ML19256F765
| ML19256F765 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/31/1977 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUREG-0350, NUREG-0350-V01-N01, NUREG-350, NUREG-350-V1-N1, NUDOCS 7912200778 | |
| Download: ML19256F765 (72) | |
Text
NUREG-0350 Vol.1, No.1 REPORT ON STRATEGIC SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL INVENTORY DIFFERENCES ps nec<,,
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Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 791220077(?
Available from National Technical Information Service Springfield, Virginia 22161 Price: Printed Copy $4.50; Microfiche $3.00 The price of this document for requesters outside of the North American Continent can be obtained from the National Technical Information Service.
1843 127
NUREG 0350 Vol.1, No.1 REPORT ON STRATEGIC SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL INVENTORY DIFFERENCES Manuscript Completed: July 1977 Date Published: August 1977 1843 128 Division of Safeguards Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555
Table of Contents Page Part 1.
Overview 1
Part 2.
The Meaning of an Inventory Difference 5
Part 3.
The History of Safeguards 7
Part 4.
Inventory Differences for Fiscal Year 1976 10 (July 1,1975 to September 30, 1976)
Part 5.
Glossary of Terms 19 Appendix A.
Historical Inventory Differences by Fiscal 22 Year Jar,uary 1,1968 to June 30, 1975 Appendix B.
Cumulative Inventory Differences 55 January 1,1968 to September 30, 1976 1843 129
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PART 1.
OVERVIEW This is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) first periodic report of in'omation concerning accounting for special nucl^ar material (SNM)* in the licensed sector of the nuclear industry. TP.nfomation presented here covers the operation of major licensed nuciear fuel nanu-facturers and research laboratories processing significant quantities of strategic SNM* between January 1,1968 and September 30, 1976.
The fuel manufacturers produce fuel primarily for research and test reac-tors. This report does not address the much larger licensed industry that manufactures fuel for connercial light water power reactors. Most commercial reactors use uranium fuel that is only slightly enriched in the uranium-235 i sotope. Uranium in that fom cannot be used for a nuclear explosive device.
This report addresses facilities that have possessed significant quantities of strateCic SNM, that is, five kilograms (eleven pounds) or more of uranium-235 contained in highly enriched uranium (HEU), two kilo-grns or more of plutonium or uranium-233, or a combination of these that caual s or exceeds five fomula kilograms.* The NRC requires these facil-ities to employ special security and accounting measures to protect and account for the nuclear material in their possession.
The data presented in this report are inventory differences, which are also connonly referred to as "MUF's" (material unaccounted for).
Inventory differences are simply the differences between what the accounting records show should be on hand and what a physical inventory shows concerning the amount of material on hand.
These dif ferences gener-ally result from material which is in difficult-to-neasure fom at the time of an inventory, from neasurement inaccuracy, and from bookkeeping errors. However, since it is possible that even a small inventory difference may be caused by thef t of nuclear caterial, both licensees and the NRC carefully nonitor inventory difference data in conjunction with other safeguards infomation.
It is important to understand the contents of this report as they relate to the NRC safeguards program.
Inventory differences arise naturally when nuclear or non-nuclear material is processed (particularly when chemical operations are involved).
These differences are not, in and of themselves, evidence of lost or stolen material. On the other hand, inventory difference data provide valuable information for the NRC safeguards program.
Inventory difference analysis is one of the tools used by NRC and the licensed industry to look for processing problems, for bookkeeping problems and for the possible theft of nuclear material. NRC and the licensees investigate significant inventory diff-erences; and if necessary, a licensee's operation may be shut down until an inventory difference is resolved. However, this is only one of many steps taken to safeguard SNM. A material accountinq systen, of which inventory difference analysis comprises a small part, is itself only one component of a comprehensive. mul ti-layered safeguards system used to protect, control, process, and account for nuclear materi 1
- 5ee the glossary for definitions of tems such as special nuclear material, strategic special nuclear material, and five fomula kilograms.
_2_
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has no evidence that any significant amount of strategic SNM has ever been stolen or diverted.
However, because perfect measurement of nuclear material is impossible, there will always be uncertainty associated with accounting data, and accounting data alone cannot show with certainty that thef t has not occurred. Therefore, the NRC relies on a safeguards system that enphasizes stringent physical security and material control measures to gain greater assurance that material stays in authorized areas.
It is this total integrated safeguards system, coupled with investigations of inventory differences and other safeguards events that the NRC uses to protect nuclear material and to assure itself that no theft of significant amounts of SNM has occurred.
Part 2 of this report is a discussion of inventory differences, how they occur, why they occur, and their significance.
Part 3 is a history of the evolution of safeguards in the commer-cial nuclear fuel processing industry, with emphasis on the role of material accounting in safeguarding of nuclear material.
Part 4 gives the inventory differences for fiscal year 1976, a 15 nonth period from July 1,1975 until September 30, 1976. Part 5 is a glossary of tems used in this report.
Appendix A gives the inventory differences by fiscal year for the period from January 1,1968 until June 30, 1975.
Since licensees prior to 1968 were inspected by that part of the AEC which became the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA), ERDA has agreed to in-clude earlier data in their Inventory Dirference report.
Appendix B provides inventory differences for licensees in cumula-tive fom for the total period covered by this report, January,1968 to Se ptembe r, 1976. NRC licensees possessing significant quantities of strategic SNM are required to conduct physical inventories every two months.
The resulting bimonthly accounting figures provide the primary data base for material accounting analysis. These bimonthly figures, when accumulated on an annual basis, can be helpful in discerning trends in material accounting. Since this is the first public report of licensee inventory dif ference data, inventory differencen for 1icensed facilities have also been accumulated over the entire pe.od covered by the report.
Since these total cumulative figures cover a number of years during which processes have changed and neasurement technology has improved, they are less significant for analysis than the annual figures.
There are several significant points that can help in understanding the data in this report and put it in perspective.
1843 13I First, the terms " material unaccounted for", and "MUF" have been used since the early days of the nuclear program to designate the measured differences between book and physical inventories of nuclear material. These terms can be misleading when used out of their proper technical context; they do not equate to " missing" or " lost" material.
Indeed, in some situations, the measured physical inventory exceeds the book inventory; in such a case, material appears to have been
" gained", not " lost".
In order to prevent additional misinterpretation of these terms NRC and ERDA are using the term " inventory difference" in their release reports.
