ML20059N432

Concurs W/Final Rule Amending 10CFR110 Re Export Regulations for Export of Gaseous Diffusion Enrichment Plant Components

ML20059N432
Person / Time
Issue date:	06/05/1990
From:	Halman E NRC OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION (ADM)
To:	Harold Denton NRC OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS (GPA)
Shared Package
ML20058K542	List: ML20058K537 ML20059N426 ML20059N427 ML20059N428 ML20059N429 ML20059N430 ML20059N431 ML20059N432 ML20059N433 ML20059N439 ML20059N449 ML20059N450 ML20059N675
References
FRN-55FR30449, RULE-PR-110 AD59-2-08, AD59-2-8, NUDOCS 9010150208
Download: ML20059N432 (13)

Text

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Jy UNITED STATES

.pDR NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION f *-

WA$HINGTON. D. C. 20566 JW - 51990 -

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rl: ';i MEMORANDUM-FOR:

Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Governmental and Put'lic Affiars

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FROM:

Edward L. Halman, Acting Director Office of Administration

SUBJECT:

FINAL RULE AMENDING NRC'S EXPORT REGULATIONS FOR THE EXPORT OF GASEOUS DIFFUSION ENRICHMENT PLANT COMPONENTS The Office of Administration concurs, subject to the comments presented, on the final rule that amends 10 CFR Part 110 to clarify the coverage of specially designed or prepared nuclear components for use in gaseous diffusion enrichment plants. We have enclosed a marked-up copy of the final rule that presents our comments.

We have suggested changes to the summary statement so that it more clearly -

meetstherequirementsoftheOfficeoftheFederalRegister(OFR)setoutin 1 CFR 18.12.

In addition, we have made adjustments to the amendatory language-and the presentation of the amendments that are necessary to comply with 0FR publication requirements.

t We have suggested language necessary to indicate that the notice and comment and the delayed effective date provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act are being waived for this rulemaking action. This suggested language must be reviewed and approved by the Office of the General Counsel.

-In order to assist you in preparing the list of documents centrally relevant to this final rule that is required by NRC's regulatory history procedures,

'you should' place the designator "AD59-2" in the upper right-hand. corner of i

each document concerning the rule that you forward to the Nuclear Document-

- i System.

We have. forwarded a copy of the final rule to the Records and Information Management Branch, IRM, for their comment or concurrence concerning the paperwork management aspects of this rulemaking action.

If you have'any questions concerning-this matter, please have a member of your staff contact Alice Katoski (extension 27928) or Michael T. Lesar, Regulatory PublicationsBranch,ADM(extension 27758).

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Enclosure:

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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION l

10 CFR PART 110 RIN 3 /5D - A DS*)

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t l-Export of Components for Use in l

Gaseous Diffusion Enrichment Plants L

AGENCY:

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Final rule.

I

SUMMARY

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its export licensing regulations to clarify the coverage of specially designed or L

prepared nuclear assemblies and components for use in gaseous. diffusion enrichment plants.

This' action is necessary to implement the decision of the-L multilateral Non-Proliferation Treaty Nuclear Exporters Group (Zangger Comittee) to add new definitions to its international export control " Trigger List" covering gaseous diffusion enrichment components.

S 17, ;rtr f:r th: regulations te4e' _*y), j The NRC'also is restructuring 4:v:rd

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M EFFECTIVE DATE:(Upr. p OM'E in the-bcRI k,b FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elaine 0. Hemby, Office of Governmental and Public Affairs. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, DC 20555, telephone 301-492 0341, or Joanna M. Becker, Office of-the General Counst1, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission,' Washington, DC 20555, telephone 301-492-1740.

SUPPLEMENTARY-INFORMATION: During the past several years, the. United States and other nuclear supplier governments.have. engaged in discussions within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency's IAEA)'Zangger Comittee to clarify'the coverage of.the international nuclear ex(port control " Trigger

-List" for specially designed or. prepared assemblies and compenents for use in gaseous diffusion enrichment plants.- The purpose of the clarification is to improve' the administration of. export controls over these items. Recently:

'Zangger Committee members have agreed to specify certain additional. components in its control list'for these nuclear components, r

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(' Currently, all specially designed or prepared gaseous diffusion enrichment.

assemblies and components are subject in the United States to export licensing.

by the NRC under its export / import licensing regulations provisions of 10 CFR 110.8(b). As a result of the Zangger Committee s action, the Department of State, as the responsible U.S. Government agency for undertaking the Zangger

' Comittee' negotiations, has requested the Commission to implement the Zangger Comittee's decision by publishing an interpretative rule in the FsDERAL

.RfGISTER listing the new specified assemblies and components in 10 CFR Part l'10.

