ML19332B333
| ML19332B333 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07001113 |
| Issue date: | 09/15/1980 |
| From: | Shum E NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Kaplan A GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8009260525 | |
| Download: ML19332B333 (7) | |
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UNITED STATES h
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMtsslON
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llb b'O 5, Q O lj #i FCUP:EYS 70-1113 General Electric Company ATTN: Mr. A. Kaplan, Manager Licensing & Compliance Audits P.O. Box 780 Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 Gentlemen:
Enclosed are the comments and questions related to the GE's Environmental Information submitted to NRC in connection with your license amendment application on (1) installation and use of incinerator, (2) major plant expansion. These items were discussed with your staff during a meeting at your office on August 11, 1980.
In order to maintain our review schedule, your responses are requested by September 22, 1980.
Should you have any questions concerning these items, or if you cannot meet the time schedule, please call me at 301/427-4510.
Sincerely, E. Y Shum Uranium Proce's Licensing Section Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety
Enclosure:
As stated cc: Dr. M. Spaeth (SAI) 8009260525
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l-Enclosure Questions on Conversion Plant Expansion (Environmental Information Submitted by GE on December 21,1979) 1, Page 1, Amendment Letter l
The letter states that the additirn "would increase the conversion capacity by 40%".
In NEDO-20197 (page 4-42), it is stated that the "Wilmington plant can supply the annual feed requirements for more than a hundred 1000/MWe light-water reactors".
Can an additional J
l statement be provided that clearly demonstrates the present need for the plant expansion?
Please provide detailed discussion on the alternatives on siting of the proposed plant expansion and also the alternatives on UF6
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conversion operational process.
For both discussions, please quantify the impact, advantage and disadvantage as much as possible.
2.
Pages 2 and 3
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Please provide a demography up to a 50-mile radius from site and reflecting the most current population distribution. Also, if possible, profect the future population growth in the area at the end of the plant's life.
3.
Page 12 It is mentioned that a cooling tower and 200-ton water chiller will be installed. Will these units occupy any of the previous open land on the site or will they be located in areas in which construction has already occurred?
4.
Page 13 Hydrogen for the conversion reactor and tha defluorinator is supplied from a dissociated ammonia (DA) system.
khte is this unit located and what provisions are made to avoid hydrogen fires or explosions
,in the production unit and the hydrogen distribution system?
Please clarify Section 2.1 on page 11 vs. Table on page 13.
5.
Page 16 What provisions are made to ensure that hydrogen cannot pass through the convertor reactor, particularly under upset conditions?
What is the fate of the small amount (0.001%) of the U 03 8 and UO F22 powders that pass through the primary filter?
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6.
Pages 16 and 17 Is the UF6 introduced to the conversion-reactor completely reacted under upset conditions? Is uranium carried on occasion into the vacuum system scrubber?
What provisions are made to ensure that unreacted hydrogen from dissociated ammonia is not discharged to the offgas from the defluorinator?
7.
Page 17 Are the gas streams from the defluorinator, the primary filter and the vacuum system combined into a single stream?
8.
Pages 13,16 and 17 Please provide a block flow diagram showing the flow of uranium and other chemical reactcats to clarify the routing of process streams.
9.
Page 24 The statement that "the dry conversion process does offer an environ-mental advantage due to the. lower volume of liquid wastes generated per unit weight of uranium hexafluoridt converted" does not seem to be substantiated by the data given in the table in Section 6.5.
The projected volume in the table is 50% greater than the initial volume (1.8 MGFD vs. 1.2 MGPD) and the plant throughput increase is given as 40%.
Please clarify this.'
10.
Page 27 Is the data given in the table in Section 6.5 for fluoride and nitrogen correct? With the plant throughput increased by 40%, why are the releases of fluorides increased by a factor.of 2.7 and nitrogen releases by a factor of 27 11.
Pages 29 and 30 In relation to the data given in Section 6.7, with a 50% increase in plant releases to the river, it would be expected that the concentrations of copper, r.ickel and chromimn.would be affected to some degree as the total quentitles raf these materials are expected to remain constant.
Please cicrify.
Are the "present" values given in the table in Section 6.7 based on the measurements made for these contaminants?
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- 12. Page 30 What are the units for tt.e activity concentration at the site boundary for ditcharges to the atmosphere?
- 13. Page 31 Please supplement information in Section 6.7.2.5.
The pH of the discharge is apparently corrected from a pH greater than 10 to a pH in the 6-9 range. What is the agent used for pH adjustment and what is its concentration (Table, Section 6.7) when it enters the iver?
- 14. General Will the addition to the conve~ sion facilities cause any change in r
the number of personnel at the Wilmington plant?
