ML20031B032
| ML20031B032 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Susquehanna  |
| Issue date: | 09/16/1981 |
| From: | Tosetti R PENNSYLVANIA POWER & LIGHT CO. |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20031B028 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8109280498 | |
| Download: ML20031B032 (9) | |
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- I September 16, 1981 0:~- :'tw sentary L
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r.:a2 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 6,
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD In the Matter of
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i PENNSYLVANIA POWER AND LIGHT CO.
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Docket Nos. 50-387 i
ALLEGHENY ELECTRIC COOOPERATIVE, INC.
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50-388 l
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l (Susquehanna Steam Electric Station,
)
Units 1 and 2)
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l TESTIMONY OF RICHARD J. TOSETTI ON CONTENTION 11 (On-Site Storage of Low-Level Radioactive Waste)
The Low-level Radioactive Waste Holding Facility (LLRWHF) is being built to provide sufficient storage capacity in the event that disposal of low-level radioactive waste at commercial waste disposal sites is temporarily unavailable.
The LLRWHF is located within the security fence on the west side of the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES) site approximately 1000 feet from the Turbine Building at a grade elevation of approximately 700 feet msl.
This elevation exceeds both the probable maximum flood elevation of 548 feet msl and the maximum historical flood elevation of 517 feet msl.
The overall dimensions of the facility will be 240 ft. x 288 ft.
A control room will be located adjacent to the north wall of the facility (Figure 1).
8109280498 810916 PDR ADOCK 05000387 Y
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. The LLhWHF meets the seismic requirements of the Uniform Building Code.
Failure of the building would not release significant amounts of radioactivity and would not require reactor shutdown.
Since the facility is located above the maximum probable flood level, it was not necessary to design it to withstand the effects of a flood.
The LLRWHF consists of a reinforced concrete storage vault within the contines of a steel-framed, metal-sided structure.
Rectangular reinforced concrete panels with circular concrete plugs are used to cover the vault.
These panels and plugs permit the loading and unloading of the waste containers.
A curb around the perimeter of the building is provided to contain any liquid such as rainwater or fire sprinkler water that may be introduced into the building.
The curb will retain the volume of water that would be released assuming all the sprinklers were actuated simultaneously for one-half hour.
(In reality, only those sprinklers in that portion of the building l
l affected by the fire would actuate.)
Floor drains and a collection su.ap are provided so that the water can be sampled for radioactivity.
If the water is found to contain radioactive materials, it will be appropriately processed for disposal.
A I
l decontaminable coating will be provided on the floor, curbing, I
sumps and shield walls to a height equal to the height of the curbing.
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. The concrete vault la approximately 256 feet long and 120 feet wide.
Vault walls vary in thickness from 24 to 30 inches and are 17 feet high.
The vault roof is 18 inches thick.
Lov-level waste stored in the LLRWHF will consist of two physical forms, solidified process wastes and contaminated trash.
Separate areas are provided inside the facility for the storage of each form of waste.
Solidified process wastes will be stored within the concrete vault.
Process wastes consist of spent resins, filter sludges and evaporator concentrates.
The process wastes are solidified by incorporating the material into a cement matrix.
Wastes are mixed with cement by the radioactive waste solidification system described in Section 11.4 of the SSES Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR).
A process control program is applied to the waste solidification process to ensure that solidification is complete.
Solidified waste is defined as dewatered waste in the form of evaporator bottoms, resins and sludges that have been immcbilized in cement and contain less than 0.5 percent free-standing water by waste container volume or.1.0 gallon of liquid in the waste container.
This program assures that the waste is suitable for disposal at existing commercial waste disposal sites and that the mixture within the liner is chem-ically stable.
This stability minimizes the potential for corrosion.
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. Solidified process wastes are contained within steel liners approximately 3/8 inches thick.
While some corrosion of the liners may occur over the duration of the storage period, the anticipated corrosion rates (0.001 to 0.003 inches per year) are a small fraction of the lilier thickness.
Based on the above considerations, storage of the waste in the LLRWHF will not affect the integrity of the liners.
A range of liner sizes up to 200 ft.3 may be used for solidified process wastes.
The liners will be designed to conform to the requirements set forth in 10 CFR 71 and will not support combustion.
Process wastes generated at the SSES will be trans-ported by truck to the LLRWHF.
Sufficient shielding will be provided during transport to limit radiation levels at the surface of the shield to 200 mrem /hr.
