ML20054C346
| ML20054C346 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07001113 |
| Issue date: | 04/13/1982 |
| From: | Bidinger G, Crow W NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20054C344 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8204200406 | |
| Download: ML20054C346 (7) | |
Text
.
DISTRIBUTION:
Docket File 70-1113 NMSS rf FCUP rf PDR APR I 31982 GHBidinger (2)
LTyson WTCrow JBlaylock JRobertson RErickson Region II DOCKET N0:
70-1113 AL5oong EYShum LICENSEE:
General Electric Company (GE)
FACILITY:
Wilmington, North Carolina
SUBJECT:
REVIEW 0F APPLICATION DATED DECEMBER 27, 1979, AND SUPPLEf'ENTS DATED DECEMBER 4,1981, MARCH 8,1932 All0 MARCH 30,1982 FOR REPLACEMENT INCINERATOR I.
Background
On Decunber 27, 1979 GE applied for a license amendment to authorize construction and operation of a new incinerator in an expanded incineration facility. The old facility was shut down in 1978 following a chemical explosion in the shredder section of the incinerator.
Upon receipt of the December 1979 application and a second December 1979 application for expansion of the UF6 conversion process, the NRC initiated an environmental impact assessment in connection with the two proposed actions. On August 24, 1980, after completing an initial environmental review, the NRC requested additional infonnation from the licensee. GE provided this infonnation in enclosures to a letter dated November 17, 1980. Following further discussion on the environ-mental impact assessment, GE submitted a modified effluent and environmental monitoring program description on September 1,1981. On January 8,1982, the NRC staff requested information to clarify and/or justify differences in descriptions of the two monitoring programs. The monitoring program issues are now being addressed in the ongoing environmental impact assessment for the renewal application. The Environmental Impact Appraisal (EIA) covering the above two proposed actions was completed in April 1982 and a Negative Declaration was issued on April 8,1982.
On December 4,1981, GE submitted the safety portion of the application.
In response to NRC questions on February 2,1982, GE submitted supplemental infonnation on March 8,1982 and March 30, 1982.
Site visits were made by Dr. E. Y. Shum on August 11,1980 and February 17-18, 1982 i.o discuss environnental matters for the EIA. A site visit was made by G. H. Bidinger on February 16-19,1982 to discuss nuclear safety matters.
IM.................
l 8204200406 820413 su PDR ADOCK 07001113 C
[..
.l..
Nac ronu ais no soi uncu ouo OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
-2~
APR 12 rm II. Process Description Combustible solid wastes contaminated with uranium are collected and packaged in 4-foot, cubic wooden boxes in the process area and are then moved to outside storage pads. After 60 days, the uranium inventory is passively measured (by the " elephant gun") and returned to pad storage.
From pad storage, the boxes will be moved into the incinerator facility and placed on a conveyor transport system or temporarily stored on the outside incinerator storage pad. On the conveyor, each box will pass through the Active Box Monitor (AB't) where active (radioactive source driven), and passive (radioactive decay) measurements will be made to determine the uranium and the uranium-235 contents. Following incineration, the ash is removed in 5-gallon cans, transported to a crusher, collected in 5-gallon cans and moved to the Active Can Monitor (ACM). The uranium and uranium-235 in the ash are actively and passively measured. The ash cans are then moved to storage pads for uranium recovery or licensed disposal.
The incinerator consists of gas-fired primary and secondary cribustion chambers, a flue gas heat-quench and scrubber system followed by filtered stack exhaust, and an ash removal system.
Stoking of waste boxes into the incinerator will be controlled by the inventory computer.
The data from the ACM and the ABM will be fed into the inventory control computer.
If the U-235 holdup in the incineratnr and the U-235 in the next waste box to be incinerated will not exceed the U-235 mass limit for the incinerator, the box will be elevated from the conveyor to the front end loader and stoked into the incinerator.
The hearth in the primary conbustion chamber has three levels.
In a progranned sequence, ash on the lowest level will be pushed by a ram into the ash renoval system. Then another ram will push the ashes on the intermediate level to the lower level. Then, if the incinerator mass limit will not be exceeded, a waste box will be pushed into the upper level.
As the box enters the chamber, the box will push the upper level ashes to the intermediate level. After the primary chamber door is closed, a gas flame will ignite the newly inserted waste box.
The incinerator is designed to complete combustion of all gases in the secondary combustion chamber.
Flue gases will be heat-quenched and scrubbed by a venturi-type device and a packed column. Gases will be heated and exhausted through HEPA filters. Scrubber liquids will be treated as necessary and sent to radwaste disposal.
"'c'>
" " " ^ " ' >
DATEk
[ nne rono m. io 0, sac" OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
. APR1 3 3939 Fifty-five gallon drums of combustible liquids, contaminated with uranium, will be measured in the Ami. The liquids will then be pumped to the incinerator and sprayed into the primary combustion chamber.
