ML20056E582
| ML20056E582 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/16/1993 |
| From: | Larkins J NRC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON NUCLEAR WASTE (ACNW), Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| References | |
| NACNUCLE, NUDOCS 9308240298 | |
| Download: ML20056E582 (8) | |
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i NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION UNITED STATES
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t ADVISOAY COMMITTEE ON NUCLEAR WASTE o,
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WASHINGTON. D.C. 20555 y
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February 16, 1993 MEMORANDUM FOR:
James M. Taylor Executive Director for Operations FROM:
John T.
Larkins, Acting Executive Director, ACRS/ACNW
SUBJECT:
SOTH ACNW MEETING FOLLOW-UP ITEMS Based on discussions regarding methods for improving implementation and follow-up of ACNW recommendations, a summary of " Actions, Agreements, Assignments, and Requests" made during each ACNW meeting is sent to your office following each meeting.
Attached is a summary of the " Actions, Agreements, Assignments, and Requests" made at the 50th ACNW meeting, January 27-28, 1993, that deal with requests made of the NRC staff or matters that are pertinent to NRC staff activities.
John T.
Larkins, Acting Executive Director, ACRS/ACNW
Attachment:
As stated cc:
H.
L. Thompson, EDO J.
L.
Blaha, EDO D.
Martin, OCM/IS S. M. Coplan, OCM/KR J. Kot'ra, OCM/JC R. R. Boyle, OCM/FR K. Whitfield, OCM/GD S. J.
Chilk, SECY E.
L. Jordan, AEOD R. M.
Bernero, NMSS T.
E.
Murley, NRR E.
S.
Beckjord, RES G.
Sege, RES A.
L.
Eiss, NMSS H.
Pastis, NRR D.
M.
Crutchfield, NRR R. H. Vollmer, OPP qsIGDTC) f~ _
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ACTIONS, AGREEMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS, AND REQUESTF SOTH ACNW MEETING JANUARY 27-28, 1993 During its 50th meeting, January 27-28, 1993, held at 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) discussed several matters and completed the following reports:
REPORTS l
e Issues Raised in the Enerav Policy Act of 1992. Section 801 i
(Report to Chairman Ivan Selin from Dade W. Moeller, Chairman, ACNW, dated February 5, 1993)
Procram Plan for the Advisory Comnittee on Nuclear Waste (Report to Chairman Ivan Selin from Dade W. Moeller, Chairman, ACNW, dated February 9, 1993)
HIGHLIGHTS OF KEY ISSUES CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE l
1.
Review and Comment on Issues in the Enerav Policy Act of 1992, i
Section 801, and the Impacts This Act May Have on NRC's Hich-Level Radioactive Waste Procram The Committee met with representatives from the U.K. National l
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Radiological Protection Board, the U.S.
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, and the NRC staff to discuss the three principal issues that the National Academy of Sciences will be addressing in response to the assignment outlined by the U.S.
Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
As a result of the discussions, a report was prepared and issued that provides comments and recommendations.
The i
Committee agreed to continue to review the impact of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 during future meetings.
1 2.
Use of Natural Analocs in Radioactive Waste Disposal The Cotmittee was briefed by representatives of the NRC staff and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) on the progress and accomplishments of NRC-sponsored natural analog studies.
Specific sites, including Oklo (Gabon),
Alligator Rivers (Australia),
Pena Blanca (Mexico) and Akrotiri (Greece), were discussed in detail with special emphasis on the usefulness of the resulting data in developing models for the performance assessment of the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste (HLW) geologic reposito-ry.
This briefing was for information only.
No action was taken by the Committee.
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50th ACNW Meeting 2
January 27-28, 1993 i
3.
Performance Indicators for Low-Level Radioactive Waste i
Handlina and Disposal l
Discussion of a proposal for the establishment of a system of
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performance indicators for the management and disposal of low-level radioactive waste was postponed until the 51st ACNW meeting, February 24-26, 1993.
4.
ACNW Four-Month Plan The Committee prepared and issued to the Commission its four-month plan for the period February - May 1993.
The Committee i
briefly discussed a draft memorandum that would delineate additional areas of interest.
The Committee agreed to defer further discussions until it has an opportunity to examine the current draft NRC Five Year Plan.
5.
