ML20202H571

Safety Evaluation Approving Technical Evaluation Rept for Waste Handling & Packaging Facility & Recovery Operations Plan Change 36 Submitted on 851112 & 860416,respectively

ML20202H571
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	07/10/1986
From:	NRC
To:
Shared Package
ML20202H558	List: ML20202H553 ML20202H571
References
NUDOCS 8607160369
Download: ML20202H571 (10)

Text

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NRC STAFF SAFETY EVALUATION OF THE WASTE HANDLING AND PACKAGING FACILITY DESCRIPTION The Waste Handling an'd Packaging Facility (WHPF), as described in the referenced Technical Evaluation Report (TER), is designed for the processing and packaging of solid radioactive waste generated during TMI-2 recovery operations. The recent increase in recovery related activities, primarily involving defueling operations, has resulted in an increase in generated solid wastes, including dry active wastes (DAW) such as contaminated clothing, tools, and equipment. As a result of the projected increase in volume and types of solid waste generated, the current processing facilities available in the Auxiliary and Fuel Handling Building (AFHB) were determined to be inadequate. The WHPF will provide the necessary area and equipment for the compaction, size reduction and/or decontamination of solid wastes, as appropriate.

Fuel and core debris will not be processed in the WHPF, except for trace amounts that may contaminate tools and equipment.

The WHPF is located to the southwest of the more eastern Unit 2 cooling tower.

It is a one-story, poured concrete / masonry block building with corrugated roof decking, with approximately 4000 square feet of floor space. The WHPF is physically separated from other Unit 2 structures; the plant fire protection system is the only Important to Safety (ITS) system that interfaces with the WHPF. The exterior walls of the structure will be constructed of reinforced concrete at least 12" in thickness, to provide shielding. The WHPF heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) system is designed to perfonn the following functions: maintain acceptable temperatures in the building; maintain a slightly negative pressure in the building and filter exhausts from the g" manse 9h P

. building to limit the release of radioactivity to the environment; and direct air flow within the building to limit the spread of contamination and minimize radiation exposure to workers. A portable airborne radioactivity monitor with local readout and alarm will be provided in the WHPF for worker protection.

Additional area radiation monitors may be provided as required by radiological control procedures. The WHPF exhaust will be filtered, sampled, and monitored to assure that potential radioactive releases to the environment are maintained within applicable limits. The facility exhaust monitor will have a local alarm, readout and recorder, and a remote alarm in the main control The exhaust system will automatically shutdown if preset radiation room.

limits are exceeded.

Solid waste processing operations to be conducted in the WHPF include:

sectioning and disassembly of large pieces of equipment; decontamination of tools and equipment using electropolishers, paint digesters or abrasive blasters; compaction of DAW in 55 gallon drums; packaging of non-compactible trash and equipment in drums and low specific activity (LSA) boxes; receiving of solid radwaste from the reactor building and AFHB; and shipping of processed waste to an on-site staging facility. The WHPF will not be used to store solid wastes; it is anticipated that typically, wastes will be processed and shipped within several days of receipt at the WHPF.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS Due to the physical separation of the Waste Handling and Packaging Facility from other THI-2 structures and the nature of the operations to be conducted in the WHPF, the significant safety issues relating to WHPF operation consist of demonstrating that radiation exposure to workers and off-site releases of radiation under normal and postulated accident conditions will be maintained

. within acceptable and applicable limits. The WHPF walls are designed to provide sufficient radiation shielding to meet set dose rate limits for areas within the. facility and external to it. These dose rate limits are based on radiological protection guidelines specified in the licensee's General Project Design Criteria and on requirements for designation of Radiolcgical Work Permit (RWP) areas. The source terms used in the design calculations are based on conservative estimates of dose rates and quantities of solid radwaste to be processed through the WHPF. Temporary shielding and administrative controls will be used as necessary to keep the actual radiation levels within the design limits during WHPF operations.

To limit the spread of radioactive contamination and thus provide additional protection for workers in the WHPF, all incoming radwaste will be packaged or wiped down to maintain smearable surface activity levels below 1000 disintegrations per minute (dpm) per 100 square centimeters for beta and gamma activity and below 20 dpm/100 cm2 for alpha activity. These limits, established in the June 2,1986 revision to the Corporate Radiation Protection Plan, will be maintained for any radwaste that is staged in the WHPF. The facility HVAC system is also designed to minimize the spread of airborne contamination within the WHPF and to the environment. The system will operate to maintain a negative pressure of at least 0.20 inches w.g. with respect to ambient conditions, thereby restricting exfiltration from the WHPF. Air flow within the facility will be directed from relatively uncontaminated areas to areas of greater contamination. Separate HVAC systems will serve areas of the building that are radiologically clean.