The transport shield may I
be either a special transport cask or the transfer bell used to shield the waste during the loading operations.
If wasce is delivered in a transport cask, it will be unloaded direct.y into the transfer bell which will then be moved over the top of the vault to the storage location.
The appropriate plug in the vault roof will be removed so that the waste can be lowered into the vault.
After emplacement of the waste, the plug will be replaced.
Operations where the waste is transported to the i
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o
. f acility inside the transfer bell will be the same except that the requirement for unloading the transfer cask wi. not apply.
In order to minimize radiation exposure to workers, unloacing the waste from the truck and emplacement into the vault will be accomplished remotely by an operator located in the LLRWHF control room.
Trasi. ncnsists of dry solids contaminated with radio-active material.
No free liquids are present.
The solids will be packaged in 55 gallon steel drums and large steel boxes which are approximately 100 ft.3 in size.
No significant amounts of corrosion are anticipated.
Trash is stored in containers within the LLRWHF in the area opposite the concrete vault.
These containers will be placed on pallets which will then be loaded on a truck in the radwaste building.
At the LLRWHF, the pallets will be unloaded with a forklift and moved to their storage location.
The low radiation levels associated with this waste form (contact doEs rates in the range of one to 10 mrem /hr.) allow this waste to be transported without additional shielding.
All waste material stored in the LLRWHF will be packaged in a form that allows for off-site shipment and permanent disposal.
All containers will be decontaminated to
,- the level required for shipping in 49 LFR 173.397 and/or applicable waste disposal site criteria before leaving the Radwaste Building and being transported to the LLRWHF.
The LLRWHF is bein. designed to accommodate the full range of container sizes.
As a result of the different packaging efficiencies associated with each liner size, the capacity of the facility for solidified process waste may vary according to the combinations of liner sizes to ba stored.
The storage capacity of the LLRWHF for solidified process waste is in the range of 120,000 to 100,000 ft.3 The final capacity achieved will depend on the distribution of liner sizes selected.
Storage capacity for contaminated trash will depend on the spacing of the containers.
It is expected that the final capacity of the LLRWHF for contaminated trash will be approximately 200,000 ft.3 Based'on an anticipated waste generation rate of approximately 60,000 ft.3 per year, the LLRWHF will provide sufficient storage for all of the waste generated at the SSES over a four-year period.
The facility's operating f. action will be to tempor-arily store low-level radioactive waste on site until it can be shipped to an off -sits - location.
The facility normally will be occupied only during periods of loading and unloading activi-
v
. ties.
Wastes in the shielded vaults will be arranged with containers having a contact dose rate 13R/hr. stored next to the vault walls and on the top layer.
Liners with radiation levels greater than this level will be stored inside this barrier.
Waste stored in the open storage area will be arranged so that the contact radiation level of containers stored around the outside perimeter is i 1 mrem /hr.
The LLRWHF is designed to maintain on-site radiation exposure within the requirements of 10 CFR 20.
Exposure of on-site workers will be minimized by the use of concrete shielding around the stored material, shielded loading equip-ment, and controlled access to the facility.
The LLRWHF is designed to minimize the exposure to operating personnel.
This will be accomplished by providing the necessary shielding and by using appropriate administrative controls to ensure that the radiation levels are at or below the limits contained in 10 CFR 20.
Exposures to workers will be limited by the use of shielded vaults, shielded transfer bells, and remotely operated cranes.
Shielding has been provided where necessary so that the radiation limits specified by 40 CFR 190 are satisfied.
An estimate of the radiation exposure at the SSES site boundary
U
_8-closest to the facility has been performed.
The analysis assumes the radiation levels in the waste are at their maximum design levels, that the facility is completely filled with waste, and that an individual is located at the closest site boundary throughout an entire year.
Under these conditions the dose at the site boundary from the LLRWHF would be 1.1 mrem per year.
This dose includes direct and scattered radiation con-tributions from waste stored in the facility and from waste handling operations as it is placed into the facility.
potential accidents during the handling and storage of low-level waste have been investigated.
The principal accidents considered include a container dropped from a transport vehicle as it is brought over to the LLRWHF, a container dropped onto the storage vault, and a fire which consumes the contaminated trash.
In all cases, the resulting radiation levels are a very small fraction of the guidelines specified in 10 CFR 100.
Based on the analyses described above, low-level radioactive waste can be safely stored on-site.
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