ML20247R935
| ML20247R935 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/22/1998 |
| From: | Wen P NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | Essig T NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| References | |
| PROJECT-689 NUDOCS 9805290245 | |
| Download: ML20247R935 (7) | |
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t UNITED STATES l
[p j-NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION t
WASHINGTON, D.C. 30eeHo01
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May 22, 1998 y
MEMORANDUM TO: Thomas H. Essig, Acting Chief Generic lasues and Environmental Projects Branch Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
FROM:
- Peter C. - Wen, Project Manager fd C. b Generic issues and Environmental Projects Branch -
Division of Reactor Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF APRIL 28,1998, MEETING WITH THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE (NEI) REGARDING HIGH BURNUP FUEL ISSUES On April 28,1998, a public meeting was held at the U.S.' Nuclear Regulatory Commission's
- (NRC's) offices in Rockville, Maryland, between representatives of the NRC, NEl, and other interested parties. Attachment 1 provides a list of attendees at the meeting, and Attachment 2 contains a copy of the material that was handed out at the meeting.
An NEl representative began the meeting by stating that development of guidance for burnup extensions is one of the activities being addressed by the industry's Robust Fuel Program. This activity is still in the.early stages of development and would benefit from an open dialogue on NRC's expectations for the planned industry guidance.
An NRC representative stated that the current research and operating experience have not revealed any information on fuel behavior beyond 62 GWd/MTU; thus, the staff's activities on
- fuel and core performance are focused on currently approved fuel designs and are addressing i
the applicability of existing fuel performance criteria and associated research needs for fuel -
I bumup up to 62 GWd/MTU. Because of resource limitations, NRC has no plan or resources to address fuel bumup extensions b^ yond currently approved levels and is looking to the industry
' to take the lead in developing the necessary criteria in this area. This guidance developed by the' industry could be endorsed by the NRC for use in its reviews of future apphcations of new
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l M fuel designs and bumup extensions l
" Aspects of the bumup extension requirement beyond 62 GWd/MTU were discussed during the
, meeting. As shown'in Attachment 2, these discussions include the following topics:
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- ETesting/ Analysis - The submittal will need to be supported by testing and analysis for l
events that are affected by bumup (e.g. RIA, LOCA, ATWS). Also, more tests may be '
needed for low-margiri cases.
{k Prototypical Lead Test Assemb!y ( LTA) Program - The staff is looking for LTA programs up to the proposed limit that may require LTAs to be placed in near limiting core locations.
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e-T. Essig Addressing All Points in the Current Licensing Basis -- The licensees will need to address all points in current fuel licensing bases. The scope of the guidance is currently addressed in Standard Review Plan (SRP) Section 4.2 and applicable portions of SRP Chapter 15. The fuel # sign criteria and GDCs will also apply.
Relaxations - The staff would expect the basis for any proposed relaxation of current.
design-basis criteria, analysis methods, or assumptions to be risk informed. The guidance on applying probabilistic methods in risk-informed applications is given in draft -
Regulatory Guide 1.174. Radiological release criterion applied to design-basis events (e.g.10% or 25% of 10 CFR 100 criteria) was identified as one area of potential.
relaxation that the NRC would expect to be " risk informed."
Fuel Performance Monitoring Program - The staff expects a fuel performance -
monitoring program to detect fuel problems, such as excessive cladding oxidation and geometry changes.
Other areas that also need to be addressed include issues related to spent fuel transportation -
and storage, source-term evolution in core-melt progression, and issues associated with uranium enrichments beyond 5% (if pursued as part of the bumup extension applications).
The staff expects test data used to establish fuel criteria to be nonproprietary and publicly available. However, the staff agrees that the data used to show that the criteria have been met could be proprietary.
In response to a question on what constitutes a new fuel design that requires new guidance, the NRC representative stated that there is no special fuel rule. All the fuel design changes could 3
be handled by the current rules and regulations, such as technical specifications (TS) and 10 CFR 50.59. The fuel designs that require TS changes and that cannot be addressed through 10 CFR 50.59 would generally be viewed as new fuel designs, i
The representatives of the NRC and the NEl agreed that this meeting was useful in promoting understanding each other's positions on high burnup fuel issues.
Attachments: As stated cc w/atts: See next page r
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T. Essig
' 2-Addressing All Points in the Current Licensing Basis - The licensees will need to address all points in current fuel licensing bases. The scope of the guidance is currently t.
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- addressed in Standard Review Plan (SRP) Section 4.2 and applicable portions of SRP l-
. Chapter 15. The fuel design criteria and GDCs will also apply.
