ML20137A314

Responds to 850924 Inquiry Re Shipment of Spent Fuel from Plant to GE Morris Operations Facility in Late June 1985. Investigations Did Not Reveal Violations.Appropriate Actions Will Be Taken Should Insps Disclose Violations

ML20137A314
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	11/15/1985
From:	Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE)
To:	Strohl J WISCONSIN, STATE OF
Shared Package
ML20136E535	List: ML20136E530 ML20137A314
References
NUDOCS 8511250460
Download: ML20137A314 (6)

Text

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, gp ~.m'o,, UNITEJ STATES o NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3 E WASHINGTON, D. C. 20666 x } SO ~ %3 NOV 151985 The Honorable Joseph Strohl Wisconsin Senate Madison, Wisconsin 53707

Dear Mr. Strohl:

This is in response to your September 24, 1985, inquiry concerning a shipment of spent fuel from the Monticello Nuclear Plant in Minnesota to the General Electric Morris Operations (GE:MO) facility in Illinois in late June 1985.

That shipment was noteworthy because the Minnesota Department of Health

! initially measured a radiation level slightly (approximately two percent) in excess of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Transporta-tion (00T) limits for such shipments. However, additional measurements made by the Minnesota inspector showed that the shipment was well within 00T radiation limits. The latter state measurements, a maximum of approximately 850 mrem /hr, were communicated to the NRC resident and were confirmed by NRC and Monticello Nuclear Plant (MNP) measurements. Inasmuch as the final radiation measurements did not exceed regulatory limits, the shipment was allowed to proceed. Measure-ments by General Electric (GE:MO) upon arrival of 'the spent fuel shipment at its Morris, Illinois facility, also showed a maximum of approximately 800 mrem /hr at the cask head joint, thereby confirming that the radiation levels were within 00T limits.

Subsequent to the receipt of your inquiry, we acquired a copy of the Minnesota Department of Health " Spent Fuel Shipment Inspection Form" for this shipment.

Although that form only shows the initial state measurement, the state's final measurements were confirmed with Ms. Alice Dolezal Hennigan, Chief, Radiation Control Section, Minnesota Department of Health. If you have furtter questions concerning those measurements, please contact the Minnesota Department of Public Health directly.

On September 27, 1983, the NRC Executive Director for Operations, Mr. William J.

Dircks, wrote to Governor Earl regarding the then upcoming spent fuel shipments from GE:MO to the Point Beach Nuclear Station. In his letter (copy enclosed)

. Mr. Dircks pointed out that shippers of radioactive material are legally responsible for inspecting all outgoing shipments for conformance to NRC and 00T regulations. NRC inspectors routinely audit a portion of these licensee inspections; these audits normally include confirmatory radiation measurements.

The NRC audit frequency was near 100 percent for the early shipments from MNP to GE:MO, just as it was for the early shipments involving the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. In the absence of significant problems, the audit frequency has been

reduced. Currently, we are inspecting approximately one shipment per month.

l Overall, through September 1985, of the 18 shipments between Monticello and GE:MO,11 were inspected at point of departure (MNP) and 12 at destination l

I 0311250460 05111D j UH ADOCK 0500

C The Honorable Joseph Strohl (GE:MO) by NRC personnel. NRC inspections at the point of departure (MNP) are normally performed by the resident inspectors as part of their routine surveil-lance of plant operations, while NRC inspections at GE:M0 are performed by region-based inspectors as part of routine and special inspections at that facility. These inspectors use standard radiation detection instrumentation, maintained by the NRC regional office, to ensure that maximum radiation and contamination levels associated with these shipments do not exceed'the NRC and DOT limits. Typically the surveys by the inspector will involve the taking of direct reading measurements at a sufficient number of locations around the cask /

vehicle so as to reasonably assure that the levels of radiation are within limits at the cask surface, the surface of the enclosure surrounding the cask, and at 2 meters from the vertical planes representing the rail car outer lateral surfaces.

In all cases, recorded readings are actual values and not average values. In addition to the independent verifications of radiation / contamination, a number of other licensee requirements are also typically audited, e.g.; adequacy of shipping paper documentation, marking and labeling of the cask, placarding the rail car, etc., plus the various safety / safeguards requirements, such as pro-visions for escorts, advance notifications and communications enroute.

It is my understanding that the State of Minnesota also inspects all outgoing shipments from MNP. Although the NRC resident inspector and the Minnesota Department of Health inspector perform independent inspections of the t, pent fuel shipments, they typically discuss any potential problems discovered in their respective inspections.

The spent fuel shipments between MNP and GE:M0 are currently suspended because of other contractual arrangements for use of the IF 300 spent fuel cask. This delay will allow further decay of the MNP spent fuel and, therefore, further reduction in the radiation levels encountered. When the MNP spent fuel ship-ments resume, careful planning of spent fuel placement in the IF 300 cask is fully expected to be sufficient to continue to maintain exterior radiation levels within regulatory limits. Spent fuel placement within the cask is designed to place the fuel elements with the highest radiation levels in the cask center, surrounded by fuel elements with lesser radiation levels. The spatial and shielding effects of such fuel placement minimizes radiation levels at the cask exterior. The IF 300 cask, which helds eighteen BWR fuel elements, typically has its highest exterior radiation levels at the mating point between the cask closure head and the cask body, the " head joint," because of shielding character-istics at that point. The location of the highest cask exterior radiation level for the June shipment was therefore not unexpected.

I have enclosed the NRC Inspection Reports you requested (Resident Inspector).

There are no NRC " working papers" concerning the referenced June 1985 shipment.

I have also enclosed additional NRC Inspection Reports by region based inspectors which describe the NRC inspection activities associated with those shipments at the point of destination (GE:MO).

e The Honorable Joseph Strohl I assure you that should inspections disclose violations of federal requirements for these shipments, appropriate actions will be taken to correct the matter.

