Information Notice 1997-20, Identification of Certain Uranium Hexafluoride Cylinders That Do Not Comply with ANSI N14.1 Fabrication Standards

Identification of Certain Uranium Hexafluoride Cylinders That Do Not Comply with ANSI N14.1 Fabrication Standards

ML031050397
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, Three Mile Island, 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, University of Virginia, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	04/17/1997
From:	Kane W NRC/NMSS/SFPO
To:
References
IN-97-020, NUDOCS 9704170195
Download: ML031050397 (7)

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UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS

WASHINGTON, DC 20555 April 17, 1997 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 97-20: IDENTIFICATION OF CERTAIN URANIUM

HEXAFLUORIDE CYLINDERS THAT DO NOT

COMPLY WITH ANSI N14.1 FABRICATION

STANDARDS

Addressees

Registered users of transportation packages for uranium hexafluoride.

Purpose

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

addressees that, based on NRC inspection review of available records, certain Model 30B

cylinders for uranium hexafluoride do not meet the fabrication standards in American

National Standards Institute, ANSI N14.1, "Uranium Hexafluoride-Packaging for Transport."

Model 30B cylinders that do not meet the ANSI N14.1 standard are not authorized for

transport. It is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability

to their operations. However, information contained in this notice Is not an NRC requirement;

therefore, no specific action nor written response is required.

Description of Circumstances

On April 9-11, 1997, NRC conducted an inspection at Amer Industrial Technologies, Inc.

(AIT), in Wilmington, Delaware. The inspection Involved the fabrication of cylinders for

uranium hexafluoride. The fabrication records for certain Model 30B cylinders did not support

a conclusion that the weld procedures had been qualified at the low temperatures specified in

ANSI N14.1. The cylinders were fabricated by AIT, and were purchased by Korea Nuclear

Fuel Co., Ltd (KNFC). The affected cylinders are:

KNFC Serial No. Date of Manufacture

0244 to 0373, Inclusive June 1995 through July 1996 Discussion

The available records at AIT do not support a conclusion that Model 30B cylinders were

fabricated in accordance with ANSI N14.1. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

regulations (49 CFR 173.420) require that packagings for uranium hexafluoride be designed, fabricated, inspected, tested, and marked in accordance with ANSI N14.1. NRC regulations

require that licensees making these types of shipments comply with applicable DOT

9704171':

IN 97-20

April 17, 1997 regulations (10 CFR 71.5). NRC Certificates of Compliance for uranium hexafluoride

packages also specify that cylinders must be fabricated, inspected, and tested in accordance

with ANSI N14.1.

ANSI N14.1 specifies design and fabrication standards for uranium hexafluoride cylinders.

Among other things, the standard includes provisions for ensuring impact resistance of the

Model 30B cylinder shell and heads in case of a transportation accident in a cold climate.

The standard specifies that the weld procedures for the Model 30B cylinders be qualified at

-50eF (-45°C) for the grade of steel used for these cylinders. The weld procedures used to

fabricate the cylinders identified above, according to available records, were only qualified to

+10OF (-120C), and therefore, do not conform to the ANSI N14.1 standard. Since DOT

regulations and NRC Certificates of Compliance specify that cylinders used to transport

uranium hexafluoride must comply with ANSI N14.1, the cylinders identified above are not

authorized for transport.

This information notice requires no specific action nor written response. If you have any

questions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the individuals listed

below, or the appropriate regional office.

William F. Kane, Director

Spent Fuel Project Office

Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical Contacts: Richard Boyle, DOT

(202) 366-4545 E-mail: rick.boyle@rspa.dot.gov

Nancy L. Osgood, NMSS

(301) 415-8513 E-mail: nlo@nrc.gov

William M. Troskoski, NMSS

(301)415-8076 E-mail: wmt@nrc.gov

Attachments:

1. List of Recently Issued NMSS Information Notices

2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

an A;RD'>)L<

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Attachment I

IN 97-20

April 17, 1997 Page 1 of I

LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NMSS INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

97-04 Implementation of a New 02/24/97 All materials, fuel cycle, Constraint on Radioactive and non-power reactor

Air Effluents licensees

97-03 Defacing of Labels to Comply 02/20/97 All material licensees

with 10 CFR 20.1904(b) Involved with disposal of

medical waste

96-72 Undetected Failures that May 12/24/96 All teletherapy licensees

Occur During Patient Treat- ments with Teletherapy

Devices

96-70 Year 2000 Effect on Computer 12/24/96 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

