ML19323B242
| ML19323B242 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Framatome ANP Richland |
| Issue date: | 04/15/1980 |
| From: | Stevenson R NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19323B240 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005120128 | |
| Download: ML19323B242 (6) | |
Text
. _
l 8005120 12 7 O
APR 151980 1
Docket No:
70-1257 j
Applicant:
Exxon Nuclear Company (ENC)
Facility:
Fuel Fabrication Plant, Richland, Washington
SUBJECT:
REVIEW OF APPLICATION TRANSMITTED BY LETTER DATED NOVEMBER 19, 1979, SUPPLEMENTED FEBRUARY 21, AND MARCH 12, 1980, CONCERNING ION EXCHANGE, ACCOUNTABILITY STATION AND WASTE RECOVERY, 07001257A035 i
Background
i Tne Exxon Nuclear Company application requests authorization to install and use new facilities and equipment:
(1) $NM Accountability Measurement Station, (2) Ion Exchange Treatment System for liquid effluent from the conversion process, and (3) Uaste Uranium Recovery Facility (WUR).
In addition to the new facilities and equipment, the application concerns some changes in posi-tion titles, minor organization changes, and changes in authorized activities.
(All of the proposed changes are given in the format of changes to the existing license.
Since the existing Exxon licens.e is on timely renewal under the provisions of 70.33(b), if the proposed amendment is authorized, it will be necessary for the licensee to make corresponding changes in the license renewal application.)
The facility and equipment changes had been briefly described and identified as the subject for future licensing action in Exxon's information letter dated i
June 22, 1979.
The information supplementing the November 1979 application I
was provided in response to questions sent Exxon in the letter dated January 24, j
1980, and asked Mr. H. P. Estey of Exxon on February 27, after he delivered ~
the February 21, 1980 supplement.
The iocations of the new facilities and equipment are shown on the attached site plan as Itens 8, 9, and 10.
The SNM Accountability Measurement Station consists of a surge tank for combin-irg the uranium-bearing liquid waste streams, with netered discharge and
- cntinuous sampling for representative samples.
The metering ar.d sampling ecAiprent will be protected by a small building of 600 square fcot floor area.
The purpose of the installation is to allow improved accountability of very l
icw cencentration uranium-contaminated liquid waste streams.
1 The Ion Exchange Treatment System is a large scale replacement of ion exchange ecuipment that had been located in the existing chemical conversion area.
The system includes a small addition (floor area approximately 290 square feet) l
- castructed on the north side of the U02 Building to house eleate tanks and i
~ ----
APR151MO 2
l pumps and identified as the Ion Exchange Eluate Storage Builaing Addition.
The new ion exchange columns will be located in the conversion areas.
The Waste Uranium Recovery Facility (WUR) will be housed in a new separate builcing which is intended to be constructed and licensed in two stages.
Ultimately, the operations are to include wet processing as well as dry opera-tions such as sorting to recover uranium from uranium-contaminated solid wastes, which Exxon has been stockpiling for several years.
The subject application concerns the dry end of the recovery operation only and the initial WUR building with a ground floor area of 2,400 square feet.
As noted in the first paragraph, the amendment application includes revised pages for the existing license, (Section I or license condition section) to revise the chart for the corporate organization, revise position titles, authorize the proposed new activities and update the license to accord with the amendments ar.d changes made since the section was last revised.
The licensee's compliance history, record of personnel exposures to radiation, and environmental releases during the past three years are being evaluated as part of the review of the pending renewal application for S F-1227.
No major cr significant continuing problems have been identified.
(The results of the evaluations of the health, safety, and environmental programs will be summarized in somewhat more detail in the reports to be issued before license renewal, within the next five months.)
The Exxon amendment application was discussed in a telecon on March 19, 1980, with Mr. William Cooley, principal inspector for the Exxon plant from Region V, Office of Inspection and Enforcement.
Mr. Cooley saw no objection to issuance of a license amendment to authorize the activities proposed.
Discussion Because of the minor impact cf the SNM Accountability Measurement Station, it is discussed first before the discussion of the safety and environmental considerations applicable to the Ion Exchange Treatment System and the WUR.
SNM Accountability Measurement Station The station consists primarily of changes in piping for low concentration vaste streams.
The surce tank to be used is an existing concrete tank which will be lined with plastic before ese.
The existing UFc-UC2 conversien process liquid effluent pH adjustment station will be modified to become the basic cocptnent.
The building to house the metering and sampling equipment is a 600 square foot, sir.gle story cubicle.
There are thus no safety problems involved and the environmental impact is quite small since there are no chances in effluents.
3 APR 15 1933 Radiation Safety Tre same controls will be used to ensure raciation safety anc adherence to ALARA principles in the new areas that are used in the existing licensed operations.
These will include the following:
Categorication of the new SNM areas as contamination cor. trolled areas with apprcpriate' personnel access limits.
2.
Routine surveys of surface contamination levels with cleanup at the action levels used in the corresponding areas of tne balance of the operations.
3.
All work involving radioactive materials subject to the existing radiation work procedures and approvals, c.
Continuous nenitoring of room air, ard assessment of personnel exposures.
5.
Process equipment and room air ventilateo into apprcpriate exhaust systems including HEPA filters, exhaust air sampling and analyses.
ine Ion Exchange Eluate Storage Building Addition will be exhausted by the way of the exhaust system of the UO2 Building conversion process liquid effluent quarantine tank gallery.
The design of the heating, ventilation, and air con-ditioning system for the WUR facility is consistent with the criteria used for the existing facilities.
