ML20113E736

Amend 1 to License R-129,changing TSs Requirement for Interlock That CRs Simultaneous Withdrawal of CR to Reflect as Designed Reactor & Clarifies CR Types & Effective Modes of Operation Discussed in TSs

ML20113E736
Person / Time
Site:	University of Texas at Austin
Issue date:	07/02/1996
From:	Weiss S NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:
Shared Package
ML20113E740	List: ML20113E736 ML20113E741
References
R-129-A-001, R-129-A-1, NUDOCS 9607080311
Download: ML20113E736 (8)

Text

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pa "f %g UNITED STATES

., e NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION E'

f WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-o001

\\...../

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN DOCKET NO. 50-602 AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE 1

Amendment No. 1 License No. R-129 1.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:

A.

The application for an amendment to Facility Operating License i

No. R-129 filed by the University of Texas at Austin (the licensee) on January 25, 1993, as supplemented on November 11, 1995, April 16, 1996, and June 6, 1996, conforms to the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the regulations of the Commission as set forth in Chapter I of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Reaulations (10 CFR);

8.

The facility will operate in conformity with the application, the j

provisions of the Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission; l

C.

There is reasonable assurance that (i) the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public and (ii) such activities will be conducted in compliance with the regulations of the Commission; f

D.

The issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; i

E.

The issuance of this amendment is in accordance with the regulations of the Commission as set forth in 10 CFR Part 51, and all applicable requirements have been satisfied; and F.

Prior notice of this amendment was not required by 10 CFR 2.105, and publication of notice for this amendment is not required by 10 CFR 2.106.

9607000311 960702 PDR ADOCK 05000602 P

PDR 1

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. 2.

Accordingly, the license is amended by changes to the Technical l

Specifications as indicated in the enclosure to this license amendment, and paragraph 2.C.(2) of Facility Operating License No. R-129 is hereby amended to read as follows:

(2)

Technical Specifications l

The Technical Specifications contained in Appendix A, as revised l

through Amendment No.1, are hereby incorporated in the license. The licensee shall operate the facility in accordance with the Technical Specifications.

3.

This license amendment is effective as of the date of issuance.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION W

Seymour H. Weiss, Director Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

Appendix A Technical Specification Changes Date of Issuance:

July 2, 1996 l

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ENCLOSURE TO LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 1 i

FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-129 DOCKET N0 50-602 Replace the following pages of the Appendix A Technical Specifications with the enclosed pages.

The revised pages are identified by Amendment number and contain vertical lines indicating the areas of change.

Remove Paaes Insert Paaes 9

9 14 14 15 15 24 24 44 44 I

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Revision 1 Technical Specifications l

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i 1.19 Reactor Shutdown l

The reactor is shutdown if it is suberitical by at least one dollar in the reference core condition with the reactivity of all installed experiments included.

1.20 Reference Core Condition The condition of the core when it is at ambient temperature (cold) and the reactivity worth of xenon is negligible (<.30 dollars).

1 1.21 Research Reactor A research reactor is defined as a device designed to support a self-sustaining neutron chain reaction for research, development, educational, training, or experimental purposes, and which may have provisions for the production of radioisotopes.

1.22 Rod, Control A control rod is a device fabricated from neutron absorbing material or fuel which is used to establish neutron flux changes and to compensate for routine reactivity loses.

A control rod may be coupled to its drive unit allowing it to perform a safety function when the coupling is disengaged.

1.22.1 Shim Rod l

A shim rod is a control rod with an electric motor drive that does not perform a special function such as automatic control or pulse control.

The shim rod shall have scram capability.

1.22.2 Regulating Rod A regulating rod is a control rod used to maintain an intended power level and may be varied manually or by a servo-controller.

The regulating rod shall have scram capability.

1.22.3 Standard Rod The regulating and shim rods are standard control rods.

1.22.4 Transient Rod A transient rod is a control rod used to initiate a power pulse that l

is operated by a motor drive and/or air pressure.

The transient rod shall have scram capability.

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12/90 Amended 4/96 Page 9 AN!D DIENT NO. 1

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l Revision 1 Technical Spacifications 3,2 Reactor Control and Safety System 3.2.1 Control Assemblies Specification (s)

The reactor shall not be operated unless the control rods are l

operable, and

a. Control rods shall not be operable if damage is apparent to the rod or drive assemblies.

o. The scram time measured from the instant a simulated signal reaches the value of a limiting safety system setting to the instant that the slowest scrammable control rod reaches its fully inserted position shall not exceed 1 second.

c. Maximum reactivity insertion rate of a standard control rod shall be less than 0.2% ok/k per second.

3.2.2 Reactor Control System Specification (s)

The reactor shall not be operable unless the minimum safety interlocks are operable.

The following control system safety interlocks shall be operable:

Control Rod Drive Number Effective Mode

• Interlock Function Operable Control Rod M

A S

P a.

Startup Withdrawal -

3 Standard rods X

X prevent rod up movement 1

Transient rod X

X X

X if startup signal is less than 2 counts per second

b. Simultaneous Withdrawal -

3 Standard rods X

prevent rod up movement 2

Shim rods X

for two or more rods 1

Transient rod X

X c.

Non pulse condition -

1 Transient rod X

X prevent air actuation if rod drive is not down

d. Pulse Withdrawal -

3 Standard rods X

X prevent withdrawal of non pulse rods

e. Transient Withdrawal -

1 Transient rod X

X prevent air actuation if linear power is more than 1 kilowatt

• Modes are: (M) Manual, (A) Auto, (S) Se,uare Wave, and (P) Pulse 12/90 Amended 6/96 Page 14 AMENDBENT NO.1

I Revision 1 Technical Specifications I

3.2.3 Reactor Safety System Specification (s)

The reactor shall not be operable unless the minimum safety channels are operable.

