ML20151D198

Requests Shipment of cement,ion-exchange Resin & Process Control Procedure Samples Collected by Inel on 880426 to Inel for Exam & Analysis.Detailed Info Re RES Research Program & Addl Info Re Analysis & Testing of Samples Encl

ML20151D198
Person / Time
Site:	Quad Cities
Issue date:	07/14/1988
From:	Ross T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Bliss H COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO.
References
CON-FIN-A-6359 NUDOCS 8807250006
Download: ML20151D198 (9)

Text

- _ - __

l s (-

t

• p RIO

1. o,, UNITED STATES

! o NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION I

.'T { m sHINGTON. D. C. 20555

..... July 14, 1988 Docket Nos.: 50-265

-Mr. Henry E. Bliss Director of Nuclear Licensing Connonwealth Edison Company Post Office Box 767 Chicago, Illinois 60690

SUBJECT:

SOLIDIFIED DECONTAMINATION RADWASTE SAMPLE AT QUAD CITIES On April 26, 1988, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) collected eight f cement samples containing decontamination radwcste and one sample of ion-exenange resin during a Low 0xidation State Metal Ion (LOMI) decontamination operation at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station MCNPS), Unit 2. The samples were expected to remain at QCNPS for about ;o weeks before being shipped to INEL for analysis and testing.

At this time, the samples have not been shipped to INEL and remain at QCNPS because of uncertainties involving the solidification of the radiu "ive ion-exchange resins in cement. The cement set-up too quickly after bein, mixed with the ion-exchange resins containing the deco m minated radwaste and chelating agent. Technical and management concerns about tSe entire cement solidification process and resolution of these issues to the satisfaction of NRC, the licensee, and solidification vendor appears to have resulted in delays in shipping the samples froin QCNPS to INEL.

At a meeting with the NRC staff on May 24, 1988, representatives of Connonwealth Edison Company, QCNPS, and Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. discussed the LOMI decon-  !

tamination operation at QCNPS, Unit 2, and potential ca7ses for the premature cement solidification. During the reeting, we stated that INEL had not yet received the cement, ion-exchange resin, and Process Control Procedure (PCP) sar.iples and inquired as to when the samples would be sent. QCNPS personnel indicated they wanted more information about the analysis and e stir.g that would be conducted on the samples before the samples would be .ent to INEL.

Enclosure 1 provides the required infonnation. Detailed infonnation about the NRC/RES research program, "Characteristics of Low-Level Radwa;te: Decontamina-tion Radwaste" is f ocluded in Enclosure 2. The content of these enclosures should address those questions expressed by QCNP5 personnel about analysis and m 8ss u :8PDC P

m -

t-

• < - 1 l

^

v 2_

testing of-the solidified decontamination radwaste samples,.and the INEL resa ech program. However, if additional information is needed, please contact me. # ' in any case, we. request that the aforementioned samples, collected by INb. Jn, 'l 7.5, be shipped to INEL for an+1ysis and examination.

. /*1 . j w

Thierry Ess, Project Manager Project Directorate III-2 Division of Reactor Projects - III, IV, V and Special Projects cc: J. Lee P. Reed D. Muller I

l l

i

(

l l

l l

l I

i' I

L- _--

r _.

July 14, 1988 u, ' testing of the. solidified decontamination radwaste samples, and the INEL research program. However, if additional information is needed, please. contact me.

But in.any case, we request that the aforementioned samples collected by

INEL on April 26, be shipped to INEL for analysis.and examination.

Thierry Ross, Project Manager Project Directorate III-2 Division of Reactor Projects - III,

<IV, V and Special Projects cc: J. Lee P.. Reed D. Muller DISTRIBUTION:

Docket file v#

-NRC & Local PDRs PDIII-2 r/f; LLuther-DMuller-

TRoss PDIII-2f: PDIII-2:LA P)f,41[2:D TRoss 7tt LLuther.fh DWlfer 7/ fV48 7//A/88 7/jj/88 1

h1

c .. -

>W Mr. Henry E. Bliss Quad Cities Nuclear Pcwer Station Commonwealth Edison Company Units 1 and 2 cc:

Mr. Stephen E. Shelton Vice President Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company P. O. Box 4350 Davenport, Iowa 52808 Michael I. Miller, Esq.

Sidley and Austin One First National Plaza Chicago, Illinois 60603 Mr. Richard Bax Station Manager Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station 22710 206th Avenue North Cordova, Illinois 61242 Resident Inspector U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioit 22712 205th Avenue North Cordova, Illinois 61242 Chairman Rock Island County Borrd of Supervisors 1504 3rd Avenue Rock Island County Offfice Bldg. ,

Rock Island, Illinois 61201 Mr. Michael E. Parker, Chief nivision of Engineering Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety 1035 Outer Park Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62704 Regional Administrator, Region III U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 799 Roosevelt Road, Bldg. f4 Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137

. Enclosure 1 V

EXAMINATION OF DECONTAMINATION RADWASTE SAMPLES COLLECTED ~Fr]M QlRD CITIES 2

1. BACKGROUND The samples were collected at Quad Cities 2 by Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) for the ongoing Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research program, "Characteristics of low-Level Radwaste: Decontamination Waste."

