ML25191A101

Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas Core Inspection Report 07001113/2025002

ML25191A101
Person / Time
Site:	07001113
Issue date:	07/15/2025
From:	Bradley Davis NRC/RGN-II/DFRSS/FOB1
To:	Nay D Global Nuclear Fuel
References
IR 2025002
Download: ML25191A101 (1)

Text

Doug Nay Facility Manager Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, LLC.

PO Box 780, Mail Code J20 Wilmington, NC 28402

SUBJECT:

GLOBAL NUCLEAR FUEL - AMERICAS CORE INSPECTION REPORT 07001113/2025002

Dear Doug Nay:

This letter refers to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection activities conducted from April 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025 at Global Nuclear Fuel Americas (GNFA). On May 15, 2025, NRC inspectors discussed the results of the inspection activities with you and other members of your staff. The results of this inspection are documented in the enclosed report.

No violations of more than minor significance were identified during this inspection.

This letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be made available for public inspection and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRC Public Document Room in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.

Sincerely, Bradley J. Davis, Chief Fuels Oversight Branch 1 Division of Fuels, Radiological Safety, and Security Docket No. 07001113 License No. SNM-1097

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ encl: Distribution via LISTSERV July 14, 2025 Signed by Davis, Bradley on 07/14/25

ML25191A101 x

SUNSI Review x

Non-Sensitive

Sensitive x

Publicly Available

Non-Publicly Available OFFICE RII/DFRSS RII/DFRSS RII/DFRSS NAME L. Pitts J. Grice B. Davis DATE 07/14/2025 07/14/2025 07/14/2025

Enclosure U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Inspection Report Docket Number:

07001113 License Number:

SNM-1097 Report Number:

07001113/2025002 Enterprise Identifier:

I-2025-002-0036 Licensee:

Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, LLC.

Facility:

Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas Location:

Wilmington, NC Inspection Dates:

May 12, 2025 to May 15, 2025 Inspectors:

J. Grice, Fuel Facilities Inspector C. Ubben, Fuel Facilities Inspector Approved By:

Bradley J. Davis, Chief Fuels Oversight Branch 1 Division of Fuels, Radiological Safety, and Security

2

SUMMARY

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) continued monitoring the licensees performance by conducting a core inspection at Global Nuclear Fuel Americas, in accordance with the fuel cycle facility inspection program. This is the NRCs program for overseeing the safe operation of licensed fuel cycle facilities. Refer to https://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac.html for more information.

List of Violations No violations of more than minor significance were identified.

Additional Tracking Items None.

3 INSPECTION SCOPES Inspections were conducted using the appropriate portions of the inspection procedures (IPs) in effect at the beginning of the inspection unless otherwise noted. Currently approved IPs with their attached revision histories are located on the public website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/insp-manual/inspection-procedure/index.html. Inspections were declared complete when the IP requirements most appropriate to the inspection activity were met consistent with Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 2600, Fuel Cycle Facility Operational Safety and Safeguards Inspection Program. The inspectors reviewed selected procedures and records, observed activities, and interviewed personnel to assess licensee performance and compliance with Commission rules and regulations, license conditions, site procedures, and standards.

SAFETY OPERATIONS 88020 - Operational Safety The inspectors evaluated selected aspects of the licensees Operational Safety program to verify compliance with selected portions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 70 (10 CFR 70), including 70.61, and 70.62, as well as Chapter 3, "Integrated Safety Analysis" and Chapter 11, Management Measures, of the facilitys license application, and applicable licensee procedures.

Identification of Safety Controls and Related Programs (IP Section 02.01)

The inspectors selected specific process areas for inspection based on the safety basis information of the facility, the risk/safety significance of the process areas, the description of plant changes submitted to the NRC, and past plant performance documentation. For the process areas of interest, the inspectors selected a sample of accident sequences in nuclear criticality safety and fire safety based on the information provided in the integrated safety analysis (ISA) summary and other safety basis documentation. The inspectors conducted a general plant tour of each major plant operating area. The process areas and accident sequences selected for review are listed below:

Node 206, Blend, Pre-compaction, Granulation (BPG), and Tumbling Accident 5.7.3.1 - Excessive Moderator Added to Blender Accident 5.7.3.4 - External Oil Reservoir Leak Accident 5.7.3.8 - Uranium Collects in Oil Pan or Bull Gear Assembly Node 405, Uranium Dioxide (UO2) Furnace Accident 5.11.5.5 - External Moderator Leaks on Sintering Furnace Accident 5.11.5.9 - A Fire Occurs in the Furnace Area Accident 5.11.5.12 - Hydrogen Explosion External to Furnace Node 301, Dry Scrap Recycle (DSR)

Accident 5.16.3.1 - Highly Moderated Material Placed in Oxidation Furnace Feed Hood Accident 5.16.3.2 - Moderator Leak onto the DSR Equipment Review of Safety Controls and Related Programs (IP Section 02.02)

