ML20056E020

Supports Recommendations of Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board & Urges That DOE Continue to Fund Program of General Purpose Critical Experiments

ML20056E020
Person / Time
Issue date:	07/21/1993
From:	Remick F NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
To:	Oleary H ENERGY, DEPT. OF
References
NUDOCS 9308190212
Download: ML20056E020 (3)

Text

NC

/ a ct:e,,'#o UNITED STATES E

- 'k NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 5

E W ASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 July 21, 1993 CHAIRMAN The Honorable Hazel R.

O' Leary Secretary of Energy Washington, D.C.

20585

Dear Secretary O' Leary:

The enclosed recommendation to you from John T.

Conway, Chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, has come to the Commission's attention.

This issue is of particular interest and some concern to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Mr. Conway indicates that there is a strong possibility that the last Department of Energy facility capable of general purpose critical experiments will be shut down in the near future due to lack of funding.

He states that it is necessary for continued safety in handling and storing fissionable material for the general purpose critical experiment program to continue and cites several reasons to support his position.

We understand that DOE is looking for areas where cost savings can be realized; however, we agree with the rationale presented by Mr. Conway for continuing the critical experiment program.

We strongly support the recommendations of the Board and join with the Board in urging that the DOE continue to fund its program of general purpose critical experiments.

Sincerely, I

/

t J. Remick (Fo -

cting Chairman

Enclosure:

Recommendation 93-2 cc:

John T. Conway, Chairman Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board kO9' u

I 9308190212 930721 PDR COMMS NRCC CORRESPONDENCE PDR l

w

16654 Fed:ral Register / V:L 58. No. 591 Tuesday.Ittch '30,1993 / N ticae ecale dismantling ci tuelear weepons.

through learning theory and using h v3 gen: rated strong prensuru to camputercodas.The secondla -

reduce the defense nuciaar bud nt and theoretical understanding of neutron -

E to close down many defense nuclear mult!plicatien processes in critical and fadlities and operetiona. At the aarne subcntical systems. I to urne the development of firm plans for predictability of the criti state of a e Complex 21 ta serve future nucie.ar system by methods that use theory defense needs has slowed, new trends benchmarkad against Bood and well lead to a possibihty that capabilities and chuacterized critical experiments.no functions nomsaary for cumnt and third is thorough famillarity of nuclear future needs could be terminated along criticality engineers with the first two with thore no longar required. One of factors, obtained through a sound these. irnportant for the svoidance of program of training that indoctrinates certain types of accidents. is support of them in the experimental and nucleu criticality control theoretical aspects.

Because of the importance of avoiding The Boud has reviewed the status of criticality accidents, the Board carefully benchmarking the theoretical methods follows the state of citicality control et of criticelity control aga!nst exssting DOE's defense nuclear facilities. nts critical expenments and has found that interest has been evident as P,oard there are notshle failures af theoretical membre and staff have reviewed analysis to account for the results of a practices at the Pantex Plant. The Board number of experiments. It is not known believes it is important to maintain a whether this discrepancy resulta from good base ofinformation for enticality inadequate nuclear date used in the contro,1;l be encountered in handlingcoming the physical situetions a DEFENSE NUCLEAH FACtLITIES that wil AFETY DOATID amducing the experiments and and storing fissionable matenal in the recording their physical features. Both

[R. commendation 93-21 future, and to ensure retaining a factors could contdbute,in addition it community of individuals competent in seems that en the avetsgo there may b The Need for Critical Experiment practicing the control a small non conservative bias in overall CapatillitY la the course of retrenchment ofits predictions of the theory. !n spite of AccNcv: Dofenso Nucleu Facilities acuvities in recent years, the these shortcomings, conservatism in

'safetYBoard*

Department of Energy andits methods used to develop the ilmits to W predecessor agencies have terminated applied during handling and storege of AcTton:Nou.ce; recommendstion.

use of all but one of its general purpose fissionable meterial seems to have led to suuuAny: Tbs Defenso Nuclear facilities for conducting neutron chain-odequate safety in recent years.The Facilities Safoty Boud (Boani) has mado reacting entical axt eriments with Board believes that in the interest of a recommendation to the Secretary of fissi nable material The research at continued safety it is important to clear i

Energy punuant to 42 U.S.C. 2286a these faciliues had served programmatic up the existing discrepancies, which are concerning ne Need for Critical purposes of diverse DOE programs, as obstacles to confident understanding of Expenment Capability.De Board well 8818Ying 8 B*n*r*I 'IPerimental citimiity control.To do so will requ,re i

requests public comments on this basis for practices thht ensure eve ng conduct of further neutron chain.

recomroendation.

enticality accidents.The Board is reacting cntical expenments targeted at mformed that.there is now a strong the major sources of discrepancy CATES: Comments, dcta, pews, or possibility that the last DOE facility between the theory and the arguments concerning this recommendation are due on or before capable of general purpose entical experiments, as well as careful analysis experiments will be abut down in the of the expenments.

