ML22186A127
| ML22186A127 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | PROJ0736 |
| Issue date: | 07/07/2022 |
| From: | Stephen Koenick NRC/NMSS/DDUWP/LLWPB |
| To: | Mullis J US Dept of Energy, Office of Environmental Management |
| Maurice Heath, 301-415-3137 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22186A125 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML22186A127 (3) | |
Text
John A. Mullis II Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Regulatory and Policy Affairs U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585
SUBJECT:
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TECHNICAL EVALUATION REPORT FOR THE DRAFT WASTE INCIDENTAL TO REPROCESSING EVALUATION FOR THE TEST BED INITIATIVE DEMONSTRATION (DOCKET NUMBER PROJ0736)
Dear John Mullis II:
By letter dated October 29, 2021 (Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML21322A138), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conduct a consultative review of the Draft Waste Incidental to Reprocessing (WIR) Evaluation for the Test Bed Initiative (TBI)
Demonstration (Draft WIR Evaluation). DOE provided the NRC with the WIR Evaluation as well as other supporting documents to assist in the NRCs consultative review.
The purpose of the Draft WIR Evaluation for the TBI Demonstration and the supporting documents is to show that the separated, pretreated, and solidified supernate from Tank SY-101 under the TBI Demonstration is WIR of spent nuclear fuel, is not high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and may be managed as low-level radioactive waste (LLW) under the criteria set forth in Section II.B.(2)(a) of the DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual. These criteria must be met for a determination that TBI Demonstration waste is not HLW and may be managed as LLW.
The NRC staff conducted an independent, risk-informed, technical review of the Draft WIR Evaluation for the TBI Demonstration and supporting information provided by DOE and documented the results of its review in the enclosed Technical Evaluation Report (TER). This consultative review was conducted in accordance with Interagency Agreement 89304021SEM000008 between DOE and NRC for Hanford activities, in which DOE requested that NRC provide technical advice and consultation regarding DOE WIR determinations for the TBI Demonstration.
As a result of its review, the NRC staff concluded that DOE has demonstrated that it has met all three of the criteria in DOE Manual 435.1-1 for the TBI Demonstration. In addition, in Section 6 of the TER, NRC staff has provided several recommendations. NRC staff recommends DOE should verify that the radionuclide concentrations and activities in the supernate are reasonably July 7, 2022
J. Mullis consistent with the grab samples discussed in the Draft WIR Evaluation, as well as verifying that the supernate from Tank SY-101 in the TBI Demonstration does not interfere with grout curing at the treatment facility to ensure that the waste will be stabilized in a solid physical form. These conclusions and recommendations, as well as others included within the enclosed TER, are being provided to DOE for consideration only and are not intended to represent any regulatory authority related to DOEs waste determination activities.
In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding, of the NRCs Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of NRCs ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
If you have any questions or need additional information regarding this report, please contact Mr. Maurice Heath at Maurice.Heath@nrc.gov or (301) 415-3137.
Sincerely, Stephen S. Koenick, Chief Low-Level Waste and Projects Branch Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. PROJ0736
Enclosure:
NRC TER for Draft WIR Evaluation for the TBI Demonstration cc: w/
Enclosure:
WIR ListServ Felsher, Harry signing on behalf of Koenick, Stephen on 07/07/22
ML22186A125; Ltr ML22186A127 OFFICE NMSS/DUWP
/LLWPB NMSS/DUWP/RTAB NMSS/DUWP/RTAB NMSS/DUWP
/LLWPB NAME MHeath GAlexander CMcKenney SKoenick HFelsher for DATE Jul 5, 2022 Jul 5, 2022 Jul 7, 2022 Jul 7, 2022