4 The inspectors reviewed information related to administrative, engineered, and passive safety controls or items relied on for safety (IROFS) for the accident sequences selected above, including the identification of the licensees assumptions and bounding cases as they apply to each of the selected accident sequences, safety controls, or IROFS. This review was performed to verify that the controls or IROFS were available and reliable to perform their intended safety functions and that the design basis assumptions were reflected in the actual conditions in the field. The specific safety controls selected for review are listed below:

Node 206 206-01, Blender External Oil Volume, Administrative Control (AC) 206-02, Blender Lid Design, Passive Engineering Control (PEC) 206-03 Fuel Release System (FRS)/Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Blend Plan Verifies Moderator Content, Augmented Administrative Control (AAC) 206-04, Fuels Business System (FBS)-BPG/Additive Makeup Module Verification of Moderator Fraction, Active Engineering Control (AEC) 206-05, Blender Additive Bottle Design, PEC 206-08, Routine Inspection of Press Base, AC 206-09, Free Draining Press Base and Oil Catch Pan Geometry, PEC 206-11, Tumbler Additive Bottle Design, PEC 206-12, FBS-DTM, AAC Node 301 301-01, Furnace Feed Hopper Over Fill Interlock, AAC 301-02, Furnace Feed System - Safe Geometry, PEC 301-03, Furnace - Safe Geometry, PEC 301-06, Process Equipment Barrier - Furnace Feed System, PEC 301-07, Process Equipment Barrier - Furnace, PEC 301-09, Furnace Feed Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Dropout Inspections, PEC 301-10, Process Equipment Barrier - Furnace Off gas System, PEC 301-11, Furnace Off gas System - Safe Geometry, PEC 301-17, Operator Can Contents Inspection, AC 900-09, FBS Special Nuclear Material - Moderation Controlled Area Moderator Limits, AAC Node 405 405-01, Process Equipment Barrier - Furnace Boat Storage, PEC 405-02, Furnace Area Boat Storage - Safe Geometry, PEC 405-03, Pellet Boat Transfer Control, AC 405-04, Pellet Boat Transfer Cart - Safe Geometry, AC 405-05, Conveyor Mechanical Stops - Safe Geometry, AC 405-06, Sintering Furnace - Safe Geometry, AEC 405-11, Furnace Area Combustible Control Program, AC 405-13, Hydrogen Supply Flow Restriction, AC 405-14, Disassociated Ammonia Supply Flow Restriction, PEC 405-15, Furnace Area Flammable Gas Survey, AC 405-16, Furnace Area Flammable Gas Line Inspection, AC 405-17, Hydrogen Gas Leak Detection and Response, AC

5 Implementation of Safety Controls (IP Section 02.03)

For the selected safety controls listed above, the inspectors reviewed management measures to verify proper implementation in accordance with 10 CFR 70 and applicable sections of the license application. This review was performed to verify that selected safety controls or IROFS were present, available, and reliable to perform their safety function and that the design basis assumptions were reflected in the actual conditions in the field. The inspectors conducted the following activities to verify the implementation of selected safety controls:

performed walkdowns of Node 206 BPG, Node 301 DSR, and Node 405 UO2 Furnace to verify IROFS implementation observed operators preparing blend for addition of additives interviewed operators in UO2 furnace area and BPG regarding IROFS and process safety controls reviewed the following procedures to verify IROFS implementation:

Operating Procedure (OP) 206.00.208 OP 1030.10.203 OP 1341.00.201 OP 1340.00.201 OP 206.00.201 OP 206.00.202 OP 1002.00.0000 OP 1030.10.1000 OP 1210.00.202 OP 1210.00.201 Safety Control Support Programs (IP Section 02.04)

The inspectors assessed additional management measures that support the availability and reliability of the selected safety controls to verify these were implemented in accordance with 10 CFR 70 and applicable sections of the license application. Specifically, the inspectors conducted the following:

reviewed completed functional test instructions (FTIs) and calibration records for IROFS 206-03, 206-04, 301-01, and 900-09 reviewed surveillance records for IROFS 206-05, 206-09, 301-02, 301-03, 301-05, 405-02, 405-05, and 405-11 reviewed various condition reports (CRs) related to selected IROFS and process areas reviewed electronic change requests (eCRs) 51761, 52741, and 53170 which documented changes to IROFS and associated accident sequences reviewed training records for operators in selected process areas reviewed 2025 first quarter fire safety audit for combustible control program in selected process areas reviewed Quantitative Risk Analyses (QRAs) for Node 206 BPG, Node 301 DSR, and Node 405 UO2 Furnace

6 INSPECTION RESULTS No violations of more than minor significance were identified.

EXIT MEETINGS AND DEBRIEFS The inspectors verified that no proprietary information was retained or documented in this report.

On May 15, 2025, the inspectors presented the operational safety inspection results to Doug Nay and other members of the licensee staff.

