Regulatory Guide 3.58

Criticality Safety for Handling, Storing, and Transporting LWR Fuel at Fuels and Materials Facilities.

ML12220A067
Person / Time
Issue date:	10/31/1986
From:	Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
To:
References
CE 407-4 RG-3.058
Download: ML12220A067 (4)

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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION October 166 REGULATORY GUIDE

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH

REGULATORY GUIDE 3.58 (Task CE 407-4)

CRITICALITY SAFETY FOR HANDLING, STORING, AND

TRANSPORTING LWR FUEL AT FUELS AND MATERIALS FACILITIES

A. INTRODUCTION

ANSI/ANS-8. 17-1984 provides guidance for preventing criticality accidents in operations involving handling, Section 70.22, "Contents of Applications," of 10 CFR storing, and transporting LWR fuel rods and units in Part 70, "Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear any phase of the fuel cycle outside reactor cores. This Material," requires that applications for a specific license guidance includes general safety criteria and criteria to to own, acquire, deliver, receive, possess, use, or initially establish subcriticality.

transfer special nuclear material contain proposed proce- dures to avoid accidental conditions of criticality. This

C. REGULATORY POSITION

regulatory guide provides guidance for complying with this portion of the Commission's regulations by describing The general safety criteria and criteria to establish procedures acceptable to the NRC staff for preventing subcriticality contained in ANSI/ANS-8.17-1984 provide criticality accidents in operations involving handling, procedures acceptable to the NRC staff for preventing storing, and transporting light water reactor (LWR) fuel at accidental conditions of criticality in handling, storing, fuels and materials facilities, i.e., fuel cycle facilities other and transporting LWR fuel at fuels and materials facilities.

than nuclear reactors. The only exception is that credit for fuel burnup may be taken only when the amount of burnup is confirmed by Any information collection activities mentioned in this reactivity measurements that are appropriate for each regulatory guide are contained as requirements in 10 CFR type of fuel assembly in the environment in which it is to Part 70, which provides the regulatory basis for this guide. be stored. Use of ANSI/ANS-8.17-1984, however, is not a The information collection requirements in 10 CFR substitute for detailed nuclear criticality safety analyses Part 70 have been cleared under OMB Clearance No. for specific operations.

3150-0009.

Section 6 of ANSI/ANS-8.17-1984 lists additional

B. DISCUSSION

documents referred to in the standard. The specific appli- cability or acceptability of two of these listed documents ANSI/ANS-8.17-1984, "Criticality Safety Criteria for has been addressed in the latest version of the regulatory the Handling, Storage, and Transportation of LWR Fuel guides identified below:

Outside Reactors," I was prepared by Subcommittee 8, Fissionable Materials Outside Reactors, of the Standards Standard Regulatory Guide Committee of the American Nuclear Society. ANSI/

ANS-8.17-1984 was approved by the American National ANSI/ANS-8.1-19831 3.4 - Nuclear Criticality Safety in Standards Committee N16, Nuclear Criticality Safety, in Operations with Fissionable

1983 and by the American National Standards Institute Materials at Fuels and Ma- (ANSI) on January 13, 198

4. terials Facilities

'Copies may be obtained from the American Nuclear Society, ANSI/ANS-8.3-1979 1 8.12 - Criticality Accident Alarm

555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, Illinois 60525. Systems USNRC REGULATORY GUIDES The guides are Issued In the following ten broad divisions:

Regulatory Guides are issued to describe and make available to the public methods acceptable to the NRC staff of Implementing 1. Power Reactors 6. Products specific parts of the Commission's regulations, to delineate tech- 2. Research and Test Reactors 7. Transportation niques used by the staff In evaluating specific problems or postu- 3. Fuels and Materials Facilities 8. Occupational Health lated accidents or to provide guidance to applicants. Regulatory 4. Environmental and Siting 9. Antitrust and Financial Review Guides are not substitutes for regulations, and compliance with 5. Materials and Plant Protection 10. General them Is not required. Methods and solutions different from those set out In the guides will be acceptable If they provide a basis for the findings requisite to the Issuance or continuance of a permit or Copies of Issued guides may be purchased from the Government icense by the Commission. Printing Office at the current GPO price. information on current GPO prices may be obtained by contacting the Superintendent of This guide was Issued after consideration of comments received from Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Post Office Box the public. Comments and suggestions for Improvements in these 37082, Washington, DC 20013-7082, telephone (202)275-2060 or guides are encouraged at all times, and guides will be revised, as (202)275-2171.

appropriate, to accommodate comments and to reflect new informa- tion or experience.

Issued guides may also be purchased from the National Technical Written comments may be submitted to the Rules and Procedures Information Service on a standing order basis. Details on this Branch DRR ADM, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, service may be obtained by writing NTIS, 5285 Rort Royal Road.

Washington, D6 20555. Springfield, VA 22161.

D. IMPLEMENTATION

NRC approach to criticality safety in operations with LWR fuel at fuels and materials facilities. Therefore, The purpose of this section is to provide information except in those cases in which the applicant proposes an to applicants and licensees regarding the NRC staff's plans acceptable alternative method for complying with speci- for using this regulatory guide. fied portions of the Commission's regulations, the meth- ods described herein will be used after the issuance The methods described in this guide were applied to a of this guide in the evaluation of submittals in connection number of specific cases during reviews and selected with license applications submitted under 10 CFR

licensing actions. These methods reflect the latest general Part 70.

3.58-2

VALUE/IMPACT STATEMENT

The NRC staff performed a value/impact assessment assessment were included in a draft regulatory guide on to determine the proper procedural approach for provid- this subject, CE 407-4, entitled "Criticality Safety for ing guidance on criticality safety for handling, storing, Handling, Storing, and Transporting LWR Fuel Outside and transporting LWR fuel at fuels and materials facili- Reactors," that was issued for public comment in July ties. The NRC staff has been involved in the develop- 1985. The title of the guide was changed subsequently ment, review, and approval of ANSI/ANS-8.17-1984, to clarify its applicability.

"Criticality Safety Criteria for the Handling, Storage, and Transportation of LWR Fuel Outside Reactors," The value/impact statement published with the pro- which was approved by the American National Stan- posed guide is still applicable. A copy of the draft regu- dards Institute on January 13, 1984. The assessment latory guide (identified by its task number, CE 407-4) and resulted in a decision to develop a regulatory guide that its associated value/impact statement is available for would endorse, with possible supplemental provisions, inspection and copying for a fee at the NRC Public ANSI/ANS-8.17-1984. The results of this value/impact Document Room at 1717 H Street NW., Washington, DC.

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