2 In support of the decision to add new definitions of gaseous diffusion enrichment components, the Zangger Committee also prepared an introductory note which further clarifies the basis for exercising export controls over the equipment specified. -This note reads as follows:-

Gaseous Diffusion Trigger List In the gaseous diffusion method of uranium isotope separation, the main technological assembly is a special porous gaseous diffusion barrier, heat-exchanger for cooling the gas (which is heated by the process of compression),

seal valves and control valves, and pipelines.

Inasmuch as gaseous diffusion technology uses uranium hexafluoride (UF ), all equipment, pipeline and 6

instrumentation surfaces (that come in contact with the gas) must be made of materials that remain stable in contact with UF. A gaseous diffusion facility requires a number of these assemblies,6so that quantities can provide an important indication of end use.

1 The auxiliary systems, equipment and components for gaseous diffusion-enrichment plants are the systems of plant needed to' feed UF to the gaseous 6

diffusion assembly to link the individual assemblies to each other to form L

cascades (or stages} to allow for progressively higher enrichments and to L

extract the." product" and " tails" UF6 from the diffusion cascades. Because of the high inertial properties of diffusion cascades, any interruption in their operation, and especially their shut-down, leads to serious consequences.

~Therefore, a' strict and constant maintenance of vacuum in all technological systems, automatic protection from accidents, and precise automated regulation of the gas flow is of importance in a gaseors diffusion plant. All this leads to'a need to equip the plant with.a large number of special measuring, regulating, and controlling systems.

Normally UF6 is evaporated from cylinders placed within autoclaves and is distributedingaseousformtotheentrypointbywayofcascadeheader pipework. The product" and " tails" UFg gaseous streams flowing from exit points are passed by way of cascade header pipework to either cold traps or to i

t compression stations where the UF gas is liquified prior to onward transfer p

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into suitable containers for transportation or storage. Because.a gaseous L

diffusion enrichment plant consists of a large number of gaseous diffusion-assemblies arranged in cascades, there are many kilometers of cascade header pipework, incorporating thousands of welds with substantial amounts of repetition of layout. The equipment, components and piping systems are.

fabricated to very high vacuum and cleanliness standards. The items listed below either ccs into direct contact with the UF process gas or directly 6

L control-the flow within the cascade. All surfaces which come into contact with the' process gas are wholly made of, or lined with, UF resistant 6'

materials.

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For the purposes of this annex the materials resistant to corrosion by UF6 include stainless steel, aluminum, cluminum alloys, aluminum oxide, nickel or alloys containing 60 percent or more nickel, and UF -resistant fully 6

fluorinated hydrocarbon polymers.

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Because this amendment involves a foreign affairs function of the United Statss, the notice and comment provisions of the-Administrative Procedure Act do no', apply pursuant to 5 U.S.C.

553(a)(1).

The amendments are effective upon publication in-the Federal Register.

Good cause exists to dispense with the usual 30-day delay in the effective date because the State department has requested expediticus action on thjt amendment in order to meet international commitments.

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V Environmental Impact: Categorical Exclusion The NRC has determined that this final rule in Part 110 is the type of action described as a categorical exclusion under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(1).

L Therefore, neither an environmental impact statement nor an environmental assessment has been prepared for this final rule.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement This final rule does not contain a new or amended information collection requirement subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Existing requirements were approved by the Office of Management and Budget under approval number 3150-0036.

Regulatory Analysis NRC already controls exports of gaseous diffusion enrichment plants and specially designed assemblies and components thereof. The amendments are necessary in order for the nuclear export controls of the United States to be consistent with United States supported international nuclear export control

. guidelines. The. clarification will clearly reflect the nature of the enhanced multilateral export controls of the United States for this category of equipment. No other NRC regulatory actions or alternative actions by other agencies address this matter nor are any alternative courses of action feasible. While the amendments im)act all potential exporters of gaseous diffusion enrichment components, t1ey are not expected to result in any increasr.d regulatory burden since they essentially clarify the scope of existing NRC export licensing controls. To date, NRC has neither received an application to export any gaseous enrichment components nor are any such applications expected in the foreseeable future.