System Software Commission licensees, certi- ficate holders, and regis- trants

96-66 Recent Misadministrations 12/13/96 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Caused by Incorrect Cali- Commission Medical Use

brations of Strontium-90 Licensees authorized to use

Eye Applicators strontium-90 eye applicators

96-63 Potential Safety Issue 12/05/96 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Regarding the Shipment Commission licensees

of Fissile Material authorized to possess special

nuclear material in unsealed

quantities greater than a

critical mass

96-57 Incident-Reporting Require- 10/30/96 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

ments Involving Intakes, Commission licensees

During a 24-Hour Period

that May Cause a Total

Effective Dose Equivalent

in Excess of 0.05 Sv (5 rem)

KJ

Attachment 2 IN 97-20

April 17, 1997 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

97-19 Safety Injection 04118/97 All holders of OLs

System Weld Flaw at or CPs for nuclear

Sequoyah Nuclear power reactors

Power Plant, Unit 2

94-14, Failure to Implement 04/14/97 All holders of OLs

Supp. 1 Requirements for or CPs for nuclear

Biennial Medical power and non-power

Examinations and reactors and all

Notification to the licensed reactor

NRC of Changes in operators and senior

Licensed Operator reactor operators

Medical Conditions

97-18 Problems Identified 04/14/97 All holders of OLs, During Maintenance CPs, and decommissioning- Rule Baseline Inspections stage licenses for

nuclear power reactors

97-17 Cracking of Vertical 04/04/97 All holders of OLs

Welds in the Core or CPs for boiling- Shroud and Degraded water reactors

Repair

97-16 Preconditioning of 04/04/97 All holders of OLs

Plant Structures, or CPs for nuclear

Systems, and Components power reactors

Before ASME Code Inservice

Testing or Technical

Specification Surveillance

Testing

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

IN 97-20

\...J April 17, 1997 regulations (10 CFR 71.5). NRC Certificates of Compliance for uranium hexafluoride

packages also specify that cylinders must be fabricated, inspected, and tested in accordance

with ANSI N14.1.

ANSI N14.1 specifies design and fabrication standards for uranium hexafluoride cylinders.

Among other things, the standard includes provisions for ensuring impact resistance of the

Model 30B cylinder shell and heads in case of a transportation accident in a cold climate.

The standard specifies that the weld procedures for the Model 30B cylinders be qualified at

-500 F (450C) for the grade of steel used for these cylinders. The weld procedures used to

fabricate the cylinders identified above, according to available records, were only qualified to

+100F (-12 0C), and therefore, do not conform to the ANSI N14.1 standard. Since DOT

regulations and NRC Certificates of Compliance specify that cylinders used to transport

uranium hexafluoride must comply with ANSI N14.1, the cylinders identified above are not

authorized for transport.

This information notice requires no specific action nor written response. If you have any

questions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the individuals listed

below, or the appropriate regional office.

William F. Kane, Director

Spent Fuel Project Office

Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical Contacts: Richard Boyle, DOT Nancy L. Osgood, NMSS

(202) 366-4545 (301) 415-8513 E-mail: rick.boyle@rspa.dot.gov E-mail: nlo@nrc.gov

William M. Troskoski, NMSS

(301)415-8076 E-mail: wmt@nrc.gov

Attachments:

1. List of Recently Issued NMSS Information Notices

2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

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IN 97-XX

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only qualified to +100F (-12 0C), and therefore do not conform to the ANSI

N14.1 standard.

Since DOT regulations and NRC Certificates of Compliance specify that

cylinders used to transport uranium hexafluoride must comply with ANSI N14.1, the cylinders identified above are not authorized for transport. Shipments in

transit at the time this notice is issued may be carried to their final

destination.

This information notice requires no specific action nor written response. If

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

the individuals listed below.

William F. Kane, Director

Spent Fuel Project Office

Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical Contacts: Richard Boyle, DOT

(202) 366-4545 e-mail: rick.boyle@rspa.dot.gov

Nancy L. Osgood, NMSS

(301) 415-8513 e-mail: nlo@nrc.gov

William M. Troskoski, NMSS

(301)415-8076 e-mail: wmt~nrc.gov

Distribution:

NMSS r/f SFPO r/f

ACE - CoDY without attachment/enclosure 'E'- CODY with attachment/enclosure "N"- No copy

OFC NMSS/

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