ML20133C684
| ML20133C684 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 07/26/1985 |
| From: | NRC |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20133C669 | List: |
| References | |
| RTR-REGGD-1.023, TASK-ES-926-4, TASK-RE REGGD-01.023, REGGD-1.023, NUDOCS 8510070483 | |
| Download: ML20133C684 (5) | |
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DRTI REGULATORY GUIDE 1.23 Proposed Revision 1 Meteorological Measurement Program for Nuclear Power Plants A. INTRODUCTION 1
Paragraph 100.10(c)(2) of 10 CFR Part 100, " Reactor Site Criteria," states l that, in determining the acceptability of a site for a power or test reactor, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will take into consideration meteorolog-ical conditions at the site and in the surrounding area.
Paragraph 50.35a(a)(2) of 10 CFR Part 50, " Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities," requires-nuclear power plant licensees to submit I semiannual reports specifying the quantity of each of the principal radionuclides released to unrestricted areas in liquid and airborne effluents and such other information as may be required by the NRC to estimate maximuin potential annual radiation doses to the public. A knowledge of meteorological conditions in the vicinity of the reactor is important in providing a basis for estimating annual radiation doses resulting from radioactive materials released in airborne effluents.
In order for the NRC to fulfill..its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 51, " Licensing and Regulatory Policy and Procedures for Environ-mental Protection," Appendix I, " Numerical Guides for Design Objectives and Limiting Conditions for Operation To Meet the Criterion ' As low As Is Reasonably Achievable' for Radioactive Material in Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor Effluents," to 10 CFR Part 50, and 10 CFR Part 20, " Standards for Protection Against Radiation," basic meteorological information is necessary to assess environmental effects of a radiological and nonradiological nature resulting
- , from the construction or operation of a nuclear power plant.
l In addition to the requirements for determining meteorological conditions at nuclear power plants in orcer to assess siting, licensing, and environmental l factors, detailed meteorological information is necessary for dealing with 8510070483 850916 Enclosure 1 0)/26/85 oyR O2 PDR ORAFT 3
i radiological emergenci,es.
Paragraph 50.47 of 10 CFR Part 50, " Domestic Licens-ing of Production and Utilization Facilities," and Appendix E, " Emergency Plans for Production and Utilization Facilities," to 10 CFR Part 50 require power plant licensees to provide reasonable assurance that adequate protective measures can and will be taken in the event of a radiological emergency. In this regard, it is necessary for the licensee to establish and maintain a meteorological program capable of rapidly providing meteorological information to assess and monitor actual or potential consequences of a radiological emergency condition.
Thus, at each nuclear power plant site, there are multiple needs for pro-grams that will adequately measure and document basic meteorological data.
These data can be used to develop atmospheric diffusion parameters that, with an appropriate dispersion model, can be used to estimate potential radiation doses to the public resulting from routine or accidental releases for radio-active materials to the atmosphere or to evaluate the potential dose to the public as a result of hypothetical reactor accidents. This regulatory guide describes a meteorological measurement program acceptable to the NRC staff for providing meteorological data needed to estimate such radiation doses and to t
assess potential environmental effects of a nonradiological nature. This regulatory guide does not set forth new staff positions, but rather consolidates existing guidance on meteorological measurements contained in Regulatory Guides 1.97 and 1.101 and Supplement 1 to NUREG-0737 as'well as clarifying the original guidance contained in the previous version of this guide.
B. -0+SCUSSION ,
The meteorological measurement program at a nuclear power plant site should be capable of providing the meteorological information required to make the following assessments:
- 1. A conservative assessment by the applicant or licensee and the NRC staff of the radiological consequences of airborne releases from design basis accidents. This will aid in evaluating the acceptability of a site and the adequacy of engineered safety features for a nuclear power plant in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 100.
- 2. A realistic assessment by the applicant or licensee and the NRC staff of the potential radiation dose to the public resulting from the routine release of radioactive materials in airborne effluents. These assessments assist in 07/26/85 2 ORAFT 3
demonstrating ,that operations will be or are being conducted within the limits of 10 CFR Part 20 and in ensuring that effluent control equipment design objec-tives and proposed operating procedures meet the requirements of Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50.
- 3. A realistic assessment by the applicant or licensee and other appro-priate persons of the potential radiological consequences of an actual or pro-jected accidental release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere in accord-ance with the requirements of Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50 and of 21 CFR Part 1090.
- 4. A realistic assessment by the applicant or licensee and the NRC staff of the potential dispersion of radioactive materials from and the radiological consequences of a spectrum of accidents to aid in evaluating the environmental risk posed by a nuclear power plant in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51.
- 5. A realistic assessment by the applicant or licensee and the NRC staff
- of potential nonradiological environmental effects such as fogging, icing, and I
salt drift from cooling towers. This will aid in evaluating the environmental impact of a nuclear power plant in actordance with 10 CFR Part 51.