Regulatory Flexibility Certification

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- As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 605(b)), the Commission certifies that this rule does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The final rule is an interpretative rule only and, as such, does not, of itself, impose additional obligations on the public.

Backfit Analysis The NRC has determined that the backfit rule, 10 CFR 50.109, does not apply.to this final rule, and, therefore, a backfit analysis is not required for this final rule because these amendments do not involve any provisions which would impose backfits as defined in 10 CFR 50.109(a)(1).

List of Subjects in 10 CFR Part 110 Crud f"N.J Adrainistrative practice and prosedures, assified information,

port,

' Amport,- Ahcoyporation by reference, intergovernmental relations, fuclear materials, nuclear power plants and reactors, gn;.My*' reporting and recordkeeping requirements, /hientific equipment.

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4 For the reasons set out in the preamble and under the authority of the Atomic Inergy Act of 1954,- as amended, the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, and 5 U.S.C. 552 and 553, the NRC is adopting the following amendments to 10 CFR Part 110.

PART 110 - EXPORT' AND IMPORT OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL 1.

The authority citation for Part 110 continues to read:

Iljuthority: Secs. 51, 53, 54, 57, 63, 64, 65, 81, 82, 103, 104, 109, Ill, 126, 127, 128, 129, 161, 181, 182, 183, 187, 189, 68 Stat. 929, 930, 931, 932, 933, 936, 937, 948, 953, 954, 955,' 956, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2071, 2073, 2074, 2077, 2092-2095,2111,2112,2133,2134,2139,2139a72141, 2154-2158, 2201, 2231-2233, 2237, 2239); sec.

201}88 Stat.1242,asamended(42U.S.C.5841).

[Section110.l(b)(2)alsoissuedunderPub.L.36-c 92, 93 Stat. 710 (22 U.S.C. 2403), S u tion 110.11 also issued under sec. 122, 68 Stat. 939 (42 U.S.C. 2152).and secs, 54c and 57d., 88 Stat. 473, 475, (42 U.S.C. 2074). Section 110.27 also issued under sec. 309(a), Pub.L. 99 440. Section 110 50(b)(3) also issued under sec. 123, 92 Stat.

142 (42 U.S.C. 2153). Section 110.51 also issued under sec. 184, 68 Stat. 954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2234); Section 110.52 also issued under sec. 186, 68 Stat. 955 (42 U.S.C. 2236). Sections 110.80-110.113 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552, 554. Sections 110.30-110.35 also issued under 5 thS.C. 553.

fForthepurposesofsec.223,68 Stat.958,as amended (42 U.S.C. 2273);129 secs. 110.20-110.29, i

110.50,~and 110.120-110.

also issued under secs 161 b and 1, 68 Stat. 948, 949, as amended

'(42U.S.C.2201(b)and(i));andsecs.110.7aand 110.53 are also issued under sec. 161(c), 68 Stat.

C.

950, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2201(o)).

1

- 3110.8 List of Nuclear equipment under NRC export licensing

. authority.

(a) Nuclear reactors.

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5 W6)(7) to toed-es followsi" f(b) Plants for the separation of the isotopes of source material, special nuclear material or lithium, including gas centrifuge plants, gaseous diffusion plants, jet nozzle plants, vortex plants, laser isotope separation plants, and chemical t

separation plants.

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-In 61 paragra Mp -is nded -by-reetsing p..v,. Mc-)-and..L apns LcT(1. c) K,4 c)G )- (e)f 4 1c5f5). f r)(6)f-

7) N d 4 W p ad as Tol, ows:

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'(c)l elements. Plants for the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear reactor fue

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In 1110.0 peregr:ph-(4) H traded-to-vesd arTot1 casa (d) Plants for the fabrication of nuclear reactor fuel elements.

Gr--k $1104-paragraptrtr)-is amendedio Tend as follows:

6-(e) Plants _ for the-production of heavy water, deuterium, and deuterium com ounds.

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In 91t970 p:r:gr:phs (f), (g)Tih)T-(+)--end-(j) efi-deleted :r.d ; a8~

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b(f)Anyspeciallydesigne[dorpreparedassembliesandcomponents for 44) nuclear reactors robove and for the niante listed in

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paragraphs (b) through (e) ebever~Tiee Appendices A, B, C, and

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" ".. O for an-illustrative listing of specially designed-or prepared

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equipment Dr a nuclear reactor and gas centrifuge, gaseous-diffus Q.+h : ion, and Anew 6110.9' sad;=J..reprocessingplants.)