A second point is that inventory differences are not unique to the nuclear industry. Indeed, a number of other industries whose final product requires chemical or physical processing also experi-ence inventory dif ferences. The fundamental reason for inventory differences in these industries is the same as in the nuclear industry; namely, at some point the materials must be measured and measurements cannot be made perfectly. However, inventory differences in these industries are not generally viewed with the same level of attention as are inventory dif ferences in the nuclear industry. The reason is twofold; nuclear material is very expensive, and more importantly, some forms of nuclear material can be used to fabricate explosive devices.
Even within the nuclear industry itself, inventory differences are not unique to strategic SNM. They are also inherent in the processing of low enriched uranium (LEU). Most LEU is enriched to a level of 2 to 4 percent in the isotope uranium-235. At this level of er richment, uranium is not capable of sustaining the kind of nuclear reaction that takes place in a nuclear explosion. LEU facilities experience inventory differences in the same manner as facilities that handle the strategically important HEU.
In fact, NRC records show that, for both HEU and LEU, inventory differences comprise about the samt fraction of total material processed industry wide.
This is not surprising since the fundamental processes are similar. Both HEU and LEU processes result in material held up in equipment and pipes, both processes experience the same dif ficulties in measuring isotope and element content, and both experience the same difficulties in identifying accurately the amount of uranium in scrap material. This similarity between the inventory differences for the weapons-grade HEU material and the low enriched material attests to the fact that inventory differences are inherent in the processing of nuclear material, and that they are not necessarily an indication of thef t.
Measurement technology is not perfect, nor are material balances perfectly closed. Because of biases in measurement systems, measurement errors are not truly random independent occurrences that average to zero over a period of time as one might expect.
In reality, measurement error data of ten show trends that when accumulated over time result in apparently 1843 132 persistent inventory differences. Similarily, failure to measure even minute quantities of StJ!1 also will accumulate systematically over time and prevent inventory dif ferences from averaging out to zero.
A final, but very important point, is that although total activity by the licensed industry has been on the increase during the period covered by this report, there has been a downward trend in recent years in the size of industry-wide inventory dif ferences. This improvement is due in large part to improved measurement techniques.
It also is a reflection of flRC's on-going program to bring about substantial upgrades in material accounting and control of Si1M. Ef forts are underway to continue the improvement, both through regulatory studies and upgrades, and through an intensive research program.
lbt PART 2:
THE MEANING OF AN INVENTORY DIFFERENCE Bankers balance their books by comparing accounts with the amount of cash on hand as determined by a physical count. For the nuclear industry to attain a comparable level of precision, nuclear material, in its many forms, also would have to be counted. However, nuclear material, the product of complex chemical and manufacturing processes, must be measured, not counted.
Even the most modern instruments for measuring nuclear material are inaccurate to some degree. Since the amount of nuclear material on hand and the amount of nuclear material shown on the books are both subject to measurement errors, the two figures will seldom be the same. The difference between the two figures is called an inventory dif ference, or MUF (Material Unaccounted For).
How Inventory Differences Occur Of the several routine factors that contribute to inventory differ-ences, there are two that stand out. Thtj are the dif ficult-to-measure material held up in process equipment, and certain hard-to-measure scrap ma teri al s.
(Other contributors include clerical-bookkeeping errors, reporting mistakes, and operator errors.)
NRC requires plants processing significant quantities of highly enriched uranium and plutonium to conduct an inventory every two months.
Despite thorough cleanout efforts, some small amounts of material inevit-ably cling to the sides and joints of pipes and ducts, to crevices in process machinery, and to filters and storage tanks. As a result, some material may not be reflected in one inventory, but may appear in a later one. Since there are a large number of machines and miles of piping and duct work in some plants, these small and widely dispersed quantities of material can add up to kilograms and appear either as a loss or a gain from one inventory to another. Measurement of nuclear material held up in process equipment is usually imprecise because in most cases this material is not in an accessable or easily measurable form.
In any manufacturing or processing operation, some material fails to meet specifications, and must be recycled or disposed of.
Fuel elements, rods, pins, and pellets that fail to meet specifications are called scrap and are recycled for recovery of nuclear material. Because of the monetary value and strategic importance of nuclear material, the nuclear industry sometimes recovers material, such as sludge from grindings, cuttings, machinings, laundry water, and filters, that would be discarded as trash in other industries. Measurement of nuclear material in scrap is usually imprecise, since scrap frequently is not in an easily measurable form.
i843 134 Role of Inventory Differences in Safeguards Inventories are only one mechanism used by the NRC and licensees to deter or detect theft of nuclear material. The NRC requires licen-sees possessing significant quantities of scrategic nuclear material to protect against theft by maintaining effective physical security, internal control of material, and accounting systems.
The physical security system, which employs armed guards, alarmed fences, and sophisticated comnonications capabilities, constitutes the primary component to prevent the overt thef t of nuclear material. The internal control system, with its personnel searches, two-man rule (no person allowed in key areas alone), and sensitive detection equip-ment is used to protect against thef t by insiders. The material accounting system using physical measurements, statistical tests, and bimonthly inventories serves mainly to monitor the performance of the safeguards system as a whole.
One method that licensees and the NRC use to determine the signi-ficance of an inventory difference is a concept called LEMUF, for
" Limit of Error of Material Unaccounted For".
LEMUF is an estimate of the overall measurement uncertainties that are inherent in a nuclear processing activity.
It is calculated in such a manner that the inventory difference associated with the process will theoretically be less than LEMUF 19 out of 20 times, if the inventory difference is due to measurement uncertainty alone.
A large inventory difference which exceeds its associated LEMUF may be an indication of processing problems, biased measurements, bookkeeping errors or a loss or thef t of material. Accordingly, NRC requires licen-sees to take increasingly stronger investigative actions depending on how much the inventory difference exceeds LEMUF.
While an inventory dif ference larger than LEMUF may signal an abnormal situation requiring investigation, a small inventory difference falling within its associated LEMUF is not automatic proof that no loss or thef t of material has occurred. Therefore, the NRC relies on evidence pro-vided not only by the material accounting system but also by the internal control system, the physical security system, NRC inspections and evalua-tions, and NRC and licensee investigations.
Analysis of inventory differences is part of the material accounting system, wnich acts as backup to the detection capabilities of the material control and physical security systems. Together, these safeguards systems are designed to alert company management and NRC to processing problems and material losses and to help determine whether an inventory difference is the result of an accounting error or a rceasurement problem, or the result of a loss or theft of nuclear material.
1843 135 PART 3.
