ML18059A490

February 26, 2018, Summary of Public Meeting to Discuss the Proposed Molybdenum-99 Production Facility at the University of Missouri Research Reactor

ML18059A490
Person / Time
Site:	University of Missouri-Columbia
Issue date:	03/07/2018
From:	Geoffrey Wertz Research and Test Reactors Licensing Projects Branch
To:
Wertz G, NRR/DLP, 415-0893
References
CAC A11010, EPID L-2017-LLA-0227
Download: ML18059A490 (5)

Text

March 7, 2018

LICENSEE: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA RESEARCH REACTOR SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF FEBRUARY 26, 2018, PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED MOLYBDENUM-99 PRODUCTION FACILITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH REACTOR USING THE GENERAL ATOMICS SELECTIVE GAS EXTRACTION PROCESS (CAC NO. A11010/05000186/L-2017-LLA-0227)

On February 26, 2018, a Category 1 public meeting was held between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and representatives of the University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor (MURR), and its partners, General Atomics, Inc., and Nordion, Inc. (Canada), at NRC Headquarters, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the technical and licensing considerations associated with the proposed molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production using the General Atomics (GA) Selective Gas Extraction process at MURR facility. A portion of this meeting was closed to the public to discuss proprietary information related to the specifics of design and operation of the proposed project. The meeting notice and agenda, dated February 7, 2018, are available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at Accession No. ML18038B494. A copy of the presentation provided during the public portion of the meeting is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML18058A904. A list of meeting attendees is provided as an enclosure to this summary.

MURR provided an update to information provided at the previous public meeting conducted on February 13, 2017. MURR discussed the Part 1 license amendment request (LAR), submitted by letter dated May 3, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17132A252), and confirmed its request for an NRC staff review of the Part 1 LAR that would support in the issuance of a license amendment to MURR's Renewed Facility Operating License No. R-103. The Part 1 LAR requests modification of the reactor reflector and the installation of supporting systems (e.g., target cooling systems, and additional reactor trips), to allow the irradiation of two low enriched uranium targets to be located in the graphite reflector region of the MURR. However, MURR indicated that it would not conduct target irradiations in the MURR until NRC staff completes its review of the yet-to-be-submitted of the Part 2 LAR. The Part 2 LAR is expected to request approval for target processing and Mo-99 extraction using the GA Selective Gas Extraction hot cell technology.

Additionally, MURR indicated that its proposed licensing approach, previously described in letter dated January 17, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17019A006), and supplemented in its submittal of the Part 1 LAR on May 3, 2017 (ADAMS Accession No. ML17132A252), would be updated with additional supporting information and submitted to the NRC staff for formal review and response. Specifically, the NRC staff expects MURR to request that the NRC staff provide positions on 1) whether or not the proposed GA hot cells would require a construction permit and 2) whether the GA hot cells would be licensed as a commercial production facility, as

- 2 - defined in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 50, under Section 103 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

During the closed portion of the meeting, MURR, and its partners, provided proprietary-level detail related to the specific design and operation of the proposed Mo-99 production process, including the isotopic separation processes and necessary equipment contained within the proposed hot cells. MURR indicated that another public meeting would be requested to discuss some of the remaining aspects of the design of the proposed Mo-99 production facility that were not finalized at the time of this public meeting. Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-0893, or Geoffrey.Wertz@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, /RA/ Geoffrey Wertz, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch Division of Licensing Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-186

Enclosure:

As stated cc: w/enclosure

University of Missouri-Columbia Docket No. 50-186 cc:

Les Foyto, Associate Director Reactor and Facilities Operations University of Missouri - Columbia Research Reactor Center 1513 Research Park Drive Columbia, MO 65211

Homeland Security Coordinator Missouri Office of Homeland Security P.O. Box 749 Jefferson City, MO 65102

Planner, Dept of Health and Senior Services Section for Environmental Public Health P.O. Box 570 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570

Deputy Director for Policy Department of Natural Resources 1101 Riverside Drive Fourth Floor East Jefferson City, MO 65101

A-95 Coordinator Commissioner's Office Office of Administration P.O. Box 809 State Capitol Building, Room 125 Jefferson City, MO 65101 Planning Coordinator Missouri Department of Natural Resources 1101 Riverside Drive Jefferson City, MO 65101 Test, Research and Training Reactor Newsletter P.O. Box 118300 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 Mr. Matthew Sanford Interim Reactor Facility Director University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor Center 1513 Research Park Drive Columbia, MO 65211

- 3 -

SUBJECT:

SUMMARY OF FEBRUARY 26, 2018, PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED MOLYBDENUM-99 PRODUCTION FACILITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI RESEARCH REACTOR USING THE GENERAL ATOMICS SELECTIVE GAS EXTRACTION PROCESS (CAC NO. A11010/05000186/L-2017-LLA-0227)

DATE: MARCH 7, 2018 DISTRIBUTION: PUBLIC LTran, NRR MBalazik, NRR PRLB r/f RidsNrrDlpPrlb GWertz, NRR RidsACRS_MailCTR AAdams, NRR RidsOgcMailCenter SLynch, NRR RidsOpaMailCenter RidsNrrDlpProb NParker, NRR EHelvenston, NRR ADAMS Accession No.: ML18059A490; *concurred via email NRC-001 OFFICE NRR/DLP/PRLB/PM* NRR/DLP/PRLB/LA*NRR/DLP/PRLB/ABC NRR/DLP/PRLB/PM NAME GWertz NParker SLynch GWertz (SLynch for) DATE 3/ /18 3/1/18 3/7/18 3/7/18 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY Enclosure LIST OF ATTENDEES FEBRUARY 26, 2018, MEETING WITH UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA RESEARCH REACTOR 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. Name Organization Bruce Meffert University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor Les Foyto University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor David Robertson University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor Michael Flagg University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor Tom Poindexter Morgan Lewis Ryan Lighty Morgan Lewis Mike Krzaniak Nordian, Inc.

Robert Buckingham General Atomics, Inc.

Thad Heltemes Argonne National Laboratory Mary Jane Ross-Lee U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission James Hammelman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Marilyn Diaz U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Richard Jervey U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission David Tiktinsky U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Duane Hardesty U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Charles Teal U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Linh Tran U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission April Smith U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Robert K. Johnson U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Cindy Montgomery U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Lisa Clark U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Ashley Ferguson U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission John Nguyen U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Jeremy Wachutka U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Michael Balazik U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Bill Rautzen U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Kevin Folk U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Edward Helvenston U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Geoffrey Wertz U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Garrett Henderson U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mitzi Young U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Dan Barss U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Donna-Beth Howe U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Steven Lynch U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Ralph Butler* Individual Michael Keegan* Nuclear Free Great Lakes Cassandra Frazier* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Charity Pantalo* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Yawar Faraz* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Jeremy Munson* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Paul Carman* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission William Shuster* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission *Participation by telephone