NUREG-0786, Summarizes ACRS 267th Meeting on 820708-10 Re NUREG-0786, Site Suitability Rept in Matter of Crbr. Crbr Can Be Designed So as to Present No Greater Risk than Lwr.Proposed Site Suitable

Summarizes ACRS 267th Meeting on 820708-10 Re NUREG-0786, Site Suitability Rept in Matter of Crbr. Crbr Can Be Designed So as to Present No Greater Risk than Lwr.Proposed Site Suitable

ML20062B389
Person / Time
Site:	Clinch River
Issue date:	07/13/1982
From:	Shewmon P Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards
To:	Palladino N NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20062B356	List: ML20062B351 NUREG-0786, Summarizes ACRS 267th Meeting on 820708-10 Re NUREG-0786, Site Suitability Rept in Matter of Crbr. Crbr Can Be Designed So as to Present No Greater Risk than Lwr.Proposed Site Suitable
References
NUDOCS 8208040467
Download: ML20062B389 (2)

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. UNITED STATES E" N NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION f ;e ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS

1. WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 a o

%*****/ July 13,1982 1

Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino Chairman ~

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 l

Dear Dr. Palladino:

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SUBJECT:

ACRS REPORT ON THE SUITABILITY OF iHE CLINCH RIVER BREEDER REACTOR PLANT SITE During its 267th meeting, July 8-10, 1982, the ACRS reviewed NUREG-0786,

" Site Suitability Report in the Matter of Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant" and considered the suitability of the proposed site for such a plant.

The matter was also discussed on June 24, 1982 at a joint meeting of the Subcommittees on Clinch River Breeder Reactor and Site Evaluation. During both meetings, we had the benefit of input from representatives of the NRC Staff and the Department of Energy (Applicant). We also had the benefit of the documents listed below, as well as a direct discussion with the author of Reference 4.

The proposed Clinch River Breeder Reactor (CRBR) plant site is located in Roane County in east-central Tennessee, approximately 25 miles west of Knoxville and within the city limits of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The site consists of approximately 1,364 land acres on a peninsula formed by a meander in the Clinch River. It is bounded on three sides by the River and on the north by the Department of Energy's (00E) Oak Ridge Reservation. The site property is owned by the Federal Government, and the portions of the site required for constructing and operating the plant will fall under the custody of DOE.

The CRBR plant will be a single-unit electric power plant with a liquid sodium-cooled loop-type breeder reactor utilizing a fuel of mixed uranium-plutonium oxides. With the initial reactor core, the design power will be 975 MWt, and the net output will be 350 MWe.

DOE has requested a Limited Work Authorization (LWA-1) to begin nonsafety-related site preparation activities. It is required in 10 CFR 50.10 that, before an LWA-1 can be granted, an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) must determine that there is reasonable assurance that the proposed site is a suitable location from a radiological health and safety standpoint for a nuclear power reactor of the general size and type proposed. Our review was made in response to an NRC Staff request in connection with the required ASLB determination. The NRC Staff carefully defined the scope of the review to consider whether the site is suitable for a reactor "of the general size and type" of the CRBR; the current design of the CRBR plant itself was not evaluated.

8208040467 820726 PDR ADOCK 05000537 PDR A

Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino July 13,1982 Among the topics considered in this review were the location and distribu-tion of population around the site; the geology, seismology, and hydrology of the site; an assumed Site Suitability Source Term; and the risks to be expected fcom a plant of the CRBR type.

As part of its approach to trying to make the risks from an LMFBR comparable with those from a light water reactor (LWR), the NRC Staff provided review criteria for CRBR core disruptive accidents. We believe that this appears to be a reasonable first approach but also believe that at the construction permit stage substantive assurance will be needed that such criteria are being met. We wish to note that we do not necessarily agree with all the LMFBR Design Criteria specified in Appendix A of NUREG-0786.

The NRC Staff appears to have accepted the Applicant's assertion that a CRBR type plant would not represent an undue hazard to the K-25 Plant. We recommend that the Staff confirm through an independent assessment that the potential effects of a CRBR type plant on the K-25 plant are acceptable.

With regard to the seismic design of this plant, we believe it is important that the combination of seismic design basis and margins in the seismic design be such that this accident source represents an acceptably low contribution to the overall risk from the plant. We believe this matter will warrant detailed examination at the construction permit stage to assure that necessary margins are available for all important systems and compon-ents.

The NRC Staff has concluded that the CRBR plant can be designed and con-structed in such a manner that it will present no greater risk to the health and safety of the public than an LWR plant meeting current safety criteria.

We believe that the proposed site is suitable for such a plant.

Sincerely,

\.

P. Shewmon Chai rman References

1. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, " Site Suitability Report in the Matter of Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant," NUREG-0786, dated June 1982, Revision to March 4,1977 Report

2. Letter from J. R. Longenecker, DOE, to P. Boehnert, ACRS, concerning earthquake recursion relationships, dated July 7,1982

3. Handout from NRC Staff (undated) titled, " Review Criteria for CRBR Core Disruptive Accidents"

4. Letter from T. B. Cochran, National Resources Defense Council to P. Shewmon, ACRS, dated July 7,1982

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