ML20245H239
| ML20245H239 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07003057 |
| Issue date: | 06/20/1989 |
| From: | Bidinger G, Horn M NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20245H224 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8906290433 | |
| Download: ML20245H239 (3) | |
Text
- [p$MG "
'o,, UNITED STATES
,8 g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 7,,
- j WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 t,, p#
JUN 2 01989 DOCKET N0: 70-3057 APPLICANTS: Texas Utilities Electric Company Texas Municipal Power Agency Tex-La Electric Cooperative of Texas, Inc.
FACILITY: Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station, Unit 2 (CPSES)
Somervell County, Texas
SUBJECT:
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - NEW LICENSE APPLICATION
Background
By letter dated January 29, 1988 and supplements dated March 25 and July 22, 1988, and May 4, 1989, Texas Utilities Electric Company (TU Electric), acting on its own behalf and as agent for the above, applied for an NRC license to permit the receipt, possession, storage, inspection, and preparation for transport of special nuclear material in the form of unirradiated nuclear fuel assemblies.
In addition, TU Electric, as part of the license application, seeks authoriza- '
tion to receive, possess, inspect, store, use, and package for delivery neutron detector assemblies containing enriched U-235. All materials are for eventual use in CPSES, Unit 2. In accordance with 10 CFR Part 51.21, the NRC has '
prepared this assessment of the environmental impacts that may be caused by issuance of the requested license. Because of the form of nuclear materials contained in the neutron detectors, storage and use of these materials will pose no threat to the environment. Therefore, the discussion below will be limited to assessing the potential for environmental impacts resulting from the storage of new fuel assemblies at CPSES, Unit 2.
The Proposed Action The proposed action is issuance of a special nuclear material license pursuant to 10 CFR Part 70 that would authorize TU Electric to receive, possess, inspect, and store 193 new fuel assemblies at CPSES, Unit 2. The license would be effective until it can be superseded by TV Electric's operating license under 10 CFR Part 50. The fuel assemblies contain uranium dioxide (U0,,) pellets that have a maximum uranium-235 enrichment of 3.1 percent by weight ahd are encap-sulated in zircaloy tubing. Issuance of the license would result in the receipt, possession, inspection, and storage of the unirradiated fuel assemblies at CPSES, Unit 2. The transport of new fuel to CPSES will be the responsibility of the fuel fabricator. l Need for the Proposed Action TV Electric proposes to receive and store fresh fuel prior to issuance of the l Part 50 operating license in order to inspect the assemblies and to finalize d fuel preparation (e.g., add necessary hardware) needed to load the fuel into kf$ b c
$7 l
. 4 Texas Utilities Electric Company 2 JUN 2 01989 the reactor core vessel. Actual core loading, however, will not be authorized by the proposed license. Early completion of this fuel handling will help avoid delays in the CPSES, Unit 2, startup once its operating license is issued.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action Alternatives to the proposed action include denial of TV Electric's !
application. Assuming the operating license for the facility will eventually be issued, denial of the storage only license now would merely postpone new fuel receipt at CPSES, Unit '2. Such action, as well as any other alternative that could be imagined, would not present an environmental advantage because as discussed below, no environmental impacts are expected from the proposed .
action. !
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action A Final Environmental Statement associated with the full-scale operation of CPSES, Units 1 and 2, (NUREG-0775) has already been issued by the NRC. Based on the evaluation in this statement, the environmental impacts of plant operation are expected to be small. New fuel receipt and storage is only a small part of CPSES, Unit 2's overall operation that will eventually include the handling and storage of irradiated fuel which is significantly more hazardous.
Accordingly, the environmental impacts resulting from the handling and storage of new fuel are expected to be very minor.
Once at CPSES, Unit 2, the new fuel assemblies may be temporarily stored in their shipping containers prior to placement in their designated storage locations: the new fuel storage racks and the spent fuel pool racks located in the Fuel Handling Building. Temporary storage will be on the transportation vehicle or in the new fuel receipt area of the Fuel Building. This temporary storage of assemblies in their shipping containers will present no significant environmental impact or significant radiation exposure to plant workers.
Assemblies are then removed from their shipping containers, inspected, and surveyed for external contamination. The fuel assemblies are then transferred to their designated locations. Criticality safety in the storage locations is maintained by limiting interaction between adjacent fuel assemblies. In addition, the design of these storage locations, combined with plant procedures, will ensure acceptable protection of the general public and plant personnel either under normal or abnormal conditions.
Since the fresh fuel assemblies are sealed sources, the principal exposure pathway to an individual is via external radiation. For a low-enriched uranium fuel assembly (<4 ' percent U-235 enrichment), the exposure rate at 1 foot from the surface is normally less than 1 mR/hr; therefore, it, is estimated that the exposure level to an individual from unitradiated nml would be less than 25 percent of the maximum permissible exposure spr if a d in 10 CFR Part 20. Because of the low radiation exposura levels associated with the requested materials and activities and TU Electric's radiation protection procedures, the staff concludes that fuel handling and storage activities can be carried out without any significant occupational dose to workers or impact to the environment.
l
]
I TexasU'tilities Electric Company 3 M Only a small lunt, if any, of radioactive waste (e.g., smear papers and/or contaminated packing material) is expected to be generated during fuel handling and storage operations. Any waste that is produced will be properly stored onsite until it can be shipped to a licensed disposal facility.
In the event that assemblies must be returned to the fuel fabricator, all packaging and transport of fuel will be in accordance with 10 CFR Part 71.
The package will meet NRC approval requirements for normal conditions of transport and hypothetical accident conditions. No significant external radiation hazards are associated with the unirradiated assemblies because the radiation level from the clad fuel pellets is low and because the shipping packages meet the external radiation standards in 10 CFR Part 71. Therefore, any shipment of unirradiated fuel is expected to have an insignificant impact.
TU Electric has installed redundant engineered-safety features on equipment intended for use in fuel handling and storage handling operations. These safety features combined with administrative controls minimize the likelihood of an accident situation occurring during fuel handling activities. In addition, TV Electric has analyzed the possible consequences that may result from various postulated accidents, the worst being an assembly (either within or outside its shipping container) dropped during transfer. The fuel cladding is not expected to rupture. Even if the cladding were bresched and the pellets were released, an' insignificant environmental impact would result.
The fuel pellets are composed of a ceramic UO sintered to a very high density. Inthisforb,thathasbeenpelletizedand release of U0 aerosol is highly unlikely except unoer conditions of deliberate grinding. Add tionally, UO is solubleonlyinacidsolutionsodissolutionandreleasetotheenvironmenkare extremely unlikely.
Conclusion Based upon the information presented above, the environmental impacts associated with new fuel storage at CPSES, Unit 2, are expected to be insignificant.
Essentially no effluents, liquid or airborne, will be released, and acceptable controls will be implemented to prevent a radiological accident. Therefore, the staff concludes that there will be no significant impacts associated with the proposed action.
h; u.t /N "
Merri Horn Uranium Fuel Section Fuel Cycle Safety Branch Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, NMSS Approved by: h 7/ w George if. Bidinger, Spion Leader
_ _ - - _