ML20199K407
| ML20199K407 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07001220 |
| Issue date: | 11/24/1997 |
| From: | Murray B GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. |
| To: | Chappell C NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9712010114 | |
| Download: ML20199K407 (2) | |
Text
e DetMPrl GE VALLECHOS FOCymJ
,gy of #woher Energy ne w w 4c-m v n a w s.,ac m r.a su m vennamnw omane cwsu November 24,1997 Mr. Cass R. Chappell, Section Chief Package Certification Section Spent Fuel Projects Office Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555
Reference:
License Number SNM 1270, An=adment No. 5; Docket No. 70-1220 t
i
Dear Mr. Chappell:
The General Electric Comp ny (GE) respectfully requests the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue an amendment to License No. SNM-1270 which would grant GE authority to ship source material and by product material contained ic kraa'sted i
hardware, reactor components, surveillance capsules, contaminate a support equig,vr, or other irradiated materials. All referenced it.ms would be to support General Electk's on going research and development activities.
The addition of authority to ship source and byproduct material to the SNM-1270 license is w%in tLa scope of tha safety analyses for the radioactive material shippint -w iners used to transport radioactive materials by private carriers.- The material limh> tmposed by the Certificates of Compliance for individual containers and the requirements of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations assure that the risks to the public and the environment are mtalmI=t and no greater than those risks associated with shipments of special nuclear material (SNM). Although not speci6cally stated in the SNM-1270 license, activated hardware (byproduct) and source material is an inferred component of the permitted irradiated special nuclear material under Parag:aph 6 of the license. SNM which is irradiated and cor,tained in fuel pellets, rods, and rod segments or fuel bundles, cannot be separated from the other activated and parent materials without special f
slD processing.
Byproduct materials, i.e., irradiated materials, which include (but are not limited to)
I reactor hardware, B C tubes, control blade segments, vesul surveillance samples, and various pipe sanples, are either solid materials or special form samples which are non-h[l' 0' 4
dispersible and easily detected with normal survey instruments. Hardware samples
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The relative radiological toxicity of most of the radioisotopes contained in irradiated hardware and source material is typically less than the hazards from radioisotopes contained in irradiated reactor fuel. Inadiated hardware usually contains the activations products from zirconium, steel, stainless steel, Inconel; stellite, and other materials found in reactor cores. The radioisotopes normally present in irradiated hardware may be Co-60, Mn 54, Co-58, Zr/Nb-95, Fe 59, as well as other activated metals, depending on alloys present in the parent material.
Source material is usually a component of the fuel which contains the SNM in a reactor core. Source material sanples, i.e., natural or depleted uranium or thorium could be included as an irradiated specimen, or shipped in the unirradiated form. The isotopes of source material are also no more haardous than SNM and its induced fission products and actinides. A comparison of the relative hazards can be made by exam *mation of the Annual Limits on Intake (ALI) values published in Appendix B to 10CFR20.
In conclusion, the amendment of SNM-1270 to include source and byproduct material will not add any additional risk to the public health and safety.
General Electric suggests the following addition to the text of the current SNM-1270 license:
Under the heading for pr.ragraph 6," Byproduct, Source, and'or Special Nuclear Material," add " Source material, byproduct material contained in irradiated hardware, reactor components, surveillance capsules, contaminated support equipment, or other irradiated equipment."
We wi'l greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.
9Ah B. M. Murray Senior Licensing Engineer Telephone 510-862-4455 2