ML20195G729
| ML20195G729 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07003054 |
| Issue date: | 11/07/1988 |
| From: | Rouse L NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20195G715 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8811300017 | |
| Download: ML20195G729 (5) | |
Text
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7590-01 L
F U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
- FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT r AMENDPENT OF MATERIALS LICENSE NO. SNM-1977 ;
i i PHILADELPHIA ELFCTRIC COMPANY PONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANI A ,
j DOCKET NO. 70-3054 u l The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Connission (the Coccission) is considering !
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l j the revision of Special Nuclear Material License No. SNM-1977 to Philadelphia l
Electric Corpany (the applicant) for the Limerick Generating Station Unit 2 i
located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. !
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- Environmental Assessment !
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Identification of Proposed Action: The proposed action would authorize the applicant to receive, possess, inspect, and store special nuclear material in the form of unirradiated fuel assemblies. The discussior,below will be !
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j linited to assessing the potential for environmental impacts resulting from
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l the handling and the storage of new fuel at Lirerick, Unit 2. !
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8811300017 sett
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The Need for the Proposed Action: The proposed action will allow the j applicant to receive and store fresh fuel prior to issuance of the Part 50 l
I q operating license in order to inspect the fuel and finallze fuel preparation 5
I needed to load the fuel into the reactor vessel. Actual core loading, however, will not be authorized by the proposed license amendment.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action: Once at Limerick, Unit 2, the .
I i e new fuel will be stored outdoors in the new fuel storage area. The fuel will !
be stored in the outer wooden shipping containers in piles stacked four high. l
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l Each pile of fuel will be covered by a five-sided box manufactured out of i 4
- corrugated steel. This temporary storage of assemblies in their shipping 1 ;
) containers will present no significant environmental impact or significant !
i r i radiation exposure to plant workers, j I
i l Assemblies are then moved to the refueling floor and stored in a predesignated i 3 :
) storage area. Assemblies are removed from their shipping containers, inspected, i I i 1 and the fuel is then transferred to their designated storage location in the j i
spent fuel storage pool. Criticality safety in the storage location is main-tained by limiting interaction between adjacent fuel assemblies. The staff has j evaluated the spent fuel pool and found it to be critically safe for all !
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conditions of water moderation and/or reflection. The design of this storage l 1 L location, combined with plant procedures, will ensure acceptable protection of the general public and plant personnel under either nonnal or abnormal conditions.
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3 Since the fresh fuel assemblies are sealed sources, the principal exposure pathway to an individual is via external radiation. For low-enriched uranium fuel (<4 percent U-235 enrichment), the exposure rate at 1 foot from the 4 surface is normally less than 1 mR/hr; therefore, it is estimated that the 1
l exposure level to workers handling the fuel would be less than 25 percent of the maximum permissible exposure specified in 10 CFR 20. Because of the low 1
j radiation levels associated with the requested materials and activities and l 4
i the applicant's radiation protection procedures, the staff concludes that fuel handling and storage activities can be carried out without any significant 1
1 occupatior dose to workers or radiological impact to the environment.
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l Only a small amount, if any, of radioactive waste (e.g., smear papers and/or
! contaminated packaged material) is expected to be generated as a result of j
fuel handling and storege operations. Any waste that is produced will be l properly stored onsite until it can be shipped to a licensed disposal facility.
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1 j In the event the assemblies must be returned to the fuel fabricator, all paci-aging and transport of fuel will be in accordance with 10 CFR 71. No signifi-cant external radiation hazards are associated with the unirradiated fuel, because the radiation level from the clad fuel pellets is low and the shipping packages must meet the external radiation standards in 10 CFR Part 71. Therefore any shipment of unirradiated fuel is expected to have an insignificant environmental impact.
In the unlikely event that an assembly (either within or outside its shipping container) is dropped during transfer, fuel cladding is not expected to
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, rupture. Even if the fuel rod cladding were breached and the pellets were i released, an insignificant enviror, mental impact would result. The fuel l i i pellets are composed of a ceramic U0 2 that has been pelletized and sintered to I
a very high density. In this form, release of UO 2aerosol is unlikely except
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under conditions of deliberate grinding. Additionally, U02is soluble only in
- acid solution so dissolution and release to the environment are extremely f I :
j unlikely. l 4
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Conclusion:
The environmental impacts associated with the handling and i 1 :
storage of new fuel at Limerick, Unit 2, are expected to be insignificant.
Essentially no effluents, liquid or airborne, will be released, and acceptable '
controls will be implemented to prevent a radiological accident. Therefore, !
the staff concludes that there will be no significant impacts associated with f 1
l the proposed action. !
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i i Alternative to the Proposed Action: The principal alternative would be to
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4 deny the requested license amendment . Assuming the operating license will l 1
l c entually be issued, denial of the storage only license would merely postpone new fuel receipt at Limerick, Unit 2. Although denial of the special nuclear l material license for Limerick, Unit 2, is an alternative available to the Commission, it would be considered only if significant issues of public health ;
and safety could not be resolved, f I
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Alternative Use of Resources: This action does not involve the use of resources not previously considered in connection with the Comission's Final Environmental Statement (NUREG-0974) related to this facility. !
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Agencies and Persons Contacted: The Commission's staff reviewed the applicant's request of May 6, 1988 and supplement dated October 28, 1988, and did not consult other agencies or persons.
Finding of No Significant Impact: The Commission has prepared an Environmental Assessment related to the revision of Special Nuclear Material License No. SNM-1977. On the basis of this assessment, the Commission has concluded that environmental impacts created by the proposed licensing action
- would not be significant and do not warrant the preparation of an Environment'al Impact Statement. Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.
The Environmental Assessment and the May 6, 1988, application related to this i
proposed action are available for public inspection and copying at the Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC. Copies of the Environmental Assessment may be obtained by calling (301) 492-3358 or f
by writing to the Fuel Cycle Safety Branch, Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7 day of '2fh% der",1988, 1
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
! Or@mi signed ay Leland C. Rouse, Chief Fuel Cycle Safety Branch Division of Industrial and I
Medical Nuclear Safety, NMSS IMUF: IMUF: o p f OFC:
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