. Relaxations - The staff would expect the basis for any proposed relaxation of current design-basis criteria, analysis methods, or assumptions to be risk informed. The guidance on applying probabilistic methods in risk-informed applications is given in Regulatory Guide 1.174. Radiological release criterion applied to design-basis events (e.g.10% or 25% of 10 CFR 100 criteria) was identified as one area of potential relaxation that the NRC would expect to be " risk informed."
l Fuel Performance Monitoring Program - The staff expects a fuel performance monitoring program to detect fuel problems, such as excessive cladding oxidation and geometry changes.
Other areas that also need to be addressed include issues related to spent fuel transportation and storage, source-term evolution in core-melt progression, and issues associatad with
. uranium enrichments beyond 5% (if pursued as part of the bumup extension appi, cations).
The staff expacts test data used to establish fuel criteria to be nonproprietary and publicly available. However, the staff agrees that the data used to show that the criteria have been met could be proprietary.
In response to a question on what constitutes a new fuel design that requires new guidance, the NRC representative stated that there is no special fuel rule. All the fuel design changes could be handled by the current rules and regulations, such as technical specifications (TS) and 10 CFR 50.59. The fuel designs that require TS changes and that cannot be addressed through 10 CFR 50.59 would generally be viewed as new fuel designs.
The representatives of the NRC and the NEl agreed that this meeting was useful in promoting understanding each other's positions on high bumup fuel issues.
Attachments: As stated cc w/atts: See next page DISTRIBUIlON: See attached page
. Document Name: G:\\PWX\\MSUM.0428.neid0 OFFICE PM:PGEB BC:SRXB SC:PGEEhy, NAME PWen:sw?ctd TCollins M FAkstulewicd DATE 5/20/98 5/ 4/98 5/CJ98 OFFICAL OFFICE COPY
l NRC/NEl MEETING ON HIGH BURNUP FUEL ISSUE LIST OF ATTENDEES April 28,1998 haME ORGANIZATION Gary Holahan NRR/DSSA Tim Collins NRR/DSSA/SRXB Margaret Chatterton NRR/DSSA/SRXB Shih-Liang Wu NRR/DSSA/SRXB Tony Attard NRR/DSSA/SRXB Larry Kopp NRR/DSSA/SRXB Howard Richings NRR/DSSA/SRXB i
Eric Weiss NRR/DSSA/SRXB Edward Kendrick NRR/DSSA/SRXB Peter Wen NRR/DRPM/PGEB Farouk Eltawila RES/ DST /RPSB Ralph Meyer RES/ DST /RPSB Dave Modeen NEl John Butler NEl Rosa Yang EPRI Robert Montgomery EPRl/ANATECH Odelk Ozer EPRI Elaine Hiru Nuclear Fuel Mark Beaumont Westinghouse David Chapin Westinghouse Lynn Connor DSA Bob Borsum B&WOG Altheta Wyche Bechtel Jim Fulford NUS Info Service Larry Phillips Self/URA l
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,.c.
BURNUP EXTENSION REQUIREMENTS SMALL INCREMENTS UP TO 62 GWD/MT WILL BE CONSIDERED CASE BY CASE FURTHER EXTENSIONS REQUIRE:
TESTING / ANALYSIS FOR RIA, LOCA, ATWS PROTOTYPICAL LTA PROGRAM UP TO PROPOSED LIM ADDRESSING ALL POINTS IN CURRENT LICENSING-BASIS (SRP, FUEL DESIGN CRITERIA, GDC)
BE RISK INFORMED IF RELAXATIONS PROPOSED FUEL PERFORMANCE MONITORING PROGRAM (e.g., OXIDATION,' GEOMETRY CHANGES)
Nuclear Energy Institute Project No. 689 cc:
Mr. Ralph Beedle Ms. Lynnette Hendricks, Director Senior Vice President Plant Support and Chief Nuclear Officer Nuclear Energy institute Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 Suite 400 1776 l Street, NW 1776 i Street, NW-Washington, DC 20006-3708
. Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. Alex Marion, Director Programs '
Nuclear Energy in'stitute Sude 400
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1776 l Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. David Modeen, Director Engineering Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 1776 i Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. Anthony Pietrangelo, Director Licensing Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 1776 l Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. Nicholas J. Liparulo, Manager Nuclear Safety and Regulatory Activities Nuclear and Advanced Technology Division Westinghouse Electric Corporation
. P.O. Box' 355 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230 Mr. Jim Davis, Director--
- Operations Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 1776 i Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708 j
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Distribution: Mtg. Summary w/ NEl Re High Bumup Fuel issue Dated _May_22,_1998._
i HardCopy Docketfile PUBLIC PGEB R/F OGC l
ACRS PWen EMail l
SCollins/FMiraglia BSheron RZimmerman BBoger j
l JRoe l
DMatthews TEssig FAkstulewicz GHolahan TCollins i
MChatterton SHWu FEltawila RMeyer EKendrick EWeiss
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HRichings.
l LKopp TAttard GTracey, EDO i
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