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=...* NOV 2 01992 MEMORANDUM FOR: Robert M. Bernero. Director Division of Risk Analysis. RES farl R. Goller.
Division Director of Facility Operations. RES FROM: Robert F. Burnett. Director Division of Safeguards. HMSS
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF SABOTAGE SOURCE TERM FOR HIGH LEVEL WASTE SHIPMENTS The Division of Safeguards has a technical assistance study underway entitled
" Analysis of Safeguards Needs for' Transport of High Level Waste." Three of five tasks have been completed. According to the completed portion of the
.tudy, sabotage of casks containing certain forms of high level waste, par- -
ticularly vitrified high level waste, during transport could result in a release that would be comparable to that from sabotage of a spent fuel ship-nent. Task 4 calls _for a detailed analysis and estimate of the consequences
.of_such-a-release.. The analysis will be based on interpretation of data fr6m existing NRC aniP DOE studies and not empirical data based on field experiments, such as the experimental data developed under the spent fuel study.
Therefore. I am requesting that the Office of Research extend the " Shipping Cask Sabotage Source Tenn Investigation" program to provide for experimental quantification of the source term likely to result from sabotage of high level waste during transport. I am told that this matter has been discussed with nembers of your staff and have been infonned that the needed experiments might be carried out under the existing " Shipping Cask Sabotage Source Term Investigation" program using funds remaining in that program.
If this request receives favorable consideration, the experiments should probably include the following:
- 1. Borosilicate glass samples containing appropriate concentrations of fission products and actinides would be obtained or made up.
- 2. Experiments using small-scale explosives against simulated casks containing the samples would be carried out.
- 3. Haterial released from the cask would be analyzed to determine the respirable fraction.
- 4. Results would be scaled upward to take into account the effect of a full-scale explosive and a full-scale loaded cask.
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MILLAR 84-602 PDR ULJ.:a[j h
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- 5. Results would be incorporated into our ongoing technical support study, either in the interim report on task 4 to be delivered during May 1983 or in the final draft report to be delivered during January 1984. (Seeenclosed statement of work and schedule.) Accordir gly, the experiments cou1J be scheduled for completion either in' March 1983 or in October 1983 to allow for orderly incorporation of the results into the study.
We note that steps 2, 3 and 4 would be similar (perhaps identical) to corre-sponding . steps in the spent fuel cask experiments mentioned earlier, per-mitting the use of similar equipment, instrumentation setups, and personnel, -
and attendant cost savings.
Mr. Carl Sawyer (x74186) will serve as the SG technical representative in this matter. Please feel free to contact him any time concerning this request. .
y y Rob F. Burnett, Director Divi ton of Safeguards, MSS
Enclosure:
As stated 0
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. . , Ths lim 55'Ptishal..,*urnish.cor. ents on liii dra(, final report riithin 30
- diys af ter' receipt of, the drafie Dsed on these coa;nents, it.e contracic,e
@411 revise the drift and submit the final report in 11 copies to the ;;.:!
( FN and 1 copy to the !!RC Division of Contracts not later thar. 030 dzys (31 r.onths) after the,ef.fec,tive date ..
of th.is contract.
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> '/ . DELIVERA3LES and SCHEDULIliG - The following sumarizes project inilestone l
. and' deliverable products: -
j liiles' tones and Products _ ,
SCHE DULE_
- 1. Initi'4tiongf contract- r day, I(Contractt.ucrd)J/
- 2. Literit ehearchList-Tesks1&2 day 30 fl#[f/
- 3. ilRC Coments on Literature Search List day 45 /s/f
- 4. Interim Report - Tesk 1- day 90 l'h . .
5.' ,tiRC Com-nts Task 1 Report
... day 120 /A/2 3 -
- 6. Interim Report - Task 2 day 180 2.fA b 7.' tiRC Coments in Tash 2 Report- '
day 210 JfP/ [IA q 8. 'Interi$ Report - Task 3 ,. - day 360,,Sl#//b'.
... day,390 , OfI
- 9. IRC-Corments in f,k " 3 ', , , ... . . .
jf/8!
- 10.
', day 630 .
Interim Rehort - Task 4~
1;RC Coments in' Task.[ / day 600 Ll Gip-
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17.. .Oraft Final Report , day 870 /,JgJ,q;f,
- 13. NRC.Coments on Draft Final Report - day 900 2[0
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- day 930 S9,yy 14, Submission of final Report-i ,
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'Proje$ted schedule assuses that optionifor task 4 and 5 is exercised by liRC Contracting'Officar. -
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. FINDINGS AND DETERMINAT.,10N Under Section 302(c)(10) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as Amended Findings In accordance with the requirements of'Part 1-3 of the Federal Procurement Regulations, I make the following findings: -
- 1. The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposes to enter into a sole-source contract with Battelle Columbus Laboratories (BCL), for a one year period of performance, in the amount of $150,000.00, for a research project that will quantify through experimentation, the source term likely to result from sabotage of vitrified high level waste dur-ing transport. Specifically, the contract effort will require that borosilicate glass samples containing appropriate concentrations of fission products and actinides be obtained, for implementation of an attack scenario for sabotage of spent fuel shipping casks. Additionally, steps must be taken to access the physical / chemical form of high level waste which might be available for ejection through cask containment violations; experimentally assess the potential radiological source term as it leaves the containment boundary, and finally assess quantitatively and qualitatively the uncertainties associated with the evaluations of the chemical / physical form of the source term and its dynamic behavior as it leaves the containment boundary.