April 29,1993-near future, due to lack of funding. His Finally, the Board believes that there Acontssts: Send comments. data, views possibility arises because no single is no guarantee that the physical or arguments concerning this program of the Department has an circumstances of handling and storage recommendation to: Defensa Nucleu overnding need for this remaining of fissioneble materialin the future will Faciliues Safety Board. 625 Indiana facility at the Los Alamos National always be found in the realm of A enue, NW., suite 700. Washington.

Laboratory. and therefore no single benchmarked theory. This point is DC 20004.

program office is motivated to provido especially important under ron runmEn iraonuAnon comACT:

its financial Support in this period of Circumstances that will exist for a 1;enneth hi Pusatori or Carole J.

budget strinSency. A certain number of years to come, with Council. at the address above or complacency fed by some years of increasing amounts of fissionable telepbone (202) 208-6400.

freedom from enticality accidents seems meterial to be stored in a variety of Datee March :5.1993.

also to underlie this possibility, chemical and physical forms. This does The Board observes that the art and' not appear to be an appropriate time to Iohm T. Conw'h science of nuclear criticality control ehminate an ability to ensure that such pairman.

have three pnocipal ingredients. The activities will be free of criticality The Need for Critical Expenment Erst is familianty with factors that hazard. For safety purposes it will be Capability contnbute to achievirig nuclear necessary to retain the capability to cnticality, and the physical behavior of perform empenments under condiuons

. Deted: Starch 23. t w.

systems at and naar crttJcality'. This not foreseen at this time.nis capability The end of the international fr.milianty is developed in indinduals once lost would be most difficult to competition in manufacmre of nuclear only through working with cntical reproduce, and it could be wopons, and the tzansition ta large systems. It cannot be imparted solely approximated only at great cost and

TrPmtID Register / Vol. 58. No.' 59 / Tuesday, March 30, 1993 7 Notices -

16555 s Aer substantial tima. deterring such divslapmrnt even ifit wera needed A'

badly.

.. For all the above russons.the Board believes that continuation of an i

arpenmental pmpum of general.

I purpose mtical expenments is -

)

necessary for continue.d safety in' 1

handitag and stori6.g fissionable

)

matenol !t is needed to improve the

~

be; sis for the methodology. It is needed

' as part of the process of properly educeung aiutality control engineers. It is needed to ensure the capability of is answenng ciucahty questions with -

i n2w and prsviously researched features.

' herefore the Bnerd recommends that:

1. The Depar::nent of Energy should retain its progrere of onoral purpoo.

S cntical expentnants.

a 2.This prograro should normally be directed along linos satisfying the

. objectnes of improving the information l

base underlying pnnliction of cnticality.

and serving in education of the

- community of citicality engineers.

3. The results and resoun:ss of the t.riticality program should be used in ongoing departmental propams where nuclear triticahty woul an impostant concern.

k

'. John T. Conway.

l Chantman.

I.

A ppendh-Lettar to Sacretary of Energy March 23.1993.

i I

b Honorable Hazel R. O Lanry.

Secretary of Energy..

Washin6 toc. DC 20$85.

Dear Madame Seastary:

On March 23.

1993. the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board,in accordance with 42 U1C 2266ai5). unanimously approved Recommendation 83-2 which is encioned for your consideretion Recommendetloc 93-2 deals with The Nand for Critical Experbnent -

J Capabiliry.

42 U.S.C. ::B& dial requires the Board after receipt by you, to procaptly make this -

"recornmonastion avallable to the public in the Deparanent of Energy's m61onal public.

readmg rooma.The Board belbevos the recommendation cmoteins no talormation I

which is classified or otherwise restrztod. To the extent this recuenmendation does not

include informstion restncted by DOS under

' j the Atomic Enargy Act of 1954.42 U,$.C.

f.

g 2161-68. as amended. pleans arriage to beve this recommendation promptly placed on P.le -

in your avgional pubite reading rooms.

> The Haasd ws!! publiAh this cer.ommandstion ta the Federal Registar

- Sincerely.

John T. Conway.

Chairman ECCIDsure (FR Doc. 93-7213 Filed Ms. v3. a.45 aml

' eeus.m coos acisco*

j' a

J 4

.___~__..__._-._:-_.-_L____..-_-.-_':_-.

^