Guidance concerning the dispersion models to be used for evaluating the potential radiological consequences of design basis reactor accidents is given in Regulatory Guide 1.145, " Atmospheric Dispersica Models for Potential Accident Consequence Assessments at Nuclear Power Plants." Guidance concerning the dispersion models to be used for evaluating the potential effects of routine releases of radioactive effluents into the atmosphere is given in Regulatory Guide 1.111, " Methods for Estimating ~ Atmospheric Transport and Dispersion of Gaseous Effluents in Routine Releases from Light-Water-Cooled Reactors."
Guidance concerning the characteristics of atmospheric dispersion models to be used for evaluating the actual or projected offsite consequences of a radio-logical emergency condition is given in Regulatory Guide 1.101, " Emergency Planning and Preparedness for Nuclear Power Reactors."
3 Guidance concerning the assessment of cooling system impacts is given in Section 5.3.3.1 of NUREG-0555, " Environmental Standard Review Plans for the Environmental Review of Construction Permit Applications for Nuclear Power Plants."
The principal purpose of this regulatory guide is to consolidate into a single document regulatory guidance equivalent to existing approved regulatory guidance applicable in all of the contexts noted above taken together, simply for the sake of convenience. Endorsement of ANSI /ANS-2.5-1984, " Standard for 07/26/85 3 DRAFT 3
Determining Meteorological Information at Nuclear Power Sites," by this guide is intended to' accomplish such consolidation, and nothing more. In that regard, it must be recognized that the ANSI /ANS-2.5-1984 standard being endorsed con-tains a significant amount of information that is tutorial in nature, to an !
extent that is not normally included in a regulatory guide. Also, several por- 1 tions of ANSI /ANS-2.5-1984 (e.g. , definitions of terms; discussions of turbulent typing schemes, methodology to minimize the influence of obstructions on meteo-rological measurements, methodology pertaining to time averaging / error estima-tion / data compilation, and ways to assure adequate data recoverability) contain what appears to be intended by the framers of the standard as guidance to be applied by users (not simply treated as tutorial or informational), which goes beyond existing approved NRC regulatory guidance in the areas indicated. Where either of the above is the case, the content of ANSI /ANS-2.5-1984 is endorsed for implementation as a staff oosition only to that extent that does not go beyond applicable existing approved NRC guidance, as applied by the staff at the time of issuance of this guide in the licensing contexts specifically delineated in Section D, " Implementation," below.
C. REGULATORY POSITION The requirements of ANSI /ANS-2.5-1984, " Standard for Determining Meteoro-logical Information at Nuclear Power Sites," are acceptable to the NRC staff 4
for satisfying the Commission's regulations pertaining to the meteorological measurement program needed to provide-meteorological data to he utilized in the evaluation of the environmental impact, the routine radioactivity release impacts and the accidental radioactivity release impacts which may be associated with 1
the construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Although ANSI /ASME NQA-1-1983, " Quality Assurance Program Requirements for Nuclear Facilities,' is referenced in ANSI-2.5-1984, it is not included in the endorsement of this Regu-latory Guide for use with quality assurance programs related to meteorological measurement programs for operating reactors. It does, however, contain useful information which, if used, should be used in a manner consistent with current regulatory practice including, but not limited to, Appendix B of 10 CFR Part 50.
Further, quality assurance records need not be retained for the lifetime of the facility. Guidance concerning quality assurance program recommendations and 07/26/85 4 DRAFT 3
record retention related to meteorological measurement programs for operating i reactors may be found in Regulatory Guide 1.33, " Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operation)."
D. IMPLEMENTATION Licensees and applicants may propose means other than those specified by the provisions of Section C, " Regulatory Position," of this guide for meeting applicable regulations.
The guidance provided and referenced in Section C has been approved for use by the staff in the evaluation of submittals in the following categories as an acceptable means of complying with the Commission's regulations specified in Section A, " Introduction,":
- 1. Construction Permit applications that are docketed after, or are in review at, the date of issuance of this guide;
- 2. Operating License applications that are docketed after, or are in review at, the date of issuance of this guide;
- 3. Amendment applications, or other submittals by licens ses of operating reactors, that are docketed after or are in review at, the date of issuance of this guide, but only to the extent that application of the guidance in Section C by a reviewer does not exceed legal requirements and previous written commitments by the licensee.
It is specifically noted that the principal purpose in issuing this guide i is to consolidate existing approved guidance. When applied in any of the con-texts delineated above, its provisions shall not be used to impose any staff position (s) beyond those already approved and applicable at the date of issu-ance of this guide and its provisions shall not be used to require any action of a licensee or applicant that goes beyond legal requirements and their writ-ten commitments accepted previously by the staff as an adequate basis for issu-ing their license or permit.
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