HISTORY OF SAFEGUARDS IN THE LICENSED NUCLEAR INDUSTRY Summary The cumulative effect of safeguards upgrading over the years pro-vides today's licensed nuclear industry with a much higher level of protection for special nuclear material than in the past.
Since the late 1960's there has been a dramatic increase in the level of pro-tection and accountability for nuclear material at licensed facilities.
Since 1969 requirements for the physical protection of special nuclear ma te rial in licensed plants have increased significantly. Licensees now have armed guard forces, offsite police response capabilities, and tamper-indicating intrusion alarms. Until the late 1960's, the intr ln-sic value of special nuclear material and criminal penalties associated with its nisuse were considered adequate incentives by the government and industry to protect and account for special nuclear material in the private sector. Licensees now have regulated accounting and control systems providing for binonthly inventories for strategic special nuclear material, standardized neasurement programs, and comprehensive record systems.
Safeguards: Prior to 1954 From 1947 to 1954, the U. S. Governnent owned all special nuclear material ( SNfi) in the U. S.
With the exception of small quantities held by some universities for research purposes, all Siti was in government-owned or controlled facilities. The Atomic Energy Commission prescribed material control procedures and physical pro-tection for these facilities.
Safeguards:
1954 to 1967 The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, provided for licensing the possession, transfer, and use of Slot in the private sector. During the period 1954 to 1967, licensee safeguarding of SNM fell under the cognizance of the AEC General 'lanager's Of fice, a predecessor of the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA). During this period, the intrinsic value of special nuclear material and criminal penalties assocated with its misuse.were considered adequate incentives by the government and industry to protect and account for unclassified special nuclear material in the private sector.
ERDA's report of nuclear material invenry differences being released concurrently with this report discusses tne safeguarding of material during this period.
In 1968, safeguards cognizance for licensed special nuclear material was shif ted to the AEC's Regulatory Of fice, the predecessor of NRC.
1843 136 Physical Protection Safeguards:
1968 to the Present Toward the end of the 1960's there was a marked escalation of social turmoil and terrorism that created a climate of increased concern for AEC and nuclear industry officials.
In 1969 and 1970 the AEC issued regula-tory changes that established requirements for the physical protection of nuclear material in the private sector.
In 1972 the AEC implemented more stringent physical protection requirements for certain licensees by means of license conditions.
These measures were supplemented in 1973 by the issuance of new physical security regulations applying to a larger number of licensees than before.
The requirements called for significant upgrading of security both at installations and in transportation, with flexibility for a balancing between security force size and hardware.
In 1975 the NRC was established with a Congressional mandate to create a strong, ef fective safeguards program.
NRC inmediately began a major ef fort to upgrade t' e physical protection capabilities of n
licensees.
It still is underway. Current requirements include trained uniforned armed guards, written security procedures, fences and other physical barriers, redundant communications systens to of f site police response forces, access controls and tamper-indicating intrusion al arns.
Material Control and Accounting Safeguards:
1968 to Present The developnent of more stringent material control and accounting controls proceeded concurrently with the marked strengthening of licensee physical protection systems. The first safeguards inspections of licensees under the AEC Of fice of Regulation took place in 1968.
In 1969, the fundamental material controls specified in new regulations issued earlier were incorporated into special nuclear material licenses, on a case-by-case basis. By 1971 the AEC required each license apolica-tion for a new nuclear operation to include a detailed description of the planned material control and accounting program, including identifi-cation of significant measurement points, measurement frequency, and measurement uncertainties.
In 1973 the AEC published more stringent regulations, which becane ef fective in May,1974, for conducting physical inventories and controlling measurement uncertaintics. For the first tine, the AEC required licensees to conduct inventories of plutonium and highly enriched uranium every two months, rather than the previous practice of annual or semi-annual inven-tories. This action was a key part of a comprehensive program of material balance accounting. The intended role of material balance accounting is to require a periodic check of the overall ef fectiveness of a f acility's 1843 137-various internal controls, e.g., item identification, portal monitors, and searches by guards. The required accuracy for plant material balance accounting was specified in terms of the expected measurement uncertainties for individual accounting periods.
The selected criteria were based upon performance capability consistent with plant types and state-of-the-art measurement technology. Comprehensive measurement and quality control requirements were incorporated to provide a quantitative basis for the control and periodic determination of material balance uncertainties.
The AEC amended the regulations in 1974, making internal controls more comprehensive and responsive to thef t detection through the incorporation of additional checks and balances into the control and accounting systems. The new requirements also provided for a system of storage, internal handling controls, and records designed to give current information on the identity, quantity, location of, and responsibility for all SNM. The new requirements concentrated on formalizing the involvement of licensee management in nuclear material control and accounting procedures. These upgraded requirements became effective in mi d 1975.
Since its formation in 1975, the NRC has used material accounting as an important element in safeguards. However, recognizing that sig-nificant advances in material accounting are difficult to achieve, NRC focused increased attention in 1975 and 1976 on strengthening physical security. Nonetheless, the NRC also amended the regulations to include new requirements for the control of measurement quality and for performing assessments of system performance and effectiveness.
These new NRC requirements emphasize improvement of licensees' measurement control programs for SNM.
In particular, licensees must establish quality assurance programs based on national standards such as those provided by the National Bureau of Standards, they must review and revise their measurement system to reflect any changes in procesi, and they must establish a statistical control program for measu rements.
The NRC is presently conducting a comprehensive study of the role of material control and accounting and ways in which present requirements and prdCtices can be strengthened. Where improvements in regulatory requirements are indicated, appropriate rule changes will be issued to upgrade existing material control and accounting regulations.
I843 138 PART 4.
INVENTORY DIFFERENCES FOR FISCAL YEAR 1976 (July 1, 1975 tc September 30, 1976)
This section provides the inventory difference data for fiscal year 1976 for the 17 licensed facilities possessing 5 formula kilograms
- or more of strategic special nuclear material in unsealed form during fiscal year 1976. This is the first such report. The NRC plans to report this information on a regular basis in the future.
These figures are for highly enriched uranium, plutonium, and uranium 233.
Inventory differences preceded by a minus (-) sign are negative inventory dif ferences. A negative inventory difference occurs when the amount of material shown on the accounting records is less than its measured physical inventory.
(For example, if the accounting records show a balance of 100.0 kg and the physical inventory results indicate a balance of 100.2 kg, the inventory difference is 100.0 -
100.2 = -0.2 kg.)