TLD Monitorina Network Dr. Moeller discussed the NRC TLD Monitoring Network Report, NUREG-0837, that summarizes data recorded by TLD monitoring stations that have been established by the NRC around each U.S. nuclear power plant.
Dr. Moeller observed that, on first impression, the data appear to represent exposure rates to i
nearby population groups arising as a result of radionuclide releases from these plants.
On further examination, however, j
a careful reader will note that the exposure rates, as recorded, have not been adjusted for the contribution from natural background radiation.
Since radionuclide releases l
from the nuclear power plants are minimal, the published data, l
in essence, represent summaries of natural background dose rates.
Dr. Moeller suggested that consideration be given to rewording the text of these reports to be sure that readers were made aware of this fact.
The Committee concurred.
No formal action was taken by the Committee.
6.
bCNW Puture Activities The ACNW staff was asked to begin planning a June site e
visit to the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Laboratories and the Canadian Underground Research Laboratory, located in Pinawa, Manitoba, Canada.
[Mr. Giorgio Gnugnoli has the follow-up action on this item.]
The Committee requested that the ACNW staff inquire about e
the status of the Licensing Support System (LSS).
If appropriate, a briefing should be scheduled.
[Ms. Lynn Deering has the follow-up action on this item.)
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50th ACNW Meeting 3
January 27-28, 1993 l
The Committee requested that the ACNW staff schedule a i
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briefing on the decommissioning plans for the Fort St.
Vrain and Shoreham Nuclear Power Plants.
A briefing on i
Fort St. Vrain decommissioning is tentatively scheduled
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i for the 53rd ACNW meeting in April 1993.
A briefing on l
j the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning is t
tentatively scheduled for the 54th ACNW meeting in May 1
1993.
[Mr. Howard Larson has the follow-up action on this item.]
o In response to a suggestion from the NRC staff, Dr.
Moeller recommended that a representative from Johns Hopkins University be invited to brief the Committee on the Alligator Rivers Analog Project.
The members con-curred.
[Ms. Lynn Deering has the follow-up action on this item.]
e Dr. Moeller recommended that Dr. Man-Sung Yim, Harvard j
University, be invited to brief the Committee on gas-phase release of radionuclides from low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facilities.
The members concurred.
[Ms. Lynn Daering has the follow-up action on this item. ]
The Committee discussed the merits of a briefing on the e
use of codes, such as NEFTRAN and DITTY, that are being used in assessing the performance of LLW disposal facilities.
The ACNW staff was asked to develop a proposed schedule for reviewing these codes.
[Mr.
Giorgio Gnugnoli has the follow-up action on this item.]
l e
The members asked the ACNW staff to invite Mr. Donald Jose Esq. to brief the Committee on recent court deci-sions based on testimony from expert opinion.
[Mr.
Giorgio Gnugnoli has the follow-up action on this item. ]
)
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Dr.
Moeller recommended that representatives of the 9tates of Nebraska and Illinois be invited to brief the Committee on the status of their Low-Level Radioactive i
Waste Disposal Facilities.
The Committee concurred.
[Mr. Howard Larson has the follow-up action on this
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item.]
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e Dr.
Moeller recommended that the NRC staff and representatives of the State of Maine be invited to brief the Committee on the LLW Disposal Facility Conceptual Design Report submitted by the Maine LLW Authority.
The members concurred.
[Mr. Howard Larson has the follow-up action on this item.]
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January 27-28, 1993 Dr. Pomeroy discussed a proposed training session, to be conducted by the NRC staff, to examine the methodologies involved in constructing a complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF).
It was suggested that two training sessions be planned with Drs. Pomeroy and Hinze attending one meeting and Drs. Moeller and Steindler attending the other. The ACNW staff was asked to explore the various options with the NRC staff.
[Mr. Giorgio Gnugnoli has the follow-up action on this item.]
Dr. Pomeroy recommended that the NRC staff be invited to e
brief the Committee on the Decision Support System used for environmental risk analysis.
The members concurred.
[Ms. Lynn Deering has the follow-up action on this item. ]
The Committee agreed to cancel the proposed Working Group i
e meeting on Synergistic Data Needs for Resolving Volcanic and Tectonic Concerns at Yucca Mountain.
I The appendix summarizes the proposed items endorsed by the Committee for the Sist ACNW Meeting, February 24-26, 1993, and future Working Group meetings.
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January 27-28, 1993 l
APPENDIX.
