Regulatory Guide 4.10

Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitments of Material Resources

ML13350A244
Person / Time
Issue date:	06/30/1975
From:	NRC/OSD
To:
References
RG-4.010
Download: ML13350A244 (2)

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

June 1975 REGULATORY

GUIDE OFFICE OF STANDARDS

DEVELOPMENT

REGULATORY

GUIDE 4.10 IRREVERSIBLE

AND IRRETRIEVABLE

COMMITMENTS

OF MATERIAL RESOURCES

A. INTRODUCTION

In accordance with 10 CFR Part 51, applicants are required to discuss any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources that would be involved in a proposed action should it be implemented.

The con-struction and operation of nuclear power stations involves commitments of such resources as water, fuel, and materials.

This guide identifies a report on material resources that forms a basis acceptable to the NRC staff for required discussions of irreversible and irretrievable commitments of material resources involved in the construction of a 1000 MWe pressurized water reactor.

B. DISCUSSION

A discussion of material resources acceptable to the NRC staff is presently described in Section 4.3 of Regulatory Guide 4.2, "Preparation of Envirounental Reports for Nuclear Power Plants." In addition, a discussion of such commitments relating to alternative energy sources is described in Section 9.3 and to alternative plant designs in Chapter 10 of the same guide. This guide describes numerical estimates useful in all such discussions.

It also provides methods of com-putation that may be referenced in Section 10 f. of Regulatory Guide 4.2, which treats supporting details for the consideration of plant design alternatives;

it does not, however, provide a basis for a discussion of resource commitments required for fossil plant alternatives.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has published a report (Ref. 1) based on work carried out under contract with the Atomic Energy Commission's Direc-torates of Regulatory Standards and Licensing on the problem of material resource commitment.

This report gives a detailed estimate of the' materials contained in a typical 1000-MWe pressurized water reactor power plant, where typical parameters are defined in terms of a referenced model plant. Reference plant feawures, methods used in making the estimate, accuracy of the estimates, and the accounting system employed are discussed in the report. Estimated quantities of the composite materials and their constituents are sum-marized and presented in detail for each portion of the power plant.The estimates given in Tables I and 2 of Reference I can be utilized to assess approximate maximum use (assuming no recycling)

of material resources for plants of the type studied, and for other sizes or types of plants by using appropriate scaling factors, where feasible, or other reasonable adjustment assumptions.

For PWRs sufficiently.

similar to the model, a linear scale factor is acceptable.

It is desirable to augment the required disi.ussion by comparing materials used at one station to total national use and national reserves as reported in standard references such as Reference

2.C. REGULATORY

POSITION Reference I forms a basis acceptable to the NRC staff for required discussions of irreversible and irretrievable commitments of material resources involved in plant construction.

Material quantity estimates should be judged by comparison with the reference plant model described in Section 2 of Reference

1, a typical PWR power plant rated at 1000 MWe net output with run-of-river cooling.Not all materials connected with the construction of a nuclear power station were included in the model. It should be especially noted that electric power trans-mission systems, switchyards, shipping casks, and fuel element and absorber materials were not included in the analysis as part of the reference plant model and may require separate discussion;

a fuller description of USNRC REGULATORY

GUIDES Comments should be sent to the Secrefa,.'

of the Cotmission.

U.S. Nuctelj 0 Regulatory Commission.

Washington. .C. 2%%.x Attention:

Dacksling and Regulatory Guides ate issued to describe and make available to the public Service section.methods acceptable to the NRC staff of implementing specific parn% of the Commission's regulations.

to delineate techniques used by the stalf In evllu The guides are issued in the following ten broad divisions aling specific problems ot postulated accidents.

or to provide guidance to sppli cents. Regulatory Guides are not substhulas tor regulations, and compliance t. Power Reactors 6. Products with them is .iot requited.

Mathods end solutions different from those eel Out in 2. Aesearch and Test Reactors 7 Transporletton the guides wlli be acceptable it they provide a basis fto the findings requisite to 3. Fuels and Moterials Facilities

6. Occupational Health the issuance or continuance of a permit or licente by the Commission.

4 Environmrtanlll and Siting 9. Antitrust Review Comments and suggestions for improvements in these guides are encouraged

5 Materials and Plant Protection

10, General It ell times. and guides will be revised. Is epproprialt, to accommodate corn-ments and to refl ect new inform3tion or experience.

However. commentri on Copies of published guides may be obtained by written request indicating the this guide. tI ICeeved within about two months after its aesuence.

will be pat divisions desired to the U S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Washington.

0 C titulearly useful in evaluahlnq the need lo, rn early revision .2M. Attention:

Director.

Office of Standards Oevitlopmlnt.

systems excluded or included in the reference plant is given in Section 4 of Reference

1.Appropriate modifications should be made for differ-ences between the reference plant model and the plant design propos.-d by the applicant.

Such deviations from the model plant and sEe definitions should be treated in a way consistent with Section 3 of Reference

1. using the standardized accounting system described in Appen-dixes A. B. and D of the .report and identifying the incremental amount of materials involved.

Assumed basic constituents of composite materials should be taken from Appendix C of Reference I.The numerical estimates of basic constituent material resource commitments given in Table I for the 1000-MWe PWR model plant are acceptable to the NRC staff.

D. IMPLEMENTATION

The guidance presented herein on the discussion of irreversible and irretrievable commitments of material resUces required by 10 CFR Part 51 may be used by alny person submitting an application for a license to construct a nuclear power station. Other effective means of providing the required discussion of tie commitment of material resources may also be used.rable. I Numerical Estimates of Material Resource Commitments for 1000 MWe PWR Model Plant Material Total estimated quantity (metric tons, except where noted)Aluminum 18 Antimony Negligible Asbestos 138 Chromium 415 Copper 726 Iron 34,662 Lead 47 Manganese

467 Molybdenum

164 Nickel 484 Silver <1 Tin I Titanium Negligible Zinc 2 Magnesia 783 Cement 30,133 Aggregate (coarse) 90.361 Aggregate (fine) 45,855 Wood 4.8 x. 10 6 (board feet)REFERENCES

1. R.H. Bryan and I.T. Dudley. "Estimated Quanti-ties of Materials Contained in a 1000-MW(e)

PWR Plant." ORNL-TM.4515, June 1974. Copies may be obtained front the Oak Ridge National Laboratory or from the ERDA Technical Information Center, P.O. Box E, Oak Ridg

e. Tennessee

37830.2. U.S. Bureau of Mines AMineral Yearbook;

copies may be obtained from the Superintendent of Docu-mients, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, (published yearly).-o 4-"-S 0 Z~j U 4-S 0 2 0