ML20073G589
| ML20073G589 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/31/1994 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OPA) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUREG-BR-0137, NUREG-BR-0137-R02, NUREG-BR-137, NUREG-BR-137-R2, NUDOCS 9410040272 | |
| Download: ML20073G589 (6) | |
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11 S N I! C Omce of Public Affairs hhington, DC 20'55 0001 9410040272 940831 t
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Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission aa The U.S. Nuclear Regulatcry Commission regulates med-ical, academic and commercia; uses of nuclear materials to protect the public health, safety and the environment and ensure the common defense and security.
The agency issues licenses for nuclear power plants, other types of commercial and research nuclear reactors, the pro-duction and use of reactor fuel, and the processing and use of radioactive material produced in reactors. The NI?C also cer-tifies packages for the transportation of nuclear materials and regulates the shipment of the materials and the disposal of radioactive wastes.
All non-reactor NRC licensees are regulated by the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), one of three mgjor N1(C program offices established by law. NMSS's responsibilities fall into six principal areas:
(1) 1icensing of fuel cycle facilities
,J (2) Licensing of nuclear materials for uses other than l
in reactors (3) llegulation of the transportation of nuclear materials (4) Safeguarding of nuclear materials from sabotage and j
diversion to unauthorized uses (5) llegulation of radioactive waste disposal facilities and (6)llegulation of the decommissioningof previouslylicensed nuclear facilities that are no longer in use.
Some of these functions are carried out by the four NHC Regional Offices.
Fuel Cycle Facilities The various processing operations required to produce fuel for nuclear reactors are conducted in NHCelicensed fuel cycle facilities. Activities at these facilities include:
. Certain types of uranium mining activitics
. Production of uranium hexafluoride frtm uranium con.
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centrates to pnnide feed material for isotopic enrich-ment of uranium 235 to levels needed for a nuclear reac-Il tion
- Isotopic enrichment processing of uranium hexafluoride l
to produce fuel with a higher percentage of uranium 235 i
than in natural uranium, which is mostly (99.3%) urani-um-238
. Fabrication of nuclear reactor fuel, including converting enriched uranium hexafluoride to uranium dioxide, form-ing it into pellets, loading the pellets into zircaloy tubes l
that are fitted with end caps and welded, and assembling j
the rods into fuel elements and j
. Iteprocessing spent fuel for recycle. (This step is not per-formed in the United Sates.)
l' Most of the manufacturing operations that make up the nuclear fuel cycle are licensed by the NitC. Exceptions are uranium mining and uranium milling in Agreement States.
At the present time there is no reprocessing of commer-I cial nuclear fuel in the United States; spent fuel is being stored for later disposal in a high-level waste repository.
llowever, the NitC is conducting a safety resiew of DOE's high-level waste solidification arthities at the closed down West Valley, NY, reprocessing facility.
NMSS's Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards resiews operational safety, radiation protection and criticality safety programs as part of the licensing process for fuel cycle facilities.
The office also provides policy guidance and techaical support to the NitC regional of11ces and to Agreement States on their licensing and inspection activities and on incident and emergency responses to ensure protection of the public health and safety. At the present time NltC fuel cycle licenses number about 30.
i Nticlear Materials The NitC regulates approximately 8.200 licenses for the possession and use of radioactive materials for purposes other than the generation of electricity or operation of a research reactor. The 29 Agreement States (which are states that have accepted authority, throagh agreement with the NitC, over the licensing of radioactive materials within the state) regulate about 15,000 radioactive materials licenses.
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I Most of the mer 8,000 N',tC materials licenses are admin istered by the NitUs fou.- regional offices. NMSS's Dhiston of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety at headquarters prm vides national direction to the regional licensing and inspec-tion activities. It also prmides technical guidance and. up-s i
port to the regional offices and, upon request, to the Agreement States.
NMSS also takes appropriate actions to control safety issues invohing nuclear materials licensees and directs NRC respon.ses to emergencies in this area.
l!ses of nuclear materials under these licenses include medical diagnosis and treatment, food irradiation, steriliza-tion of surgical gloves, smoke detection and industrial mea-surements.