7 DOCUMENTS REVIEWED Inspection Procedure Type Designation Description or Title Revision or Date 88020 Corrective Action Documents 47383, 48905, 48491, 46854, 46478, 45852, 49196 CRs concerning issues with IROFS in selected process areas Various 88020 Engineering Evaluations QRA 206 QRA for DCP: Blend, Pre-Compaction, Granulate, &

Tumble Rev. 10 88020 Engineering Evaluations QRA 301 QRA for Dry Scrap Recycle Rev. 22 88020 Engineering Evaluations QRA-405/504 Fabrication - Sinter Rev. 20 88020 Engineering Evaluations QRA-405a/504a Fabrication - Sinter - Hydrogen Gas Release Rev. 13 88020 Procedures OP 1002.00.0000 Combustible Material Control - Fabrication Rev. 01 88020 Procedures OP 1030.00.200 UO2 Sintering Furnace Room Flammable Gas Leak Rev. 01 88020 Procedures OP 1030.10.100 UO2 Sintering Furnaces 1, 3, 4, & 6 - General Information Rev. 08 88020 Procedures OP 1030.10.203 UO2 Sintering Furnaces # 1, 3, 4 7 & 6 Normal Operations Rev. 12 88020 Procedures OP 1210.00.100 Dry Scrap Recycle Furnace - General Information Rev. 10 88020 Procedures OP 1210.00.201 Dry Scrap Recycle Furnace - Start Up Rev. 13 88020 Procedures OP 1210.00.202 Dry Scrap Recycle Furnace - Normal Operations Rev. 16 88020 Procedures OP 1210.00.206 Dry Scrap Recycle Furnace - Operator Maintenance Rev. 19 88020 Procedures OP 1340.00.201 DCP First Floor Additive Make-Up Normal Operations Rev. 2 88020 Procedures OP 1341.00.201 DCP Second Floor Additive Male-Up - Normal Additives Rev. 4 88020 Procedures OP 206.00.201 DCP Blend Pre-Compact Granulate - Loading Powder & Additives Rev. 13 88020 Procedures OP 206.00.202 DCP Blend Pre-Compact Granulate - Loading Powder & Additives Rev. 13 88020 Procedures OP 206.00.208 DCP Blend Pre-Compact Granulate - Basic Operator Maintenance Rev. 5 88020 Work Orders 3179232 IROFS 405-11 Surveillance of Combustible Material 01/29/2025

8 Inspection Procedure Type Designation Description or Title Revision or Date Control in Furnace Area 88020 Work Orders 3179561 IROFS 206-05 Surveillance of Blender Additive Bottle Design 01/13/2025 88020 Work Orders 3179562 IROFS 206-09 Surveillance of Free Draining Press Base and Oil Catch Pan 01/03/2025 88020 Work Orders 3186136 Surveillance of IROFS 301-02, 301-03, and 301-05 Safe Geometry of Furnace Feed System, Furnace, and Furnace Screener 03/31/2025 88020 Work Orders 3191232 IROFS 405-02 and 405-05 Surveillance of Furnace Area Boat Storage and Conveyor Mechanical Stops 05/08/2025 88020 Work Orders Calibration Work Order #5457174 Monthly Calibration of the Multi Gas Monitor 04/29/2025 88020 Work Orders Calibration Work Order #5458391 Calibration of accountability scale: 20 KG additive make-up room 04/17/2025 88020 Work Orders Calibration Work Order# 5458401 Annual calibration of additive scale 04/15/2025 88020 Work Orders FTI 1030.10.F2 Sintering Furnace In-Out Logic Test 03/27/2025 88020 Work Orders FTI 1030.20.F2

1. 2 Sintering Furnace In-Out Logic Test 02/27/2024 88020 Work Orders FTI 1030.30.F2

1. 5 Sintering Furnace In-Out Logic Test 08/19/2024 88020 Work Orders FTI 1210.02 Test that Low Furnace Temperature Shuts off Furnace Feed & Discharge 04/28/2024 88020 Work Orders FTI 1210.09 Dry Recycle Furnace Feed Hood & Feed Valve Operation 06/11/2024 88020 Work Orders FTI 1210.10 FBS Test for Incorrect Material Type at Furnace 10/22/2024 88020 Work Orders FTI 406-06A UO2 Sintering Furnace Main Pusher Overload Shutdown 03/27/2025 88020 Work Orders FTI LIMS FRS-F1 Verification that FRS/LIMS prevent excess powder from being used in DCP process 06/25/2024 88020 Work Orders FTI LIMS-FRS-F2 Verification that the LIMS/FRS Controls prevent creation of blend with high moisture content 06/25/2024 88020 Work Orders IROFS Surveillance 3176503 Monthly Furnace Gas Leak Monitoring 01/10/2025 88020 Work Orders IROFS Surveillance 3183061 Blender and Homogenizer Equipment Checks 02/27/2025

9 Inspection Procedure Type Designation Description or Title Revision or Date 88020 Work Orders IROFS Surveillance 3183062 Annual Inspection of DSR Equipment Barriers 05/07/2025 88020 Work Orders IROFS Surveillance 3188456 Annual Furnace Area Piping Gas Leak Surveillance 05/01/2025 88020 Work Orders IROFS Surveillance 3188995 Weekly Homogenizer and Blender External Oil Reservoir Checks 05/06/2025