ML20207M157

Informs of NRC Plans to Revise Independent Sampling Verification Program to More Effectively & Efficiently Verify Quality of Licensee U Destructive Measurement Sys Through Participation in Sample Exchange Test Program

ML20207M157
Person / Time
Site:	07001113
Issue date:	06/22/1995
From:	Ting P NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
To:	Kipp C GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.
Shared Package
ML20207M155	List: ML20207M152 ML20207M157
References
NUDOCS 9903180395
Download: ML20207M157 (5)

Text

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\ umiso STAT:s NUCLEAR '

REGULATORY COMMISSION

• " WASMHe4 TON. o.C. seans etM June 22, 1995/

4 General Electric Company

. ATTN: Mr. C. P. Kipp, General Manager General Electric Nuclear Energy Production "

P.O. Box 780 i Wilmington, NC 28402 ,

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Dear Mr. Kipp:

if InthespiritofthePresiIlent'sNationalProgram' Review,andtolossenthe burden to licensees through cost reduction, we pla'n to revise our independent sampling verification program. The revised program will more effectively and efficiently verify the quality of Itcensee urantuni destructive measurement systems through their participation in a sample exchange test program. The program will be administered, under NRC contract, by the Department of Energy's New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL), and will'be conducted pursuant to 10 CFR 74.82 and 70.56, which state that each lice that the NRC deems appropriate or necessary e administration for thnsee of theshall perform regulations. This includes special nuclear material (SNM) and facilities, equipment, and devices used in connection with 'the production, utilization, or storage of SNM.

The present system is costly to both licensees and the NRC, and involves NRC inspectors taking onsite inventory verification samples for performance testing. Material randomly drawn during an inspettion is split and submitt;;d for measurement by the lic<tnsee and NBL for compa ison and follow-up action. i Another concern involves measurement uncertaintie . such as attendant sampling variation and impurities that may cause interfere.ces and complicate the evaluation of analytical data. Currently, typica'l annual fee-recoverable costs for NBL analytical measurements are approximately $30 thousand for a licensee selected for verification activities. A program continued along the present lines would involve rising NBL measurements costs. It also would require additional sampilng to achieve a level of confidence comparable to the round robin system, and consequent additional costs to the licensee.

Presently, additional costs occur from physically drawing samples from process and storage, shipping the material to NBL, and destructively measuring the facility's portion of splits. Other fee-recoverable costs involve NRC 4 inspector time for devising representative sampling plans, observing the drawing of sample material for splitting and shipping, statistically evaluating the resulting measurement data, and taking any necessary follow-up action. "his may include supplementary onsite NRC sampling for NBL measurement, to resolve any significant differences.

• The round robin testing program will provide a less costly, measurement method-specific approach for inspecting the perfonmance of analytical measurement systems. Performance test results will enable the NRC to more directly evaluate the state-of-the-practice of the facility's selection and qualification of measurement methods, the maintenance and calibration program (including traceability), the training and qualification of facility measurement personnel, and the measurement control program. ,

9903190395 990311 POR ADOCK 07001113 C PDR _ ,

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- General Electric Company '

June 22, 1995  !

Annually, NBL will distribute well characterized, clean product material (U0, pellets that have been provided by an NRC licensee) for your seelannual l shalysis of elemental concentration and isotopic (U-235) abundances. '

Incorporated into each characterization protocol was.a concurrent validation of measurements with suitable certified reference saterial, and the calculation of measurement uncertainties--as a 95-percent confidence interval.

l Comparative results from this interlaboratory 'round robin" will be issued to

'all participants in coded fonn to maintain anonymity. The annual cost, on a licensing fee-recoverable basis, for each participating low-enriched uranium facility will be roughly $5,100 to cover shipping, data analyses, and reports.

We expect the licensing fee-recoverable cost for each facility to be r approximately a factor of ten lower than an equivalent practice of routinely '

taking random verification samples for NBL and licensee destructive analysis.

Further,wewillrestrict,asneeded,anyfutureoisitematerialsampling ,

efforts to special cases that may arise, e.g., potential problem areas l i

involving heterogeneous or unique material. This ridirected overall approach should improve inspection information, while lowering licensee costs l substantially.