Inventory differences are denoted by an asterisk (*)
if the inventory difference, when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg in absolute value.
NRC licensees possessing 5 formula kilograms or more of strategic SNM are required to conduct physical inventories on a bimonthly basis.
The figures that follow are composite figures, totaling the individual bimonthly inventory differences for fiscal year 1976.
1843 139
- See the glossary for a definition of 5 formula kilograms.
Fiscal Year 1976 Inventory Di f ferences July 1,1975 - September 30, 1976 NRC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Analysis Licensee in Kilograms Findings Atomics International For an excessive inventory difference of 0.5 Canoga Park, CA
-0.2 kilograms in January 1976, the licensee shutdowr, the plant and conducted a re-inventory. During the re-inventory, the licensee identified cleri-cal and recording errors in prior inventories which reduced the Jariaary,1976 inventory dif-ference to an acceptable level.
The remaining inventory differences canprising this figure fall within the limits of measurement uncertainty.
Babcock and Wilcox,.LRC The individual inventory differences com-Lynchburg, VA 0.1 prising this figure fall within the limits of measurement uncertainty.
i Babcock and Wilcox, NMD An NRC Task Force evaluation of the two B&W, Apollo, PA 37.0 Pennsylvania facilities determined that B&W has consistently overstated the inventory Babcock and Wilcox, NMD difference at both the Apollo and Leechburg Leechburg, PA 14.5 facilities.
An unclassified digest of the task force report has been placed in NRC Public Document Rooms.
The Task Force eval-uated the cumulative inventory difference for the 29-month period April 1974 - August 1976. For this period, the Task Force determined that 51 kilograms of the reported 90 kilograms inventory difference can be explained by the failure to account for previously unidentified and undocumented
~~~
process loss mechanisms with the remaining C33 inventory difference consistent with identified "E"
uncertainties in the measurement system and
'AJ errors in the accounting system.
The following loss mechanisms were identified.
A CD
Fiscal Year 1976 Inventory Differences July 1, 1975 - September 30, 1976 NRC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Di f ference Analysis Licensee in Kilograms Findings Babcock and Wilcox, NMD
- loss of highly enriched uranium through Apollo and Leechburg comingling with low enriched uranium.
(continued)
- liquid and gaseous effluents discharged from the incinerator scrubber system were not correctly documented.
- loss of highly enriched uranium via the transfer of contaminated clothing to the 3&W laundry facility were not documented in the accounting system, N
- shipments of waste for burial were under-
- stated,
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- highly enriched uranium holdup in the process equipment was not included in 43, accounting system, (3)
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- unmeasured material became enbedded in as, process floor.
Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD The individual inventory differences com-Lynchburg, VA 2.4 prising this figure fall within the limits of measurement uncertainty.
Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
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Fiscal Year 1976 Inventory Differences July 1, 1975 - September 30, 1976 NRC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Analysis Licensee in Kilograms Findings Westinghouse Electric Co., PFDL The individual inventory differences com-Cheswick, PA 0.2 prising this figure fall within the limits of measurement uncertainty.
Total July 1975 to September 1976 46.5 G
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Fiscal Year 1976 Inventory Differences July 1, 1975 - September 30, 1976 NRC LICENSEES URANIUM-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms General Atomic Company San Diego, CA Total July 1975 to September 1976 1843 147
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
PART 5.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Book Physical Inventory Difference (BPID). - This tern has the same meaning as inventory dif ference.
Classified Special Nuclear Material.
- The quantities of special nuclear material (see definition below) held, used, or processed in conjunction with a classified government program, for example, a defense program.
Cunulative Inventory Dif ference.
- Total inventory dif ference aggregated over the period in question.
For example, if the inventory difference for the period January to March is x kg and the inventory difference for the period March to May is y kg, then the cumulative inventory discrepancy for the period lanuary to May is x + y kg.
Enrichment. - A process by which the percentage of the isotope uranium-235 is increased above that in naturally occurring uranium.
Fiva Formula Kilograms - This term has the same meaning as "signif-icant quantity of SSNM".
Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU).
- Uranium enriched in the uranium-235 isotope to 20; or more.
H ol dup. - Nuclear material that adheres to process machinery and equipment during processing.
hventory Difference. - The difference between the amount of material on hand as shown by the books and the amount of material on hand as shown by a physical inventory. Both amounts are based on measurements and as such are imperfect estimates of the true amount of material on hand. Hence; a non zero difference is not unexpected statistically and is of ten observed. Ma thematical ly,
ID = B - P,
where ID = inventory difference B = book inventory 4g
}4g P = physica. inventory LEMUF. - Limit of Error on MUF, i.e., the limit of error on an inventory difference. A mathematical interval centered at zero, within which an inventory difference theoretically is bounded with probability.95 if the inventory difference is attributable solely to measurement uncertainty.
Definitions of Terms (Cont.)
Low enriched Uranium (LEU). - Uranium enriched in the isotope uranium-235, to less than 201, but greater than.7%, which is the approximate percentage of uranium-235 in naturally occurring u ra ni um.
Material Control and Accounting. - This is a broad term which generally refers to the system used by a facility or trans-porter to control and account for the nuclear material in its possession. A material control and accounting system consists of a wide range of components, personnel, and procedures. Maj or aspects of a facility's material control and accounting system include measurements, statistical analysis, records, reports, physical inventories, and management addits.
Material Unaccounted For (MUF). - This term has the same meaning as inventory dif ference.
Its use goes back to the early days of the nuclear energy program. The term can be misleading when used colloquially rather than in its proper technical context.
Measurement Uncertainty. - This term refers to the uncertainty inherent in any quantity that is measured rather than counted.
While the uncertainty associated with any single measurement in a nuclear plant may be small, the total uncertainty associated with the measurements used to determine the entire inventory may aggregate to kilogram quantities. Measurement uncertainty is one of the major factors contributing to inventory dif ferences.
Natural Uranium. - Uranium containing about.7% of the isotope uranium-235 and about 99.3% of the isotope uranium-238 together with trace quantities of other uranium isotopes.
Negative Inventory Dif ference. - A negative inventory dif ference occurs when the amount of material on hand as determined by physical inventory, exceeds the amount of material being carried on the books, i.e., there appears to be a gain of material. Mathe-matically, in this case:
ID = B-P<0 where ID = inventory difference B = book inventory ig41 149 P = physical inventory A negative ID is also referred to as a "MUF gain."
Definitions of
- 2l -
Tems (Cont.)
