ML20056F851

TS Change Request 232 to License DPR-50,revising TS to Accomodate Limited Fuel Reconstitution Based on NRC-approved Generic B&W Topical Rept BAW-2149,per GL-90-02,Suppl 1

ML20056F851
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	08/26/1993
From:	Broughton T GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORP.
To:
Shared Package
ML20056F850	List: ML20056F849 ML20056F851 ML20056F852
References
GL-90-02, GL-90-2, NUDOCS 9308310209
Download: ML20056F851 (5)

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METROPOLITAN EDISON COMPANY I

JERSEY CENTRAL POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY AND PENNSYLVANIA ELECTRIC COMPANY THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT I l

i Operating License No. DPR-50 l Docket No. 50-289  :

Technical Specification Change Request No. 232 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA )

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COUNTY OF DAUPHIN )

i This Technical Specification Change Request is submitted in support of Licensee's i request to change Appendix A to Operating License No. DPR-50 for Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit I. As part of this request, proposed replacement pages for Appendix A are also included.

GPU NUCLEAR CORPORATION BY: >

VicePresidefandDirector,TMI-I i

Sworn and subscribed before me this

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• day of . , 1993.

j Notary Public semesame 14 teme=Posu$senAmoemonermams i

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9308310209 930826 PDR O

l ADOCK 05000289 [M P ppa gg;

I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  ;

i NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j IN THE MATTER OF DOCKET NO. 50-289 i GPU NUCLEAR CORPORATION LICENSE NO. DPR-50 i

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE l This is to certify that a copy of Technical Specification Change Request No. 232 to Appendix A of the Operating License for Three Mile Island Nuclear Station Unit 1, has, on the date given below, been filed with executives of Londonderry  ;

Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania; Dauphin County, Pennsylvania; and the  !

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of Radiation i Protection, by deposit in the United States mail, addressed as follows i

Mr. Daryl LeHew, Chairman Mr. Russel L. Sheaffer, Chairman !

Board Supervisors of Board of County Commissioners i Londonderry Township of Dauphin County l R. D. #1, Geyers Church Road Dauphin County Courthouse (

Middletown, PA 17057 Harrisburg, PA 17120 J

Director, Bureau of Radiation Protection .

Attn: Mr. Richard Janati l Pa Dept. of Environmental Resources  ;

P. O. Box 2063 -

Harrisburg, PA 17120 CPU NUCLEAR CORPORATION BY: er j VicePresidentadjDirector,TMI-l l- DATE: August 26, 1993 i i

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l ENCLOSURE I. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION CHANGE RE00EST (TSCR) NO. 232 i GPUN requests that the following changed replacement pages be inserted l into the existing Technical Specifications: j Revised pages: 5-4, and 5-5 These pages are attached to this change request. l II. REASON FOR CHANGE This change is requested to modify the TMI-l Technical Specifications to accommodate limited fuel reconstitution based on NRC-approved generic j Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) Topical Report BAW-2149, " Evaluation of Replacement  ;

Rods in BWFC Fuel Assemblies", December,1991. NRC approval of BAW-2149 I l

was provided in a Safety Evaluation Report, dated April 12, 1993. This  !

change provides flexibility for improved fuel performance by permitting timely removal of fuel rods found to be leaking during a refueling outage or determined to be pnssible sources of future leakage. The proposed '

change also adds a provision for the use of a limited number of lead test assemblies in non-limiting core regions. This proposed Technical Specification revision is consistent with the guidance contained in NRC ,

Generic Letter 90-02, Supplement 1, dated July 31, 1992, and incorporates '

a line-item improvement in Technical Specifications.

I I I .. SAFETY EVALUATION JUSTIFYING CHANGE TMI-l Technical Specification Section 5.3.1.1 includes a design t description for fuel assemblies which specifies that a fuel assembly contains 208 fuel rods arranged in a 15x15 lattice. The proposed change to the Technical Specification permits the substitution of zirconium alloy or stainless steel filler rods for fuel rods in fuel assemblies in accordance with NRC-approved applications of fuel rod configurations.

