Information Notice 1995-55, Handling Uncontained Yellowcake Outside of a Facility Circuit

Handling Uncontained Yellowcake Outside of a Facility Circuit

ML031060213
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Crane
Issue date:	12/06/1995
From:	Greeves J NRC/NMSS/DWM
To:
References
IN-95-055, NUDOCS 9511300301
Download: ML031060213 (5)

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

December 6, 1995

NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 95-55: HANDLING UNCONTAINED YELLOWCAKE OUTSIDE OF A

Addressees

All Uranium Recovery Licensees.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information

notice to alert addressees to the hazards associated with the handling of

uncontained yellowcake (natural uranium) at uranium recovery facilities. 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

new NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action nor written response is

required.

Description of Circumstances

During a routine NRC inspection of an operating conventional uranium mill, the

inspector discovered that the licensee had used an unorthodox method for

drying yellowcake which could have resulted in significant airborne exposure

to workers. No worker received an internal exposure in excess of regulatory

limits because of the careful work practices and procedures used for this Job.

Fifteen barrels of yellowcake were stored outside for several months.

Inleakage through the barrel bung holes resulted in the contents becoming wet

and requiring re-drying before shipment. The licensee was unable to use the

conventional yellowcake drying circuit of the mill because of delays in

receiving a state permit to use this equipment; tferefore, the licensee

resorted to spreading the yellowcake over a 38 ft trough and using propane

heaters placed above and below the trough to dry the material. The material

was dried in batches, and at various intervals workers raked the material to

enhance the drying process. Afterwards, the yellowcake was shoveled back into

the barrels.

During this work the area was washed down on several occasions

to reduce airborne concentrations and surface contamination.

The wash water

was routed to a process sump.

Air sample results ranged as high as 40 times the Derived Air Concentration

for natural uranium specified in 10 CFR 20, Appendix B. However, use of

safety measures, such as respiratory protection and protective clothing, resulted in no detectable levels of uranium in worker urine bioassay samples.

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IN 95-54

December 6, 1995 Discussion

Licenses issued to uranium recovery facilities do not specifically prohibit

the kind of activity described above.

However, NRC would expect that

appropriate management oversight and planning would eliminate any need for

such activities. Since production facilities and equipment are designed to

reduce direct exposure to yellowcake by mill workers, special tasks that

bypass these engineered controls should normally be avoided but, if required, be planned with special care to reduce worker exposure.

NRC requires that production facilities and equipment be designed: 1) to

reduce or eliminate worker contact with yellowcake during product drying and

packaging; and 2) to reduce emissions of dried yellowcake to prevent exposures

to workers as well as members of the public. In particular, dryer enclosures

are required and are designed to be maintained at a negative pressure relative

to other mill areas in order to reduce yellowcake outleakage. Also, filtering

components reduce yellowcake emissions from dryer stacks. These design

requirements assume that direct contact with dried yellowcake by workers will

occur only rarely and then only with relatively small quantities.

Uranium processing licensees occasionally may be required to handle

yellowcake. Sampling may disclose that a product batch does not meet customer

specifications and must be re-introduced manually into the process circuit.

On occasion, yellowcake must be transferred from one drum to another.

Such

manual maneuvers have a high potential for airborne contamination and worker

exposure.

Licensees are advised to take measures to minimize the need for special

handling of yellowcake product outside of the processing circuit. When such

work is required, these tasks should be carefully planned to reduce the

potential for airborne contamination and worker exposure.

Each licensee is responsible for protecting the public health and safety by

ensuring that all NRC requirements are met and that any potential hazards are

promptly identified, corrected, and, if necessary, reported. This

responsibility can only be fulfilled if there is persistent and adequate

management oversight of licensed activities.

4

IN 95-54 December 6, 1995 This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have questions about the information in this notice, please contact the

technical contact listed below.

Original Signed By

John T. Greeves, Director

Division of Waste Management

Officer of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical contact: Chuck Cain, RIV

(817) 860-8186 Attachments:

1. List of Recently Issued NMSS Information Notices

2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

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_i tachment 1 IN 95-55

December 6, 1995 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NMSS INFORMATION NOTICES

Information

Date of

Notice No.

Subject

Issuance

Issued to

95-51

95-50

95-44

95-39

95-29

95-28

95-25

94-64, Supp. 1

Recent Incidents Involving

Potential Loss of Control

of Licensed Material

Safety Defect in Gammamed

12i Bronchial Catheter

Clamping Adapters

Ensuring Combatible Use of

Drive Cables Incorporating

Industrial Nuclear Company

Ball-type Male Conectors

Brachytherapy Incidents

Involving Treatment

Planning Errors

Oversight of Design and

and Fabrication Activities

for Metal Components Used

in Spent Fuel Dry Storage

Systems

Emplacement of Support

Pads for Spent Fuel Dry

Storage Installations at

Reactor Sites

Valve Failure during

Patient Treatment with

Gamma Stereotactic

Radiosurgery Unit

Reactivity Insertion Trans- ient and Accident Limits

for High Burnup Fuel

10/27/95

10/30/95

09/26/95

09/19/95

06/07/95

06/05/95

05/11/95

04/06/95

All material and fuel cycle

licensees.

All High Dose Rate

Afterloader (HDR) Licensees.

All Radiography Licensees.

All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission Medical

Licensees.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

Independent spent fuel

storage installation

designers and fabricators.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors

All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission Medical

Licensees.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for Nuclear Power Reactors

and all fuel fabrication

licensees.

'-oitachment 2 IN 95-55

December 6, 1995 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information

Date of

Notice No.

Subject

Issuance

Issued to

95-54

95-53

95-47, Rev. 1

94-13, Supp. 2

95-13, Supp. 1

91-29, Supp. 3

94-86, Supp. 1

Decay Heat Management

Practices during

Refueling Outages

Failures of Main Steam

Isolation Valves as a

Result of Sticking

Solenoid Pilot Valves

Unexpected Opening of a

Safety/Relief Valve and

Complications Involving

Suppression Pool Cooling

Strainer Blockage

Control and Oversight of

Contractors during Re- fueling Activities and

Clarificaiton of Applica- bility of Section 50.120 of

Title 10 of The Code of

Federal Regulations to

Contractor Personnel

Potential for Data

Collection Equipment to

Affect Protection System

Performance

Deficiencies Identified

during Electrical

Distribution System

Functional Inspections

Legal Actions Against

Thermal Science, Inc.,

Manufacturer of Thermo-Lag

12/01/95

12/01/95

11/30/95

11/28/95

11/22/95

11/22/95

11/15/95

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

OL - Operating License

CP - Construction Permit