The objectives.of the research program are to collect and characterize actual solidified decontamination radwaste samples from operating nuclear power stations for the purpose of obtaining data and information on the stability of solidified low-level radwaste forms and determining radionuclide and ::helating agent release rates for use as source terms in modeling raleases and environmental trai sport from low-level radioactive

. waste disposal sites. Quad Cities 2 is one of three operating nuclear s'ations INEL plans to sample during FY88. In recent years, INEL has collected samples from and performed leaching tests on cement solidified decontaminatfor, samples from five operating nuclear power stations.

II. SAMPLE ANALYSES AND TESTS The ion-exchange resins and cement solidified decontamination and PCP samples will be analyzed and tested as follo..'s:

A. Ion-exchance Resins,:

1. Radionuclide and cher 1, including chelating agent, analysis B. Solidified Cement and PCP Samples:

1. Leaching of radionuclides and chelating agents usIng the procedures in ANSI /ANS-16.1

2. Radionuclide and chemical analysis

3. Immersion testing

4. Compression testing

'5. Additional analyses and testing as may be needed to provide insights on the mechanism of premature solidification l

l l

l l

l l

L

E b .... y .~ .

4 ENCLOSURE 2

_v U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH sw. s

'RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT-INFORMATION at

~

TITLE:' CHAR OF LL RAD DECON WAST

• FIN: A6359 oDIVISION: Engineering

BRANCH: Waste Management GSECTION:

OPROGRAM:-Nuclear Waste Disposal .

LELEMENT:1 Low Level Waste gACTIVITYr Materials & Engineering TECHNICAL MONITOR:. REED P CONTRACTOR: Idaho National' Engineering Laboratory USERL

REFERENCE:

.. User need-statement for the Waste Management Prog' ram-(RR-NMSS-84-3). Memo from John G. Davis to Robert B. Minogue dated July.23, 1984.

OBJECTIVE:

To collect colidified decontamination radwaste from operatirg nuclear power stations for th3 purpose of obtaining data and information to provide NRC guidance on LLW form stability and determine realistic source term data for u in modeling radionuclides and chelates from LLW disposal sites. To character ize the radionuclide and chemical content of decontamination resins and solid fled wastes from operating nuclear power stations. To conduct experiments on leaching behavior of radionuclides and chelating agents from solidified decon tamination wastes. To establish a database for radionuclides and chemicais leached from. solidified waste forms collected from actual nuclear power sta-tions. To perform conpression tests on solidified decontamination LLW forms.

To study the structural stability of waste forms solidified during decontamin ation process by evaluating the test method in NRC Branch TechnicalfPositions and a-draft regulatory guide on LLW forms to ensure solidification into stabl waste forms, iMAJOR CONSIDERATIONS:

10 CFR Part 61 requires radionuclide releases, chelating agent concerns, and

. the structural stability of solidified. waste torms to be addressed in assessi-the performance of LLW facilities. Leaching of radionuclides and chelating agents from solidified waste forms and the results of compression tests of so lidified LLW forms are factors in determining LLW form stability and in evalu ting source terms from LLW facilities. Leaching data and information for radionuclides, chemicals, and chelates released .from actual reactor solidifie decontamination wastes are not available. Chelating agents have been shown to enhance migration of radionuclides from LLW sites. Current leach rate dat cre based on laboratory samples using simulated waste streams and may not be realistic. Deterioration of cement solidified LLW forms containing lon-exchangerresins upon immersion in water is of great concern. Characterizatio of waste stream ion-exchange resins and determination of mechanisms for the decomposition ~of cement solidified samples are being examined in this researc

V .: . . -

F U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR ~ REGULATORY RESEARCH RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION TITLE: CHAR OF LL RAD DECON WASTE FIN: A6359

' STATUS:

3/88 Project Initiated: 1984 Expected Completion: FY 1990 Project c*ntinues to provide realistic leach rate data from. solidified waste forms collected from operating;research. Current work emphasizes completion NUREG/CR report _ describing results of leaching studies from 4 BWR and 1 PWR using 4 different-types of radioactive decontamination wastes (LOMI, CITROX, CA N-DECON, and.DOW NS-1) solidified in cement and all leached with demineral ized water. Present research has emphasized the development of sampling and analysis plan to collect ion-exchange resins and solidified cement samp]es from 3 operating reactors, characterizing the collected samples for radio-nuclide, chemical, and chelate content; leach the solidified waste forms with nea water _and water of varying pH levels; and compression testing of the ceme waste forms. Preparations are being made to sample 2 ope *ating reactors.

Long-term leaching of samples collected in FY85 is conti- .n g . Analysis of data and interpretation of results is ongoing.

RESEARCH COMPLETED:

1. Published NUREG/CR-4181, "Leachability of Radionuclides from Cement Solidi fled Waste Forms Produced at Operating Nuclear Power Plants" (Task 1).