Fuel assemblies are limited to those fuel designs that have been analyzed with applicable NRC-approved codes and methods, and shown by tests or i analyses to comply with all fuel safety design bases. Flexibility to i

deviate from the number of fuel rods per assembly is desirable to permit.

timely removal of fuel rods found to be leaking during a refueling outage or determined to be possible sources of future leakage. This improvement in the fuel performance program will provide for reductions in future occupational radiation exposure and plant radiological releases.

NRC-approved Topical Report BAW-2149 demonstrates that approved BWFC analysis methods, when applied to reconstituted fuel assemblies will assure that NRC specified acceptable fuel design limits are met. Approval of BAW-2149 provides the basis that BWFC fuel assemblies reconstituted consistent with the restrictions of the report do not represent an unreviewed safety question and, therefore, that such reconstitution may be done under the provisions of 10 CFR 50.59 without prior approval of the NRC. The proposed Technical Specification revision ensures that fuel rod configuration and fuel assembly design for a specific operating cycle, have been analyzed with applicable NRC-approved methodologies and that the safety limits and General Design Criteria of 10 CFR 50 Appendix A are maintained.

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t Reconstitution of a limited aumber of fuel rods in fuel assemblies to be  !

. reinserted in the core has become a common industry practice. Latest l generation fuel assemblies used at TMI-I are specifically designed to ,

allow reconstitution. l t

With respect to the aescription of fuel rod cladding, Technical Specification Section 6.3.1.1 is revised to identify zirconium alloy fuel i rods as described in NUREG-1430, Standard Technical Specifications for Babcock & Wilcox Type Plants, Revision 0, dated September 28, 1992. TMI-I  ;

was granted an exemption dated November 14, 1991, pursuant to 10 CFR l 50.12, from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.46(a)(1)(i), 10 CFR 50.44(a), i and Appendix K to 10 CFR 50 regarding the use of Zirlo (alloy of l zirconium) clad fuel instead of Zircaloy clad fuel as specified in the l rules. Any additional future use of zirconium alloy fuel rod cladding l beyond the scope of the existing exemption will require formal exemption j requests, based on the then current wording of the applicable regulations.  :

This clarification only reflects the previously granted exemption and is j consistent with the new Standard Technical Specifications. Therefore, j this change is considered to be administrative. '

The existing TMI-1 Technical Specification Section 5.3.1.1 description that "the reactor core is composed of slightly enriched uranium dioxide pellets in fuel rods," is deleted since it is redundant to the generic letter model Technical Specification wording. Therefore, this change is considered to be administrative.

IV. NO SIGNIFICANT HAZfh0S CONSIDERATION GPUN has determined that this Technical Specification Change Request  ;

involves no significant hazards consideration as defined by NRC in 10 CFR 50.92.

1. Operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment would not involve a significant increase in the probability of l occurrence or the consequences of an accident previously evaluated.

The proposed amendment only permits the limited substitution of filler rods for fuel rods in fuel assemblies in accordance with the NRC-approved Babcock & Wilcox Fuel Company (BWFC) fuel assembly reconstitution methodology described in BAW-2149. Allowing this substitution for fuel rods that are found to be leaking during a refueling or are possible sources of future leakage will result in reductions in future occupational radiation exposure and plant radiological releases. Therefore, this change does not increase the probability of occurrence or the consequences of an accident previously evaluated.

2. Operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment would not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated. Substitution of filler rods is permitted in accordance with NRC-approved BWFC fuel assembly reconstitution methodology described in BAW-2149.

3. Operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment would not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.

Substitution of filler rods is permitted in accordance with NRC-approved BWFC fuel assembly reconstitution methodology described in BAW-2149. This methodology preserves existing fuel design and safety limits. Therefore, it is concluded that operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendment does not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.

l V. IMPLEMENTATION

, It is requested that the amendment authorizing this change become effective upon issuance. J i

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