ML22028A046
| ML22028A046 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vogtle  |
| Issue date: | 02/01/2022 |
| From: | John Lamb NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 |
| To: | |
| Lamb J | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22028A045 | List: |
| References | |
| EPID L-2022-LRM-0003 | |
| Download: ML22028A046 (7) | |
Text
February 1, 2022 LICENSEE: Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
FACILITY: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF JANUARY 27, 2022, PUBLIC MEETING WITH SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY, INC., REGARDING A PROPOSED ACCIDENT TOLERANT FUEL LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST AND EXEMPTION FOR VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 (EPID NO. L-2022-LRM-0003)
On January 27, 2022, an Observation public meeting was held between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and representatives of Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (SNC, the licensee). The purpose of the meeting was for SNC to describe its plan to submit an Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) license amendment request (LAR) and exemption request to load 16 fuel rods (4 assemblies with 4 rods per assembly) with an enrichment of 6 weight-percent U-235 for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Vogtle), Units 1 and 2.
A list of attendees is provided as an Enclosure.
On January 10, 2022 (Agencywide Document and Access Management System (ADAMS)
Accession No. ML22027A368), the meeting was noticed on the NRC public webpage.
The NRC staff opened the meeting with introductory remarks and a roll call of the attendees.
The SNC representative discussed the following topics: (1) description of Lead Test Assembly (LTA) program, (2) overview of primary analytical impacts, (3) review of spent fuel pool (SFP) and new fuel storage criticality requirements, (4) overview of the proposed LAR, (5) LTA transport, and (6) timeline and future plans. The SNC representative presented slides contained in ADAMS Accession No. ML22021B647.
Description of LTA Program Vogtle, Units 1 and 2, have 193 fuel assemblies, and the rod array is 17 x 17, with 264 rods per assembly.
SNC stated that the 4 Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Westinghouse) ATF LTAs with higher enrichment capable of higher burnup have the following:
4 rods with enrichment up to 6 weight-percent U-235 in 4 LTAs (16 rods),
AXIOM high performance fuel rod cladding, EnCore chromium (Cr) coated cladding (one or more rods may be uncoated),
ADOPT' doped fuel material for non-IFBA (Integral Fuel Burnable Absorbers) rods, Standard (undoped) fuel material for IFBA rods.
ADOPT', AXIOM, and EnCore are trademarks or registered trademarks of Westinghouse.
The 4 LTAs will consist of a distribution of AXIOM cladding, EnCore Cr-coated cladding, ADOPT' doped fuel pellets, and standard fuel material for IFBA rods. The Cr-coated cladding rods (EnCore) are considered ATF and doped pellets are generally considered to be ATF as well.
Overview of Primary Analytical Impacts SNC stated that modeling will be consistent with descriptions in NRC-approved topical reports, where available, or based on the most recent level of characterization for materials not yet approved from Westinghouse development or NRC interactions on ongoing topical report reviews.
SNC stated that some NRC-approved methods outside the Vogtle current licensing basis will be used solely to assess performance of the LTAs.
Review of SFP and New Fuel Storage Criticality Requirements SNC stated that the following LTA characteristics are beyond current Vogtle analysis of record (AOR) scope, and will be addressed in LAR:
Increased enrichment ADOPT' pellets Chromium coated AXIOM cladding SNC representatives stated that its intent is to provide acceptable storage requirements using the Vogtle AOR storage configurations, or a subset thereof, via a Comparative Reactivity Analysis that (1) uses modern analytical codes - Scale 6.2+ with associated cross section libraries, and (2) separate storage evaluations for fresh fuel analysis (SFP and New Fuel Storage Racks) and burned fuel analysis.
Overview of the Proposed LAR SNC stated that ATF fuel materials are currently being reviewed by the NRC for (1) ADOPT' fuel under NRC review (WCAP-18482-P), and (2) AXIOM cladding under NRC review (WCAP-18546-P). The licensee stated that EnCore chromium coated cladding has not yet been submitted for NRC review.
SNC stated that the proposed LAR will revise (1) Technical Specification (TS) 4.2.1, Fuel Assemblies, and (2) TS 4.3.1, Criticality. SNC stated the proposed LAR could potentially revise TS 3.7.18, Fuel Assembly Storage in the Fuel Storage Pool.
SNC stated that it would also request exemptions from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.46, Acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems for light-water nuclear reactors, and Appendix K to Part 50, ECCS [emergency core cooling system] Evaluation Models.
SNC said that it plans to submit a LAR to implement Alternate Source Term (AST) into the radiological consequences licensing basis in the third quarter of 2022.
LTA Transport SNC stated that the ATF LTAs will be transported to Vogtle in the Traveller-B Package that was submitted to the NRC by Westinghouse in August 2021 with an expected NRC approval by March 2022.
Timeline and Future Plans SNC stated that it plans to submit the proposed LAR and exemption request in early third quarter of Calendar Year 2022, and to request completion by the NRC by August 2023.
SNC stated that it plans start-up of Vogtle, Unit 2, Operating Cycle 24 in November 2023.
Questions The NRC staff asked:
Will the ATF lead test assemblies (LTAs) be installed in non-limiting or limiting locations?
Will the 16 rods be 6 weight-percent U-235?
