ML20058C131
| ML20058C131 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/25/1990 |
| From: | Tokar M NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Jensen C DIVERSIFIED TECHNOLOGIES |
| References | |
| REF-WM-82 NUDOCS 9010310308 | |
| Download: ML20058C131 (2) | |
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UNITED STATES 9
3 NUCLEAR RECULATORY COMMISSION re WASHINGTON, D. C. 20096 A..../
l OCT t 51990 Mr. Charles E. Jensen Vice President. Operations Diversified Technologies 103 Dikon Drive Chestertown, MD 21620
Dear Mr. Jensen:
This is in response to your letters of September 10, 1990, and October 1,1990.
Your September 10, 1990 letter requested clarification as to whether NRC's Technical Evaluation Report (for Topical Report DNS-RSS-200NP-A, 'The Don Waste Solidification Process for Low-Level Radioactive Weste" - Docket Number WM-82)
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places any specific limit on NS-1 wastes other than a waste loading ratio up to 1.5/1.0, or 60 weight percent. Your letter of October 1,1990, also addresses this issue and provides information obtained from archived Dow documents and conversations with current or former Dow employees. This information was provided to support your contention that solids content was never identified as a controlling or limiting factor that would affect successful solidification i
and stabilization of the NS-1 solution.
The NS-1 decontamination solutions that were addressed in the Dow qualification program were reported to contain 6 to 40 percent solids.
It is our understanding
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that " solids" here refers to totd1 dissolved solids.
It is also our understanding that the limitation on total dissolved solids resulted from excessive viscosity of the spent NS-1 solution. This occurred if the solution was evaporated to less than one seventh or one eighth of its original volus.a. The txcessive viscosity made the decontamination waste difficult to transfer from one tank to another.
Thus, since you seek to solidify spent NS-1 solutions that are even more concentrated, we wonder if you plan to use a different process from that covered in the approved topical report (TR).
Another consideration is that the actual spent decontamination waste solutions may contain radioactive wastes that were not in the solidified simulated waste samples that were tested in the Dow qualification program. That is a possibility that is inherent in approving the TR. The Dresden NS-1 decontamination wastes, however, contain even more solids than the simulated waste samples that were tested. This may increase the possibility of reaction between the emulsified particles of waste and the vinyl-ester-styrene matrix. - Therefore, the total solids content should not exceed that in the waste samples that were tested under the Dow qualification program and documented in the TR.
We acknowledge that the level of total solids is'not listed as a significant variable in Section 3.0 (Process Control Factors) of the TR; however, paragraph 6.1.2 of the TER (page 18) states that the waste forms produced shall be limited to those made from the reactants specifically identified in the TR as those used to prepare the test specimens on which the data were obtained.
Taking into account the above considerations, we suggest the following alternatives. One, under the approved TR, is to dilute the spent NS-1 gf)fp decontamination waste solution to meet the maximum total dissolved solids that.
JY 9010310308 901025 82 PDC
2 these test results to NRC for approval in a revision to the TR. A third option consists of solidifying the waste under the provisions of a surveillance test program.
If you elect this option, however, the details of the program would have to be developed.
I trust this answers your questions.
If you have any further questions on this matter,pleasecallmeon(301)492-0590 or Everett Wick on (301)492-0546.
Sincerely, NESIGNE00y Michael Tokar, Section Leader Engineering Section Technical Branch Division of Low-Level Waste Management and Deconsiissioning, NMSS l
DISTRIBUTION:
Central File WattstL Docket file WM-82 MSS r/f RLBangart PLohaus JJSurmeier JGreeves JAustin EWick MTokar LLTB r/f PDR Yes: Q/
PDR No: //
Reason: Proprietary /
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or CF Only /
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ACNW Yes:
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No: /
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SUBJECT ABSTRACT:
CLARiflCATIONOFTERFORDOWTR(DOCKETNO.WM-82) 0FC :LLTB g g :L LLTB NAME: EWick/jl
- MTokar
- JSurkier DATE:10/zq/90
- 10AW90 :10/K/90 LTR CJENSEN OFFICIAL RECORD COPY