ML22173A209
| ML22173A209 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | University of California-Davis |
| Issue date: | 06/24/2022 |
| From: | Geoffrey Wertz NRC/NRR/DANU/UNPL |
| To: | Mohapatra P McClellan Nuclear Research Center |
| References | |
| Download: ML22173A209 (7) | |
Text
P. Mohapatra Dr. Prasant Mohapatra Vice Chancellor for Research Department of Computer Science University of California Davis, CA 95616
SUBJECT:
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAREQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIADAVIS/MCCLELLAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTER (EPID NO. L-2020-NFR-0002)
Dear Dr. Mohapatra:
By letter dated June 11, 2018 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML18179A501), the Regents of the University of California (the licensee) submitted a license renewal application (LRA) for a 20-year renewal of the Class 104c Facility Operating License No. R 130, Docket No. 50 607, for the University of California - Davis McClellan Nuclear Research Center Training, Research, Isotope, General Atomics nuclear reactor. By letter dated July 6, 2020 (ML20188A368), the licensee updated its LRA to reflect its decision to reduce the licensed thermal operating power level from 2.3 megawatt thermal (MWt) to 1.0 MWt, and to eliminate pulsing capability and irradiation of explosive materials in the reactor tank.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff identified additional information needed to continue its review of the LRA, as described in the enclosed request for additional information (RAI). As discussed with Dr. Wesley Frey of your staff, by telephone on June 23, 2022, the licensee was requested to provide a response to the RAI or a written request for additional time to respond, including the proposed response date and a brief explanation of the reason, 30 days from the date of this letter. Following receipt of the complete response to the RAI, the NRC staff will continue its review of the LRA.
The response to the RAI must be submitted in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.4, Written communications, and pursuant to 10 CFR 50.30(b), Oath or affirmation, be executed in a signed original document under oath or affirmation. Information included in the response that you consider sensitive or proprietary, and seek to have withheld from public disclosure, must be marked in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding. Any information related to safeguards should be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 73.21, Protection of Safeguards Information: Performance Requirements.
June 24, 2022
P. Mohapatra If you have any questions regarding the NRC staffs review or if you intend to request additional time to respond, please contact me at (301) 415-0893, or via email to Geoffrey.Wertz@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Geoffrey Wertz, Project Manager Non-Power Production and Utilization Facility Licensing Branch Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-607 License No. R-130
Enclosure:
As stated cc: See next page Tran, Linh signing on behalf of Wertz, Geoffrey on 06/24/22
University of California-Davis/McClellan Docket No. 50-607 cc:
David Reap, Radiation Safety Officer 5335 Price Avenue, Bldg. 258 McClellan, CA 95652-2504 California Energy Commission 1516 Ninth Street, MS-34 Sacramento, CA 95814 Radiologic Health Branch California Department of Public Health P.O. Box 997414, MS 7610 Sacramento, CA 95899-7414 Test, Research and Training Reactor Newsletter Attention: Ms. Amber Johnson Dept of Materials Science and Engineering University of Maryland 4418 Stadium Drive College Park, MD 20742-2115 Dr. Wesley D. Frey, Reactor Director McClellan Nuclear Research Center University of California, Davis 5335 Price Avenue, Building 258 McClellan, CA 95652-2504
ML22173A209 NRR-088 OFFICE NRR/DANU/UNPL/PM NRR/DANU/UNPL/LA NRR/DANU/UNPL/BC NRR/DANU/UNPL/PM NAME GWertz NParker JBorromeo GWertz DATE 6/23/2022 6/23/2022 6/24/2022 6/24/2022
Enclosure OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING RENEWAL OF FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-130 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS/MCCLELLAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTER DOCKET NO. 50-607 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff reviewed the license renewal application (LRA) for the University of California-Davis (UCD)/McClellan Nuclear Research Center (MNRC)
Facility Operating License No. R-130, Docket No. 50-607, dated June 11, 2018 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML18179A501), as supplemented by letter dated July 6, 2020 (ML20188A368), for compliance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) using the following regulations and guidance:
Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, of 10 CFR Section 50.54, Conditions of licenses, paragraph (b), which states that [n]o right to the special nuclear material shall be conferred by the license except as may be defined by the license, and Section 50.52, Combining licenses, of 10 CFR which states that [t]he Commission may combine in a single license the activities of an applicant which would otherwise be licensed severally.
Part 30, Rules of General Applicability to Domestic Licensing of Byproduct Material, of 10 CFR which provides the regulatory requirements for the domestic licensing of byproduct material.
Part 40, Domestic Licensing of Source Material, of 10 CFR which provides the regulatory requirements for the domestic licensing of source material.
Part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material, of 10 CFR which establishes procedures and criteria for the issuance of licenses to receive title to, own, acquire, deliver, receive, possess, use, and transfer special nuclear material; and establishes and provides for the terms and conditions upon which the Commission will issue such licenses.
