[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 6, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62482-62483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29657]
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[[Page 62483]]
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-317]
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power
Plant Unit No. 1); Exemption
I.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE or the licensee) is the
holder of Facility Operating License No. DPR-53, which authorizes
operation of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 (the facility/
CC-1), at a steady-state reactor power level not in excess of 2700
megawatts thermal. The facility is a pressurized water reactor located
at the licensee's site in Calvert County, Maryland. The license
provides among other things, that it is subject to all rules,
regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the
Commission or NRC) now or hereafter in effect.
II.
By letter dated July 13, 1995, the licensee requested a temporary
exemption to 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part
50 that would enable the use of four lead fuel assemblies during CC-1
Cycles 13, 14, and 15. These regulations refer to pressurized water
reactors fueled with uranium oxide pellets within cylindrical zircaloy
or ZIRLO cladding. The four lead fuel assemblies to be used during
these fuel cycles contain fuel rods with zirconium-based claddings that
are not chemically identical to zircaloy or ZIRLO.
Since 10 CFR 50.46 and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50 identify
requirements for calculating emergency core cooling system (ECCS)
performance for reactors containing fuel with zircaloy or ZIRLO
cladding, and 10 CFR 50.44 relates to the generation of hydrogen gas
from a metal-water reaction between the reactor coolant and reactor
fuel having zircaloy or ZIRLO cladding, a temporary exemption is
required to place the four lead fuel assemblies containing fuel rods
with advanced zirconium based cladding in the core during CC-1 Cycles
13, 14, and 15.
III.
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations at 50.12(a)(2)(ii)
enables the Commission to grant an exemption from the requirements of
Part 50 when special circumstances are present such that application of
the regulation in the particular circumstances would not serve the
underlying purpose of the rule, or is not necessary to achieve the
underlying purpose of the rule. The underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.46
and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K is to establish requirements for the
calculation of ECCS performance in order to assure reactor safety in
the event of a loss of coolant accident. The licensee has performed a
calculation demonstrating adequate ECCS performance for CC-1 and has
shown that the four lead fuel assemblies do not have a significant
impact on that previous calculation. The lead fuel assemblies, with the
zirconium-based alloy cladding, meet the same design basis as the
Zircaloy-4 fuel which is currently in the CC-1 reactor core and have
similiar thermal-hydraulic characteristics. No safety limits will be
changed or setpoints altered as a result of using the lead fuel
assemblies.
The Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR) analysis are
bounding for the lead fuel assemblies as well as the remainder of the
core. The mechanical properties and behavior of the lead fuel
assemblies during postulated loss-of-coolant-accidents (LOCA) and non-
LOCA transients and operational transients will be essentially the
same. In addition, the four lead fuel assemblies represent a small
portion of the total core and will be placed in non-limiting core
locations which experience no more than 0.95 of the core power density
during operation. As such, the licensee has achieved the underlying
purpose of 10 CFR 50.46 and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix K.
The underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.44 is to ensure that means are
provided for the control of hydrogen gas that may be generated
following a postulated LOCA. The licensee has provided means for
controlling hydrogen gas and has previously considered the potential
for hydrogen gas generation stemming from a metal-water reaction. The
small number of fuel rods in the four lead fuel assemblies containing
advanced zirconium-based claddings in conjunction with the chemical
similarity of the advanced claddings to zircaloy and ZIRLO ensures that
previous calculations of hydrogen production resulting from a metal-
water reaction would not be significantly changed. As such, the
licensee has achieved the underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.44.
In addition to the above, the advanced claddings have been tested
for corrosion resistance, tensile and burst strength, and creep
characteristics. The test results indicate that the advanced claddings
are safe for reactor service under all the anticipated operating
conditions considered in the CC-1 UFSAR.
IV.
For the foregoing reasons, the NRC staff has concluded that the use
of the four lead fuel assemblies in the CC-1 reactor during Cycles 13,
14, and 15 will not present an undue risk to public health and safety
and is consistent with the common defense and security. The NRC staff
has determined that there are special circumstances present as
specified in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii) such that the application of 10 CFR
50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50 to explicitly
consider the advanced clad fuel rods present within the four lead fuel
assemblies is not necessary in order to achieve the underlying purpose
of these regulations.
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR
50.12, a temporary exemption is authorized by law and will not endanger
life or property or common defense and security and is otherwise in the
public interest, and hereby grants BGE a temporary exemption from the
requirements of 10 CFR 50.44, 10 CFR 50.46, and Appendix K to 10 CFR
Part 50 in that explicit consideration of the advanced zirconium-based
clad fuel present within the four lead fuel assemblies is not required
in order to be in compliance with these regulations. This exemption
applies only to the four lead fuel assemblies for the time period
(Cycles 13, 14, and 15) for which these assemblies will be in the CC-1
reactor core.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the
granting of this exemption will have no significant impact on the
quality of the human environment (60 FR 56622).
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of November 1995.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Steven A. Varga,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-29657 Filed 12-5-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