Transportation of Nuclear Materials Approximately 3 million packages of radioactive materials are shipped in the United States each year.The transporta-tion of these materials is regulated jointly by the NltC and the Department of Transportation (DOT). The responsibilities of the two agencies are generally divided as follows:
DOT-Itegulates packages for small amounts of radioac-tivity, carriers of radioactive material and the conditions of transport (such as routing, vehicle requirements, handling and storage).
NitC-itegulates users of radioactive material and the design, construction, use and maintenance of shipping con-tainers for large amounts of radioactivity.
Requirements for the shipping containers vary according to the amount of radioactivity in the material being trans-ported.
1)pe il packages Containers used to transport spent fuel, which is highly radioactive, must be "1)pe W packages that are designed to withstand a series of impact, puncture, and fire emiron-ments, thereby prmiding reasonable assurance that the pack-ages will withstand severe transportation accidents. NMSS's Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety initially reviews the package design to verify its resistance to acci-
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<t dents. An ar>pnwal certificate must be issued by NMSS before a package,i alled a " cask," can be used to transport spent fuel.
NilC regulations require that all states located on approved routes be notified by the licensee before a series of spent fuel shipments begins. l'nder D01"s guidelines, a state may indicate a preferred route through the state other than via an Interstate System highway.
In addition to the protection prosided to spent ft.el ship-ments by the lype 11 shipping container, a physical protection system is applied to minimize the possibilities of radiological sabotage of the shipments, particularly in highly populated areas. Armed escorts must be provided while a shipment trav.
l els though urban areas, for example, and state authorities must be notified in advance. NMSS also must approve routes I
proposed by licensees for shipment of spent fuel to ensure l
that sabotage concerns are considered.
I Type A Packages Small amounts of radioacthity can be shipped in "lype A
packages. Contents are restricted so that failure of packages containing Ihese materials would not present a serious health problem if the contents were released.lype A packages must be designed to withstand normal conditions of transport, but i
not accidents.
Most medical isotopes are shipped in Type A packages.
1, esser amounts of radioacthity, such as that contained in smoke detectors, may be shipped in ordinary boxes.
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Iow Specific Activity Packages Another category, the "lew Specific Activity " package, is used where the radioacthity is low concentration, such as
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uranium ore or yellowcake.1,SA material may be shipped in l
bulk or packages and presents a minimal health hazard in transport.
l NMSS develops policy and guidance for inspection and quality assuraner programs to ensure that transportation reg-i ulations are followed for nuclear materials shipments.
Approximately 1000 individual inspections are performed by l
the N1;C per year-principally by the regional offices.
In case of an accident invohing actual or suspected leak-
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age during the transportation of packages of radioactive material regulated by the NitC, the agency's role includes ensuring that affected parties are aware of the event and offering and responding to requests for technical assistance by providing information, advice and evaluations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for coordinat-ing federal and state participation in developing emergency response plans. The state government in the affected area is b, recognized as being responsible for assuming control of the accident scene to protect the public health and safety.
j Safegtiarding of Nuclear Materials
" Safeguards refers to (1) measures taken to deter, pre-vent or respond to the unauthorized possession or use of sig-nificant quantities of special nuclear material through theft or diversion and (2) measures taken to protect against radio-logical sabotage of nuclear activities.
NMSS, in consultation with other Federal agencies, con-tinually reviews the domestic and foreign threat emiron-ments and their relationships to NItC) aomestic safeguards regulations. The staff also reviews threat related information on a continuous basis to monitor any change in adversary characteristics and to assesu afeguard9related events r.sso-ciated with NitC licensed facilities and activities.
SMSS's Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards develops and implements safeguards policies and the overall safeguards pn gram for licensed nuclear materials, facilities and activities. It recommends improvements for physical security and nuclear materials control and accountability.