The following control rod scram safety channels shall be operable.

Safety System Number Effective Mode

• Function Operable Safety Channel M. A.

S P

a. Scram at $550*C 2

Fuel' Temperature X

X

b. Scram at $1.1 Mw 2

Power Level X

Scram at $2000Mw 1

Pulse Power X

c.

Scram on loss 2

High Voltage X

X

d. Scram on loss 1

Magnet Current X

X

e. Scram on demand 1

Manual Scram X

X Console Button

f. Scram on loss of 2

Watchdog Trip timer reset Microprocessor scan rate X

X

• Modes are: (M) Manual, (A) Auto, (S) Square Wave, and (P) Pulse 3.2.4 Reactor Instrument System-Specification (s)

A minimum configuration of measuring channels shall be operable.

The following minimum reactor parameter measuring channels shall be operable:

Instrument System Number Effective Mode

• Function Operable Measurine Channel M. A. S P

a. Temperature 2

Fuel Temperature X

X

b. Power 2

Power Level X

c. Pulse 1

Pulse Power X

d. Pulse 1

Pulse Energy X

• Modes are: (M) Manual, (A) Auto, (S) Square Wave, and (P) Pulse i

i 12/90 Amended 4/96.

Page 15 AMENDMEVT NO. 1

Revision 1 Technical Spscifications 5.0 DESIGN FEATURES 5.1 Site and Facility Descriotion 5.1-1 Location Specification (s)

a. The ' site location is in the northeast corner of The University of Texas at Austin'J.J. Pickle Research Campus.

'b. The TRICA reactor is installed in a designated room of a building constructed as a

Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory.

I The reactor core'is assembled in an above ground shield and pool l

c.

structure with horizontal and vertical access to the core.

d. License areas of the facility for reactor operation shall consist of -the room enclosing the reactor shield and pool i

structure, and the adj acent area for reactor control.

(room j

1.104, corridor 3.200; and rooms 3.202, 3.204, and 3.208) 5.1.2 Confinement Specification (s)

I The reactor room shall be designed to restrict leakage and will a.

have a minimum enclosed air volume of 4120 cubic meters, j

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b. Ventilation-system should provide two air changes per hour and J

shall isolate air in the reactor area upon detection of a limit i

signal related to the radiation level.

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c. An air purge system should exhaust experiment air cavities and shall be filtered by high efficiency particulate absorption l

filters.

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d. All exhaust air from the reactor area enclosure shall be ejected i

vertically upward at a point above the facility roof level.

5.1.3 Safety Related Systems Specifications Any modifications to the air confinement or ventilation system, the reactor shield, the pool or its penetrations, the-pool coolant system, the core and its associated support structure, the rod drive

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mechanisms or the reactor safety system shall be made and tested in accordance with the specifications to which the systems were i

originally designed and fabricated.

Alternate specifications may be

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approved by the Nuclear Reactor Committee.

A system shall not be considered operable until after it is tested successfully.

12/90 Amended 6/96-Page 24 l

ANENDMENT NO. 1

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Revision 1 Technical Specifications j

Interlocke applicable to the transient rod determine the proper rod operation during manual mode and pulse mode operation. The non pulse condition interlock determines the allowable position of the rod drive for actuation of the FIRE switch. Actuation of the switch applies the air impulse for removal of the transient rod from the reactor core, Auto modo applies the same interlock controls as the manual mode to the shim and transient rods.

Servo calculations 11mit reactivity insertions by controlling regulating rod drive speed.

one limit, a reactor period of four decades per minute, restricts simultaneous up motion of the

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regulating rod with any other rod, Two basic interlocks control rod movements for the pulse mode.

The interlock to prevent withdrawal of the motor driven rods in the pulse mode is designed to prevent changing the j

critical state of the reactor prior to the pulse.

A power level interlock controls potential fuel temperature changes by setting a limit of less than 1 kilowatt for initiation of any pulse.

Square wave mode applies the same interlock controls as the pulse mode to all control rods. A pulse transient terminates the mode by changing to auto or manual mode. The change to auto or to manual mode becomes effective when a preset condition (demand power) occurs or a preset time (ten seconds) expires.

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j A.3.2.3 Reactor Safety System l

Applicability I

l These specifications apply to operation of the reactor safety system.

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Objective The objective is to determine the minimum safety system scrams operable for the operation of the reactor.

Bases Safety system scram functions consist of three types. These scram types are the limiting safety system settings, operable system l

conditions, and the manual or program logic scrams.

The scrams cause control rod insertion and reactor shutdown.

j Scrams for limiting safety system settings consist of signal trip levels that monitor fuel temperature and power level.

The trip levels are conservative by a significant margin relative to the fuel j

j element temperature safety limit.

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Operation without adequate control and safety system power supplies is prevented by scrams on neutron detector high voltage and control rod magnet current.

Manual action of the scram switch, key switch, or computer actuation l

of watchdog timers will initiate a protective action of the reactor l

safety system.

Either of two watchdog circuits provide updating timers to terminate operation in the event that key digital processing routines fail, such as a display system.

Each watchdog circuit with four resettable timers contains one trip relay and monitors one microcomputer.

12/90 Amended 4/96 Page 44 AMENDMENT NO. 1 l

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