The brief enclosure outlines how the round robin would be run to fulfill routine NRC requirements, beginning in late 1995. Licensee participation will be part of NBL's Safeguards Measurement Evaluation (SME) Program, through which DOE has monitored its major facilities since 1985. You will be invited to attend the annual SME Program participants meeting that will be held at NBL in October 1995. NRC staff'will attend that meeting, which should provide both a comprehensive, working level overview, and an opportunity to have any questions answered in detail.

PleasecontactJerryRothob(301)415-7257 regarding our plans in the I

meantime.

t.

Sincerely, (Original signed by Philip Ting, Chief )

Operations Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS Docket No. 70-1113 License No. SNM-1097

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ encl: T. Preston Winslow ,

General Electric Nuclear Energy Production DISTRIBUTION:

Doc. File'70-Ill3 FCOB r/fi FCSS r/f CCollins NRC File Center DLWhaley ETenEyck NMSS r/f OGC Case File RPierson, FCLB Rll l DOCUMENT NAME: A:GESMEP.NBL *SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE are tem E tem 6 rem 6 rem ( oce' M rem man te m c6 so m . . u lm e. 62 .

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i 00, PELLET ROUND RO6IN The Safeguards Measurement Evaluation (SME) Program is a sample exchange j

program ("round robin") administered by the New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL) for -

the Department of Energy (DOE). It serves to monitor the quality and adequacy ,

of destructive safeguards . measurements, as perfor'med by DOE contractor l facilities. At the requejt of the NRC, and with[the cooperation of DOE, NRC )

licensee facilities will. participate in the SME Program to fulfil NRC inspection requirements.

1 NBL will ship samples once per year beginning in October 1995; each shipment will contain enough naterial to be analyzed on a semiannual basis. Analytical ,

results are to be sent to NBL for statistical analysis semiannually, starting l in late 1995. Statistical results will be sent to the participating facility and to the NRC semiannually. A report comparing all participating facilities l In coded form, by material analyzed, will also be distributed.

Low-enriched U02 pellits are packaged in small snap-cap glass vials. Each analysis period's supply includes four pellets. Analyze two pellets for both uranium concentration and isotopic distribution on each of two analysis days.

If a replicate is known to be invalidated, run another so that the appropriate number of analyses is done for each solution. This schedule will allow a statistical evaluation of both within-day and between-day variation. The samples are intended to be analyzed with other routine samples without special identification to the analyst utilizing your normal accountability measurement methods. For the isotopic measurements, only the U-235 content will be statistically analyzed; the percent relative differences will be given for the other isotopic values for diagnostic purposes.

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Enclosure 1

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l . UNITED STATES I

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20555 0001 l

INVOICE Invoice No.: FLO234-99 TO: ,GE NUCLEAR ENERGY ATTN:MR. CHARLES M. VAUGHAN Invoice Date: 03/16/99 P. O. BOX 780 MAIL CODE J26

Contact:

M. MESSIER WILMINGTON NC 28402-0780 Phone: 301/415-6087 l

Docket No/ facility Names L8 w e No.: Billing Period: i 070-01113/ S.4M-1097 09/27/98 - 01/02/99 Review Costs: ................... $ 0.00 Contract Costs: ................. $ 16,752.00 Balance Due: .................... $ 16,752.00 '

TERMS. Payment is e m lasnediately. Interest will accrue from the invoice date et the annual rate of 5.000%. However, interest will be walved if payment is received within 30 days from the invoice date. Penalty and adninistrative charges will be assessed on a delinquent invoice. Additional terms and conditions are attached, if applicable.

Notes: If there are any questions about the existence or amount of the debt, contact the individual named above. For NRC debt collection procedures, including interest and penalty provisions, see 11 U.S.C.1717, 4 CFR 101 105, and 10 CFR 15.

--- -- --- . . . . . . --- -~~ . -- ---- -------

If payment by check, please return this portion with your payment.  ;

Payment: ACH, Wire Transfer, check Payable to

• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission (Reference Invoice No.)

If payment by check, mail to:

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License Fee & Accounts Receivable Branch Invoice No.: FLO234-99 P.O. Box 954514 St. Louis, MO 63195-4514 Invoice Date: 03/16/99 l Ch:nge of Billing Address or Billing Contact? Docket No.: 070-01113 Plsase mall corrections to the above USsRC address or f ax changes to (301) 415 53s7. License No.: SNM-1097 Balance Due: $16,752.00 t

AMOUNT PAID: $ 4

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