ML25324A047

Report for August 28, 2025, Audit of Framatome Topical Report ANP-10323, Revision 1, Supplement 1P, Revision 0, One Galileo: Fuel Rod Thermal-Mechanical Methodology for Pressurized Water Reactors (Non-Proprietary)

ML25324A047
Person / Time
Site:	PROJ0728
Issue date:	12/03/2025
From:	Ngola Otto Licensing Processes Branch
To:	Framatome
References
EPID L-2025-TOP-0015
Download: ML25324A047 (0)

Text

OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AUGUST 28, 2025, REGULATORY AUDIT REPORT FOR FRAMATOME, INC.

TOPICAL REPORT ANP-10323, REVISION 1, SUPPLEMENT 1P, REVISION 0, ONE GALILEO FUEL ROD THERMAL-MECHANICAL METHODOLOGY FOR PRESSURIZED WATER REACTORS PROJECT NO. 728 (EPID: 2025-TOP-0015)

1.0 BACKGROUND

By application dated April 1, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Package Accession No. ML25092A022), Framatome Inc., submitted Topical Report (TR) ANP-10323, Revision 1, Supplement 1P, Revision 0, One GALILEO Fuel Rod Thermal-Mechanical Methodology for Pressurized Water Reactors, for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) review and approval. The NRC staff held this audit (ML25210A207) to facilitate the TR review.

2.0 REGULATORY AUDIT OBJECTIVES The audit objectives were accomplished through discussions with Framatomes technical experts. The NRC and Framatome audit participants are provided below.

NRC Participants Name Affiliation Joseph Messina NRC David Coy NRC Ngola Otto NRC Framatome Participants Name Affiliation Morris Byram Framatome Lisa Gerken Framatome Jerry Holm Framatome Yu Huang Framatome Miao Sun Framatome Kai Tai Framatome Phillippe Bellanger Framatome Heather Weiss Framatome Paul Clifford Framatome Chris Allison Framatome

OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION 3.0 REGULATORY AUDIT BASES Regulatory guidance for the review of fuel system materials and designs and adherence to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Appendix A to Part 50, General Design Criteria (GDC)-10, Reactor Design, GDC-11, Reactor Inherent Protection, and GDC-13, Instrumentation and Control, is provided in NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants (SRP), Section 4.3, Nuclear Design. In accordance with SRP Section 4.3, the objectives of the nuclear designs safety review is to provide reasonable assurance that: (1) acceptable fuel designs limits are not exceeded, (2) limiting power distributions are not exceeded, and (3) analytical methods should be representative of the state of the art, and the experiments used to validate the analytical methods should be adequate representations of fuel designs in the reactor and encompass a sufficient range of variables and operating conditions.

The audit was performed in accordance with the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office Instruction LIC-111, Revision 2, Regulatory Audits, dated December 30, 2024 (ML24309A281).

4.0 DISCUSSION In the audit plan, the NRC staff listed several topics, questions, and requests that needed clarification. The list in the order of the TR sections is described and provided below.

1. Please provide a detailed walkthrough of the rod internal pressure, cladding oxidation, fuel centerline melt, and transient cladding strain (TCS) analyses.

2. Please discuss the selection of the power histories and axial power shapes for the various analyses. Please discuss whether ((

))?

3. Regarding Condition I and II transients, in Table 4-1, Rod Internal Pressure and Corrosion Methodology and Technical Basis, lines F and G, please provide the ((

))?

4. Regarding fuel with gadolinia (gad), in Table 4-1 and throughout the TR, it is stated that

((

)).

5. Section 4.1.2, Local Power Distribution Uncertainties, states that ((

)). Please discuss the impact of this choice on the analyses.

6. In Section 4.1.2, please provide a walkthrough for the calculation of ((

)).

OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

7. Section 4.1.3, Total Power Uncertainty Allowance, states that ((

)). Please explain why the ((

)).

8. Section 4.3, Fuel Rod Design Parameters, clarification: at the end of the 4th paragraph, what is this parameter?

9. Please walk through the sensitivity study described on page 4-13 in Section 4-3.

10. Please list the fuel rod manufacturing uncertainties and tolerances for a typical rod in a Framatome 17x17 AFM GAIA assembly.

11. Section 4.4, Application Examples, Figures 4-4, Limiting UO2 Rod Power History for AFM, through 4-7, Limiting Gad Rod Power History for CE14x14, in the list on page 4-15, the ((

)). Please explain this difference. In addition, it does not appear that all the listed ((

)). Please show ((

)).

12. Section 4.4 of the TR states that ((

)) and Table 4-5, UO2 Rod Cladding Oxide Thickness Results, contains the

((

)) oxide thickness results. Please provide a comparison of the oxide thickness results for ((

)).

13. Please discuss the sensitivity of ((

)).

14. In Figure 4-5, Limiting UO2 Rod Power History for CE14x14, why is the ((

))?

15. Section 5.1, Steady-state Power History, of the TR states To assure that conservative LHGR [linear heat generation rate] to melt limits are always calculated, ((

)). Please discuss if the ((

)).

16. Please discuss the ((

)).

Additionally, please discuss the transient ramp rate.

17. Please discuss the fact that the ((

)). What are the implications of this trend?

OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OFFICIAL USE ONLY - PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

18. Section 5.6, Application Examples: do all the ((

))? Is this an iterative process?

19. Section 6.1, Steady-State Power History, of the TR discusses the power histories used for the TCS analyses. Please provide more details on the power histories used for the TCS analyses. Please provide the ((

)) that is used. Please explain how

((

)) and provide examples.

20. Section 6.1 of the TR states ((

)).

21. Please explain the statement in Section 6.1 of the TR that ((

)). Is this statement asserting that ((

))?

22. Section 6.4 lists the equation used to calculate the TCS. Please explain why ((

)).

23. In Section 6.5, Uncertainty Application, please provide details on how ((

)).

24. In Section 6, TCS, please describe how the analyses may vary from plant to plant.

Specifically, the ((

)).

Please comment.

5.0 CONCLUSION

The audit accomplished the objectives listed in Section 2.0 by allowing direct interaction with Framatomes technical experts. The NRC staff participants were able to obtain clarification on the request for additional information responses and ask questions. This audit supports the TR review and development of the NRC staffs safety evaluation. No regulatory decisions were made at the audit.