Physical Security. - This is a broad tern that oenerally refers to the personnel and hardware used to protect nuclear material.
A physical security system consists of a wide range of components, personnel, and procedures. Major aspects include barriers limiting access to nuclear material, alarns, radios, armed guards, and written procedures for responding to unusual situations.
Plutonium Element.
- This tem refers to the amount present of all isotopes of plutonium.
Safe 3uards. - This is a broad term that generally refers to the overall system used by a facility or transporter to physically
~
protect, and to control and account for the nuclear material in its possession.
It includes both the physical security system and the material control and accounting system.
Scrap Material.
- Intermediate or final product nuclear material that is unsuitable for use in the present fom, but whose form and material content make it suitable for separate processing to recover the plutonium or uranium it contains for future use.
Special Nuclear Material (SNti). - Pl utonium, uraniun-233, or uranium enriched in the isotope uranium-233 or the isotope uranium-235.
Strategic Special Nuclear Material (SSNil). - Plutonium, uranium-233, or highly enriched uranium.
Significant Quantity of SSNt1. - Five kilograms of strategic special nuclear material computed by the formula (with all amounts in kilo-grams):
Uranium-235 (coritained in HEU) 2.5 (uranium-233 + plutonium)
+
Hence, 5 kg of HEU by itself, or 2 kg of plutonium or uranium-233 by itself, each constitutes a significant quantity of SSNt1.
Trigger Quantity of SNM. - This term has the same meaning as significant quantity of SSNtt.
Uranium Element.
- This tern refers tc the amount present of all isotopes of uranium.
Uranium Isotope.
- This tem refers to the total amount of the uranium-233 or uramium-235 isotope present.
1843 150 APPENDIX A Historical Inventory Difierence Data for Major AEC/NRC Licensees January,1968 - June,1975 Highly Enriched Uranium, Plutonium, and U-233 The tables that follow contain licensee inventory difference data accumulated by fiscal year for the fiscal years 1969-1975 and for the second half of fiscal year 1968. ERDA's inventory dif ference report contains similar data for licensees covering the period prior to January 1,1968. Data for fiscal year 1976 appears in the main body of this report.
The data appearing in this appendix applies to licensees who possessed 5 formula kilograms
- or more of strategic special nuclear material at any time between 1968 and 1976.
The data are accum-ulated into fiscal years according to the date of the physical inventories for which the inventory differences were determined. For exanple, an inventory dif ference resulting from a physical inventory taken on July 2,1974 is included in the inventory dif ference figure for fiscal year 1975.
Inventory dif ferences preceded by a minus (-) sign are negative i nventory di f ferences. A negative inventory dif ference occurs when the amount of material shown en the accounting records is less than the measured physical i nven to ry.
(For exanpl e, i f the accounting records show a balance of 100.0 kg and the physical inventory resul ts indicate a balance of 100.2 kg, the inventory dif ference is 100.0 - 100.2 =
-0.2 kg.)
Inventory differences are denoted by an asterisk (*) if the inventory dif ference, then rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg.
1843 151
- See the ijf6ss'ary for a definition of 5 formula kilograms.
~~
_ Fiscal Year 1975 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Di f ference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 0.9 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA
-0.1 Babcock and Wilcox. NMD Apollo, PA 29.6**
Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 4.2**
Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA 4.9 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH General Atonic Company San Diego, CA
-0.1 General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA W. R. Grace, Company Columbia, MD 5.6 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
3gA9 3g9 Hematite, MO
-13.2 IU7J lJL
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
- A recently completed NRC Task Force evaluation of the B&W Apollo /Leechburg facilities determined that B&W had consistently overstated the inventory difference due to previously unidentified and undocumented process loss mechanisms. The Task Force concluded that 51 kilograms of the reported 90 kilograms inventory difference for the 29-month period April 1974 - August 1976 can be explained by the failure to account for these process loss mechanisms. The remaining inventory difference is consistent with identified uncertainties in the measurement system and errors in the accounting system.
Fiscal Year 1975 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Gelf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN
-0.3 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH 0.2 Nuclear Fuel Services Erwin, TN
-42.9**
Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attleboro, MA
-0.1 United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN 5.4 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI 2.9 U.S. Nuclear Oak Ridge, TN 0.7 Westingaouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA
-0.3 1843 1e3 3
Total Fiscal Year 1975
-2.6
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
- An NRC Task Force evaluation of material control and accountability at NFS identified a major cause of the inventory difference to be the overstatement of uranium in liquid discharges (corrected in January 1976). The Task Force determined that the apparent inventory difference gain of 18 kilograms for calendar year 1975 could have been instead an accounting loss of 15 kilograms due to the overstatement of liquid discharges. Other causes of the inventory differences were found to be due to measurement uncertainty in measuring scrap, heterogeneous material, and processing equipment holdup.
_ Fiscal Year 1974 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 205 and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA
-0.8 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA
-0.6 Babcock a1d Wilcox, NMD Apollo, LA 9.3**
Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 6.6**
Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA 5.6 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH 0.1 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA 5.7 General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA W. R. Grace Company Columbia, MD
-1.5 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
Hematite, MO
-7.1 1843 154
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
'a ara"in";1y unidentified and undocumented process loss mechanisms.
The Task Force concluded that 51 kilograms of the reported 90 kilograms inventory difference for the 29-month period April 1974 - August 1976 can be explained by the failure to account for these process loss mechanisms.
The remaining inventory difference is consistent with identified uncertainties in the measurement systen and errors in the accounting system.
Fiscal Year 1974 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN
-1.9 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY 0.2 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 1.7 Nuclear Metals, Inc.
Concord, MA Nuclear Fuel Services Erwin, TN
-4.5 Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attleboro, MA United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN
-1.3 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI 2.1 U.S. Nuclear, Inc.
Oak Ridge, TH
-1.0 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA 0.5 Total Fiscal Year 1974 13.1 1843 155
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less that 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
Fiscal Year 1973 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms Atomict International Canoga Park, CA 1.1 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Apollo, PA 19.5 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA
.1 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH General Atomic Company San Diego, CA 8.5 General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA W. R. Grace Company Baltimore, MD Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
Hematite, M0 0.7 Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN 3.5 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY
-0.1 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK
-1.1 1843 156 NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
___ Fiscal Year 1973 In,entory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms Nuclear Fuel Services Erwin, TN 54.0 Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attleboro, MA United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN
-5.6 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI
-1.6 U.S. Nuclear, Inc.
