ML13052A309
| ML13052A309 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | University of Texas at Austin |
| Issue date: | 03/28/2013 |
| From: | Paulette Torres Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch |
| To: | Whaley M University of Texas at Austin |
| Torres, P | |
| References | |
| TAC ME8072 | |
| Download: ML13052A309 (5) | |
Text
March 28, 2013 Mr. P. Michael Whaley, Associate Director Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory The University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station, R9000 Austin, Texas 78712
SUBJECT:
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, RE: LICENSE AMENDMENT, SUBMISSION OF CHANGES TO LICENSE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (TAC NO. ME8072)
Dear Mr. Whaley:
We are continuing our review of your application for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. R-129 dated February 8, 2012. During our review of your application for an amendment, questions have arisen for which we require additional information and clarification.
Please provide responses to the enclosed request for additional information within 30 days of the date of this letter.
In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Section 50.30(b), your response must be executed in a signed original under oath or affirmation. Your response must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 50.4, Written Communications. Information included in your response that is considered security, sensitive, or proprietary, that you seek to have withheld from the public, must be marked in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding. Following receipt of the additional information, we will continue our evaluation of your amendment request.
If you have any questions regarding this review, please contact me at (301) 415-5656 or by electronic mail at paulette.torres@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Paulette A. Torres, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-602 cc w/encl: See next page
University of Texas at Austin Docket No. 50-602 cc:
Governors Budget and Planning Office P.O. Box 13561 Austin, TX 78711 Bureau of Radiation Control State of Texas 1100 West 49th Street Austin, TX 78756 Dr. William Powers, Jr., President University of Texas at Austin Nuclear Engineering teaching Laboratory Austin, TX 78758 Mr. Roger Mulder Office of the Governor P.O. Box 12428 Austin, TX 78711 P. Michael Whaley, Associate Director Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory The University of Texas at Austin 10100 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78758 Test, Research, and Training Reactor Newsletter University of Florida 202 Nuclear Sciences Center Gainesville, FL 32611
ML13052A309 NRR-088 OFFICE DPR/PRLB: PM DPR/PRLB: LA DPR/PRLB: PM DPR/PRLB: BC DPR/PRLB: PM NAME PTorres GLappert WKennedy AAdams PTorres DATE 03/13/2013 3/14/13 3/28/13 3/28/13 LTran 3/28/13
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN LICENSE NO. R-129; DOCKET NO. 50-602 We are continuing our review of your application for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. R-129 dated February 8, 2012, as supplemented by letter dated June 22, 2012.
During our review questions have arisen for which we require additional information and clarification. The following questions pertain to the proposed technical specifications (TSs) submitted with the letter dated June 22, 2012.
- 1. You made changes to proposed TS 1.21, Reference Core Condition, but it is unclear whether there is a formal request for the change in your latest supplement to your application. Your response to RAI 5.b discusses the Reference Core Condition and how it relates to the reactivity worth of xenon. Your response to RAI 5.b also states that, The specification has been revised to reflect this proposed requirement, and supporting analysis has been completed and incorporated to the basis for section 3.1. Please clarify if this statement pertains to the Reference Core Condition definition in proposed TS 1.21, and if so, please submit an explicit amendment request for this change.
- 2. Proposed TS 6.1.3.c.i.(a), Relocation of fuel or control rods, and proposed TS 6.1.3.c.ii.(b),
Relocation of any experiment with a reactivity worth of greater than one dollar, do not match the changes proposed in Part 1 of the letter dated June 22, 2012. Please clarify which changes are the correct changes and revise the proposed TSs if appropriate.
- 3. In section 6.2.2.b. of the proposed TS, you changed the term operating staff to NETL Director, Associate Director and Reactor Supervisor, but there is no formal request and justification for the change in your application. Please provide a justification for this change to the proposed TSs.
- 4. In your application for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. R-129 dated February 8, 2012, as supplemented by letter dated June 22, 2012; you provided the proposed changes to the TSs in tabular form, with the current TS adjacent to the proposed revision. In order to avoid unintentional changes in the TSs without authorization in the amendment, please submit the proposed TSs with change marks in the right hand margin next to each line changed. Provide a list of all the pages in the current TSs that are substantively affected by the changes and the corresponding pages in the revised proposed TSs.
- 5. Your response to RAI 7.a doesnt answer the question of why its acceptable to reduce redundancy in the safety system. Please provide a detail discussion of what happens if the Fuel Temperature safety channel fails and doesnt scram the reactor on high temperature.
- 6. Your response to RAI 13 doesnt mention the facility indemnity agreement as we previously asked. Please discuss how the proposed area relates to the facility indemnity agreement.