ML20235T005
| ML20235T005 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/28/1989 |
| From: | Beckjord E NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH (RES) |
| To: | Walker R AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| PROJECT-672A NUDOCS 8903080106 | |
| Download: ML20235T005 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES '
8 C
' NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION -
.s m ss w orow,p.c. noses O (o12 FEg 181989
'Mr. Richard F. Walker, Chairman Gas Cooled Reactor Associates 10240 Sorrento Vally Road' San Diego CA 92121 Dear PrfMia ri
,I am writing in response to your letter of November 9,1988, to Chaiman Zech.
. In that. letter, you requested timely issuance of thel Preapplication Safety Evaluation Report-(SER) for the Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR).
1 As you are aware, we have been having discussions with the Department of Energy (DOE) on the MHTGR containment issue and its relationship to DOE's proposal for containment on the New Production Reactor. As a result of these discussiora,
-we.have deferred.our actions directed toward finalizing our SER, including establishing'a Commission position on the acceptability of the civilian MHTGR;
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without a containment structure.- We have taken this step because the technical and. policy considerations'which led DOE to the apparently different containment
. positions on two similar MHTGR designs are still not clear.
Current 1, it is our understanding that DOE plans to do engineerin studies on
~the civi ian MHTGR. design, which hill include evaluating the containment issue 1
and improvements in decay heat removal.
Before we resume our actions on the-MHTGR, I have requested that.the results of these studies and any supporting i
information be provided for Commission review..Also, I have requested that the apparent policy difference in DOE between a containment structure 'on the NPR-MHTGR versus no containment structure on the civilian MHTGR be addressed.
Upon. receipt and review of the new information, we will resume our activities directed toward finalizing our safety evaluation and providing guidance on the acceptability _of the MHTGR.
I do, however, agree that in conducting further studies on the MHTGR, Gas Cooled Reactor Associates and its member utilities may find it useful to have the results of our safety evaluation done to date. Therefore, I am enclosing with this letter five copies of our draft SER on the'MHTGR conceptual design for
'your use. Copies are also being sent to DOE and the NRC Public Document Room.
However, I wish to emphasize the limitations and reservations which accompany use of.this draft _SER.
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FEB 181099 First, this draft SER has not been approved by the Commission nor has the
' Commission taken a-position on the policy issues associated with the MHTGR design (i.e. use of a mechanistic siting source term, accident selection.
containment and' emergency planning).
Therefore, this draft _ SER does not include nor. should it be interpreted as implying any overall conclusions on the acceptability of the civilian MHTGR design or a Commission position on the policy 1 issues associated with it.
V Second, the information in this draft SER should not be used to draw
~ conclusions regarding the NPR-MHTGR design since there appear to be some differences between the two designs and the NRC staff has not reviewed these differences.
Third, in order to resolve the containment issue, the Commission will need thorough and detailed justification to support any design proposal that'does not' include a containment structure.
Finally, in proceeding with the civilian MHTGR design and development, it is important to recognize _that our review done to date indicates that much research and development (R&D), including prototype testing, needs to be done to support certification of this design. Table 1.6_of the draft SER summarizes the staff evaluation in this area. Due to the extensive nature and potential 4
long-lead time associated with this R&D, you may want to pay particular attention to these items in your long-range planning.
In the interim, my staff is available to discuss the draft SER further.
If you have any questions, please do'not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, 9W Eric S. Beckjord, Director Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
Enclosure:
'5 copies - Draft NUREG-1338 Draft Preapplication SER for the MHTGR L -
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