ML20207E450

Application for Amend to License R-37 to Change Basis of TS 3.10 as Listed.Ts Page 3-29 Included

ML20207E450
Person / Time
Site:	MIT Nuclear Research Reactor
Issue date:	05/27/1999
From:	Bernard J, Hu L NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
Shared Package
ML20207E457	List: ML20207E450 ML20207E459
References
NUDOCS 9906070043
Download: ML20207E450 (2)

Text

--

i .

[$am , s e .5 ,

h 4

, NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY l'[

AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL CENTER OF . , ,

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JOHN A. BERNARO 138 Albany Street. Cambndge. MA 02139-4296 Activation Analysis Director Telefax No. (617) 253 7300 Coolant Chemit,try Director of Reactor operations Nuclear Medicine Tel. No. (617) 253-4202 Pnneipal Research Engineer Reactor Engineering May 27,1999 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, D C 20555

Subject:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor, Docket No. 50-20, License No. R-37, Technical Specifications Amendment 31 Gentlemen:

On 28 May 1982, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology received the issuance of Amendment.21 to Technical Specification 3.10 from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This specification governs fuel element and core component handling and storage. Provision 3 specifies locations for the storage of spent fuel. These include the reactor core, the fuel storage ring, the dry storage holes, the spent fuel storage tank, and the fuel transfer flask. The basis for the technical specification addresses criticality safety of these storage locations. A recent review of this technical specification by the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission noted that the basis only mentioned the first four of the  ;

locations approved for the storage of the spent fuel. The NRC therefore requested MIT to address this discrepancy (see NRC letter dated May 13, 1999). This letter is submitted in response to that request.

The statements made concerning criticality safety in the basis of Technical Specification 3.10 are also valid for the fuel transfer flask which incidentally is also

. referred to in various MITR procedures as the fuel transfer " cask" In particular, the flask can only hold one element at a time and hence its maximum k-effective is substantially less than 0.9 which is the maximum allowed value for storage locations other than the core.

This is true even if the flask were to be flooded. It is believed that the omission of the flask (storage location 3e) from the basis was a typographical error. Accordingly, it is suggested that the following changes to the basis of Technical Specification 3.10 be made:

1. Item 3e (refers to the transfer flask) is added to the second line of the second paragraph. (This is on page 3-39 of the current technical specifications.) l

2. .Second sentence of the fourth paragraph be changed to read, "The shielding .

O l requirement is met by utilizing a shielded transfer flask (item 3e) for )

movements and temporary storage and more permanent shielding as indicated in 3a, b, c, and d." l 9906070643 990527 PDR ADOCK 05000020 f

P PDR

It should be understood that storage location 3e is, as stated in the fourth

. paragraph of the basis, only for temporary storage during fuel element movements. The proposed changes are shown in the enclosed page as noted by the vertical lines.

' The above request was approved by the MIT Committee on Reactor Safeguards on May 27,1999.

Sincerely,

?-

~

Lin-Wen Hu, Ph.D.

Reactor Relicensing Engineer

-NO John A. Bernard, Ph.D.

. Director JAB /lwh cc: USNRC -

Senior Project Manager, NRR/ONDD USNRC -

Region I- Project Scientist Efiluents Radiation Protection Section (ERPS)

FRSSB/DRSS I

i 1

J