I also assure you that shipments exceeding regulatory limits for radiation levels have not been and will not be allowed to proceed.

Sincerely, 4 Original Signed Bys .j s .

JaNs"Phhor, Director 2 Office of Inspection and Enforcement, '

cc w/o enclosures:

The Honorable Anthony S. Earl ..

Governor of Wisconsin -

Raymond Thron, Director 4 Minnesota Department of Health '

k }

Enclosures:

1. Ltr, Dircks to Earl, dtd 9/27/83  ;

2. NRC Inspection Reports (MNP) .. ,

A. 50-263/85020 (DRP)

B. 50-263/85018 (DRSS) ,

C. 50-263/85012 (DRP) a , 1 D. 50-263/85008 (DRP) -

E. 50-263/85-02 (DRP)

F. 50-263/85-03 (DRP)

3. NRC Inspection Reports (GE:MO) ,

A. 72-001/85-002 (DRSS) .

~ ,

B. 72-001/85-001 (DRSS) ,

Distributjon ^' -

DC5 $wl , '

-SMPB NRCPDR(w1{w) reading D1 reading tw/0)

A. Gre11a, IE (w) ,

s L. Ccbb, IE lw/0) .

R. Sressard, IE w/0)

- J. Partlow, IE W)

R. Vollmer, IE w/o J. Taylor, IE w/o J. Davis, NMSS w/o ELD 0, Cunningham,(w/0)(w/0)

W. Kerr, SP J. Keppler, R!!! (w)

M. Bridgers (EDO 001099) (w) _..w SECY No.85-872 (W)

Action - #85 478 (see previous concurrence)f ( , gg llord Processing ,lE (w) h;t '/ g 0

i SMPB:IE* C:SMPB:IEa 00:01:IE* 0:01:IE

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AGre11a LCobb RSpessard JPartlow JKeppler 1, her JJ ay or s 11/ /85sc 11/ /85 11/ /85 11/ /85 11/jJ/85 p /85 F{p85 ? n 5i

The Honorable Joseph Strohl I assure you that should inspections disclose violations of federal requirements for these shipments, appropriate actions will be taken to correct the matter.

I also assure you that shipments exceeding regulatory limits for radiation levels have not been and will not be allowed to proceed.

Sincerely, James M. Taylor, Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement cc w/ enclosures:

The Honorable Anthony S. Earl Governor of Wisconsin Raymond Thron, Director Minnesota Department of Health

Enclosures:

1. Ltr, Dircks to Earl, dtd 9/27/83

2. Minnesota Spent Fuel Shipment Inspection Fonn dtd 6/26/85

3. NRC Inspection Reports (MNP)

< A. 50-263/85020 DRP)

8. 50-263/85018 DRSS)

C. 50-263/85012 DRP)

D. 50-263/85008 DRP E. 50-263/85-02 DRP F. 50-263/85-03 DRP

4. NRCInspectionReports(GE:MO) a'- A. 72-001/85-002 DRSS O. 72-001/85-001 DRSS E Distribution DCS NRC PDR SMPB reading Di reading A. Gre11a, IE L. Cobb, IE R. Spessard, IE J. Partlow, IE R. Vollmer, IE J. Taylor, IE J. Davis, NMSS G. Cunningham, ELD W. Kerr, SP J. Keppler, Rl!!

M.Bridgers(EDO 001099)

SECY No.85-872 s Action - #85-478 (scoprovfousconcurcho)

SMPD:!E* C:SMPD:!E* DD:DI:!E* D:DI:k# RA:R!!! DD:!E D:IE AGre11a LCobb RSpessard JPar low JKoppler RVo11mer JTaylor 11/ /85sc 11/ /85 11/ /85 11/ /85 11/ /85 11/ /85 11/ /85

T_;Ll .-

The Honorable Joseph Strohl- ~

y

.cc w/ enclosures: =

TheHonorableAnthonyS[ Earl

' Governor of. Wisconsin

-Raymond Thron, Director._

Minnisota Department of Health A ,;

1

.' Encidsures:

1. -Ltr, Dircks to Earl, dtd 9/27/83

^2. ~Minnisota Spent ~ Fuel' Shipment Inspection Form dtd 6/26/85

3. -NRC Inspection Reports (MNP) a.. A. 50-263/85020 (DRP)

B. 50-263/85018 (DRSS)

'C. 50-263/85012 (DRP)

D. 50-263/85008 (DRP)

E. 50-263/85-02.(DRP)

,F. 50-263/85-03 (DRP)

. 4. NRC Inspection Reports (GE:MO)

.A. 72-001/85-002 (DRSS)

B. ' 72-001/85-001 -(DRSS)

Distribution

'DCS NRC PDP.

SMPB reading DI reading

" ~A.;Grella,IE L.'.Cobb, IE

R.-Spessard, IE

'J. Partlow,.IE ,

R. Vollmer,- IE t.

J. Taylor, IE.

p J.. Davis, NMSS

.G. Cunningham, ELD in; W. Kerr, SP' J. Keppler, RIII-

-M. Bridgers.(EDO 001099)

SECY No.85-872 Action ~- #85-478

.y

, I, i, ,

C: E DD: [IE' D:DI:IE RA:RIII DD:IE D:IE

'- -SMPB:I AGrell LC RSpeMard JPartlow JKeppler RVollmer JTaylor L

11/ /85 11/ /85- 11/ /85 11/ -/85 11/ /85

- :11Q/Ssc 11/9/85

. . .o Document Name:

STROHL LETTER Requestor's ID:

SHIRL Author's Name:

Grella Document Comments:

SECY 85-872 n., , -

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