Inventory control will apply to this operation as well as to solid waste combustibles.
III. Process Safety _
The incinerator is designed for continuous feed of 4-foot cubic boxes and removal of ashes in 5-gallon cans. Control over solid wastes to be incinerated will be exercised during the loading of the waste boxes. All materials in boxes are hand-loaded to exclude liquids and non-combustible material.
Contaminated liquids which are to be incinerated will be sprayed into the combustion chamber only after a minimum chamber temperature has been reached. This will assure that no explosive liquids will accumulate in the chamber.
The incinerator is instrumented and programmed to control minimum and maximum operating temperatures and pressures, movement of waste boxes, gas supply, supply and level of cooling water and scrubber liquids, and inventory control of uranium and uranium-235. Once the waste box is placed on the conveyor system, the system could be operated automatically and continuously until the feed system is locked out due to excessive holdup of U-235 in the incinerator.
In practice, GE plans to have the operator control the movement of the waste box from the conveyor into the front end loader. Once the box is in place, the automatic controls will cause stoking of the box into the hearth and operation of the rams to move the ashes downward to the ash collection system.
In the event of an abnormality, an emergency shutdown button can be pushea by the console operator so that all personnel can leave the facility.
IV.
N_uclear criticality Safety Waste boxes, temporarily stored on the incinerator storage pad, will be stored in a one-high planar array and will be individually limited to
<250 g U-235. This quantity is based on a pissive measurement of the uranium content and application of the average plant uranium enrichment during the week that the waste was generated.
Waste boxes which have not been passively neasured for uranium content will not be placed on the incinerator storage pad, although they could be placed directly on the incinerator conveyor to be both actively and passively counted for uranium and uranium-235. Only boxes which have om>
- nacroau e.ma sac" "
OFFIClAL RECORD COPY
. APR1 3 199, less than 250 g U-235 may be fed to the incinerator. Boxes with higher measured values will be returned to the waste packaging area for inspection and repackaging.
In the March 8,1982 supplement, GE indicated that the inventory listing showed that all boxes contained less than 250 g U-235 with average contents of about 95 g U-235.
The incinerator (coabustion chambers, flue gas scrubbing system, and the ash removal system) will be operated on a safe mass basis. When the inventory (based on measured values for U-235 input minus U-235 removals, plus the calculated uncertainty associated with both measurenents, plus the U-235 in the next waste box to be stoked) exceeds the safe mass limit, the loading mechanism will be locked-out by the inventory computer. The system will be unlocked either by removal of a can of ash or by shutdown for cleanout of the incinerator. Cleanout will involve removal of ash which will te measured in the ACM, collection of solid wastes such as filters which will be placed in a wooden box and measured in the ABM, and discharge of scrubber solution which can be analyzed and sent to the radwaste system.
The safe mass limit for the incinerator shall be based on the maximua U-235 enrichment measured in all boxes processed during a burn cycle.
A license condition to this effect is appropriate because several enrichments may be incinerated during one cycle.
Ash will be removed from the incinerator in 5-gallon containers, ACM counted, and stored on outside storage pads using previously established nuclear safety limits for pad storage. The !!RC staff agrees that the limits are appropriate for the incinerator ash cans.
Standards were developed for the ABl.1 and the ACM by spiking combustible trash boxes and ash cans with U0. Forty boxes of actual trash were 2
examined to provide information to assure that box standards are repre-sentative of existing trash. The waste box and ash can standards were spiked to represent the full range of conditions (weight, density, heterogeneity, etc.) in boxes and ash cans.
During startup, burn cycles will be made an boxes of non-contaminated combustibles to measure volume reduction, burn rate, and ash holdup.
The next step will be two burn cycles with spiked boxes to determine accuracy of the uranium mass control system and recovery of uranium in the ash collection system. Upon successful completion of these startup burn cycles, contaminated combustibles from the process area will be incinerated.
~*
"I
""C' OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
, APR 13 pp V.
Radiation Safety The incinerator is operated in a building whose ventilation system is designed to minimize the spread of contamination by causing the air to be directed from areas of low contamination potential toward areas of higher contamination potential. The building ventilation exhaust air and the off gas from the incinerator are filtered by HEPA filters and sampled for radioactivity prior to discharge to the environment.