Oak Ridge, TN 0.1 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA Total Fiscal Year 1973 79.1
- Inventory difference, which when rouaded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
1843 157 Fiscal Year 1972 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20; and Greater Enriched Uraniun Inventory Di f ference Licensee in Kilograms Atonics International Canoga Park, CA 6.8 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Apollo, PA 16.5 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 1.1 Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA 11.2 Battelle Menorial Institute Columbus, OH 0.1 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA 14.6 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
Hemati te, MO 38.2 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN 2.1 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY
-0.1 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK
-4.9 National Lead Company Al bany, NY 2.4 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN
-23.0 1843 158 Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attl eboro, MA
-0.6
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
......, _ _... - Fiscal Year 1972 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN 3.3 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI 7.7 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA
-0.4 Total Fiscal Year 1972 75.0
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
1843 159
__ _. _. Fiscal Year 1971 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensde in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA
-2.3 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Apollo, PA 32.0 Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA
-29.8 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH General Atomic Company San Diego, CA
-3.9 General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA 0.8 Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN 11.5 Gulf United Nuclear Fueis Corp.
Elmsford, NY
-1.0 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 1.3 National Lead Company Albany, NY 1.3 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN 20.2 1843 160 Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attleboro, MA 0.1
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
Fiscal Year 1971 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN 6.0 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI
-2.1 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA 0.5 Total Fiscal Year 1971 34.6 i843 161
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
__ Fiscal Year 1970 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Aerojet General San Ramon, CA 13,4 Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 6.2 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Apollo, PA 48.3 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA 29.8 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA
-0.2 Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
Hematite, MO 4.3 Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN
-2.5 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY 1.2 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 17.6 NASA Lewis Research Center
}843
}b2 Cleveland, OH National Lead Company Albany, NY
-1.3
- lnventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
Fiscal Year 1970 Inventory Dif ferences AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms Nuclear Fuel Services Erwi n, TN 38.2 Texas Instruments, Inc.
H. Attleboro, MA 0.1 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI 1.0 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA Whittaker Corp.
Concord, MA 0.2 Total Fiscal Year 1970 156.3
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
1843 163
...... _ _ _ _. Fiscal Year 1969 Inventory Dif ferences AEC LICENSEES 20 > and Greater Enriched Uraniun Inventorv Dif ference Licensee in Kilograns Aerojet General San Ranon, CA 0.2 Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 15.3 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA 63aDcock and Wilcox, Nfl0 Apollo, PA
-31.6 Babcock and Wilcox, N!1D Leechburg, PA Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA 18.4 General Atonic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA U.2 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
Heaa ti te, l10 21.4 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN 5.1 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 14.4 NASA Lewis Research Center
}h43
}h4 Cleveland, 0"
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
- - -.. Fiscal Year 1969 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES 20; and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Di f ference Licensee
__ _in Kilograms Nuclear Fuel Services Erwi n, TN 73.7 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 5.1 Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attleboro, MA United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CH 2.2 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI 13.9 Whittaker Corp.
Concord, MA 0.5 Total Fiscal Year 1969 138.8
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
1843 165
- - -. -. -. - - - - 1968 Inventory Differences January 1 - June 30,1968 AEC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms General Atomic Company San Diego, CA 0.2 General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
Hematite, MO 0.1 NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN 0.9 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Jct., RI Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA 0.9 Total January 1968 to June 1968 2,1 1843 166
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absoute value.
_ Fiscal Year 1975 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES PLUTONIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 1.4 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH Exxon Nuclear Richland, WA 0.2 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA
-0.1 Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN Gulf United Nuclear Fuel Corp.
Elmsford, NY
-0.5 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 4.8 Nuclear Fuel Services Erwin, TN
-0.3 Nuclear Fuel Services
}$43 kD7 West Valley, NY Westinghouse Elecric Company Cheswick, PA
-0.6 Total Fiscal Year 1975 4.9
~* Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
- Fiscal Year 1974 Inventory Differences AEC LICENL ES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 3.5 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH 0.3 Battelle Pacific NW Lab.
Richland, WA Exxon Nuclear Corp.
Richland, WA
-0.2 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA 0.2 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY 0.4 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crcscent, OK
-1.2 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN
-0.1 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY Westinghouse Electric Company b
3 fhb Cheswick, PA
-0.2 Total Fiscal Year 1974 2.7
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth or a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kilogram in absolute value.
....... - - - Fiscal Year 1973 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Aerojet General San Ramon, CA Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 0.1 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA
-1.4 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA
-1.8 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH Battelle Pacific NW Lab.
Richland, WA Exxon Nuclear Corp.
Richland, WA 0.1 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA
-0.2 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY 1.5 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK
-0.2 NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH 1843 169 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN, 1.5
- Inventory difference. which when ro:- oer to (he nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. ';, a 9:
e value.
r e,4 c
Fiscal Year 1973 Inventory Differences e.
AEC 1.ICENSEES PLUTONIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms
- s.~
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY
-1.4 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA 0.2 O.
Total Fiscal Year 1973
-1.6
- s
)
1843 170
} '
- Fiscal Year 1972 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 0.1 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 0.3 Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus, OH Battelle Pacific NW Lab.
Richland, WA Exxon Nuclear Corp.
Richland, WA 0.1 General Atomic Company
..an Diego, CA Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY
-0.1 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 2.9 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN, 5.7 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 3.3 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick,PA
-0.1 Total Fiscal Year 15 72 12.2
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
_, Fiscal Year 1971 Inventory Differences
^
AEC LICENSEES 7
PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 0.2 9
Babcock and Wilcox, LRC g
Lynchburg, VA 0.6 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA 0.7
.~
Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY 0.4
~
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN
-0.5 s
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 1.8 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA 0.9 Total Fiscal Year 1971 4.1 v.s.
1843 172
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
=-
- ~
~
i
~
.e.
. Fiscal Year 19'O Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES PLUTONIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA 2.3 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 13.0 Battelle Pacific NW Lab.
Richland, WA General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA 0.4 Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 4.5 i
Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA 0.1 1843 173 Total Fiscal Year 1970 20.3
- Inventory dffference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a i
kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
~_- - -
[
..,I
~
.f Fiscal Year 1969 Inventory Differences AEC LICENSEES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Atomics International Canoga Park, CA Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA 0.4 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD y
Leechburg, PA 1.0 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company j
Vallecitos, CA 0.3 NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY
-3.1 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA
.s Total Fiscal Year 1969
-1.4 1843 174
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
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\\ 1968 Inventory Differences January 1 - June 30,1968 AEC LICENSEES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA 0.1 NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY
-0.2 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA
-1.5 Total January 1968 to June 1968
-1.6 1843 175
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
~..