The WUR exhaust air cleanup systems include liquid scrubbing of air exhausted from aqueous process equipment and two stages of HEPA filtration.
Nuclear Criticality Safety With one exception, the nuclear criticality safety standards used in the design and planned operating procedures for the new areas-for special nuclear material are the same as those specified in the existing license.
A single e>cention is the use of concentration control for the ion exchange columns for
- "e liquid effluent from the chemical ccnversion process.
The bases for m.: lear criticality safety in the new operatiens are str.ari~ d as follows:
lon E>cra ;e Columns - The uranium bearir.g feed stream to the 20-inch
" eter ccitrns consists cf liquid was es fr m the cherical ccnversion operation
~ _ to UO;, sia amonium ciuranate - A:J) unich have been centrifuged twice y d 'ilterea tc ereve residual ADU sci'ds.
' armally the feed stream will be "2 ted to a 7.ximum 300 rpm uraniur content.
Higher car. centration streams
,1 be recyclca upstream of the ion exchange columns.
A turbidity meter in j
e 'eed line v. the icn exchange syste
..iil alarm anc stcp the flow to the
- ci ns at a ccncentraticn of 300 ppm u-anit~
The maintenar.ce of a safe i
t
- c ncentratico c f uranium in the columns trde r normal enc cf f standard condi-
- ns for botn the loading and unlcading cycles was dererstrated based on the
cwing:
m
4 ApR 151930 a.
The maximum ion exchange capacity of the resin for uranium under the cperating conditions.
b.
The maximum credible concentration of uranium in the feed stream.
c.
Tne maximum credible concentraticn cf uranium in the recovery step
(" eluate solution") based on the concentration of nitric acic in the e!Lting stream.
(There are controls to er.sure that the elutant acid does not exceed 2 N.)
The safety demonstration presented by Exxon showed that the raximum uranium concentration in the ion exchange columns WoJld remain below the minimum critical concentration as given in Document ARH-600, " Criticality Handbook."
2.
Eluate Stcraoe Tanks - The nuclear criticality safety of the eluate st; rage tank is based on units of favorable ge: metry (meeting the safety ra gin called for in the license) and spacec to allow for interaction, as al eacy documented for a similar s3 stem in Section 4.6.4 of the existing license.
3.
Waste Uranium Recovery Facility - Criticality safety for the dry end of the Waste Uranium Recovery Facility will be assured on a safe batch basis.
Any storage areas associated with the dry end of the WUR will also be limited to one safe batch.
(The wet operations will be the subject of a separate amendment application.)
Environmental Impact of the Ion Exchange Treatrent System and the WUR Facility The operation of the revised ion exchange system will not result in the release of liquid or gaseous effluents and, in fact, it results in a decrease in the
~
uranium content of the UFc-UO2 conversion liquid waste.
The impact on land use associated with the approximately 290 square foot addition to the UO 2 Euilcing is expected to be insignificant since the area to be affected is relatitely small compared with the total site clan.
Ei-ilarly, the rain impact of the constructicn and use of the WUR for dry raniun recovery operations will be associated with construction of the build-4
-r tte l f.
Construction of the initial kJri Eailding with a ground floor area
,~ 2,-:] square feet located entirely en the E>xon site, should have only a crerEntsi irpcct.
The mechanical ty e ope ations to te conducted with ne s., d wastes should not result in an;. si:nificant' increase in the solid ias:e clumas and ultinately the cierall hJR c;eration shoulc effect a reduc-
- n n in the volume of wastes to be disocsed cf at a licensed burial site and a rseuct cn in craniur losses.
The cxhaust cases frem the EUR cill be double
~EM f;itered, continuously monitored ar.d Ecrtrolled to reet the concentration Pits applicable to the UO plant.
The c/e ail releases of radioactivity in
- i m s effluer:s frca the Exxon site wi 'i rae to neet the same cverall
- e'eass linits om irposed on the Fxxcn operttfers.
The linits on total acicact've releasts in caseous effluents me n iracsed by Amendrent No. 22 to Licersc '.o. SN"-1227 issued January 26, MM.
These limits assure that Exxon l
A P h 'i 5
- ' ~ -
meets the environmental radiation protection standards set fcrth in Title 40, Chapter 1, Subchapter F, Part 190 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Process Safety The safe use of ion exchange resin requires control to prevert cessible rapid chemical reactions between the resin and the oxidizing acents such as nitric acid.
Exxon will establish the usual controls to limit such reactions includ-ing limits on the nitric acid concentrations used for resin elution, limits on the duration of acid-resin contact, and installation of pressure relief devices on the columns.
The mechanical operations in the WUR should present no unusual ha;ards.
The building was designed to meet a variety of national and local codes and standards including the Uniform Fire Code.
2 nclusion and Recomrendations Eu ed on the safety and environmental reviews of the amendment application at supplemented, it is concluded that the proposea facilities and equipment for the Exxon Horn Rapids fuel Fabrication Plant may be installec and operated without undue risk to the health and safety of the operating staff or the public.
Further, the issuance of this license amendment is not deemed to be a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environ-ment; and thus, pursuant to Section 10 CFR 51, Section 51.5 d)(4), an environ-t mental impact statement, negative declaration, or an environmental appraisal need not be prepared.
Approval of the amendment applicatica is recommended.
Original Signed By:
R. L. Stevensco Robert L. Stevensen Uraniun Process Licensing Section Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle and Ord rind si Aica bi :'
Material Safetv
..~
oved Ey:
W.
1 Crew, Secticn Leader Di s t ri b uti on :
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