The following information was provided by the
Texas A&M University (
TAMN) via phone and email:
At approximately 1315 CDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, during routine fuel inspections required under Technical Specification (TS) 4.1.5 ['Reactor Fuel Elements'], a fuel pin (serial number 11394) did not pass the test criteria. The pin was bloated enough to not fit in the bend test rig. This meets the definition of a `Reportable Occurrence' under the definitions in TS 1.3. In accordance with the requirements of TS 6.6.2 and 6.7.2, TAMN notified the NRC Headquarters Operations Officer within one working day.
Visual inspection of the pin did not indicate any obvious degradation that would be exceptional for a pin with sixteen years of burnup history, other than a slight bloat in the middle of the pin.
There have been no indications of cladding failure on routine primary coolant analyses.
As required by
TS 4.1.5.2,
TAMN is initiating an inspection of the entire core fuel inventory once
TAMN finishes the regularly scheduled fuel inspections for the year.
TAMN informed the NRC Project Manager.