ML20210E124
| ML20210E124 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07003016 |
| Issue date: | 09/23/1986 |
| From: | Crow W, Matt Young NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20210E021 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8702100231 | |
| Download: ML20210E124 (4) | |
Text
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o SEP 2 31986 3
DOCKET NO:
70-3016
' APPLICANTS:
Houston Lighting & Power Company
, City Public Service Board of i
San Antonio, Texas Central Power and Light Company Corpus Christi, Texas j
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FACILITY:
South Texas Project Electric i
Generating Station (STPEGS),' Unit 1 Matagorda County, Texas i
SUBJECT:
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT-LICENSE i
APPLICATION TO RECEIVE NEW FUEL
Background
By application dated June 14, 1985, and suppl ment dated July 15, 1986, Houston Lighting and Power Company (HL&P) acting on its own behalf and as agent for the above applicants applied for an NRC license to permit the receipt, possession, and storage of special nuclear materials in the form of unitradiated nuclear fuel assemblies. All materials are for eventual use in STPEGS, Unit 1.
In i
accordance with 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC has prepared this assessment of the environmental impacts that may be caused by. issuance of the requested license.
l The discussion below will be limited to assessing the potential for environmental impacts resulting from the storage of new fuel assemblies at l
STPEGS, Unit 1.
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The Proposed Action i
The proposed action is issuance of a special nuclear materials license pursuant j
.to 10 CFR 70 that will authorize the applicar.ts to receive, possess, inspect, i
and store 201 fresh fuel assemblies at STPEGS, Unit 1.
The license would be effective until it can be superseded by an operating license under 10 CFR 50.
i The fuel assemblies contain uranium dioxide (U0 ) pellets that have a maximum 2
uranium-235 enrichment of 2.9 percent by weight and are encapsulated in zircaloy tubing.
Issuance of the license would result in the receipt, posses-sion, inspection, and storage of the unirradiated fuel assemblies at STPEGS, Unit 1.
The transport of new fuel to STPEGS, Unit 1, will be the responsibility of the fuel fabricator.
8702100231 861229 PDR ADOCK 07003016 4
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2 SEP 2 31986 Need for the Proposed Action The applicants propose to receive and store fresh fuel prior to issuance of the Part 50 operating license in order to inspect the assemblies and to finalize fuel preparation (e.g., add necessary hardware) prior to loading fuel into the reactor core vessel.
Actual core loading, however, will not be authorized by the proposed license.
Early completion of this fuel handling will help avoid delays in the STPEGS, Unit 1, startup once its operatir.g license is issued.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action Alternatives to the proposed action include complete denial of HL&P's application.
Assuming the operating license for th'e factlity will eventually be issued, denial of the storage only license now would Ferely postpone new fuel receipt at STPEGS, Unit 1.
Such action, as we'll as.any other alternative that can be imagined, would not present an environmantal advantage because, as dis:ussed below, no environmental impacts are expected from the proposed action.
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action A Final Environmental Statement (NUREG-1171) associated with the full-scale operation of STPEGS, Unit 1, has already been issued by the NRO.
Based on the evaluation in this statement, the environmental impacts of plant operation subject to the proposed conditions for environment &l protection are expected to be small.
New fuel receipt and storage is only a small part of STPEGS, Unit l's, overall operation that will eventually include the handling and storage of irradiated fuel which is significantly more hazardous.
Accordingly, the envi-ronmental impacts resulting from the handling and storage of new fuel are expected to be very minor.
Once at STPEGS, Unit 1, the new fuel may be temporarily stored in their shipping containers in their fuel inspection lay-down area and the new fuel handling area prior to placement in their designated storage locations: the new fuel storage pit and the spent fuel pool located in the Fuel Handling Building.
The shipping container array to be utilized at STPEGS, Unit 1, has been analyzed under all degrees of water moderation and/or reflection and found to be critically safe.
Assemblies are then removed from their shipping containers, inspected, and l
surveyed for external contamination.
Assuming no contamination is detected and the fuel meets HL&P's technical specifications, the fuel is transferred to I
their designated storage locations.
Criticality safety of the storage locations is maintained by limiting the interaction between adjacent fuel assemblies.
This condition in the new fuel storage pit is such that fuel assemblies will be stored in racks composed of l
l individual vertical cells fastened togetner to form three 2 X 11 modules.
The j
new fuel racks are designed with a center-to-center spacing of 21 inches, providing a minimum of 12 inches between adjacent fuel assemblies.
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SEP 2 31986 Fuel assemblies stored in the spent fuel pool will be placed in fuel rack modules providing 14-inch center-to-center spacing between adjacent fuel assemblies.
The staff has determined that such storage arrangements are critically safe under all degrees of water moderation and/or reflection.
The design of the storage locations, combined with plant procedures, will ensure acceptable protection of the general public and plant personnel either under normal or abnormal conditions.
j Since.the fresh fuel assemblies are sealed sources, the principal exposure pathway to an individual is via external radiation.
For a low-enriched uranium j
fuel bundle (<4 percent U-235 enrichment), the exposure rate at 1 foot from the surface is normally less than 1 mr/hr; therefore, it is estimated that the exposure level to an individual from unirradiated fuel would be less than 25 percent of the maximum permissible exposure specified in 10 CFR Part 20.
Because of the low-radiation exposure levels associated with the requested materials and activities and HL&P's radiation protection procedures, the staff concludes that fuel handling and storage activities can be carried out without any significant radiological impact to the environment.
Only a small amount, if any, of radioactive waste (e.g., smear papers and/or contaminated packaging material) is expected to be generated during fuel handling and storage operations.
Any waste that is produced will be properly stored onsite until it can be shipped to a licensed disposal facility.
In the event the applicant must return assemblies to the fuel fabricator, all packaging and transport of fuel will be in accordance with 10 CFR Part 71.
The package will meet NRC approval requirements for normal conditions of transport and hypothetical accident conditions.
No significant external radiation hazards are associated with the unirradiated assemblies because the radiation level from the clad fuel pellets is low and because the shipping packages must meet the external radiation standards in 10 CFR Part 71.
Therefore, any shipment of unirradiated fuel by the applicant is expected to have an insignificant environmental impact.
HL&P has installed redundant engineered-safety features on equipment intended for use in fuel handling and storage operations.
These safety features combined with administrative controls minimize the likelihood of an accident situation occurring during fuel handling activities.
In the unlikely event that an assembly (either within or outside its shipping container) is dropped during transfer, the fuel cladding is not expected to rupture.
Even if the cladding was breached and the pellets were released, an insignificant environmental impact would result.
The fuel pellets are composed of a ceramic UO that has been pelletized and sintered to a very high density.
In this 2
form, release of UO aerosol is highly unlikely except under conditions of 2
deliberate grinding.
Additionally, U0 is soluble only in acid solution so 2
dissolution and release to the environment are extremely unlikely.
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SEP 2 3 586 5
Conclusion
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Based upon the information presented above, the environmental impacts associated with new fuel storage at STPEGS, Unit 1, 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, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.31, a Finding of No Significant Impact is considered appropriate for this action.
Origina1 Signed by Michelle A. Young Uranium Process Licensing Section Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety, NMSS k
Origina1 signed bys~
Approved by:
W.r. cro,
W. T. Crow, Section Leader I
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- FCUP
- FCUP
______g)74._______:_FCUF__h_g _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _k" f.____:__________
0FC:FCUP NAME:MYoung:fp.ht
- V LYkarp_e_ _ _ _ _ _ _:GBidinger
- WTCrow DATE:09/19 /86
- 09/$(/86
- 09/sg/86
- 09/73/86 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY i
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