Exhaust hoods or flexarm devices will be used in areas where fumes or airborne contamination could be generated by processing cperations. HEPA filters will be used to treat exhausts from

. these devices prior to discharge. HEPA filters will also process all building exhaust prior to release to the environment.

In addition to filtering exhausts from the WHPF, a radiation monitor will be provided at the exhaust release point. This monitor will sample the exhaust for particulate activity and is provided with local alarm, readout, and recorder with a remote alarm in the TMI-2 control room.

In Recovery Operations Plan (ROP) Change Request No. 36, dated April 16, 1986, the licensee proposed the addition of the WHPF exhaust radiation monitor described above to Table 4.3-3, " Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation Surveillance Requirements", of the R0P. As proposed, with this monitor inoperable, the facility ventilation system would be isolated and all movement of radioactive materials or activities causing the generation of airborne contamination would be suspended until the monitor was restored to operable status.

This monitor will provide for the rapid detection of a relecse of radiation to the environment, thereby allowing sufficient time for the licensee to initiate mitigating actions to protect the public.

We therefore approve the licensee's proposed R0P Change Request No. 36.

Periodic air samples from the building exhaust will be analyzed for alpha activity and appropriate measures will be J

taken as necessary, based on that analysis. A portable airborne radioactivity monitor will also be provided in the WHPF for personnel protection. Area radiation monitors will be used as required based on a review by radiological controls personnel.

A fire suppression deluge system and portable fire extinguishers are provided for fire protection in the WHPF. The deluge system will be actuated by a signal from a temperature or ionization detector or manually.

Fire alarms i

will also be triggered by the detectors and will annunciate at a local panel and in the Unit 2 control room.

. The licensee has perforned off-site dose calculations for WHPF normal operation and accident conditions. The radioactive source terms used for these calculations are based on the projected quantities of solid radwaste to

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be processed in the WHPF and on historical data for fission product inventories for various contaminated materials. Small calculated quantities of transuranic isotopes were also included as part of the source term. The dose calculations were performed using conservative assumptions, including neglecting the effects of the HEPA filters on the WHPF exhaust, which would reduce calculated doses by a factor of 1000.

For normal operations, the 4

licensee's maximum calculated off-site doses are less than 1% of the limits specified in 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix I.

For the worst-case postulated j

accident, a fire in the WHPF, the maximum calculated off-site doses are several orders of magnitude below the accident dose guidelines specified in l

10CFR Part 100 and are actually below the 10CFR Part 50 Appendix I limits for off-site doses resulting from normal operations.

The Waste Handling and Packaging Facility is physically separated from the TMI-2 reactor building and AFHB, will serve no nuclear safety related function i

and will not affect the performance of any safety-related features associated with Unit 2.

The proposed activities are within the scope of those addressed in NUREG-0683, the NRC staff's Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), relating to the cleanup of TMI-2. The dose consequer.ces conservatively calculated for normal and accident conditions during WHPF operations are less than those calculated in the PEIS for-similar waste handling activities. The WHPF will serve to limit f.he occupational exposure l

incurred during TMI-2 solid waste processing activities by providing a separate dedicated facility designed specifically to handle the expected volume and types of solid radwaste generated by cleanup operations.

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. Procedures and equipment for control of radioactive contamination during handling and processing of wastes will be used to further minimize personnel exposure.

The staff concludes that the design and proposed operation of the WHPF do not pose a significant risk to the health'and safety of the public or the on-site workforce. Therefore, we approve the' licensee's proposed use of the facility, as documented in the Technical Evaluation Report, and we also approve the request for the addition of the WHPF ventilation monitor to Table 4.3-3 of the Recovery Operations Plan.

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.i Enclosure t

l FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-73 DOCKET N0. 50-320 i

i Replace the following pages of the-TMI-2 Recovery Operations Plan with the e

enclosed pages as indicated:

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4.3-4a i.

4.3-5a 4

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TABLE 4.3-3 (Cont'd)

RADIATION MONITORING INSTRUMENTATION SURVEILLANCE REQUIREMENTS i

CHANNEL MINIMUM CHANNEL CHANNEL FUNCTIONAL CHANNELS FUNCTIONAL UNIT CHECK CALIBRATION TEST OPERABLE APPLICABILITY ACTION 5.

FUEL TRANSFER CANAL a.

. Criticality Monitor S

R M

1 Note 11 Note 12 6.

FUEL POOL "A" a.

Criticality Monitor S

R M

1

.Notefil Note 12 7.

FUEL HANDLING BUILDING TRUCK BAY a.

Criticality Monitor

.S R

M 1

Note 11 Note 12 I

8.

. WASTE HANDLING AND j

PACKAGING FACILITY t

a.

