ML20073P214
| ML20073P214 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/31/1991 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS (GPA) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUREG-BR-0137, NUREG-BR-0137-R01, NUREG-BR-137, NUREG-BR-137-R1, NUDOCS 9105210071 | |
| Download: ML20073P214 (11) | |
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l Nuclear Matenal j
afety and Safegisards U S Not leav Re lutatury Comnussion.
t The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates medical, academic and commercial uses of nuclear E
materials to protect the pubhc health, safety and the environment and ensure the common defense and securstv.
L The agency issues ficenses for nuclear power plants, t ther types of commercial and research nuclear teactors, the production and use of reactar fuel, and the processing and use of radioactive material produced in reactors. The NRC also certifies packages for the transportation of nuclear materials and regulates the shipment of the r
materials and the disposal of radioactive wastes.
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All non reactor NRC licensees are regulated by the Of fice of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), one of three major NRC program offices established by law.
NMSS's responsibihties fallinto six principal areas:
I (1) Licensing of fuel cycle facihties (2) l' censing of nuclear materials for uses other than in reactors
{3) Regulation of the transportation of nuclear materials (4) Safeguarding of nuclear materials from sabotage and diversion to unauthorized uses (5) Regulation of radioactive waste disposal facilities and
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(6) Regulation of the decommissioning of previously licensed nuclear facihties that are no longer in use.
l Some of these functions are carried out by the five NRC Regional Of f ces.
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The various processing operations required to produce I
fuel for nuclear reactors are conducted in NRC-hcensed fuel cycle facihties. Activities at these facihtieu include:
- Certain types of uranium mining activities
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- Production of uranium hexaflouride from uranium concentrates to provide feed material for isotopic I
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enrichment of uranium-235 to levels needed for a I
nuclear reaction l
- lsotopic enrichment processing of uranium hexaflouride to produce fuel with a higher percentage of uranium 235 than in natural uranium, which is mostly (99.3 % )
or6nium 238 l
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- Fabrication af nuclear reactor fuel, including converting
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enriched uranium hexaflouride to uranium dioxide, forming it into pellets, loading the pellets into ritcaloy i
tubes that life fitted with end caps and welded, and assembling the rods into fuel elements and I
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- Reprocessing spent fuel for recycle, (This step is not being performed in the United States )
i Most of the manufacturing operations that make up the i
nuclear fuel cycle are licensed by the NRC. Exceptions are uranium mining and uranium milling in Agreement States, At the present time there is no reprocessing of commercial nuclear fuelin the United States; spent f uelis being stored for later disposal in a high level waste repository. However, the NRC is conducting a safety review of DOE's high-level waste sol,dification activities at the closed down West ValMy, NY, reprocessing facihty.
NMSS reviews operational safety, radiation protection and criticality safety programs as part of the kcensing process for fuel cycle f acilities.
The of f ace also provides policy guidance and technical support to the NRC regional offices and to Agreement States on theit licensing and inspection activities and on incident and emergency responses to ensure protection of the pubhc health and safety. At the present time NRC fuel cycle licenses number about 30.
Nuclear Materials 1
The NRC regulate; 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 y.
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1 NMSS develops policy and guidance for inspection and l
quality assurance programs to ensure that transportation regulations are followed for nuclev materials shipments.
Approximately 1000 individualinspections are performed by the NRC per year-principally by the regional offices.
In case of an accident involving actual or suspected leakage during the transportation of packages of radioactive material regulated by the NRC, the agency's role t
includes ensuring that affected parties are aware of the i
event and of fering and responding to requests for technical i
assistance by providing inforrnation, advice and evaluations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for coordinating federal and state i
participation in developing emergency response plans. The i
state government in the affected area is recognized as being responsible for assuming control of the accident scene to protect the public health and safety.
