ML19240B545

North Carolina State University, Acknowledgement of Withdrawal of License Amendment Request Regarding Fueled Experiments for the Pulstar Research Reactor

ML19240B545
Person / Time
Site:	North Carolina State University
Issue date:	09/05/2019
From:	Edward Helvenston NRC/NRR/DLP/PLPB
To:	Hawari A North Carolina State University
Helvenston E, NRR/DLP, 415-4067
References
EPID L-2018-LLA-0500
Download: ML19240B545 (4)

Text

September 5, 2019 Dr. Ayman I. Hawari, Director Nuclear Reactor Program Department of Nuclear Engineering North Carolina State University Campus Box 7909 2500 Stinson Drive Raleigh, NC 27695-7909

SUBJECT:

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF WITHDRAWAL OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST REGARDING FUELED EXPERIMENTS FOR THE PULSTAR RESEARCH REACTOR (EPID NO. L-2018-LLA-0500)

Dear Dr. Hawari:

By letter dated December 4, 2018 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML18341A237), North Carolina State University (NCSU) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for the NCSU PULSTAR research reactor. NCSU requested the amendment to revise its license conditions (LCs) and technical specifications (TSs) to allow it to increase the quantity of uranium-235 (U-235) in fueled experiments; to allow it to perform fueled experiments with neptunium-237 or plutonium-239, in addition to U-235; and to allow it to perform vented fueled experiments. The amendment would also make other changes related to fueled experiments, including revising the TS definition of fueled experiment; adding or revising requirements for radiation monitoring and ventilation equipment; increasing license possession limits for fissile and fissionable materials to be used in fueled experiments; and revising other fueled experiment requirements. NCSU stated that the amendment would allow the LCs and TSs to accommodate its planned experimental needs.

By letter dated August 9, 2019 (ADAMS Accession No. ML19221B597), NCSU notified the NRC staff that it was withdrawing its December 4, 2018, LAR; and, that it had incorporated analyses supporting its proposed fueled experiments into the updated safety analysis report, provided as an enclosure to its August 9, 2019, letter, for its request for PULSTAR reactor license renewal submitted by letter dated February 24, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17088A818), as supplemented.

Therefore, the NRC staff has terminated its review of NCSUs LAR dated December 4, 2018.

However, information provided to the NRC staff in support of the LAR will remain in ADAMS.

Furthermore, given that NCSU has incorporated the fueled experiment analyses into its request for license renewal, the NRC staff will evaluate NCSUs proposed fueled experiments as part of its ongoing license renewal review.

A. Hawari If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-4067, or by electronic mail at Edward.Helvenston@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Edward Helvenston, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch Division of Licensing Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-297 License No. R-120 cc: See next page

North Carolina State University Docket No. 50-297 cc:

Office of Intergovernmental Relations 116 West Jones Street Raleigh, NC 27603 Dr. Kostadin Ivanov, Head Department of Nuclear Engineering North Carolina State University Campus Box 7909 Raleigh, NC 27695-7909 W. Lee Cox, Section Chief Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation Radiation Protection Section 1645 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1645 Dr. Louis Martin-Vega, Dean College of Engineering North Carolina State University 113 Page Hall Campus Box 7901 Raleigh, NC 27695-7901 Test, Research and Training Reactor Newsletter Attention: Ms. Amber Johnson Dept of Materials Science and Engineering University of Maryland 4418 Stadium Drive College Park, MD 20742-2115

ML19240B545 *concurred via email NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DLP/PRLB/PM* NRR/DLP/PRLB/LA* NRR/DLP/PRLB/BC NRR/DLP/PRLB/PM NAME EHelvenston NParker GCasto EHelvenston DATE 9/3/19 9/3/19 9/5/19 9/5/19