Protection provided in the commercial sector for weapons-usable 'special nucle ar material" is comparable to that pro-vided for similar material under government control. (The term "special nuclear material" refers to plutonium, uranium-233, uranium containing more than the natural abundance of uranium L or any material artificially enriched in any of these substances.)
The Division also performs international safeguards and foreign physical protection evaluations of nuclear export license applications, coordinates implementation of the United States / International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards Agreement at NitC licensed facilities, and pro-vides technical support to strengthen IAEA safeguards through interagency groups and direct assistance.
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a-f Safeguards for nuclear power reactors generally stress protection against radiological sabotage-such as a delib-l erate tampering or breaching of containment that could l
l result in spread of radioactive materials in an uncontrolled fashion-rather than theft or diversion.
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Safeguards for licensed nuclear fuel cycle facilities ar.d I
non-power reactors (such as university or research reactors) emphasize protection against theft or diversion of special nuclear material.
NMSS's Division of l'uel Cycle Safety and Safeguards is l
responsible for protecting against radiological sabotage and theft or diversion of special nuclear material at nuclear fuel facilities and during transportation. Another NitC office, the OfTice of Nuclear lleactor llegulation, performs this function for reactors.
Radioactive Waste Disposal lladioactive wastes generated from commercial uses af I
radioactive material include high-level and low level wastes and mill tailings. Iligh level radioactive waste consists of irra-diated nuclear reactor fuel and certain liquid and solid wastes resulting from the reprocessing ofirradiated reactor fuel. All other radioactive waste is low-level. The NitC also regulates mill tailings, which are the residues from process-ing ore to recever uranium and thorium.
l liigh Incl lladioactise Waste Disposal No facilities are presently available for the permanent disposal of high level radioactive wastes. Ir passing the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), Congress found that a national problem had been created by the accumula-tion of spent fuel from nuclear reactors, certain matetials from the reprocessing of spent fuel, and other highly radioac-tise materials requiring permanent isolation.
The NWPA provided for the development of repositories for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel. In 1987, the NWPA was amended to focus the development of a repository on only one site-Yucca Mountain, Nevada. If the Nevada site does not prove suitable, Ihe Department of Energy (DOE) is mandated to obtain fur-t her Congressional guidance.
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s The NWPA gave DOE the responsibility for siting, con-1 structing, operating and decommissioning the repository under NitC license and regulation. The NilC is charged with evaluating DOE's application for authority to construct a repositary and reaching a licensing decision on construction authorization within three years from the receipt of the appli-cation. After the repository construction is completed, DOE will apply to NitC for a license to receive and possess the k Wastes.
DOE will also apply to NitC for license amendments if they intend to permanently close the repository, dismantle surface facilities, remove controls to restrict access to the sitn or undertake any other activities invohing an unreviewed safety question.
The Division of Waste Management within the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards manages the NItC's program for licensing, inspecting and regulating the reposito-ry. This includes developing a program of pre licensing mter-face with DOE, Federal and State authorities and any affect-ed Indian tribes. The aim is to achieve an ongoing under-standing of DOE's program and identify repository licensieg concerns and issues at an early stage.
Until the repository is approved and constructed, spent nuclear fuel is being stored primarily in specially designed, water filled hasins or dry storage casks at individual reactor sites around the country. Alternative methods for ablitional storage may include:
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations-using wet storage in separate pools or dry starage in casks, modules or vaults off the reactor site. A license of this type has been I
issued for a wet storage pool at an off-reactor site to General Electric Co., Morris, Illinois.
Monitored Retrievable Storage facilities-which may be built hy the Department of Energy. NMSS is responsible for reviewing applications for such storage facilities and issuing a license to operate,if appropriate.
Iow-inel Waste Tw o disposal sites in the l'nited States are currentis-accepting low-level radioactive waste from certain areas of the country. The two sites are located in Barnwell, South
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Carolina, and llanford, Washington. Under a provision of the Atomic Energy Act enabling states to ae.sume certain regula-tory responsibilities from the NRC, both sites are licensed by the " Agreement States" in which they are located.
