ML17118A322

Non-Power Reactor Closeout of Generic Letter 2016-01, Monitoring of Neutron Absorbing Materials in Spent Fuel Pools for the Ohio State University Research Reactor Docket No. 50-150

ML17118A322
Person / Time
Site:	Ohio State University
Issue date:	05/04/2017
From:	Alexander Adams NRC/NRR/DPR/PRLB
To:	Kauffman A Ohio State University
Yin X
References
CAC A11010, GL-16-001
Download: ML17118A322 (4)

Text

May 4, 2017

Mr. Andrew Kauffman Associate Director Nuclear Reactor Laboratory The Ohio State University

1298 Kinnear Road Columbus, OH 43212

SUBJECT:

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY - NON-POWER REACTOR CLOSEOUT OF GENERIC LETTER 2016-01, "MONITORING OF NEUTRON-ABSORBING MATERIALS IN SPENT FUEL POOLS," FOR THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH REACTOR DOCKET NO. 50-150 (CAC NO. A11010)

On April 7, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Generic Letter (GL) 2016-01, "Monitoring of Neutron-Absorbing Materials in Spent Fuel Pools" (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML16097A169), to address the degradation of neutron-absorbing materials (NAM) in wet storage systems for reactor fuel at power and non-power reactors.

For the non-power reactors, GL 2016-01 requested that licensees provide facility-specific information related to the use of NAM. This information was needed by the NRC staff to verify continued compliance through licensee implementation of effective methods for monitoring of reactor fuel in wet storage so as to detect and mitigate any degradation or deformation of NAM when credited in the facility licensing or design basis for criticality control of fuel in wet storage.

On March 23, 2017, you submitted a revised response to GL 2016-01 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17088A127) superseding your March 20, 2017, response (ADAMS Accession No. ML17081A442) for the Ohio State University Research Reactor (OSURR). Your most recent response to the GL added an additional Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code criticality analyses for a total of two cases. Both cases assume that the fuel storage well is fully loaded with fuel. The first case results in the need to credit one percent of the BORAL installed in the facility's wet fuel storage well to meet the OSURR technical specification limit of a maximum k eff of 0.9. The second case analyzed a hypothetical and unrealistic loss of the 100 percent of BORAL in the OSURR wet fuel storage well. The MCNP code analysis for this case shows, with high statistical confidence, a maximum k eff of 0.968 indicating that the wet fuel storage well would remain subcritical with no BORAL.

A. Kauffman Based upon the information you submitted in responses to GL 2016-01 and the results of the NRC staff review, the NRC staff has determined that the submission addresses the information requested in GL 2016-01. No further information or action is requested regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Alexander Adams Jr., Chief Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch

Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc: See next page Ohio State University Docket No. 50-150

cc:

Chief Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Health and Radiation Protection 246 North High Street Columbus, OH 43215

Radiological Branch Chief Ohio Emergency Management Agency 2855 West Dublin-Granville Road Columbus, OH 43235-2206

David B. Williams, Dean College of Engineering The Ohio State University 142A Hitchcock Hall 2070 Neil Ave.

Columbus, OH 43210-1278

Test, Research and Training Reactor Newsletter P.O. Box 118300 University of Florida

Gainesville, FL 32611

Dr. Lei Cao, Director Nuclear Reactor Laboratory

The Ohio State University 201 West 19th Avenue E402 Scott Lab

Columbus, OH 43210

ML17118A322; *concurrence via e-mail OFFICE NRR/DPR/PRLB/PM NRR/DPR/PRLB/LA*NRR/DPR/PGCB/BC NRR/DPR/PRLB/BCNAME XYin NParker SStuchell AAdams DATE 5/1/17 5/1/17 5/4/17 5/4/17