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HomeNRC LibraryDocument CollectionsGeneric CommunicationsInformation Notices1992
# Information Notice No. 92-21, Supplement 1: Spent Fuel Pool Reactivity Calculations
```
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
April 22, 1992
NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 92-21, SUPPLEMENT 1: SPENT FUEL POOL REACTIVITY
CALCULATIONS
Addressees
All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power
reactors.
Purpose
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this supplemental
information notice to update information initially supplied by ABB
Combustion Engineering (CE) and incorporated in Information Notice (IN)
92-21. It is expected that recipients will review the information for
applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to
avoid similar problems. However, suggestions contained in this information
notice are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written
response is required.
Description of Circumstances
IN 92-21 described errors which were discovered in reactivity calculations
for spent fuel pools. Initially, CE attributed one of the errors in their
calculations for the Millstone, Unit 2, spent fuel pool to using the
transport cross section as an approximation for the total cross section in a
region containing a strong neutron absorber (Boraflex). CE has recently
informed the NRC that, upon further investigation, they believe that this
approximation had little effect on calculated reactivity. CE now attributes
the error to incorrect treatment of the self-shielding effect in Boraflex
for the epithermal energy group. Revised calculations have shown that the
absorption cross section in Boraflex for the epithermal energy group is
significantly self-shielded; however, this was not accounted for in the
original calculations. This oversight resulted in overestimating neutron
absorption and a corresponding lower calculated keff in that region. The
remainder of the discrepancy is still attributed to the inaccurate geometric
buckling term used, as discussed in IN 92-21.
Discussion
Criticality calculational methodologies are benchmarked against criticality
experiments which include neutron absorbers; however, the negative
reactivity worth of the neutron absorber is usually low compared to that
utilized in an
9204160193
.
IN 92-21, Supplement 1
April 22, 1992
Page 2 of 2
actual spent fuel pool storage rack (approximately 2 percent versus 20
percent). Modest errors in calculated absorber worth in these criticality
experiments would result in relatively small errors in total reactivity.
However, similar errors when applied to the much higher absorber worth in
actual spent fuel pool storage racks may result in significantly larger
errors in total reactivity.
This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If
you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact
one of the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.
Charles E. Rossi, Director
Division of Operational Events Assessment
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical contacts: Jack Ramsey, NRR
(301) 504-1167
Larry Kopp, NRR
(301) 504-2879
Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
.
```
*Page Last Reviewed/Updated Friday, May 22, 2015*
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