ML20135D205
| ML20135D205 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/29/1985 |
| From: | Palladino N NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Domenici P SENATE, ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20135D208 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8509130400 | |
| Download: ML20135D205 (6) | |
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oq l [f'i cec 1 UNITED STATES ~
3 .J D E NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION W ASHINGTON, D C. 20555 d
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OFFICE OF THE August 29, 1985 CH AIRMAN The Honorable Pete V. Domenici, Chairman Subcomittee on Energy Research and Development Comittee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission staff, in response to your inquiry of July 26, 1985, concerning additional information for the Price-Anderson hearing record of June 25, 1985, has prepared a sumary of on-going and past studies of accident consequences related to transportation, storage, or disposal of nuclear wastes.
We hope this reply provides additional insight on offsite damages likely to result from waste-related nuclear accidents, and will be helpful to the Subcomittee with regard to consideration of renewal for the Price-Anderson Act. Should additional information on Price-Anderson related topics be required, please contact my office.
Sincerely,
', su~ 7'6((M$d Nunzio J. Palladino Chairman
Enclosure:
As stated 8509130400 850029 PDR CONMS NRCC CORRESPONDENCE PDR
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INSERT FOR THE RECORD COMMITTEE HEARING ON PRICE-ANDERSON JUNE 25, 1985 At the hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on S. 1225 to renew and amend the , Price Anderson Act, interest was voiced concerning estimates of damages that would likely result from accidents relating to the transportation, storage, or disposal of nuclear wastes. In response to a request from Senator Domenici of July 26, 1985, NRC staff has prepared the following information for the record of on going and past studies relating to postulated high-level radioactive waste accidents in the Civilian Waste Repository Program.
The Commission has one study underway and a second planned which are concerned with transportation accidents involving nuclear wastes. The first is referred -
to as the MODAL Study, and is an assessment of how packages designed toc'arry spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would perform in severe accident conditions. The MODAL Study has been underway for a number of years, and the prime contractor, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), is at present bringing the study to closure. The Commission is in the process of arranging for a peer review of the LLNL Modal Study reports by an independent academic institution. Additional information regarding the Modal' Study's technical objectives and present schedule are given in Attachment 1.
The second study on transportation impacts, which is currently in the planning stage, is the updating of NRC's Final Environmental Statement (FES) on the Transportation of Radioactive Material by Air and Other Modes (NUREG-0170, December 1977). The original FES evaluated the health consequences arising from the transportation of radioactive materials in general (i.e., not just from nuclear wastes). The Commission intends to update the FES by
. incorporating: more recent statistics on radioactive material shipments; l projections for future shipments of high- and low-level wastes; and recently i improved computer models for estimating environmental and health impacts. It is estimated that the update of the FES will require about 3 years to complete.
Attachment 2 is a copy of the 1977 edition of the FES.
The Commission has no ongoing or planned studies regarding accidental consequences for the storage of spent fuel or high-level radioactive waste.
Previous NRC evaluations have shown no significant risk to public health and safety from the storage of spent fuel. The storage of high-level waste solidified in a form for repository disposal would be enveloped by the accident evaluations for spent fuel because of the physical and radiological characteristics of the solidified high-level waste. Attachment 3 (NUREG-1140, a Regulatory Analysis on Emergency Preparedness for Fuel Cycle and Other 1
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consequences calculated for storage of spent fuel. c entRadioactive On page 57, this document on spent fuel handling and storage, a copy of which i public document room.
' the NRC in connection with propAttachment 4 is an environmental assessment prepa the Virginia Electric and Power.osed dry storage of spent fuel in metal casks at Company.
assessment of accident consequences for this site specific applicationPages .
As part of the efforts in developing proposed regulations relative to the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, the NRC staff initiatedofa series studies through technical assistance contracts to evaluate post accident cleanup and decommissioning of fuel cycle and non-fuel cycle facilities that were postulated to have experienced a significant accident.
Attachment 5 Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Non-Fuel Cycle Facilities ce -
Follo Accidents") contains the major findings of these studies while Attachment 6 (NUREG/CR-2210) provides safety and cost information a for the conceptu l decommissioning storage installations. of five different types of referenced independent uel spent f The Commission has one ongoing study with the San handling operations at a high-level radioactive waste geologic ory.
e reposit Since the repository is a first of a kind facility methodology to identify and quantitatively evaluate what structures ematic withou
, systems, pre closure phase of a high-level radioactive This research waste reposi will allow the NRC to assess the importance comprise a geologic repository during waste handling and emplacement e and con The Commission in the late 1970's and early 1980's funded several proje relating to risk analysis methodology and probabilistic safety analysis for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste repositories.
