ML20236C728
| ML20236C728 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07003013 |
| Issue date: | 08/15/1986 |
| From: | Crow W NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20236C665 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8707300171 | |
| Download: ML20236C728 (6) | |
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORI COMMISSION.
FINDING 0F NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT l: ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIALS L LICENSE NO. SNM-1945 L ,
l COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPANY I
[ WILL COUNTY, ILLINDIS ,
1 1 DOCKET N0. 70-3013 l i
i The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is considering 1
the issuance of Special Nuclear Material License No. SNM-1945 to the i Commonwealth Edison Company for the Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 2, located in Will County, Illinois.
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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT !
Identification of Proposed Action: The proposed action would authorize the applicants to receive, possess, inspect, and store special nuclear materials in 1
the form of unirradiated fuel assemblies. In addition, the license would also authorize the applicants to receive, possess, inspect, and use other radioactive materials in the form of post-accident neutron monitoring detectors. Because the neutron detectors are sealed and contain only small 4 amounts (gram quantities) of nuclear material, storage and use of these l
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o materials will pose;no' threat.to the environment. Therefore, the discussion' .
, i below will be limited to assessing the potential for-environmental impacts
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resulting from the handling and the storage'of new- fuel at Braidwood, Unit 2. J v . -
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. .The Need:for the' Proposed Action: The proposed license will allow the' app'licants to receiveiand store fresh fuel prior to issuance of the Part 50 .)
Sc : operating license in order to inspect the fuel and to finalize fuel J l
l- preparation needed to' load the fuel into the reactor vessel. Actual core- i
. loading, however, will not be authorized by_the proposed license. ;
l' Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action 1
.A. Nuclear Criticality and Radiation Safety 1
Once at Braidwood, Unit 2, the new fuel may be temporarily stored in shipping i
containers in the receiving area of the Fuel Handling Building prior to placement e
in.their designated storage locations: the new fuel storage area and the spent fuel pool. The shipping-container array to be utilized at Braidwood,. Unit 2, has been analyzed for nuclear criticality safety under all degrees of water moderation and/or reflection and found to be safe.
-Upon removal of the. fuel assemblies from the shipping. containers, they are I inspected and surveyed for any e"ternal contamination. Assuming no contamination is found, the assemblies are' transferred to thei'r desi,gnated i
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- storage location. Criticality safety of the storage locations (new fuel and, ')
spent ~ fuel racks) is maintained by' limiting the interaction between' adjacent.
fuel assemblies. <This is. accomplished in the new fuel storage racks such that 3' groups'of'44 assemblies, in 2 rows per group, have a center-to-center spacing
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of 21 inches. In the spent fuel storage racks, the fuel assemblies will be stored in~a checkerboard pattern; the.four adjacent' storage locations to each fuel assembly are vacant. The staff has confirmed the nuclear criticality 7 safety of the specifiedLstorage-arrays under'.all degrees of water moderation l- and/or' reflection, q l
.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 level to an individual j standing 1 foot from the surface of the fuel would be less than 25 percent of the maximum permissible exposure specified in 10 CFR 20. -
In addition, the applicants are' committed to establishing'a program for maintaining general public exposure-as' low as ' reasonably achievable. Therefore,-the staff has concluded that the applicants' requested operations can be carried out with adequate radiation protection of the public and environment.
L l0nly'a small amount, if any, of radioactive waste (e.g., smear papers and/or p . contaminated. packaged material) is expected to be generated as a result of 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.
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In the 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
-released, an insignificantLenvironmental impact would result. The fuel
. pellets are-composed of'a ceramic UO 2 that has been pelletized'and sintered to a'very high' density.- In this form, release of UO2 aerosol is unlikely except
-under conditions'of deliberate grinding.
Additionally, U02 is soluble only in.
acid-solution so dissolution and release to the environment are extremely
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unlikely. '
C. Conclusion The environmental impacts associated with'the handling and storage of new fuel at Braidwood, Unit 2, are expected to be insignificant. Essentially, no effluents, liquid or airborne, will be released and acceptable controls will
.be im'plemented to prevent a radiological accident. Therefore, the staff concludes that there will be no significant impacts associated with the I proposed action.
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Alternative to the Proposed Action: The principal alternative would be to (deny the requested license. Assuming the operating license will eventually be issued, denial of the storage only license would merely postpone new fuel )
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receipt at Braidwood,, Unit 2. Although denial of the Special Nuclear Materials License for Braidwood, Unit 2, is an alternative available to the l l
Commission, it would be considered only if significant issues of public health and safety could not be resolved to the satisfaction of regulatory authorities involved.
Alternative Use of Resources: This action does not involve the use of resources not previously considered in connection with the Commission's Final I
Environmental Statement (NUREG-1026) dated June 1984 related to this I facility.
Agencies and Persons Consulted: The' Commission's staff reviewed the applicant's request of June 8, 1984, and its supplements dated September 18, and November 19, 1984, and June 7, July 31, and November 14, 1985, and did not consult other agencies or persons.
Finding of No Significant Impact: The Commission has prepared an )
Environmental Assessment related to the Issuance of Special Nuclear Materials l License No. SNM-194s. On the basis of this assessment, the Commission has concluded that environmental impact. created by the proposed licensing action i
would not be significant and does not warrant the preparation of an j Environmental Impact Assessment. Accordingly, it has been determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact is appropriate.
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The Environmental Assessment and the above documents related to this proposed
[. action are~available for public inspection and copying at the Commission's l !
Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, NW., Washington, D.C. Copies of the l Environmental Assessment may be obtained by calling (301)427-4510 or by I
writing to the Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle and '
Material Safety, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555.
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Dated at Silver Spring, Maryland, this 15th day of August 1986.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION !
- i i pxl W. T. Crow, Acting Chief Uranium Fuel Licensing Branch Divi'sion of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety, NMSS i
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