Safespurding of NudeTr Matenais
" Safeguards" refers to (1) measures taken to deter, prevent or respond to the unauthorized possession or use of significant quantities of special nuclear material through theft or diversion and (2) measures taken to protect against radiological sabotage of nuclear activities.
NMSS, in consultation with other Federal agencies, continually reviews the domestic and for3ign threat environments and their relationships to NRC's domestic safeguards regulations. The staff also reviews threat-related information on a continuous basis to monitor any change in adversury characteristics and to ascess safeguards related events associated with NRC licensed facilities and activities.
NMSS's Division of Safeguards and Transportation develops and implements safeguards policies and the overall safeguards program forlicensed nuclear materials, facilities and activities. It recommends improvements for physical security and nuclear materials control and accountabihty. Protection provided in the commercial sector for weapons usable "special nuclear matenal" is comparable to that provided for similar material under government control. (The term "special nuclear matenal" refers to plutonium, uranium-233, uranium containing more than the natural abundance of uranium 235 or any material artificially enriched in any of these substances.)
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i The Division also perforrns international safeguardo and foreign physical protection evaluations of nuclear export hcense opphcations, coordinates implementation of the Unit 9d States / International Atomic Energy Agency l
Safeguards Agreement at NRC hcensed facilities, and provides technical support to strengthen IAE A safeguards through interagency groups and direct assistance l
Safeguards for nuclear power reactors generally strer.5 protection against radiological sabotage-such as a e
dehberate tampering or breaching of containment that could result in spread of radioactive rnaterials in an uncontrolled fashion-rather than thef t or diversion.
Safeguards for hcensed nuchar fuel cycle facihties and non power teactors fsuch as university or research i
reactors) emphasize protection against thef t or diversion of special nuclear rnaterial.
NMSS's Division of Safeguards and Transportation is responsible f or protecting against radiological sabotage and thef t or diversion of special nuclear material at nuclear f uel fac:hties and dunna transportation. Another NRC of fice, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, performs this function for reactors.
Radioactive Waste Disposal l
Radioactive wastes generated from commercial uses of radioactive matenal include high level and low level wastes and mill tailings. High level radioactive waste consists of irradiated nuclear reactor fuel and certain liquid and Sohd wastes resulting from the reprocessing of irradiated reactor f uel. All other radioactive waste is low level. The NRC also regulates mill taihngs, which are the residues from processing ore to recoser uranium and thorium.
High-Level Radioactive Wasta Disposal No facihties are pcesently available for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. In passing the Nuclear Waste Pohey Act of 1982 (NWpA), Congress found that a national problem had been created by the accumulation of spent fuel from nuclear reactors, certain materials from the reprocessing of spent fuel, and other highly radioactive materials requinng permanent isolation
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states that have accepted authnrity, through agteement with the NRC, over the hcentang of radioactive matenals within the state) regulate about 15,000 radioactive materials hcenses i
Most of the over 8,000 NRC materia!s hcenses are administered by the NRC's five regional othces NMSS's Diviuon of Industrial and Medical Nucleat Safety at headquarters provides national direction to the regsonal htenung and inspection activities it also provides technical guidance and support to the regional othces and, upon request, to the Agreement States NMSS also takes appropnate actions to control safety issues involving nuclect inaterials licensees and directs NRC responses to emergencies. in this area issues of pubhc interest have recently included l
- Food irradiation i
- Potentialhatards of radioactivejewelry-cloisonne and topar
- Prevention of medical misadministrations
- Laakago of radioactive materials from industrial static climinators
- Leaking radioactive sources used irt large irradiator facihties to steriltre medical products such as surgical gloves and
- Hadiography personnel overexposures i
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i Transportation of Nuclear Materials i
i Approximately 3 million packages of radioactive materials are t, hipped in the United States each year. The transportation of these matenals is regulatedjointly by the NRC and the Department of Transportation (DOTh The responsibihties of the two agencies are generally divided as follows j
DOT-Regulates packages for small amounts of radioactivity, carriers of radioactive material and the i
conditions of transport
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(such as routing, vehicle I
requirements. handhng and storaget l
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NRC-Regulates users of radioactive material and the design. construction, use and maintenance of shipping containers for large amounts of radioactivity.
