ML24054A046
| ML24054A046 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Westinghouse |
| Issue date: | 02/27/2024 |
| From: | Gerond George Licensing Processes Branch |
| To: | Zozula C Westinghouse |
| References | |
| EPID L-2023-TOP-0039, WCAP-18773-P, Rev 0, WCAP-18773-NP, Rev 0 | |
| Download: ML24054A046 (1) | |
Text
February 27, 2024 Ms. Camille Zozula Manager, Infrastructure & Facilities Licensing Westinghouse Electric Company 1000 Westinghouse Drive, Building 1 Cranberry Township PA 16066
SUBJECT:
APRIL 16, 2024, REGULATORY AUDIT PLAN FOR THE WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY TOPICAL REPORT WCAP-18773-P/NP, REVISION 0, HIGHER ENRICHMENT FOR WESTINGHOUSE AND COMBUSTION ENGINEERING FUEL DESIGNS (EPID L-2023-TOP-0039)
Dear Ms. Zozula:
By letter dated June 28, 2023 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23180A304), Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) submitted Topical Report (TR) WCAP-18773-P/NP, Revision 0, Higher Enrichment for Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering Fuel Designs (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML23180A303) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for review and approval.
The NRC staff technical review of this TR is ongoing. The NRC staff determined that a regulatory audit is needed to facilitate the review. The NRC staff will perform a virtual regulatory closed audit on April 16, 2024. Enclosed for your information is the audit plan the NRC staff will follow during the audit. Andrew Bowman, Westinghouse, confirmed via email dated February 21, 2024, that the enclosed audit plan does not contain any proprietary information.
If you have any questions, please contact Ekaterina Lenning via phone at 301-415-3151 or via email at Ekaterina.Lenning@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Gerond A. George, Chief Licensing Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 99902038
Enclosure:
Audit Plan
Enclosure U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGULATORY AUDIT PLAN FOR WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY TOPICAL REPORT WCAP-18773-P/NP, REVISION 0, HIGHER ENRICHMENT FOR WESTINGHOUSE AND COMBUSTION ENGINEERING FUEL DESIGNS DOCKET NO. 99902038 EPID L-2023-TOP-0039
1.0 BACKGROUND
By letter dated June 28, 2023, Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) submitted Topical Report (TR) WCAP-18773-P/NP, Revision 0, Higher Enrichment for Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering Fuel Designs (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Package Accession No. ML23180A303), to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for review and approval. The purpose of WCAP-18773-P/NP, Revision 0, is to increase the range of applicability for several of Westinghouses codes, methods, and fuel designs which may be necessary to evaluate uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel of enrichments greater than 5 weight-percent uranium U-235. This TR also specifies which Westinghouse and Combustion Engineering (CE) fuel designs are applicable for higher enrichment.
2.0 REGULATORY AUDIT BASES WCAP-18773-P/NP intends to increase the range of applicability of enrichment of Westinghouses codes, models, and methods and demonstrate compliance with the NRC regulations. Applicable regulations and guidance include, but may not be limited to:
General Design Criteria (GDCs) from Appendix A to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 50 that are associated with reactor design (GDC 10), reactor protection (GDC 11), and instrumentation and control (GDC 13).
NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports of Nuclear Power Plants (SRP), Section 4.2, Fuel System Design, Section 4.3, Nuclear Design, and Section 15.0.2, Review of Transient and Accident Analysis Methods, and any applicable regulations and guidance discussed in those SRP sections as they relate to this review.
3.0 REGULATORY AUDIT SCOPE The NRC staff will conduct a one-day audit virtually. The NRC staff will perform the audit in accordance with this audit plan and Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office Instruction LIC-111, Revision 1, Regulatory Audits. This one-day audit will include technical discussion pertaining to potential Requests for Additional Information (RAIs). The topics of discussion are included below in Section 4.0.
4.0 INFORMATION NEEDS The NRC staff would like Westinghouse to make available the appropriate staff with knowledge of the codes and methods referenced in WCAP-18773-P/NP, Revision 0, to address any comprehension questions by the NRC staff.
Discussion Topics Equations 1 of WCAP-16072-P-A, Revision 0, Implementation of Zirconium Diboride Burnable Absorber Coatings in CE Nuclear Power Fuel Assembly Designs and 4-5 of WCAP-17642-P-A/WCAP-17642-NP-A, Revision 1, Westinghouse Performance Analysis and Design Model (PAD5) (PAD5) related to Boron-10 depletion, appear to have some initial fuel enrichment dependency.
The effect of potentially longer cycle times on the mechanical design evaluation in WCAP-18773-P/NP, Revision 0.
The effect of an increasing fast-to-thermal flux ratio due to higher enrichment on the NEXUS Spectral Index methodology.
The omission of WCAP-10965-P-A, ANC: A Westinghouse Advanced Nodal Computer Code, and WCAP-18124-NP-A, Revision 0, Supplement 1-P-A, Fluence Determination with RAPTOR-M3G and FERRET - Supplement for Extended Beltline Materials, as referenced TRs for review and approval for use at higher enrichments.
The code performance for transition cores in which higher enriched assemblies may be placed adjacent to once-or twice-burned assemblies.
The impact of increasing enrichment on the range of applicability of the soluble boron concentrations considered in WCAP-16045-P-A, Addendum 2-A, Updated NEXUS Cross-Section Methodology.
A description and significance of uncertainties introduced in the NEXUS/ANC9 methodology that are not propagated from PARAGON2 as an input due to increasing the maximum fuel enrichment.
The impact to any methodologies which may credit high burnup (at most 62 gigawatt-days per metric ton of uranium rod average burnup) assemblies at being at sufficiently low power such that they cannot be limiting during an accident or anticipated operational occurrence.
Clarification regarding paragraph 3 of Section 4.3 of WCAP-18773-P/NP, Revision 0.
PAD5 fuel pellet radial power distributions.
RAI-2e of PAD5 TR.
Enrichment as an input for decay heat in the WCAP-17721-P-A, Revision 0, Westinghouse Containment Analysis Methodology - PWR LOCA Mass and Energy Release Calculation Methodology TR methodology.
The potential impact to the gap release fraction because of changes to the fuel pellet radial power distribution due to increasing enrichment.
5.0 TEAM ASSIGNMENTS Brandon Wise, Technical Reviewer (NRR/DSS/SFNB)
Alex Collier, Technical Reviewer (NRR/DSS/SFNB)
Jack Vande Polder, Technical Reviewer (NRR/DSS/SFNB)
Ekaterina Lenning, Project Manager (NRR/DORL/LLPB) 6.0 LOGISTICS Audit Date: April 16, 2024 The audit will be conducted virtually. The audit will be conducted virtually via MS Teams and electronic reading room, which is requested to be open for the duration of the audit. The electronic reading room or portal should employ measures to prevent the downloading, copying, or otherwise storing of any online portal documents by the NRC staff accessing the portal.
7.0 DELIVERABLES A regulatory audit summary will be provided within 90 days.
ML24054A046, Cover letter with Enclosed Audit Plan OFFICE NRR/DORL/LLPB/PM NRR/DORL/LLPB/LA NRR/DSS/SFNB/BC NRR/DORL/LLPB/BC NAME ELenning DHarrison SKrepel GGeorge DATE 2/23/2024 2/26/2024 2/27/2024 2/27/2024