Will all the 16 rods have ATF materials?
Regarding the 4 fuel assemblies that will contain the 6 weight-percent U-235 ATF LTAs, what will the remaining 260 rods contain?
What fuel is currently in Vogtle, Units 1 and 2? Is it only Westinghouse Optimized ZIRLO' fuel assembly (OFA)?
In April 2019, under 10 CFR 50.59, SNC installed four GAIA, which is Framatomes pressurized-water reactor fuel assembly and grid design, LTAs containing enhanced ATF, including both pellets and cladding, into Vogtles, Unit 2, core. Have all four of those ATF LTAs been removed from Vogtles, Unit 2, core for analysis?
Has SNC considered fuel fragmentation, redistribution, and dispersal?
Is SNC going to link the proposed ATF LTA LAR with the proposed AST LAR that is planned to be submitted in third quarter of 2022?
Since Vogtle has a risk-informed completion time (RICT) program in Vogtles TS, and because the probabilistic risk assessment models used for the RICT program are based on inherent assumptions, such as fuel design and its response to severe accidents, has consideration been given to providing a discussion in the LAR that addresses or confirms that the TS RICT is not impacted by the fuel change?
Public Participation In attendance, there were members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Global Nuclear Fuels, Nuclear Energy Institute, Sargent and Lundy, Excel Services Corporation, and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Closing The NRC staff made no regulatory decisions during the meeting.
Once received, the NRC staff will perform a thorough review of the proposed LAR and exemption requests and make any regulatory decisions in writing in a timely manner. Public Meeting Feedback forms were available, but no comments were received. The meeting adjourned at 11:56 am (Eastern time).
Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-3100.
Digitally signed by John John G. G. Lamb Date: 2022.02.01 Lamb 14:42:51 -05'00' John G. Lamb, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch, II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-424 and 50-425
Enclosure:
List of Attendees cc w/encls: Distribution via Listserv
LIST OF ATTENDEES JANUARY 27, 2022, PUBLIC MEETING WITH SOUTHERN NUCLEAR COMPANY REGARDING A PROPOSED ACCIDENT TOLERANT FUEL (ATF)
LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST AND EXEMPTION VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 ATTENDEE REPRESENTING John G. Lamb U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Rob Krsek NRC - Commissioner Barans Office Caty Nolan NRC - Office of Executive Director of Operations Mike Markley NRC Kevin Hsueh NRC Vic Cusumano NRC Matt Hamm NRC Henry Wagage NRC Steve Jones NRC Scott Krepel NRC Charles Peabody, Jr. NRC Elijah Dickson NRC Edward Stutzcage NRC Donald Palmrose NRC Robert Lukes NRC Brandon Wise NRC Kent Wood NRC Josh Whitman NRC Kevin Heller NRC Larry Burkhart NRC James Rubenstone NRC Caroline Carusone NRC Delza Mas-Pernanda NRC Mike Norris NRC Ed Robinson NRC Dave Gasperson NRC Lynnea Wilkins NRC Zena Abdullahi NRC Weidong Wang NRC Carolyn Wolf NRC Paul Clifford NRC Ben Parks NRC Angel Moreno NRC Rob Elliott NRC Ravi Grover NRC Joe Messina NRC Kristy Bucholtz NRC Enclosure
ATTENDEE REPRESENTING Jeremy Dean NRC Brian Wittick NRC Prema Chandrathil NRC Don Palmrose NRC Ken Erwin NRC Chris Safouri NRC MJ Ross-Lee NRC Joe Donoghue NRC Ken Lowery Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC)
Ryan Joyce SNC Johnathan Chavers SNC Jennifer Baker SNC Cheryl Gayheart SNC Jason Douglass SNC Matt Leonard SNC Frank Boylan Westinghouse Michael Boone Westinghouse Radu Pomirleanu Westinghouse Micheal Wenner Westinghouse Carey Haas Westinghouse Parvez Khambatta Westinghouse Cenk Guler Westingouse Tanya Sloma-DeLosier Westinghouse Andrew Bowman Westinghouse Zeses Karoutas Westinghouse Robert Schillat Westinghouse Matthew Marzano Senate Environment and Public Works Committee State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources Barty Simonton (DNR)
Sean Hayes State of Georgia DNR Dr. Madeline Feltus Department of Energy (DOE)
Frank Goldner DOE Andy Worrall Oak Ridge National Laboratory Tyler Schweitzer Global Nuclear Fuels Aladar Csontos Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
Nima Ashkeboussi NEI Parrez Golub Sargent & Lundy Christopher Canniff EXCEL Services Corporation Dr. S. I. Abdel-Khalik Georgia Institute of Technology
PKG ML22028A045 Meeting Notice ML22027A368 Meeting Summary ML22028A046 Slides ML22021B647 OFFICE DORL/LPL2-1/PM DORL/LPL2-1/LA DSS/STSB/BC DSS/SFNB/BC NAME JLamb KGoldstein VCusumano RLukes DATE 01/27/2022 01/31/2022 01/31/2022 02/01/2022 OFFICE DSS/SNSB/BC DORL/LPL2-1/BC DORL/LPL2-1/PM NAME SKrepel MMarkley JLamb DATE 02/01/2022 02/01/2022 02/01/2022