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Requirements for the shipping containers very according to the amount of radioactivity in the material being transported.
Type B Packages Containers used to transport spent fuel, which is highly radioactive must be " Type B" packages that are designed to withstand a series of impact, puncture, and fire environments, thereby providing reasonable assurance that the packages will withstand severe transportation accidents. NMSS's Division of Safeguards andTrans its resistance to accidents. An approval certificate must be issued by NMSS before a package, called a " cask," can be used to transport spent fuel.
NitC tegulations require that all states located on approved toutes be nottfied by the licensee before a series of spent fuel shipments begins. Under DOT's guidehnes.
a state may indicate a preferred route through the state other than via an Interstate System highway <
in addition to the protection provided to spent fuel 1
shipments by the Type B shipping container, a physical protection system is applied to minimite the possibihties of radiological sabotage of the shipments, particularly in highly populated areas. Armed escorts must be provided while a shipment travels through urban areas, for example, 4
and state authorities must be notified in advance, NMSS also must approve routes proposed by licensees for ship-ment of spent fuel to ensure that sabotage concerns are considered.
Type A Packages Small amounts of radioactivity can be shipped 5 " Type A" packages. Contents are restricted so that failure of packages containing these materials would not present a serious health problem it the contents were released. Type A packages must be designed to withstand normal conditions of transport, but not accidents.
Most med#calisotopes are shipped in Type A packages Lesser emounts of radioactivity, such as that contained in smoke detectors, may be shipped in ordinary boxes.
Low Specific Activity Packages Another category, the " Low Specific Activity" package.
is used where the radioactivity is low concentration, such as uranium ore or yellowcake. LSA material may be shipped in bulk or packages and presents a minimal health hazard in transport.
l 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, the Department of Energy (DOElis mandated to obtain further Congressional guidance The NWPA gave DOE the responsibility for siting, constructing, operating and decommissionmg the repository under NRC license and regulation. The NRC is charged with evaluating DOE's application for authonty to construct a repository and reaching a licensing decision on construction authoritation within three years from the receipt of the application. Af ter the repository construction is completed, DOE will apply 1o NRC for a license to receive and possess the wastes.
DOE will also apply to NRC for license amendments if they intend to permanently close the repository, dismantle surf ace facilities, remove controls to restrict access to the site or undertake any other activities involving an un-reviewed safety question.
The Division of High Level Waste Management within the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards manages the NRC's program for hcensing. inspecting and regulating the repository. This includes developing a program of pre licensing interf ace with DOE, Federal and State authorities and any affected Indian tribes The aim is to achieve an ongoing understanding of DDE's program and identif y repository bcensing concerns and issues at an early stage, Until the repository is approved and constructed, spent nuclear fuelis being stored primarily in specially designed, water filled basins at individual reactor sites around the country. This storage is authorized under the same license that authorites reactor operation.
However, as these basins become crowded, additional storage space may be needed before the repository is ready to receive high level waste. Alternative methods for additional storage include:
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations--using wet storage in separate pools on or off the reactor site or dry storage in casks, modules o' vaults. Licenses of this type issued by NMSS have included one for a wet storage pool at an off reactor site to General Electric Co., Morris, Illinois, and three for at reactor site dry storage to Virginia Power Co. for the Surry nuclear power plant site, Carolina Power and Light for the Robinson 2 nuclear power plant site and Duke Power Co. for the Oconee nuclear power plant site.
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The NRC licenses and regulates uranium mills, heap leaching f acilities, ore-buying stations, commstreiblin situ solution mining operations and uranium extraction research and development projects. Most of the licenses are administered by the Uranium Recovery Field Office in Denver, Colorado, a part of the NRC's Region IV of fice.
