEU FLel Shipments and Receipt of fresh LEU core A + 2 mo.

Expected UVAR reactor downtime 1 mo.

Loading of LEU fuel in UVAR core A + 2 mo. -

Completion of Tech. Spec required first LEU' core parameter tests A + 3 mo.

Report to.NRC of-UVAR_ LEU tirst core parameters, as per TS and SOP's A + 12 mo.

A_= Date of NRC's Order to Convert; this date is expected-to be '

selected based both on the date of LEU fuel availability and the

, availability of a suitable spent-fuel shipping cask. -

• If, despite best efforts,- the milestonas can't be met as indicated in this schedule, then the conversion of the UVAR will be delayed accordingly, and a revised schedule submitted to the NRC every March.

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