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rephe(;),(b),(

).(d),(a)trq*'addedtoread 1[p' as follows:-

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---6110.g' List of Nuclear Material under NRC export licensing

'. authority.

1 a Special Nuclear Material.

b Source Material.

1 c Byproduct-Material.

d Deuterium.

e Nuclear grade graphite, s

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In Appe..dia A, the heedies (title) is revi;;d t0 read :~ f 11se #

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ppenoJx s nustranve ilstpr gas ciht.Y1Y9et ehP44tgeat plan' component under NRC exp kg.nsing au)WQ fi

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.- A new Appendix A is added to read as follows:

Mppendix A - Illustrative list of nuclear reactor equipment c

E under NRC export licensing authority.

. If Note - A nuclear reactor basically includes the items within or attached directly to the reactor vessel, the equipment which controls the level of power in the core, and the components which normally contain or_ come in direct contact with or control the primary coolant of the reactor core.

(1) Reactor pressure vessels, i.e., metal vessels, as complete units or major-shop-fabricatrd parts, specially designed or prepared to contain the core of-a nuclear reactor and capable of withstanding the operating pressure of the primary coolant.

(2) On-line (e.g., CANDU) reactor fuel charging and discharging machines, i.e., manipulative equipment specially designed for inserting or removing fuel in an operating nuclear reactor.-

.(3) Reactor control-rods, i.e., rods specially designed or prepared for the control of the reaction rate in a nuclear reactor.

(4) Reactor primary coolant pumps, i.e., pumps specially designed or prepared for circulating the primary coolant in a nuclear reactor.

(5). Reactor pressure tubes, i.e., tubes specially designed or :

prepared to contain fuel elements and the primary coolant in a nuclear reactor'at an operating pressure in excess of 50 atmospheres.

tubes (or assembifes of tubes specially designed or prepared'for use in a.

6) Zirconium tubes, 1.e., zirconium metal and alloys in the form of 4

nuclear reactor.

(7) Reactor internals, e.g., core support structures,-control and rod guide tubes, thermal shields, baffles, core grid plates and diffuser plates specially designed or prepared for use in a nuclear reactor.'

(8) Reactor control rod drive mechanisms, including detection and measuring equipment to determine flux leve11.

3 )ff. A new Appendix C is added to read as follows:

"ppendix C - Illustrative list af gaseous diffusion enrichment \\ '--

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plant assemblies and components under NRC export licensing

/ W' authority.

(Note-Inthegaseousdiffusionmethodofuran'iumisotopeseparation,

'C " the main ttchnological assembly is a special porous gaseous diffusion

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i barrtei heat exchanger for *.coling the gas (which is heated by the prorv n.,f compressionh N 1 valves and contrni valves, and pipelines. - hnsmuch as gaveous diffusion tecM alogy uses uranium hextfluorida (4 h all equipent., pipel;ae and instrumentation l

6 materials (that remain stable in contact 9tth UF.that come in contact wit surfaces 6

A gaseous diffusion facility requires a number of.hese assemblies, so that quantities can provide an important indication of end use.

NTheauxiliarysystems,equipmentandcomponentsforgaseousdiffusion enrichmant plants are the systems of gaseous tiffusion assembly to link tiplant caeded to feed UF to the 6

e individual assemblies to each other to form casetdes (or stages) to allow for progressively higher i

enrichnsnts and k extract the product" and ' tails UF from the i

6 difNsion casewes. Because of the high inertial properties of diffusion cascadas, any interruption in their operation, and especidly their shut down, leads to serious consequences.

Therefore, a strict and constant maintenance of vacuum in all technolopeal systems, automatic srotection from accidents, and i

precise automated replation of tw gas flow is of importance in a gaseous diffusion plant. All this leads to a need to equip the plant i

with a large number of special measuring, regulating, and contro, ling systems.

fNormallyUF6 is evaporated from cylinders placed within autoclaves and is distributed in gaseous form to the entry point by way of cascade header pipework. The " product" and ' tails' UF gaseous 6

streams flowing from exit points are passed by way of cascade header pipework to either cold traps or to compression stations where the UF gas is liquified prior to onwt.rd transfer into suitabic 6

containers for transport 4 tion or storage. Because a gaseous i

diffusion enrichment plant consists of a large number of gaseous diffusion essemblies arranged in cascades, there are many kilometers of cascade, header pipework, incorporating thousands of welds with substantial amounts of repetition of layout. The equipment, comp:nents and piping systems are fabricated to very high vacuum and d eanliness standards, fTheitemslistedbeloweithercomeintodirectcontactwiththeUF6 process gas or directly control the flow within the cascade. All surfaces which come into contact with the of, or lined with, UFc resistant materials. process gas are wholly made For the' purposes of this appendix the materials resistant to corrosion by UF6 include stain 13ss steel, aluminum, aluminum alloys, aluminum oxide, nickel or alloys containing 60 percent or more nickel, and uf -resistant fully 6

fluorinated hydrocarbon polymers.