NMSS's Division of Low-Level Waste Management and Decommissioning serves as the national focal point for the licensing activities. NMSS at headquarters alt,o reviews the remedial actions to be taken by DOE at 22 inactive mill tsilings sites.
l Otn omniissioning
Decommissioning" means removing a nuclear f acility f rom service and reducing residual radioactivity to a level that permits the release of the property for unrestricted use and termination of the license.
The NRC's objective is for decommissioned nuclear f acility sites ultimately to be available f or unrestricted use l
for any public or private purpose.
i For nuclear power reactors, NMSS's Division of Low-Level Waste Management and Decommissioning is responsible for reviewing the decommissioning plan submitted bv the utility that operated the reactor and for overseeing the implementation of the plan and the termination of the license when the decommissioning activities are successfully completed.
The NRC group that licenses operating nuclear power plants. the Of fice of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, also has responsibilities during the initialstagesof decommissioning and has complete responsibility for regulating the i
decommissioning of research and test reactors.
l NMSS's Divisien of low LevelWaste Management and l
Decommissioning provides national direction, technical guidance on decommissioning reviews and support ior all l
non reactor licensees.
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The above areas of responsibility evolved from the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, which established NMSS as one of the three major program offices of the NRC-Under this authority granted by Congress, NMSS has a primary role in ensuring that the NRC perf orms its mission to regulate the safe use of nuclear materials in the public sector.
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Monitored Retriewbie Storage facihties-which may be built by the Department of Energy NMSS is responsit to for reviewing applications for such storage faciltties and issuing a license to operate, if appropriate.
Low Level Waste i
Three disposal sites in the United States are currently 1
accepting low level radioactive waste. They are located in Beatty, Nevada; Barnwell, South Carolina; and Hanford.
Washington. Under a provision of the Atomic Energy Act enabling states to assume certain regulatory responsibil-ities from the NRC, all three sites are licensed by the
" Agreement States" in which they are located.
NMSS's Division of low Level Waste Managernent and Decommissioning provides guidance to Agreement States in low level waste areas.
The Low level Radicactive Waste Policy Act gave the States-rather than the Federal government-responsibil-ity 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 by the NRC.
NRC regulations and guides contain performance objectives and technical requirements for the land disposal of low-level wastes. Perf ormance objectives include limits on radioactive material released to the environmer't and provide for protection of inadvertent intruders of ter active operations cease.
Technical requirements in NRC's regulations and guides include an examination of site suitability to ensure avoidance of sites with, for example, unacceptable earthquake vulnerabilities and erosion or flooding.
Environmental monitoring is required before the site is chosen to provide basic data about the 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 classifying each_
package of waste to indicate its radiological harards, based on the concentration of radioactive materials.
Low level wastes exceeding the limits of NRC's classification system are to be disposed of by the Federal Government. The Department of Energy is responsible for disposal of these wastes, but has not developed a facility for their storage or disposal. Disposal in the high-level waste repository is one option recognized by the NRC.
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l For Additional Informatioh 3
Contact i
Public Affairs Staff Office of Governmental and Public Affairs U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 (301) 492-0240 i
Regional Public Affaits Offices Region 1
- 475 Allendale Road j
King of Prussia, PA 19406 j
(215) 337-5330 Region ll
- 101 Marietta Street Suite 2900 Atlanta, GA 30323 (404) 331-4503 l
Region lit
- 799 Roosevelt Road i
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 l
(708) 790-5500 i
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Region IV - 611 Ryan Plaza Drive i
Suite 1000 l
Arlington, TX 76011 (817) 860-8128
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Region V
- 1450 Maria Lane Suite 210 Walnut Creek. CA 94596-5368 (415) 975-0200 l
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NUREG/BR-0137, Rev.1 March 1991 U b Govt frNME NT Mid4 TING Cw Fict 199i o m cio i
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