ML25168A080
| ML25168A080 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/09/1983 |
| From: | Ray J Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Dircks W NRC/EDO |
| References | |
| Download: ML25168A080 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 August 9, 1983 Mr. William J. Dircks Executive Director for Operations
- u. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555
Dear Mr. Dircks:
SUBJECT:
REVIS IONS TO OPERATIONAL CONTROLS FOR THE SH I PM ENT OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF PLUTONIUM USING THE PAT-2 PACKAGE During its 280th meeting, August 4-6, 1983, the ACRS received a report frcm its Subcommittee on Transportation of Radioactive Materials regarding the revisions proposed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to the existing opera-tional controls for the shipment of small quantities of plutonium using the Plutonium Air-Transportable Model 2 -(PAT-2) package.
This matter was considered by the ACRS Subcommittee on Transportation of Radioactive Materi-als at a meeting in Washington, DC, on July 26, 1983.
The Subcommittee had the benefit of discussions with representatives from DOE, the Sandia National Laboratories, and the NRC Staff.
The objective of these revisions is to relax certain operational controls that have been found by DOE to make it virtually impossible to use the PAT-2 package for shipments of small quantities of plutonium by air in connection with the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards program. The proposed relaxations apply only to the PAT-2 package, which was developed for the shipment of plutonium in quantities less than 15 grams; they do not apply to the PAT-1 package, which is suitable for larger quantities.
The proposed relaxations are as follows:
(1)
Current controls require that the package must be stowed aboard aircraft on the main deck in the aft-most location with no other type of cargo behind it.
The proposed revision would al so permit stowage in the aft-most lower cargo compartment, but still with no other type of cargo behind it.
(2)
Current controls require that the package must be tied down to provide restraint against specified inertial loads in various directions.
The proposed revision would require only that the package be secured and restrained to prevent shifting under normal transport; the design of the package itself would be relied on to prevent damage in an accident.
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Mr. William August 9, 1983 (3) Current controls do not permit the PAT-2 package to be placed on an aircraft carrying any of several types of hazardous materials.
The proposed revision would modify this restriction to apply only to material classified as Explosives A.
Current requirements for the PAT-2 package are the same as those originally developed for the PAT-I package. They are described in NUREG-0360, nQualifi-cation Criteria to Certify a Package for Air Transport of Pl utonil.111. 0 The ACRS reviewed these design requirE!f'lents and certain operational controls for the PAT-I package and reported on them in letters dated November 18, 1976 and February 14, 1978.
The operational controls that are being relaxed by the proposed revisions were originally included in NUREG-0360 as a result of review and recommendations by an ad hoc committee of the Assembly of Engi-neering of the National Research Counc;l.
The ACRS believes that the proposed relaxations in operational controls relating to use of the PAT-2 package for transport of small quantities
- of plutonium by air are acceptable, and that the PAT-2 package, used with these controls, will meet the requirements of Public Law 94-79 relating to the integrity of a package following the crash and explosion of a high-flying aircraft.
Sincerely,
~~
Chairman 3623 / 3624