2. Completed studies on leaching of radionuclides and chelates from cement so lidified decontamination wastes samples collected from 4 BWRs and 1 PWR.

3. Prepared report describing sample collection, radionuclide characterizatio of' solidified waste, and chelating analysis method for characterizing low-level radioautive decontamination wastes from operating nuclear reactors.

4. Collected solidified cement samples from an operating BWR using CITROX de-contamination process in December 1987.

5. Shipped cement samples collected from BWR to INEL it. February 1988.

6. Developed gas chromatography method for determining chelating agents in leachates.

7. Prepared numerous monthly and quarterly progress reports.

PLANNED RESEARCH FY:

1. Complete analysis of leachates for radionuclides and chelate concentration.

and prepare final NUREG/CR report on leaching studies from cement samples collected from S operating nuclear stations.

2. Collect cement solidified decontamination waste and ion-exchange resin sam ples using CITROX and LOMI proceeses from 3 operating nuclear stations.

3. Characterize collected ion-exchange resins and solidified decontamination wastes for radionuclide, chemical, and chelate content.

4. Begin leaching of cement waste samples for radionuclides and chelates usin, demineralized water, sea water, and water at 3 pH levels.

5. Evaluate degradation of solidified waste forms immersed in water.

6. Propose mechanisms for degradation of cement waste forms if deterioration occurs during leaching process.

yv(f* . +.. g -

's

[ ,

U.S. NUCLEAR-REGULATORY COMMI'SSION-

. OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH ,

9% .RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT-INFORMATION y

TITLE: CHAR OF LL RAD.DECON WASTE LFIN: A6359 J

IPLANNED FUTURELRESEARCH:-

o Collect. decontamination wastes (LOMI process) solidified in cement from operating nuclear stations.

~ -!oLCharacterize solidified radwaste for radionuclides and chelates content.

.o Perform leaching studies on small- and large-scale sized samples includingL 9J full-scale solidified ~ samples.

~

- o Determine chemical form'of radionuclide and chelate in leached solution.

, o Study ~ leaching mechanism for' radionuclides and chelates-from solidified waste forms;. immersed in ground water at various pH levels.

-o. Perform compresolon' tests. prior to and after leaching.

a o/ Perform,1ysimeter. studies in arid and humid climates with decontamination

radwastessolidified in' cement.

o 'o. Perform complete. testing of cement solidified decontamination waste samples- -

using methods:specified in draft.regulatoryLguide on LLW form stability.

I DELIVERABLES FY-1;4 Report on leachability of. radionuclides and chelates form cement sol-

. fidified wa'ste forms of decontamination wastes collected from 5 operat- _

s

~

'ing nuclear stations 16/i '

2. Annual ReportLfor FY88 ~

9 /.

3.? Prepare article for peer-reviewed scientific journal 9/<

EIGNIFICANT FINDINGS:

o Primary radionuclides solidified and leached include Co-60, Fe-59, Mn-54, Ni-63, Pu-241,'Cs-137, Sr-90, and Sb-125. .

o Chelating agents leached include EDTA, DTPA, Citric Acid, Oxalic Acid, Land Picolonic Acid.

-o Solidified-cement waste form containing CITROX decontamination agent disin- ,

<tegrated.during leaching.

o'Leachability index for Cs-137 is much lower (near 6) than other radio-nuclides.

To : Leaching results for radionuclide releases f rom actual reactor solidified waste forms differ from leaching dates determined from laboratory studies.

REGULATORY' APPLICATIONS:

'Results from this projeat will be used in NRC licensing and regulatory proces

-including:

o Support development of regulatory criteria for determining stability of ,

Loement solidified low-level radwaste.

o. Provide criteria on11eachability of radionuclides and chelating agents for

( leach rate assessments compression testing, and immersion testing as proposed in. draft regulatory guide on low-level waste form stability.

'c, Provide licensing decision on radionuclides and chelating agents released Ve u;. .

. w. , :

y.,..-.. .

n; . >

'h-

',o .

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY CO"MISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR 3EGULATORY RESEARCH RESEARCH PROJECT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION TITLE:1 CHAR.0F LL RAD DECON WASTE FIN: A6359 from-solid waste forms and burial facilities of low-level radioactive wast E -as specified in 10 CFR Part 61.

o Provide database for making licensing decisions and providing gridanco on radionuclides and chelates released from solid waste forms for low-level radioactive wastes.

o Provide source term data for radionuclides and chelating agents for use ir.

modeling transport of radionuclides from low-level waste burial sites.

o Provide independent basis for evaluating licensee decontamination and solidification data and analyses. Compare results with licensee data ob-tained in process control program for solidified waste forms.

o Provide information on behavior of actual solidified wastes immersed in water and handling of decontamination waste.

SOURCE' SELECT:

N/A NRC OFFICE / REGION:

1. Endorsed by NMSS

2. Reviewed by NMSS 1

P d