ML20148E793

Responds to NRC 781002 Request for Addl Info Re Changes to Tech Specs.Clarification of Term Cold Shutdown Provided

ML20148E793
Person / Time
Site:	Vallecitos File:GEH Hitachi icon.png
Issue date:	11/01/1978
From:	Cunningham G GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.
To:	Stello V Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 7811070115
Download: ML20148E793 (4)

Text

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GENER AL h ELECTRIC ENGINEERING GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, P.O. BOX 460, PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA 94566 DIVISION November 1,1978 Mr. Victor Stello, Director Division < ' Operating Reactors Office of ,<uclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. , 20555

Reference:

1) License TR-1, Docket 50-70

2) Application for an Addition to the Technical Specifications, License TR-1, January 16, 1978

Dear Mr. Stello:

On January 16, 1978, the General Electric Company, Vallecitos Nuclear Center (VNC), submitted a request for an addition to the Technical Speci-fications for the General Electric Test Reactor (GETR) under License TR-1.

Subsequently, VNC was contacted by Mr. C. C. Nelson of your staff on October 2, 1978, to request clarification of some of the items in the proposed Technical Specification addition.

Enclosed are three notarized originals and nineteen copies of the requested information and proposed revisions to Sections 1.0 and 3.0 of the Technical Specifications which will provide clarification of the term " cold shutdown".

1 Sincerely, G. E. Cunningham Sr. Licensing Engineer vcc Encl.

781107 ofIf 76% gc6 e 6p CY

GENER AL $ ELECTRIC i

l APPLICATION General Electric hereby submits supplemental information to its application of January 16, 1978, including revisions of the Technical Specifications for License TR-1, Docket 50-70.

1 To' the best of my knowledge and belief, the information contained herein is accurate.

By:

R. W. Darmitzel~, Manager Irradiation Processing Operation Nuclear Energy Engineering Division i

S bmitted and sworn before me this A7mW day of I4d ,1978.

2amas68utstan , Notary Public in and for the County of Alameda, State of -

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SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR THE GENERAL ELECTRIC TEST REACTOR (GETR) APPLICATION OF JANUARY 16, 1978 I Technical Specificatipn Revisions One area of concern was the use of the term " cold shutdown" in the proposed Section 11.0 to the GETR Technical Specifications and possible i conflict with the term " secured" as defined in Technical Specification 1.3 and as used in Technical Specification 3.2. Accordingly, it is proposed that a new Technical Specification 1.6 be added to read as follows:

1.6 Cold Shutdown - the reactor is in cold shutdown whenever: 1) the reactor is shut down; 2) there are no fuel elements or experiments in the reactor vessel or pool that could cause a release of radio-active material if loss of coolant from the reactor vessel or pool should occur; and 3) the Experiment Exhaust System (EES) has been secured and isolated.

In addition, Technical Specification 3.2 should be changed to read:

3.2 Containment integrity shall be maintained whenever the reactor is neither secured nor in cold shutdown status. Even when the reactor is secured, but not in cold shutdown, the time during which containment integrity is not maintained shall be kept to a minimum.

As explained in our submittal of January 16, 1978, there would be no release of radioactive material if a complete loss of primary or pool coolant occurred as there would be no fuel element or experiment which could generate sufficient heat to result in damage that would permit releases. This is consistent with Technical Specification 8.1 which requires all irradiated fuel whose surface clad temperature could exceed 8000 F in air to be stored submerged in water. In the case of each pro-posed cold sgutdown a prior analysis will be necessary to demonstrate that the 800 F (or other acceptable surface temperature) criterion is met before the reactor may be declared to be in a cold shutdown condition.

II Supplemental Information-The following information supplemental to that given on Jauary 16, 1978, is provided in response to questions from the NRR staff. The items listed correspond to the sections of the proposed Technical Specification 11.0 contained in that submittal.

Item Supplemental Information 11.1 The period of 30 days is specified only because it would be too disruptive to test / calibration schedules to attempt to suspend those schedules for a cold shutdown lasting less than 30 days.

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II Supplemental Information (continued) 11.la-d The proposed Technical Specification 1.6 and revised Technical -

Specification 3.2 should eliminate any conflict between the

" secured" and " cold shutdown" conditions as far as containment integrity is concerned.

11.lf The pool instrumentation referred to in this item consists of pool water temperatures and pool water level measuring instruments.

11.19 As noted in the explanation of proposed Technical Specification 1.6, the pool emergency recirculation system is not needed as no fuel element or experiment can generate sufficient heat to result in 1

releases of radioactive material.

ll.lh The footnotes to Table II, Technical Specification 6.8, show the involvement of the emergency cooling system with the reactor scram-system. -

11.11m The experiment exhaust system hold-up tanks are not storage tanks.

Their purpose is to hold up and delay the release of any radio-active material released from an experiment in the event of an accident. Therefore, there is normally no significant radioactive material in the tanks.

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