The licensee's current NRC-approved radiological procedures and the new radiological procedure reconmended by the NRC staff will be utilized during incinerator operation. These include:
a) The incinerator operation will be conducted in accordance with approved written procedures. Each equipment operator will be trained to follow the operating procedures.
b) Airborne concentrations of radioactivity in the working area will be monitored continuously and evaluated every 8 hours9.259259e-5 days <br />0.00222 hours <br />1.322751e-5 weeks <br />3.044e-6 months <br />. To ensure that early corrective action is taken by the licensee once elevated airborne radioactivity is detected, the staff recommends the following license condition:
Notwithstanding the words in GE's response to NRC's question #15b dated March 8,1982, during the first 30 operating riays (incineration, ash removal, and maintenance),
any single air sample in the incinerator facility which exceeds the applicable con-centration in Appendix 8. Table 1,10 CFR 20 shall be investigated by the Radiation Safety function.
c) 'CE has Idesinced the work areas of the incinerator facility as controlled areas where protective clothing is required. The areas will be surveyed for surface contamination on a weekly
. basis with action levels fra 5000 dpm/100 cm2 to 2500 dpm/100 cm2,
. depending on the specified area in the building. The staff has determined that, for initial operation, more frequent surveys and corrective actions are necessary. Accordingly, the staff recomendas the following license condition:
Notwithstanding the words in GE's response to NRC's questions #15C(i) and C(ii) dated March 8,1982, during the first 30 operational
'. days (incineration, ash cleanout, and contaminated ne i r t e ne rs )i-strrveys-for-strrfape-contaminatio n he.1 c.i.nerat9r..fa c.1 1.1.ty.. ea 1.1.. he..ma d e. 4.ily
... i.n...t 3
su=~aur)
Clea nup operation shall be conducted as soon as
""C'
"'""'"2' OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
6-APR 131992 possible (at least within 48 hours5.555556e-4 days <br />0.0133 hours <br />7.936508e-5 weeks <br />1.8264e-5 months <br />) when the removable contamination level in the incinerator facility exceeds 5000 dpm alpha per 100 cm2 (removable).
If the 30-day facility avgrage is less than 5000 dpm alpha per 100 cmc (removable), the survey frequency may be changed to weekly.
VI. Environmental Safety, The NRC staff has conducted concurrent reviews of environmental safety for expansion of UF to U0 conversion capacity and construction and g
2 operation of a replNcoment incinerator.
It is the judgment of the staff that implementation of these proposed actions will not contribute significant additions of radioactive or other emissions to the environment under nomal plant operations. The overall impact for the annual individual radiological dose comitment at the nearest residence from the normal fuels manufacturing operations is well telow the current EPA standard of 25 mrem for fuel cycle facilities as specified in 40 CFR Part 190.
It is concluded that no adverse environmental impacts are anticipated froa routine operation of the proposed facilities. An analysis of the non-radiological atmospheric emissions such as fluorides and nitrogen compounds by the staff indicates that the associated environmental impact from routine emission of these compounds is negligible.
No new industrial or radiological hazards would be introduced into the operations at the Wilmington plant if the proposed actions are implemented.
In the unlikely event that a severe industrial or radiological accident were to occur at the plant, the consequences of the accident and the subsequent risk to the public would not be increased because of operations associated with the proposed facilities.
It is the judgment of the staff that construction of the proposed facilities would not cause significant impacts on the human or natural environments in the vicinity of the plant as the result of an accident.
Fuel manufacturing plant monitoring activities performed during the period from 1970 to 1979 demonstrate that the discharge of liquid effluents into the Northeast Cape Fear River has had negligible or unmeasurable environmental impacts. The staff has concluded that implementation of the proposed actions would not adversely affect the environmental quality of the river.
omcq OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
]
. I 3 1982 Amendment No. 21 to SNM-1097, dated September 30, 1981, authorized operation of the new conversion lines in Building D, but placed a restriction on plant throughput. With the completion of the EIA and publication of the Negative Declaration, the restriction on plant throughput should be removed from the license.
VII. Conclusion and Recomendation The staff has concluded that operation of the incinerator will have no adverse effects on public health and safety or on the environment.
Approval of the licensee's application for license amendment is reconinended, subject to license conditions identified above.
The staff has also concluded that operation of the additional UF6 to UO2 production capacity will have no adverse effects on the environment. Removal of throughput restrictions on production capacity is recommended, oricir
[tr o
GeorSo G. II. Bidinger Urantun Process Licensing Section Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle and Original Signed By:
Material Safety, fMSS W. A. Nixon, k't m
Approved by:
l W. T. Crow, Section Leader i
FCUPh h,yI FCUP EYShum ALSoong 4/" /82
,,4/l?//82.,/.
.rCUp g.g 4 eCUF P. :.,j;.rCriv~
-4 WTCrow sv.s. ) GHBidinge : rad LTyson
.....q/ 82,
..403./82
^"> 4/.12./82 4/..)...
OFFICIAL RECORD COPY j
i " " ' ' " " ' ' " ' ' 1" ' " " C ".. "
_