Asse0bliesand(omponentsJspecially"tiesignedorP'reparedforgse 1.

ingaseousgiffusiongnrichment.

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s 1.1 Gaseous Diffusion Barriers.

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-f Especially design *d or prepared thin, porous filters, with a pore

' size of 100 1000 A (angstrons), a thickness of 5 m or less, and for i

tubular forms, a diameter of 25 en or less, made of metallic, polymer i

i or ceramic materials resistant to corrosion by UF, and especially 6

prepared compounds or powders for the manufacture of such filters.

Such compounds and powders include nickel or alloys containing 60 percent or more nickel, aluminum oxide, or UFa resistant fully fluorinated hydrocarbon polymers having a purlty of 99.9 percent or more, a particle size less than 10 microns, and a high degree of particle size uniformity, which are especially prepared for the manufacture of gaseous diffusion barriers.

l.2 Diffenr Housings.

4 Especially designed or prepared hermetically sealed cylindrical vessels greater than 30 cm in diameter and greater than 90 cm in length, or rectangular vessels of comparable dimensions, which have l

an inlet connection and two outlet connections all of which are greater than 5 cm in diameter, for containing the gaseous diffusion barrier, made of or lined with UFs resistant materials and designed for horizontal or vertical installation, i

1.3 CompressorsandIss[omars.

A T Especially designed or prepand axial, centrifugal, or positive displacement c pressors, or gis blowers with a suction volume capacity of I min er moge of UF, and with a discharge pressure of 6

up to several h'ndred kN/r (100 P51), designed for long term operation in the UF environment with or without an electrical motor

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of appropriate power, as well as separate assemblies of such compressors and gas blowers. These compressors and gas blowers have a pressure ratio between 2/3 and 6/1 and are made of, or lined with, materials resistant to UF -

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1.4 Rotary Miaft)fals.

A f Es>ecially designed or prepared vacuum seals, with seal feed and seal extaust connections, for sealing the shaft connecting the compressor or the gas blower rotor with the driver motor so as to ensure a i-reliable seal against in-leaking of air into the inner chamber of the compressor or gas blower which is filled with UFs, such seals are normally designed for a buffer gas in leakege rate of less than 1000 cm'/ min.

1.5 Heat Exchangers for Cooling UF6i hEspecially designed or p(repared heat exchangers mado of or UF resistant materials except stainless steel) or with copper or 6

any combination of those metals change rate of less than 10 N/M (and intended for a leakage pressure 0.0015 PSI) per hour under a

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l pressure difference of 100 kN// (15 PSI).

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Auxiliarygystems,Iquipmentandhaponents or[reparedforfseinpaseouspiffusiongnrichm(ent.sp:cially 2.1 Feed Systems / Product and Tails Withdrawal Systems fEspeciallydesignedorpreparedprocesssystems,capabbofoperating at pressures of 300 kN/# (45 PS:) or less, including:

1. Feed autoclaves (or systems), used for passing UF to the gaseous i

6 diffusion cascades; ADesublimers (or cold traps) used to remove UF from diffusion 6

cascades;

!,Licuefaction stations where UF gas from the cascade is compressed 6

and cooled to form liquid UF 1 6

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$',* Product" or " tails

• stations used for transferring UF into

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containers.

6 2.2 Header Piping Systems, i

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'Especially designed or prepared piaing systems and header systems for handling UF within the gaseous diffusion cascades. This piping 6

network is normally of the ' double" header system with each cell connected to each of the headers.

2.3 Vacuum Systems.

I A.

II(a) Especially designed or prepared large vacuum manifold

. vacuum i

headers and vacuum pumps having a suction capacity of 5 ar more.

I (b) Vacuum pumps espacially designed for service in UFa bearing atmospheres made of, or lined with, aluminum, nickel, br alloys bearing more than 60 percent nickel. These pumps may be either rotary or positive displacement, may have fluorocarbon seals. and may have special working fluids present.