These studies mathematical models of chemical and physical processe generation, movement, and ultimate disposition of nuclear wastes Commission continues to fund several Sandia National The .
Laboratory of studies post closure repository risks but, given the large uncertainties inherent in long-term analysis of geologic systems, the Commission has placed empha the reliance of multiple barriers to waste migration (similar to theon
" defense-in-depth" philosophy followed in reactor licensing) rather than l
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F placing primary emphasis 'on probabilistic risk analysis of potential radiological impacts. Some of the published studies on risk methodology which may be of interest to the Committee are:
Attachment 7, NUREG/CR-0458, " Risk Methodology for Geologic Disposal of Radioactive Waste: Interim Report," dated October 1978.
Attachment 8, NUREG/CR-577, "A Probabilistic Safety Analysis for Solidified High-Level Nuclear Waste Management Systems: A Status Report,"
dated July 1979.
Attachment 9, NUREG/CR-0578, "High Level Waste Repository Site Suitability Study - Status Report," dated July 1979.
Attachment 10, NUREG/CR-1931, " Risk Analysis Methodology for Spent . Fuel Repositories in Bedded Salt: Reference Repository Definition and Contributions from Handling Activities," dated July 1981.
Attachments:
As stated 3
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TRANSPORTATION M00AL STUDY t
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The Modal Study, undertaken for the NRC by the Lawrence Livermore National !
Laboratory, seeks to determine how well packages designed to meet NRC performance criteria will withstand the forces generated in the worst sorts of fi accidents. The study is based on data from severe non-nuclear accidents that l i
have actually occurred, supplemented by data from various package test i programs. Comparing the forces resulting from severe accidents with those the j casks are designed to withstand will give a measure of the degree of protection j afforded by casks that conform to regulatory requirements. Any accidents which produce forces in excess of those the casks are designed to withstand
- will be studied in more detail to assess the pot,ential for release of ,
rad'ioactive~ material. The probability of such an accident actually occurring I
I will be evaluated and the resulting risk to the public health and safety will j I
l then be compared with the risks previously calculated in NUREG-0170. Another t objective of the study is to provide a document which relates regulatory l performance criteria to real-world accidents in simple, straightforward l 1anguage.
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The two volume Modal Study contractor report is scheduled to be completed this j summer. Volume 1 will contain the main text, the conclusions, and the I
recommendations. Volume 2 will contain the data and analysis. Prior to j publication, the Study will be subjected to peer review by one or more major j t
universities. !
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I ATTACMENT 1 j
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o ATTACHMENT LIST (2 THROUGH 10)
SUBJECT:
Past and on-going NRC studies of accident consequences related to the transportation, storage, or disposal of nuclear wastes s
Insert for the Record 6/25/85 Price-Anderson Hearing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate Requested by Chainnan'Domenici in a 7/26/85 letter ATTACHMENT 2 NUREG-0170 Final Environmental Statement on the Vol. 1 Transportation of Radioactive Material by Air and Other Modes (Includes NUREG/CR-
! 2325) i ATTACHMENT 3 NUREG-1140 A Regulatory Analysis on Emergency -
Preparedness for Fuel Cycle and Other~
i 1 Radioactive Material Licensees - Draft Report for Conment
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ATTACHMENT 4 DOCKET 72-2 USNRC/NMSS Environmental Assessment Related to the Construction and Operation of the Surry Dry Cask Independent Spent Fuel t Storage Installation - Virginia Electric and Power Company - April 1985 ATTACHMENT 5 NUREG/CR- Technology, Safety and Costs of Decommis-3293 sioning Reference Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Non-Fuel Cycle Facilities Following Postulated Accidents ATTACHMENT 6 NUREG/CR- Technology, Safety and Costs of Decomn 's-2210 sioning Reference Independent Spent Fu,'
Storage Installations ATTACHMENT 7 NUREG/CR- Risk Methodology for Geologic Disposal of 0458 Radioactive Waste: Interim Report ATTACHMENT 8 NUREG/CR- .A Probabilistic Safety Analysis for 0577 Solidified High-Level Nuclear. Waste Management Systems: A Status Report High Level Waste Repository Site ATTACHMENT 9 NUREG/CR-0578 Suitability Study -- Status Report ATTACHMENT 10 NUREG/CR- Risk Analysis Methodology for Spent Fuel l 1931 Repositories in Bedded Salt: Reference i Repository Definition and Contributions from Fandling Activities F
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