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NMSS's Division of Waste Management prmides guidance l
to Agreement States in low level waste areas.
The Barnwell low-level waste facility accepts waste from the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. It is slated p
to cim.c on January 1,1990. The llanford facility accepts
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waste from the states of Alaska, Colorado, llawaii, Idaho, l
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Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and j
Wyoming. States that are not included on either list must store their low-level waste until new sites are opened.
The 1,ow level Radioactive Waste Policy Act gave the States-rather than the Federal government-responsibility for providing additional disposal capacity for low-level radioactive waste. States are currently working to develop regional compacts to ensure adequate disposal capacity in the future without building a new waste facility in every state. Sites located in non-Agreement States will be regulated I
by the NitC.
l NRC regulations and guides contain performaace objec-tives and technical requirements for the land disposal of low-level wastes. Performance objectives include limits on radioactive material released to the environment and provide for protection against inadvertent intruders after active oper-ations cease.
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Technics "irements in NRC's regulations and guides include an exain.ation of site suitability to ensure avoidance of sites with, for example, unacceptable earthquake vulnera-bilities and erosion or flooding. Emironmental monitoring is required before the site is chosen to provide basic data about Ihe site. Similar monitoring is required during operation to provide early warning of releases of radioactive materials before they leave the site boundary. The regulations also require proper packaging and form of the waste and classify-ing each package of waste to indicate its radiological hazards, based on the concentration of radioactive materials.
Iow lesel wastes exceeding the limits of NitC's classifica-tion system are to be disposed of b,s the Federal Government.
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fh The Department of Energy is responsible for disposal o t ese h i storage or stes, t>ut has not developed a facility for t e r sposal. Disposal in the high-level waste repository is one wa di tion recognized by the NIlC.
op The NRC licenses and regulates uranium mills, heap it eaching facilities, ore-buying stations, commercial in s u tion research
.olution mining operations and uranium extrac l
d by and development projects. The licenses are administereN r
I i mill the remedial actions to be taken by DOE at 22 inact ve tailings sites.
Decommissioning
- Decommissioning" means removing a nuclear facility l
from service and reducing residual radioactivity to a leve that permits termination of the license.
For nuclear power reactors, NMSS's Division of Waste i
Management is responsible for reviewing the decommiss on-tr ing plan submitted by the utility that operated the reac o h lan and the and for overseeing the implementation of t e p
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i i g aethi-termination of the license when the decommiss on n ties are successfully completed.
The NitC group that licenses operating nuclear power l has plants, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, a sores i i ning t
h d commis-and has complete responsibility for regulatingt e e sioning of research and test reactors.
l NMSS's Dhision of Waste Management provides nationa i
direction, technical guidance on decommissioning rev ews and support for all non reactor licenwes.
The above areas of responsibility evolved from the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, which established NMSS as one i
RC. I'nder this of the three major program offices of the N r le in authority granted by Congress, NMSS has a primary o l ensuring that the NRC performs its mission to regulate the safe use of nuclear materiah in tl.e public sector.
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12055513o531 1 1A0 US NDC-0ADM DTV FOIA E PURLICATIONS SVCS TPS-PDP-NUREG 2WFN-6E7 WASHINGTON DC 20555 i
For Additional Information
Contact:
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Omoc of Public Affairs ll.S. Nuclear llegulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 (301) 415 8200 llegional Public Affairs Offices ilegion 1 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia,l'A 19406-1415 (215) 337 5330 l
llegion 11 101 Marietta Street Suite 2900 Atlanta, GA 30323-0199 (404) 331-4503 j
liegion 111 801 Warrenville Road
- l. isle, i1,60532-4351 (708) 829-9663 l
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Suite 400 l
Arlington, TX 760118064 (817) 860-8128 Walnut Creek Field Omce 1450 Maria 1.ane l
Walnut Creek, CA 94596-5368 l
(415) 975-0200 l
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l Nt?llEG/ Bit-0137, llev. 2 August 1994 I
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