Questions on Incinerator Replacement (Environmental Infomation Submitted by GE on December 27,1979)
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1.
Page 1 Over what period is the quantity of combustible waste generated?
2.
Pages 1 and 2 The dimensions for the wastes boxes are given as 4 x 4 x 4 ft., or 64 cubic feet.
The volume of a box is given in the table as 60 cubic feet. Which value is correct?
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3.
Page 2, Item 8 The quantity of boxes indicated to have been accumulated in one year is 600.
The production data on page 1 is based on 400 boxes.
Please clari fy.
4.
Page 8 It is stated in Section 3.1 that "no organics" will be incinerated; however " paper, wood, plastics" are organics.
Please clarify.
5.
Page 8 and Figure 3 The process flow diagram shcws a heat recovery unit in the offgas stream; however, no mention of this unit is made in the process description on page 8.
Please clarify.
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4 6.
Figure 3 There are no flame sensors or fiame control devices for the incinerator or the afterburner indicated on the diagram. What provisions are made to insure that unburned natural gas or propane will not enter the remainder of the system?
7.
8
..s It is stated in Seccion 3.2 that "The scrubbing efficiency will be 99.5% of the entering HC1, NH F and HNO ". With the wide variability 4
3 in contaminants in "as is" waste (page 2), how can this criterion be satisfied?
It ~s stated in Section 3.2 that " stack emissions level will be con:.1uously monitored to measure activity levels in the gaseous effiuent". How will the levels of gehef contaminants, F, Cl, and NOx in the offgas stream be determined?
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8.
Page 14 Are the air emission quantities given in Section 6.2 to be added to those given on-page 28 of the Environmental Information submitted on December 29, 1979?
Also, show the calculation with assumptions used for the projected discharge of radiological and chemical effluents as summarized in Table 1.
9.
General Will the operation of the incinerator cause any change in the staffing levels for the Wilmington plant?
Questions on Environmental Recort (NED0-20197, January 1974) i NOTE:
These questions arise primarily because of the changes in environmental concerns that have occurred and by the necessity to update the data since the report was prepared in 1974.
l.
Page 1-23 Will the new incinerator stack be visible from off-site locations?
5 2.
Page 1-24, Table 1-2 Have the energy requirements differed from the projections for years 1973-1978?
3.
Pages 1-24 and 1-25 Will the expansion of the conversion facility and the replacement of the incinerator cause a change in energy or water requirements per unit of production?
4.
Page 1-25 Has the plant continued to operate in a safe manner since 1974?
5.
Page 2-1 (first paragraph)
Has there been any significant change in the land use patterns in the region around the site s.ince 1974?
6.
Page 2-17 Have there been any significant changes in the North Cablina Water Quality Standards or in the designation for the Northeast Cape Fear River since 1974?
Have there been any significant changes in the EPA requirements or standards that may affect the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Discharge Permit NC 00012287 Will the proposed GE incinerator and plant expansion or other GE activities on-site result in an increase of effluent discharge and exceed the limits allowed under the current NPDES pennit? If so, please discuss.
7.
Page 4-3 Ground water samples are taken from the vicinity of the calcium fluoride pits on a periodic basis.
Do the analytical results continue to show no increase in fluoride?
Please provide ground water sampling data and results since 1974. Had leakage been detected in any of the on-site lagoons? What remedial act: a will be taken if lagoon leakage is found?
8.
Page 4-5 and Tables a-1 and 4-2 Will the planned modifications to the conversion process or the incinerator cause any significant changes in the storage quantities or locations of chemicals used on-site?
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6 9.
Page 4-5 and Table 4-3 Are the quantities of contaminants listed in Table 4-3 based on measured or calculated values?
10.
Page 4-40 and Table 4-41 Will the planned modifications to the conversion process or the incinerator cause any significant changes in the resource : mmitnents listed in Table 4-267 11.
Page 5-16 The analysis of the amount of radioactivity during a criticality excursion was based on 1018 fissions with.the accident lasting one second. The regulatory position as given in NROJrag. Guide 3.34 is that an excursion is assumed to occur in a vented vessel and multiple excursions occur with bursts lasting 0.5 seconds at intervals of 10 minutes for a period of 8 hours9.259259e-5 days <br />0.00222 hours <br />1.322751e-5 weeks <br />3.044e-6 months <br />. A, total of 1 x 1019 fissions occur during the excursions. Please revise the criticality analysis 19 given on pages 5-16 to 5-18 and extend to cover the conditions of 10 fissions set forth in Reg. Guide 3.34 12.
Page 6-3 and Table 6-1 Please extend the information given in Table 6-1 to include the latest available data on water impurities.
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