FUTURE SCHEDULE I
Sist ACNW Committee Meeting February 24-26, 1993
~(Tentative l
Schedule)
Meetina with the Commissioners (open)
- The Committee will meet with the Commission to discuss items of mutual interest.
These i
include the Committee's report on a systems analysis of the HLW
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disposal program and its review of the charge given by Congress to l
EPA and the National Academy of Sciences regarding the development of standards for the proposed Yucca Mountain HLW repository.
l Enercy Policy Act of 1992 (Open)
The Committee will review with the NRC staff possible impacts of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 on ongoing agency initiatives in the HLW arena.
Standards of Ethical Conduct (Open)
The Committee will be briefed by the NRC staff on standards of ethical conduct for t
employees of the Executive Branch.
gps-Phase Release of Radionuclides (Open)
The Committee will be briefed on computer models for evaluating gas-phase radionuclide i
releases from LLW disposal facilities.
Computer Models for Conductino Performance Assessments (Open) l The Committee will discuss computer models for conducting perfor-mance assessments of LLW disposal facilities.
Expert Judament (Open)
The Committee will be briefed on the l
acceptance, in an adjudicatory review, of scientific evidence based primarily on expert judgment.
l Low-Level Radioactive Waste Performance Indicators (Open)
- The i
Committee will explore the creation of a performance indicator or l
event reporting system that would monitor the current status and l
trends in the management and disposal of low-level radioactive waste.
committee Activities (Open/ Closed)
The Committee will discuss anticipated and proposed Committee activities, future meeting agenda, and organizational matters, as appropriate.
Also, the i
members will discuss matters and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings.
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3 50th ACNW Meeting 6
January 27-28, 1993 Working Group Meetings i
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Performance Indicators, March 23, 1993, The Working Group will l
7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, MD,
explore the creation of a nationwide performance indicator or event reporting system that would monitor the current status and trends in the management and disposal of low-level radioactive waste.
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Reculatorv Guides for Imolementina Revisions to 10 CFR Part 20, March 26, 1993, 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, MD, The ACNW Working Group and the ACRS Subcommittee on Occupational and Environmental Protection Systems will jointly review the following proposed final regulatory guides being developed for implementing the revised 10 CFR Part 20:
(1) DG-8006, " Control of Access to High and Very High Radiation Areas in Nuclear Power Plants," (2)
DG-8009, " Interpretation of Bioassay Measurements," and (3)
DG-
- 8013, "ALARA Radiation Protection Program for Effluents from Materials Facilities."
i Characterization of the Unsaturated Zone Flow and Transport Properties, May 1993, 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, MD,
The Working Group will examine the relationships between precipitation, recharge, and flux through the unsaturated zone at the proposed Yucca Mountain site, and the adequacy of ongoing field studies ~to ascertain these relationships. The Working Group will focus on the status of modeling activities of flow in the unsaturated zone, and alternative conceptual models of fracture versus matrix flow, and the conditions under which fract"re flow can be shown to predomi-nate.
The Working Group will a_,o focus on the recharge term in hydrogeologic models, alternative conceptual models for how and where regional recharge occurs, and the sensitivity of assumptions about recharge on model results.
Potential Impact of Groundwater Use on the Performance of a Proposed Hiah-Level Waste Repository (Date and 10 cation to be determined),
The Working Group will consider the impacts of potential groundwater use on site performance.
The Working Group will also consider the potential for the development of geothermal energy as a natural resource within the vicinity _of the proposed site.
This will be a follow-on meeting to the Working Group i
meeting on the potential for natural resources at the Yucca Mountain site, held October 20, 1992.
Encineered Barrier Systems (Date to be determined), 7920 Norfolk ~
Avenue, Bethesda, MD The Working Group will review the role of, and the degree of reliance that should be placed on, engineered i
versus natural barriers within an HLW geologic repository.
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4 50th ACNw Meeting January 27-28, 1993 Use of Fractals for Fluid Flow at Yucca Mountain, (Date to be determined), Bethesda, MD The Working Group Will examine the use of fractals in the development of conceptual and numerical models of fluid flow in unsaturated, fractured rock.
Studies show y
that the roughness characteristics of fracture surfaces can be simulated by the use of fractals.
DOE is considering the use of this approach in its study plan on fluid flow in unsaturated fractured rock systemc.
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