Fiscal Year 1975 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms General Atomic Company San Diego, CA Total Fiscal Year 1975 k,
s
~
1843 176
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
'.l E
=
... -. - - Fiscal Year 1974 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms General Atomic Company San Diego, CA Total Fiscal Year 1974 1843 177
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
- Fiscal Year 1973 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms NONE 1843 178
- Fiscal Year 1972 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms
=
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN.
-0.7 Total Fiscal Year 1972
-0.7 L-1843 1/9 k
u
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-i
~
Fiscal Year 1971 Inventory Differences l
l tlRC LICE.llSEES Uranium-233 l
Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms
.~
~
?!uclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwi n, Tti.
-0.2 Total Fiscal Year 1971
-0.2
's 4.
=..
1 E
1843 180 R
h r
__. Fiscal Year 1970 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES Uran 4.i-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN.
2.8 Total Fiscal Year 1970 2.8 5
1843 181
. Fiscal Year 1969 Inventory Differences NRC LICENSEES Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN.
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 0.7 i
Total Fiscal Year 1969 0.7 1843 182
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
.. 1968 Inventory Differences January 1 - June 30,1968 Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms HONE 1843 183
. APPENDIX B Cumulative Inventory Difference Data for Major AEC/NRC Licensees January,1966 - September,1976 Highly Enriched Uranium, Plutonium, and U-233 The tables that follow contain cumulative licensee inventory differ-ence data covering the period January 1,1968 to September 30, 1976.
The data in these tables was calculated by conbining the data in the tables of Section 4 of this report with the figures in Appendix A.
Slight discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding to the nearest tenth of a kilogram.
The data appearing in this section applies to licensees who possessed 5 formula kilograns* or more of strategic special nuclear material at any time between 1968 and 1976.
Inventory differences preceded by a minus (-) sign are negative inventory dif ferences. A negative inventory difference occurs when the amount of material shown on the accounting records is less than the measured physical i nv ento ry.
(For example, if the accounting records show a balance of 100.0 kg and the physical inventory results indicate a balance of 100.2 kg, the inventory difference is -0.2 kg.)
Inventory differences are denoted by an asterisk (*) if the inventory dif ference, when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg in absolute value.
This appendix also contains short background descriptions of the activities at those facilities having the 1argest cumulative inventory di f fe rences. Brief explanations outlining the major causes of these larger cumulative inventory differences are also included. This explan-atory material follows the tables of historical figures.
1843 184
- See the glossary for a definition of "5 formula kilograms."
...._____ _ _ _ _ Cumulative Inventory Differences Janua,y 1, 1968 - September 30, 1976 AEC/NRC LICENSEES 20t and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Aerojet General San Ramon, CA 13.6 Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 26.9 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA
-0.6 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Apollo, PA 160.6**
Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 26.5**
Babcock and Wilcox, NNFD Lynchburg, VA 42.4 Battelle Memorial Inst.
Columbus, OH 0.2 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA 21.4 General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company
)bk3 b
Vallecitos, CA 0.8
~~
- Inventory dif ference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
The Task Force concluded that 51 kilograms of the reported 90 kilograms inventory difference for the 29-month period April 1974 - August 1976 can be explained by the failure to account for these process loss mechanisms. The remaining inventory difference is consistent with identified uncertainties in the measurement system and errors in the accounting system.
Cumulative Inventory Di f ferences January 1,1968 - September 30, 1976 AEC/NRC LICENSEES 205 and Greater Enriched Uraniun Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms W. R. Grace Company Columbia, MD 4.1 Gulf United Nuclear Carp.
Hematite, M0 44.3 Gul f United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN 17.5 Gul f United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elesford, NY 0.3 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, Or 28.9 NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH 0.2 National Lead Company Al bany, NY 2.4 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwi n, TN 119.3**
Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 5.1 Nuclear Metal s, Inc.
j g4} 'j g Concord, "A
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
The Task Force determined that the apparent inventory difference gain of 18 kilograms for calendar year 1975 could have been instead an accounting loss of 15 kilograms due to the overstatement of liquid discharges. Other causes of the inventory dif ferences were found to be due to measurement uncertainty in measuring scrap, heterogeneous material, and processing equipment holdup.
Cumulative Inventory Differences January 1,1968 - September 30, 1976 AEC/NRC LICENSEES 20% and Greater Enriched Uranium Inventory Dif ference Licensee in Kilograms Texas Instruments, Inc.
N. Attleboro, MA
-0.6 United Nuclear Corp.
Montville, CN 4.8 United Nuclear Corp.
Wood River Junction, RI 23.0 U. S. Nuclear, Inc.
Oak Ridge, TN
-0.8 Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Cheswick, PA 1.4 Whittaker Corp.
Concord, MA 0.7 Total January 1968 to September 1976 542.4 e
1843 187 I
y
- s
_ _ _ _ _ _ Cumulative Inventory Differences January 1,1968 - September 30, 1976 AEC/NRC LICENSEES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms Aerojet General San Ramon, CA Atomics International Canoga Park, CA 0.5 Babcock and Wilcox, LRC Lynchburg, VA 2.0 Babcock and Wilcox, NMD Leechburg, PA 8.8 Battelle Memorial Inst.
Columbus, OH 0.3 Battelle Pacific NW Lab.
Richland, WA Exxon Nuclear Richland, WA 0.3 General Atomic Company San Diego, CA General Electric Company San Jose, CA General Electric Company Vallecitos, CA 1.5 Gulf United Nuclear Corp.
New Haven, CN Gulf United Nuclear Fuels Corp.
Elmsford, NY 1.7 1843 188 Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corp.
Crescent, OK 7.4
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
_ _ _ _ _ Cumulative Inventory Differences January 1, 1968 - September 30, 1976 AEC/NRC LICENSEES PLUT0NIUM Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH New York Atomic Space Development Authori ty West Valley, NY Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN 6.4 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 4.9 Westinghouse Electric Company Cheswick, PA
-1.0 Total January 1968 to September 1976 32.8 1843 189
- Inventory difference, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less '.han 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
... -, -., _.. - Cumulative Inventory Differences January 1,1968 - September 30, 1976 AEC/NRC LICENSEES Uranium-233 Inventory Difference Licensee in Kilograms General Atomic Company San Diego, CA Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
Erwin, TN 1.9 Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.
