ML17261B013

Proposed Tech Specs,Allowing Use of Reconstituted Fuel Assemblies

ML17261B013
Person / Time
Site:	Ginna
Issue date:	03/15/1990
From:	ROCHESTER GAS & ELECTRIC CORP.
To:
Shared Package
ML17261B011	List: ML17261B010 ML17261B012 ML17261B013
References
NUDOCS 9003270048
Download: ML17261B013 (6)

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ATTACHMENTARevisetheTechnicalSpecificationpagesasfollows:Remove5.3-1Insert5.3-19003270K05P00204890031>popADOCKpnr-.=-P 5.35.3.1ReactorDesiFeaturesReactorCorea.Thereactorcorecontainsapproximately45metrictonsofuraniumintheformofuraniumdioxidepellets.Thepelletsareencapsul'atedinZircaloy4tubingtoformfuelrods.Thereactorcoreismadeupof121fuelassemblies"'itheachfuelassemblycontaining179fuelrodlocations.Fuelrodlocationsatanytimeduringplantlife,mayconsistoffuelrodscladwithZircaloy-4orfillerrodsfabricatedfromZircaloy-4orstainlesssteelifjustifiedbycycle-specificreloadanalysis.Shouldmorethan30,rodsinthecore,or10rodsinanyassemblybereplacedperrefueling,areportdescribingthenumberofrodsreplacedandassociatedcycle-specificevaluationshallbesubmittedtotheCommissionpriortocriticality.Eachfuelassemblyalsocontains16guidetubesandoneinstrumentationthimbleallarrangedina14x14arraytoformafuelassembly.b.Theenrichmentofreloadfuelshallbenomorethan3.5weightpercentU-235forregionsdeliveredpriortoJanuary1,1984(Regions1-15),4.25weightpercentU-235forregionsdeliveredafterJanuary1,1984,ortheirequivalentsintermsofreactivity.c.Thereare29full-lengthassembliesinthereactorcore.EachRCCassemblycontains16144inchlengthsofsilver-indium-cadmiumalloycladwithstainlesssteelwhichactasneutronabsorberswheninsertedintothecore."'asisTheDNBRsforthereconstitutedassembliesareconservativelydeterminedbyassumingthefillerrodsareoperatingatthehighestpowerinthereconstitutedfuelassembly.5.3-1Proposed RochesterGasandElectric(RG&E)desirestheflexibilitytoreconstitutefuelassembliesinordertoreducecoolantactivityandutilizetheremainingenergyinfuelassemblieswhichcontainsmallnumbersofdefectivefuelrods.Inthereconstitutionprocess,thefuelrodswhichareknowntobedefectivewillberemovedandreplacedwithdummyrods(Zircaloyorstainlesssteel).Thisreconstitutionwillbeaccomplishedbyeitherremovingthetopnozzleorbyremovingthebottomnozzleafterinvertingtheassembly,inspectingandremovingthedefectiverods,replacingthefailedrodswithdummyrodsandreattachingthenozzle.Ifafuelassemblyskeletonisdamaged,serviceablefuelrodsanddummyrodsmaybetransferredtoanewskeleton.Fuelanddummyrodinsertionandnozzleremoval/reattachmentremainthesameasinthereconstitutionprocesspreviouslydiscussed.Thereconstitutedassemblywillmeettheoriginalassemblydesigncriteria.TheR.E.GinnaNuclearPowerPlant"TechnicalSpecification5.3.1.adescribesthereactorcoreasconsistingofassembliescontaining179fuelrods.Inordertoallowfortheinsertionofreconstitutedassemblieswithdummyrods,thisstatementmustbemodifiedasproposedinAttachmentA.TheuseofreconstitutedfuelassembliesinareloadcoreisconsideredacceptablebecauseeachreloadthatcontainsreconstitutedassemblieswillbeevaluatedusingstandardmethodsasdescribedinReference1.Thereloadanalysiswillevaluatetheeffectoftheactualreconstitutiononcoreperformanceparameters,peakingfactors,coreaveragelinearheatrateeffects,andfortheeffectofthereconstitutionontheLOCA-relatedanalysestoensuretheexistingsafetycriteriaanddesignlimitsaremet.Inaddition,reconstitutedassemblieswillmeettheoriginalassemblydesigncriteria.Thereportrequirementof30and10isarbitrarilychosenasavalueabovewhichthecycle-specificevaluationwillbesubmittedtotheStaff.Inaccordancewith10CFR50.91,thesechangestotheTechnicalSpecificationshavebeenevaluatedtodetermineiftheoperationofthefacilityinaccordancewiththeproposed,Amendmentwould:1.involveasignificantincreaseintheprobabilityorconsequencesofanaccidentpreviouslyevaluated;or2.createthepossibilityofanewordifferentkindofaccidentfromanyaccidentpreviouslyevaluated;or3.involveasignificantreductioninthemarginofsafety.Thereconstitutedfuelassembliesmeetthesamedesignrequirementsandsatisfythesamedesigncriteriaastheoriginalfuelassemblies.Cyclespecificreloadevaluationswillapplyexistingsafetycriteriaanddesignlimits.Thereforeuseofreconstitutedfuelassembliesdoesnotinvolveasignificantincreasein.theprobabilityorconsequencesofanaccidentpreviouslyevaluated..

4I~%Thereconstitutedfuelassembliessatisfytheoriginaldesigncriteriaandthereloadinwhichthefuelassembliesareusedis~evaluatedtoensureexistingsafetycriteriaanddesignlimitsaremet.Therefore,thepossibilityofanewordifferentkindofaccidentisnotcreatedbytheuseofreconstitutedfuel.Therequiredcyclespecificreloadanalysiswillensureexistingsafetycriteriaand'esignlimitsaremet.Thiswillensurethereisnoreductioninamarginofsafety.Basedontheabovediscussions,RochesterGasandElectricsubmitsthattheissuesassociatedwiththisAmendmentrequestareoutsidethecriteriaof10CPR50.91andanosignificanthazardsfindingiswarranted.Reference1.WCAP-9273A"WestinghouseReloadSafetyEvaluationMethodology",July1985B-2

~~'TABLE1DETAILEDTECHNICALSPECIFICATIONCHANGESLocationDescritionofChaneReasonforChanePage5.3-1"...mayconsistoffuelrodscladwithZircaloy-4orfillerrodsfabricatedfromZircaloy-4orstainlesssteelifjustifiedbycycle-specificreloadanalysis.Shouldmorethan30rodsinthecore,or10rodsinanyassemblybereplacedperrefueling,areportdescribingthenumberofrodsreplacedandassociatedcycle-specificevaluationshallbesubmittedtotheCommissionpriortocriticality."Allowuseofreconstitutedfuel.Replaced"are"with"all"Deleted"Thereactorcoreismadeupof121fuelfuelassemblies.""'ordingUsedintheaboveinsertion.Added,Basis:"TheDNBRsforthereconstitutedassembliesareconservativelydeterminedbyassumingthefillerrodsareoperatingatthehighestpowerinthereconstitutedfuelassembly."RequestedbyNRCReviewer

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