. Exhaust Monitor D

SA W

1 Note 1 Note.-13

\\

(See following pages for Notes.)

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l THREE MILE ISLAND - UNIT 2 4.3-4a Change No. 34 4

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O 4

TABLE 4.3-3 (Cont'd)

RADIATION MONITORING INSTRUMENTATION SURVEILLANCE REQUIREMENTS NOTES:

11.

During either of the following operations:

a.

Handling of canisters containing core material.

b.

Handling of any heavy load over canisters containing core materials.

12.

With less than one channel operable, terminate the following operations:

a.

Handling of canisters containing core material.

• b.

Handling of any heavy load over canisters containing core material.

13.

With the required monitor inoperable, secure the ventilation system and suspend all operations involving movement of radioactive materials or generation of airborne contamination until the inoperable monitor is restored to operable status.

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• This shall not prohibit placing a canister in transit in a safe storage location.

THREE MILE ISLAND - UNIT 2 4.3-5a Change No. 34-1 i

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i Dr. Thomas Mur15y Willis Of aby. Sitt Manager Regional Administrator. Region I C.S. Departmelt Cf (mergy U.S. meclear segulatory Cosseission P.O. Sea 88 Middletown. PA 17057 0311 i.

631 Park Avenue King of Prussia. PA 19406 David J. McGoff l

John F. Wolfe. (14.

Chairman.

Division of Three Mile Island Programs kl.23 Administrative Judge 3409 Shepherd St.

U.S. Department of Energy Chevy Chase. MD.

20015 Washington. 0.C.

20545 Dr. Oscar M. Paris W11Itan Lochstet Administrative Judge 104 Davey LaLaratory AtomtC Safety and Licenslag Pennsylvania State University Board Panel University Park. PA 16802.

U.S. Nwctear Regulatory Cc==ais

• 1on washington. 0.C.

20555 Randy Myers. [ditorial The Patriot

' A6ministrative Judge

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Dr. Frederick H. Shon Harrisburg. PA 17105.

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panet Robert 8. Borsum U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Coassission Babcock & Wilcom Washington. 0.C.

20555 Nuclear Perer Generation Division Suite 220 Karin W. Carter 7910 Woodacont Ave.

Assistant Attorney General Sethesda, MD.

20814 505 Caecutive House P.O. Boa 2357 Michael Churchhf11. Esq.

Harrisburg. PA 17120 PILCOP 1315 Walnut St., suite 1632 Dr. Judith M. Johnsrud Philadelphia. PA 19107

[nvironmental Coalition on Nuclear Power Linda W. Little 433 Orlando Ave.

5000 Hermitage OR.

State College. PA 16801 Raleigh.N". 27612 George F. Trowbridge. Esq.

Marvin 1. Lewis 6504 Bradford Terrace,

Sha w. Pittman. Potts and Philadelphia. PA 1914 Trowbridge 1800 M. St.

NW.

Wasnington. 0.C.

20036 Jane Lee 183 valley Rd.

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J. Lieberman. Esquire Atuele Safety and Licensing Appeat Pane) 1155 Avenue of the Americas U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comunission New York, New York 10036 Washington. 0.C.

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[dward O. $warta Mr. Larry Hochendoner Board of supe,f sors Dauphin County Coanissioner Londonderry Townsnip P.O. Box 1295 Rr0 #1 Ceyers Church ad.

Harrisburg *PA 17108 1295 Middletown. PA 17C57 fred Rice Chairperson Robert L. Enupp. (seelre Dauphin County Board of Comunissioners Assistani Solicitor Dauphin County Courthouse Knupp and Andrews front and Market Streets P.O. Son P Harrisburg. PA 17101 407 N. Front St.

Harrisburg. PA T7108 Dauphin County Office of Emergency Preparednes s John Levin, tsquire Court House. Room 7 Pennsylvania Public Utilities Conn.

Front & Market Streets P.O. Bos 3265 Harrisburg. PA 17101 Harrisburg. PA 17120 U.S. (nvironmental Protection Agency aegion !!! Of fice ATTu: (Is Coordinator Curtis 6vliding (51sth Floor) 6th & Walnut Streets Mr. [dwin Eintner Philadelphia, PA 19106 (secutive vice President Thomes M. Cerusky Director General Public Utilities Nuclear Corp.

100 Br,terpate Parkway

$wreau sf Radiation Protection Parsipr,eny. kJ 0705a Department of tavironmental Resources P.O. 6os 2063 Marrisburg, PA 17120 Ad Crable Lancaster New fra Dan Kennedy Office of Environsental Plannin1 8 West King Street Department of (sivironmental Resources Lancaster, PA 17601 P. O. 80s 2063 Harrisburg. PA 17120

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