ML20101E490

Advises That All Safety Questions Reviewed & Unit May Operate Safely During Cycle 4 Reload.Verification of Reload Core Design Will Be Performed Per Std Startup Physics Tests

ML20101E490
Person / Time
Site:	Farley
Issue date:	12/18/1984
From:	Mcdonald R ALABAMA POWER CO.
To:	Varga S Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8412260272
Download: ML20101E490 (2)

Text

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H;lN O.- . Memng Addeoes ,

i. ~  :: Alabann Power Compariy1 -

" r 5 600 North 18th Strat '

.>- J Post Office Box 2641 .+

, , Birrr+ngham, Alabama 35291 -

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, , < Telephone 205 783-6090 ' _'

bi &I 1 R. P, Mcdonald - ~

.c. Senior Vice President. . _ .

O f Aflintridge Building -__

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AlabamaPower tresournem 6ectnc system December . . 18, 1984 1 Docket No. 50-364 - >

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. Director, Nuclear:' Reactor: Regulation -

-U. S. Nuclear; Regulatory Coeulission.

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. Washington,i D.C. ! 20555

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"l  ; Attentionf Mr. Se A.--Varga ;

_ Joseph M. Farley Nuclear P1 ant - Unit 2

, Cycle-4 Reload

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Gentlemen:

' '. . ~

. Farley Unit 2 i_s current 1y' in its third cycle of operation with a:

refueling outage scheduled to connience in early January 1985. Third cycle

operation-will be terminated within a cycle burnup range of 13,360 to 15,360~- ,

IMWD/MTU. This letter is to advise you of. Alabama Power Company's review of Lthe Farley Unit-2 Cycle-4 core reload design and plans regarding its

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implementation.

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The Far1ey Unit-2 Cycle-4 core reload was designed to perform within -

the. current nominal design parameters, Technical Specifications and related  ;

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. ba'ses, and current ~ setpoints. _ A total of. 21 Region-4, 64 Region-5, and 72 I

. - fresh Region-6 fuel- assemblies will be inserted at the refueling outage.

, The. mechanical, Lnuclear and thermal-hydraulic. design of the ' Reload-6 fuel assemblies is identical to the design of the previous region..

, t Alabama Power Company has performed a-. detailed review of the Westinghouse Reload Safety Evaluation Report (RSER) for Farley Unit-2  ;

Cycle-4,Jincluding all postulated incidents considered in the FSAR and the

Westinghouse fuel. densification report, WCAP-8219 " Fuel Densification Experimental Results and Model for' Reactor Operation." The RSER included a.

. review of the core characteristics to determine those parameters affecting 1the postulated accident analyses reported in the Farley FSAR. Alabama Power Company concluded that Cycle-4 design parameters are conservative with respect to those assumed in the; previous analyses; therefore, no accident -

e ' was reanalyzed based on Cycle-4 parameters. This verification is consistent .

with the Westinghouse reload, safety evaluation methodology as outlined in  :

the March 1978 Westinghouse to Safety Evaluation Methodology,gical report entitled, " West.inghouse Reload

~ ( WCAP-9272) .

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'm, Mr.J S. A. Varga i .

December 18, 1984

- U. S.; Nuclear Regulatory Commission Page 2 The reload _ safety evaluation demons + rated that Technical Spocification

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changes are not required for operation of Farley Unit-2. during Cycle-4.

Alabama Power Company's Plant Operations Review Comnittee and Nuclear .

Operations Review. Board have concluded that no unreviewed safety questions

' defined by -10CFR50.59 are involved with this reload. Therefore, based on this review, an application for amendment to the Farley Unit-2 operating

license.is not required.

Verification of the' reload core design ~ will be performed per the

-standard startup physics tests nonna11y performed for Westinghouse PWR reload cycles. These tests'will include, but not be limited to,

' measurements of:

(1) , Control rod drop time;

-(2) Critical- boron concentration;

.(3) Control rod bank worth; (4) . Moderator temperature coefficient; (5_) Power distribution using the incore flux mapping system at various power levels during power ascension.

Results of these tests and a core loading map will be submitted approximately ninety-(90) days after startup of Cycle-4.

Yours very truly R. P. Mcdonald RPM /MDR:ddb

-cc: Mr. L. B. Long Mr. J. P. O'Reilly

-Mr. E. A. Reeves

- Mr. W. H. Bradford Mr. Dan Turner