West Valley, NY 0.7 Total January 1968 to September 1976 2.6
- Inventory di~tTsrsnce, which when rounded to the nearest tenth of a kilogram, is less than 0.1 kg. in absolute value.
1843 190
.. _ _...... _ _ _ Babcock and Wilcox, Nuclear Materials Division (formerly NUMEC)
Highly Enriched Uranium Facilities Apollo and Leechburg, PA Functional Statement On November 1,1971, Babcock and Wilcox Company purchased from the Atlantic Richfield Company the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corpor-ation facility at Apollo and Leechburg, PA, and since that date, B&W has owned and operated the facilities.
The high enriched uranium operations at both sites are dedicated to the production of fuel material. The operations consist of several con-version processes and associated scrap recovery. The product material is sent to other licensees for fabrication of fuel elements.
Summary of Cumulative Inventory Differences Unmeasured process losses were significant contributors to the cumula-tive HEU inventory dif ferences of 160.6 kg at Apollo and 26.5 kg at Leechburg.* The losses included co-mingling of HEU and LEU in the in-cinerator and drain sump, laundry wastes from contaminated work garments, liquid and gaseous ef fluents discharged from the incinerator scrubber, and the understatement of wastes shipped for burial. Other losses resulted from equipment failures, component leaks, and miscellaneous spills which resulted in unmeasured material bt.:oming embedded in the process area floors. HEU holdup in process equipment also contributed to the cumulative inventory difference.
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.. _... _ _ Facility Functional Description and Summaries of Inventory Differences Babcock and Wilcox. Nuclear Materials Division (formerly NUMEC)
Plutonium Facility Leechburg, PA Functional Statement On November 1,1971, Babcock and Wilcox Company purchased from the Atlantic Richfield Company the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation facili-ties at Apollo and Leechburg, PA, and since that date B&W has owned and operated the facilities.
The plutonium operation consists of a mixed-oxide fuel fabrication process and associated scrap recovery process. The fabrication process utilizes plutonium dioxide and uranium dioxide powders to produce mixed oxide fuel rods. The process has been generating fuel for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) under ERDA or AEC contracts since 1972. The scrap recovery process is operated on a demand basis producing either plutonium nitrate solution or dioxide powder from scrap materials.
Prior to the FFTF contract, the plutonium operation produced alloy fuel for the Zero Power Plutonium Reactor.
Summary of Cumulative Inventory Differences Major contributors to the cumulative plutonium inventory difference of 8.8 kg were uncertainties in the measurement of scrap, processing equipment holdup, and a bias in the receipt measurements due to the tendency of plutonium oxide to absorb moisture.
IB43 192
Babcock and Wilcox, Naval Nuclear Fuel Division Highly Enriched Uranium Facilities Lynchburg, VA Functional Statement The Babcock and Wilcox plant in Lynchburg receives uranium and fabri-cates it into fuel elements which are in turn assembled into larger assemblies. This facility has the capability to process its own scrap and uranium bearing wastes.
Sunnary of Cumulative Inventory Difference A major contributor to the cumulative HEU inventory difference of 42.4 kg was process holdup in the scrap recovery processing equipment. Another part of the cumulative inventory difference resulted from high concentra-tion solutions being inventoried incorrectly as lower concentration solutions.
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Gulf United Nuclear Corporation
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Uranium Fac,1i ty Hematite, MO Functional Statement The G-UNC plant was a chemical processor of highly enriched uranium fuel for the nuclear industry. Uranium hexafluoride was supplied by the AEC (now ERDA) as the feed naterial. This was converted to either uranium oxide or other forms of uranium for fabrication into reactor tuel for industry and Government by other companies.
This plant had the capability to recycle and recover scrap, waste and off-specification uraniun.
l
.. l This facility ceased HEU ooerations in 1974.
l Sumnary of Cumulative Inventory Difference s.
The major contributions to the cumulative inventory discrepancy of 44.1 kg occurred during the ceriod from 1968 through 1971 when the uncer-tainties of the techniques used to neasure inventory differences were greater than they are at present.
Since these inventory differences, although large in an absolute sense, constituted significantly less than 1% of the amount of material within the plant during the inventory period, they were consistent with the accuracy of the measurement techniques available at that time. Therefore, no special investiga-
~ ~
tive actions were required.
1843 194
/
- te e
6 e
Y s
_ Kerr McGee t[uclear Corporation Plutonium Facility Crescent OK Functional Statement The plutonium operation consisted of conversion, fabrication, and scrap recovery processes. Plutonium nitrate and uranyl nitrate solutions were the input to the coprecipitation conversion process. The resul ting mixed oxide powder was fabricated into fuel pellets. This plutonium operation produced fuel for the Fast Flux Test Facility from 1972 to 1976. The facility ceased operation in the fall of 1975 and is-currently maintained in standby mode.
The operation produced an oxide fuel for Zero Power Reactor (ZPR) during the period 1970-1972.
Summary of Cumulative Inventory Dif ference AEC/NRC inspectors identified major causes of the 7.4 kg. cumulative plutonium inventory dif ference to be difficulty in cleaning out process equipment for inventory and in obtaining accurate measurements of pro-cess holdup and scrap material.
1843 195
... _. _ - Nuclear Fuel Services
~ Highly Enriched Uranium Facility Erwin, TH Functional Statement The high enriched uranium operation at Erwin is dedicated to the pro-duction of fuel material. Conversion processes and a scrap reco ery process make ap the operation. The product material is sent t.' other licensees for fabrication of fuel elements.
In previous years, the facility also produced uranium tetrafluoride and uraniun metal.
Sunmary of Cumulative Invento < Difference The principal contributors to the cumulative IIEU inventory difference of 119.3 kg at NFS/Erwin were unreasured losses in process and ef fluent streans, cross over between material batches of different enrichments in the scrap recovery operation, and difficul ty in measuring scrap for recovery and waste materials for burial. Other contributors were start up problems in a new uranium hexaflouride conversion process and sampling errors resul ting f rom heterogeneous solutions.
A significant contrib-utor to the total inventory df ference from 1968 to 1976 was a requirement in December,1968, to bring the book inventory into agreement wi th the ph;;; cal inventory, which forced the December,1968 inventory differences tt reflect cumulative inventory dif ferences generated since plant startup in 1957.
1843 196
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1843 197 M