- 2. The Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) has a technical assistance study underway which is being c'onducted by Battelle Memorial Institute (04-82-015) to provide a detailed analysis of the potential need to safeguard high level waste during transport. The study is scheduled to be delivered in January 1984 and will provide the Commission required background information and data necessary to establish policy and other rule making decisions relative to safeguard-ing high level waste during transport. According to a completed portion of the study, sabotage of casks containing certain forms of high level waste, particularly vitrified high level waste, during transport could result in a release that would be comparable to that from sabotage of a spent fuel shipment. The next task in the NMSS study is to estimate the consequences of radiological release as a result of sabotage of vitrified high level waste during transport. This requires that an experimental determination of a source term (i.e., the magnitude and chemical / physical form of any released radioactive material) likely to result from sabotage of vitrified high level waste during transport be made. The Commission desires that work be started immediately so as to have an interim report available on or before October 30,1983 for staff review and time to allow for orderly incorporation of the results into the final draf t of the technical assistance study, which as pre-viously stated is due in January 1984.
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In ordtr to acquire the needed data, the NMSS staff has identified Battelle Columbus Laboratories (BCL) as a qualified sole-source contractor that can perform this work within the October 1983 time frame. BCL recently completed a related study for the NRC under Contract No'. NRC-04-80-180 that resulted in
~ a source term characterization for sabotage of spent fuel casks during transport. This was a competitive rdquirement and a total of forty-four (44) RFP's were sent out to organizi.tions. Only two proposals were received in response to the RFP - one from Pattelle Memoria? Institute (BMI) and Stanford Research Institute (SR1). The proposals were evaluated and the Source Evaluation Panel expressed great concern about SRI's " ability to credibly and usefully bound the extent of cladding failure and any potential fuel particle release." Thus, a decision was made to award the study to BCL.
Basically, the study was conducted in three phase,s: (1) definition of the reference basis threat, design of the experiments', and design of equipment; (2) construction and testing of the system; and (3) conduct of the experiments and data analysis.
BCL has the uniq'ue capability to conduct the proposed study in that it is the only organization readily available that has the required equipment, expertise, and experimental design already in place. Additionally, it has through its Pacific Northwest Laboratory, ready access to the borosi,licate glass samples that contain appropriate concentrations of fission products and accinides that will be required during experiments. Further, ECL 'has its own " Hot Cell" or Explosive Laboratory which is crucial to this project in that experiments using explosives will be conducted to determine the results of possible sabotage 0? vitrified high level waste during transport. Any other contractor would have to duplicate the existing equipment, experimental design, and probably encounter difficulty in obtaining the borosilicate glass samples.
Determination
- 1. Based on the fore of Section 302(c) going findings, I hereby determine within the meaning (10)
Act of 1949, as amended that:
~a. 11 is neither feasible nor practicable to undertake the whole of the requirement described.in-house.
- b. Negotiktion on a sole-source basis with BCL for performance of this work. is justified because (1) it is imperative that the staff receive an interim report covering this effort by October 30, 1983 and only BCL.can meet this deadline. If a r.ew contractor could be obtained through the competitive procurement process, he/she would not be able to comp 1.ete this project within the required time frame, (2) one of the primary reaso'ns BCL can meet the.very stringent . interim report due date is that it developed the Agency /s term characterization'for sabotage of spent fuel casks during transport and have the personnel who performed that effort readily avhf.lable to perform this effort, (3). it owns the experimental Exp?osive Laboratory (Hot Cell) which will be needed throughout the duration, of this project to simulate possible sabotage of vitrified high level was.te
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during transport, (4) it has immediate access to the borosilicate glass samples that' contain concentrations of fission products and actinides that are required for conduct of the experiments,
, and (5) based on the response to the previous RFP, BCL is one '
of the few firms properly equipped, staffed and set-up to perform this type experimentation.
- 2. Upon the basis of these findings and determination, I hereby authorize the negotiation of a contract on a sole source basis with BCL for the -
procurement of the work described herein pursuant to Section 302(c)(10) ;
of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended.
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Kellogg V.iMorton Contracting Officer As required by Paragraph 1-3.101(d) of the Federal Procurement Regulations, I have reviewed and ( ) approved ( ) disapproved the above described non-competitive procurement.
Date:
Edward L. Halman, Director Division of Contracts VD:a1 .
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JUSilflCA110N FOR PLACLl1ENT Of
- WORK WITH BATTELLE COLUMBUS MAR 2 5 1983:
The Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards has a technical as-sistance study underway to provide a detailed analysis of the potential need to safeguard high level waste during transport. 6 i'
MTJLstLd REre6 MeToll u,h' ppt. The next task in the NMSS study is to estimate the consequences of radiological release as a result of "abotage of vitri-fied high level waste during transport. This requires that an experi-mental determination of a source term (i.e. the magnitude and chemical /
physical form of any released radioactive material) likely to result from sabotage of vitrified high level waste during transport be made.
Battelle Columbus Laboratories (BCL) recently completed a study for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research that resulted in a source term ,,
characterization for sabotage of spent fuel casks ~during transport.
The study was conducted in three phases:
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- ~ ,,- - a mg l BCL has the_ unique capability to con-duct the proposed study in that it is the only organization that has the
-required equipment, exper.tise, and experimental design already available.
Any organization other than BCL would have 106 the existing equipnent and experimental setup and possibly acquire the expertise, all at a considerable additional cost.
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0(ime completion of
. This' would also require more time than is available. /the id55 study re-
. quires development of the source term no later than . Because BCL has the necessary system readily available,they could meet this mile-stone. Any other organization could not.
Finally, BCL has easy access to the hat will Any other organization would have difficulty acquiring or fabricating the samples, which would affect the timeliness and cost of conducting the study.
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