NUREG-1537, Part 1, Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Format and Content, issued February 1996 (ML042430055).
NUREG-1537, Part 2, Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Standard Review Plan and Acceptance Criteria, issued February 1996 (ML042430048).
Although the UCD/MNRC LRA did not indicate that any changes to the possession limits in the license conditions (LCs) for Facility Operating License No. R-130 were needed, the NRC staff identified during its regulatory audit (see NRC letter dated February 1, 2022 (ML22026A286))
that some LC changes were needed to accurately reflect the NRC-licensed material needs of the facility.
The NRC proposed LCs, which have been reformatted and updated from the current Facility Operating License No. R-130, are provided in this document. These proposed LCs are necessary to accurately reflect the NRC-licensed material needs of the facility. Therefore, the NRC staff intends to issue these LCs with the issuance of a renewed license for the facility. In order to finalize the proposed LCs, the NRC staff requests the additional information below.
1.
The current LC 2.B.(ii) states, in part, 21.0 kilograms of contained uranium-235 enriched to less than 20 percent in the isotope uranium-235 in the form of reactor fuel. The NRC staff proposes to restate this as LC 2.B.2.a below. However, the NRC staff notes that it exceeds the 10 kilogram limit for Special nuclear material of low strategic significance, item (2), as defined in 10 CFR 73.2, Definitions, and requests a justification for this amount of uranium-235.
2.
The NRC staff review finds no information as to whether any of the current TRIGA fuel has been previously used (irradiated) at other facilities. Confirm if any of the current TRIGA fuel has been previously irradiated at other facilities.
3.
The current LC 2.B.(iii) states, in part, small instrument calibration and check sources of less than 0.1 millicurie each. The NRC staff proposes to restate this as LC 2.B.3.c.
below. However, the NRC staff finds that there is no limit on the total curie amount for the instrument calibration and check sources. Provide a curie limit for the total instrument calibration and check sources needed to support operation of the UCD/MNRC facility.
4.
The current LC 2.B.(4).A, states, in part, [a]ny radioactive material between atomic number 1 through 83, inclusive, with respect to [r]adioactive [m]aterial (element and mass number), [a]ny with respect to [c]hemical and/or [p]hysical [f]orm, and 20 [c]uries (1 [c]urie each, except as provided below) with respect to [m]aximum
[q]uantity. The NRC staff proposes to restate this as LC 2.B.3.d.below. However, the NRC staff needs to better understand the source of the material and the need for 20 curies. Provide the source of the material and a justification for the proposed quantity of 20 curies.
In addition to the information requested above, the NRC staff requests that you review the proposed LCs below and indicate your acceptance, or provide a description of and justification for any changes needed.
Proposed UCD/MNRC Renewed License Conditions 2.
Accordingly, Facility Operating License No. R-130 is hereby renewed in its entirety to read as follows:
A. This license applies to the University of California - Davis, McClellan Nuclear Research Center (herein the facility) owned by the Regents of the University of California (herein the licensee), located on the former McClellan Air Force Base, Sacramento, California, and described in the licensees license renewal application, dated June 11, 2018, as supplemented.
B. Subject to the conditions and requirements incorporated herein, the Commission hereby licenses the licensee as follows:
1.
Pursuant to Section 104c of the Act and 10 CFR Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, to possess, use, and operate the facility as a utilization facility at the designated location in accordance with the procedures and limitations described in the application and set forth in this license.
2.
Pursuant to the Act and 10 CFR Part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material, to receive, possess, and use, but not separate, in connection with the operation of the facility:
a.
up to 21.0 kilograms of contained uranium-235 enriched to less than 20 percent in the isotope uranium-235 in the form of TRIGA fuel; b.
up to 4 grams of contained uranium-235 of any enrichment in the form of fission chambers; c.
up to 2 grams of special nuclear material of any enrichment in the form of foils for use in reactor-based experiments; d.
such special nuclear material as may be produced by the operation of the facility.
3.
Pursuant to the Act and 10 CFR Part 30, Rules of General Applicability to Domestic Licensing of Byproduct Material, to receive, possess, and use in connection with the operation of the facility:
a.
a 4-curie sealed americium-beryllium neutron source; b.
a 55-millicurie sealed cesium-137 source for instrument calibrations; c.
instrument calibration and check sources of less than 0.1 millicurie each; d.
up to 20 curies of byproduct material, limited to 1 curie per radionuclide, of any radioactive material between atomic numbers 1 and 83, inclusive; e.
such byproduct material as may be produced by the operation of the facility, which cannot be separated except for byproduct material produced in non-fueled reactor experiments.
4.
Pursuant to the Act and 10 CFR Part 40, Domestic Licensing of Source Material, to receive, possess, and use in connection with the operation of the facility up to 4 grams per radionuclide, not to exceed 10 grams total, of source material for reactor-based experiments.