2.4 Special Shut-0ff and Control Valves.

I 4

L i Especialh designed or prepared manual or automated shut-off and control bellows valves made of UFs resistant materials with a diameter of 4 cm to 1.5 a for installation in main and auxiliary systems of gaseous diffusion enrichment plants.

2.5 UF Mass Spectrometers /lon Sources; 6

1 Especially designed or prepared magnetic or quadruple mass spectrometers capable of takin "on line" samples of feed, product or

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tails, from UF gas streams an having all of the following 6

_ _ _, _ _. _. - -, ~

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characteristics:

Ha)unitresolutionformassgreaterthan320; P(b) ion sources constructed of or lined with nichrome or monal or i

[nickelplatedt l

(c) electron bombardment ionization sources; f(d) having a collector system suitable for isotopic analysis.

ff. A new Appendix D is addet to read as w.m..:

-Appendix D Illustrative list of reprocessing plant components' I,, e under NRC export licensing authority.

I Note Reprocessing. irradiated nuclear fuel separates plutonium and l

uranium from intensely radioactive fission products and other transuranic elements. Different technical processes can accomplish this separation. However, over the years Purex has become the most commonly used and accepted process.

Purex involves the dissolution i

of irradiated nuclear fuel in nitric acid, followed by separation of the uranium, plutonium, and fission products by solvent extraction using a mixture of tributyi phosphate in an organic diluent.

' Purex facilities have process functions similar to each other, l

iiicluding:

irradiated fuel element chopping, fuel dissolution, solvent extraction, and process liquor storage. There may also be equipment for thermal denitration of uranium nitrate, conversion of

-i plutonium nitrate to oxide metal, and treatment of fission product waste liquor to a form suitable for long term storage or disposal.

However, the specific type and configuration of the equipment perfoming these functions may differ between Purex fartlities for several reasons, including the type and quantity of.ir;.diated nuclear fuel to be reprocessed and the intended disposition of the recovered materials, and the safety and maintenance philosophy incorporated into the design of the facility. A plant of the reprocessing of irradiated fuel elements, includes the equipment and components which normally come in direct contact with and directly control the irradiated fuel and the major nuclear material and fission product processing streams.

(1)Fuelelementchoppingmachines,i.e.,remotelyoperatedequipment reactorfuelassemblies,gundles,orrods. specially designed or pre ared to cut, c u

L tanks (2) Critically safe tanks, i.e., small diameter, annular or slab 1

specially designed or prepared for the dissolution of irradiated nuclear reactor fuel.

(3) Solvent extraction equipment.

[Especiallydesignedorpreparedsolventextractorssuchaspackedorpulse columns, mixer settlers or centrifugal contactors for uso in a plant for the reprocessing of irradiated fuel. Because solvent ex1,ractors must be resistant to the corrosive effect of nitric acid, they aie normally fabricated to extremely high standards (lity control techtiiques) out of including special welding and inspection and quality assurance and qua

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low carbon stainless steels, titanium, zirconium or other high quality i

materials.

(4) N mical holding or storage vessels.

Especial'1 designed or prepared ho ding or storage vessels for use in a plant fo. the reprocessing of irradiated fuel. Because holding or storage vessels must be resistant to the corrosive effect of nitric acid, the normally fabricated of materials such as low carbon stainless steels,y are i

titanium or zirconium, or other high quality materials. Holding or stcrage vessels may be designed for remote operation and maintenance and may have the following features for control of nuclear criticality:

2 perc(en)t, orWalls or internal structures with a boron equivalent of at least i

vessels,) ora maximum diameter of 7 inches (17.78 cm) for cylindrical

)

(ii 1

1 (iii annular ve)ssel.A maximum width of 3 inches (7.62 cm) for either a sla{

Comple(5) Plutonium nitrate to plutonium oxide conversion systems.

te systerns especially designed or prepared for the conversion of plutonium nitrate to plutonium oxide, in particular adapted so as to avoid criticality and radiation effects and to minimize toxicity hazards.

(6) Plutonium metal production systems.

Complete systems especially designed or prepared for the production of plutonium metal, in particular adapted so as to avoid criticality and radiation-effe ts and to minimize toxicity hazards.

+

for mo(n)toring or controlling the processing of materiaProce;_ control ini 7

i in a reprocessing plant.

Dated at.Rockville, Maryland, this day of

, 1990, f.

For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory CommisT1pm-t i

Samuel J. Chilk, i

Secretary of the Commission t

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