ML25112A170
| ML25112A170 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07109404 |
| Issue date: | 05/16/2025 |
| From: | Haimanot Yilma Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch |
| To: | Roman C Division of Fuel Management |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-NEW-0003 | |
| Download: ML25112A170 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 MEMORANDUM TO:
Cinthya Román, Deputy Director Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards FROM:
Haimanot Yilma, Project Manager Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF APRIL 1, 2025, MEETING WITH WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY LLC
Background
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Westinghouse) requested a closed meeting to discuss a pending application for an EMBRACE II New Package Design, to be used (amongst other things) for shipping advanced boiling-water reactor (BWR) fuel designs including TRITON11 and SVEA-96 fuel with advanced fuel features. This pre-application meeting, noticed on March 11, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System, Accession No. ML25070A117), was held by videoconference.
The meeting attendance list is provided as an Enclosure.
Discussion Westinghouse discussed the package design objectives, licensing strategy, and design overviews for mechanical, shielding and critically safety and design analysis.
Westinghouse notes that EMBRACE II design will replace the current Swedish Embrace package and USA based Patriot, USA/9292/AF-85 packages. EMBRACE II will introduce a new suspension system design of support frame with shock mounts supporting the inner container.
The new packages inner and outer container will have similar size envelope as all-U.S. BWR packages with permissible contents of up to enriched reprocessed uranium (American Society for Testing and Materials C996). The inner container will rest on support frame that is supported by 20 rubber shock mounts connected to the outer container; secured by longitudinal SS C-channel clamps, fitted with stainless-steel (SS) U-channel liners to accommodate 2 Channeled Fuel Assembles (or Rod Boxes).
CONTACT: Haimanot Yilma, NMSS/DFM 301-287-9070 May 16, 2025 Signed by Yilma, Haimanot on 05/16/25
C. Román 2
The inner container lid will be secured by quick release clasps and has lifting and handling provisions. The outer container has end Impact Limiters of Polyurethane foam encased in SS, equipped with skids to permit lift by slings or forklift. The outer container lid is secured by 24, socket head cap screws (M20) with a weatherproof gasket.
For its application, Westinghouse plans to present its information in parts. Part 1 will have information supporting compliance while Part 2 will have technical analysis. Westinghouse will include a cross-reference between the IAEA SSG-66 PDSR format for Type B, Fissile packaging and the NRCs Regulatory Guide 7.9 requirements in both sections (Part 1 and 2) of the application.
Westinghouse described the mechanical design overview, impact analysis for the fuel and package, transport security device (TSD) feature, as well as thermal analysis and containment design. Westinghouse also discussed shielding analysis including model and results; as well as critically safety analysis noting the BWR fuel assemble and rod box contents, package model, BWR fuel assembly and rod box loose rod evaluations along with bias and upper subcritical limit evaluation.
The NRC staff asked clarification questions related to the performance of a drop test, the design feature of TSD and its contribution to thermal analysis during combustion and if ageing management analysis are considered for components such as gaskets. Below are few observations the staff discussed.
For the containment analysis:
The staff observed that consideration to clarify in the application whether potential damage might exist to the inner container and outer container after the hypothetical accident conditions (HAC) tests, including if there were gross ruptures of the containers and whether the lids remained bolted closed to both containers.
The staff observed that in the application, discussion of the number of A2 activity transported in the package (approximately 7 A2 was mentioned at the meeting) would be needed for the review. In addition, discussion and demonstration that the integrity of the fuel rods (including cladding and end plugs) remained intact and be leak-tight (as defined by American National Standards Institute N14.5) after the HAC tests should be clarified. Items discussed during the pre-submittal meeting included:
a.
potential similarity of the EMBRACE package design with the EMBRACE-II package design, and how the 2000 EMBRACE drop test results, including leakage rate testing of the dropped fuel rods and fuel rod damage (e.g., percent strain), can be used to support the LS-DYNA EMBRACE-II results and conclusions.
b.
discussion of how the acceptance criteria for maintaining fuel rod integrity, which was reported as cladding strain of 25 percent, was selected.
c.
discussion of a maximum strain of the fuel rod cladding and the end plugs after the sequential HAC drop tests for each fuel rod so that the extent of damage can be assessed. For example (numbers chosen are for example purposes):
o 10 rods with cladding strain between 14 percent and 16 percent, with their corresponding end plug strain between 10 percent and 12 percent.
C. Román 3
o 60 rods with cladding strain between 0 percent and 2 percent, with their corresponding end plug strain between 0 percent and 1 percent.
For thermal analysis the staff discussed the following during the pre-submittal meeting:
contents maximum decay heat specification additional contribution to thermal input (e.g., higher temperatures) from the combustion of the polyethylene end impact limiter and the polyethylene rod bags (e.g., 5 kg),
recognizing that the thermal input is internal to the package and near or adjacent to the fuel rods.
vent plug details near foam, if used.
An additional consideration is clarifying the potential impacts of interactions between the package and content in its application, such as noting if hydrogen concentration (e.g., radiolysis of polyethylene) during transport would be a concern and if, present, if it would be contained to less than flammability limit during transport.
Westinghouse acknowledged the staffs discussion items and noted that it plans to consider these items in its application submittal.
Westinghouse plans to submit its application by the end of April 2025 with a Certificate of Compliance issuance date of April 2026.
Staff made no regulatory commitment during the meeting.
Docket No. 71-9404 EPID L-2025-NEW-0003
Enclosure:
- 1. Meeting Attendees
ML25112A170 OFFICE NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NAME HYilma SFigueroa YDiaz-Sanabria HYilma DATE 5/13/2025 5/13/2025 5/16/2025 5/16/2025 Enclosure Meeting Between Westinghouse Electric Company LLC and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission April 1, 2025 Meeting Attendees U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Haimanot Yilma Daniel Forsyth Joseph Borowsky Loren Howe Juan Lopez Lisa Regner Charles Stanko Westinghouse Electric Company LLC Tanya Sloma-DeLosier Brian Hempy Andy Langston Charlie Murphy