Information Notice 1996-51, Residual Contamination Remaining in Krypton-85 Handling System After Venting

Residual Contamination Remaining in Krypton-85 Handling System After Venting

ML031060072
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Crane
Issue date:	09/11/1996
From:	Cool D NRC/NMSS/IMNS
To:
References
IN-96-051, NUDOCS 9609050281
Download: ML031060072 (6)

KI

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS

WASHINGTON, DC 20555

September 11. 1996

NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 96-51: RESIDUAL CONTAMINATION REMAINING IN

KRYPTON-85 HANDLING SYSTEM AFTER VENTING

Addressees

All material licensees.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing this information notice to

make licensees aware of a possible contamination problem in krypton-85 (Kr-85)

handling systems. It is expected that recipients will review the information

for applicability to their facilities, to ensure that this information is

considered when decommissioning one of these systems.

However, suggestions

contained in this information notice are not NRC requirements: therefore, no

specific action nor written response is required.

Description of Circumstances

Recently, NRC was informed of several cases where a licensee found residual

contamination remaining in some components of Kr-85 handling systems after the

standard decommissioning process. Although these incidents only involved Kr-

85, the inherent concerns extend to all gas handling systems that subject a

radioactive gas to vacuum/pressure cycling.

The current process for cleaning these systems during decommissioning is to

flush and vent them until the readings from the exhausted air are below

release limits. The readings on the outside of the components of the system

are also checked to make sure that they are below acceptable limits.

During cleaning and decommissioning of some of these systems, it has been

reported that a varnish-like residue has been found on the inside of some of

the system components (i.e., storage tank and the compressors). The residue

is probably the result of the oils and dust in the system plating on the

inside of the components through the repeated vacuum and pressure cycles.

This residue is not removed by the flushing process currently used to clean

the systems. It has been reported that several of the commonly used solvents

have been tried, but that the residue was not easily removed. The residue can

be removed by exposing the internal surfaces of the components and scraping

the residue.

Residues containing up to 29.6 gigabecquerels (800 millicuries)

have been reported.

Due to the low levels of gamma radiation emitted by Kr-85 and the robust construction of the air storage tank and other components, the

presence of the residue is not detectable by measurements of the outside of

the components.

9609050281

01

_' A

1

` .,

n

Km

J

IN 96-51

September 11, 1996 Discussion

There is a concern that systems released as "cleaned" under the current

decommissioning procedures may still contain the residue and be released into

the scrap stream for later reuse. In particular, there is a concern that the

components could be later cut up. exposing the Kr-85 residue or that the

storage tank may be reused as a tank or pressurization chamber.

Licensees decommissioning or receiving these systems, or components from these

systems, should be aware of the potential for residual contamination, and take

action appropriately.

This information notice requires no specific action nor written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate regional office.

Donald A. Cool, Director

Division of Industrial and

Medical Nuclear Safety

Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical contact: t

Attachments:

1. List of Recently

2. List of Recently

lichele Burgess, NMSS

(301) 415-5868

-mail: mlb5@nrc.gov

Issued

Issued

NMSS Information Notices

NRC Information Notices

,,>F2'

t4&-

I-

IN 96-51

September 11. 1996 Discussion

There is a concern that systems released as "cleaned' under the current

decommissioning procedures may still contain the residue and be released into

the scrap stream for later reuse.

In particular, there is a concern that the

components could be later cut up, exposing the Kr-85 residue or that the

storage tank may be reused as a tank or pressurization chamber.

Licensees decommissioning or receiving these systems, or components from these

systems, should be aware of the potential for residual contamination, and take

action appropriately.

This information notice requires no specific action nor written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, Please contact

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate regional office.

Donald A. Cool, Director

Division of Industrial and

Medical Nuclear Safety

Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical contact:

Michele Burgess, NMSS

(301) 415-5868 Email:

mlb5@nrc.gov

Attachments:

1. List of Recently Issued

2. List of Recently Issued

NMSS Information Notices

NRC Information Notices

DOCUMENT NAME: 96-51.IN

• see previous concurrences

To receive a copy of this document, hIdicate In the box: IC' - Copy without attachment/enclosure

E - Copy with attachmentlenclosure

N - No copy

OFFICE

IMAB

IjIMAB

IMAB

IMOB

IMNS

NAME

MBurgess/mb*

SBaggett*

LCamper*

JPiccone

DCool

DATE

08/

/96

08/

/96

08/

/96

08/

/96

08/

/96

Attachment 1

IN 96-51

September 11. 1996 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NMSS INFORMATION NOTICES

Information

Date of

Notice No.

Subject

Issuance

Issued to

96-47

96-35 Recordkeeping, Decommis- sioning Notifications for

Disposals of Radioactive

Waste by Land Burial

Authorized Under Former

10 CFR 20.304. 20.302.

and Current 20.2002

Failure of Safety Systems

on Self-Shielded Irradia- tors Because of Inadequate

Maintenance and Training

08/19/96

06/11/96

All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission licensees

All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission irradiator

licensees and vendors

96-33 Erroneous Data from Defec- tive Thermocouple Results

in a Fire

05/224/96

All material and fuel cycle

licensees that monitor tem- perature with thermocouples

96-28

96-21

96-20

Suggested Guidance Relat- ing to Development and

Implementation of Correc- tive Action

Safety Concerns Related

to the Design of the Door

Interlock Circuit on

Nucletron High-Dose Rate

and Pulsed Dose Rate

Remote Afterloading Brachy- therapy Devices

Demonstration of Associ- ated Equipment Compliance

with 10 CFR 34.20

Compliance With 10 CFR

Part 20 for Airborne

Thorium

Incident Reporting

Requirements for

Radiography Licensees

05/01/96

04/10/96

04/04/96

03/25/96

01/10/96

All material and fuel cycle

licensees

All NRC Medical Licensees

authorized to use brachy- therapy sources in high- and pulsed-dose-rate remote

All industrial radiography

licensees and radiography

equipment manufacturers

All material licensees

authorized to possess and

use thorium in unsealed form

All Radiography Licensees

and Manufacturers of

Radiography Equipment

96-18

96-04

<-I

Attachment 2

IN 96-51

September 11, 1996 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information

Date of

Notice No.

Subject

Issuance

Issued to

96-50

Problems with

Levering-In Devices

in Westinghouse

Circuit Breakers

Thermally Induced

pressurization of

of Nuclear Power

facility Piping

09/04/96

08/20/96

All holders of OLs and CPs

for nuclear power plants

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors

96-49

96-48 Motor-Operated Valve

Performance Issues

08/21/96 All holders

for nuclear

of OLs or CPs

power reactors

96-47

96-46 Recordkeeping, Decommis- sioning Notifications for

Disposals of Radioactive

Waste by Land Burial

Authorized Under Former

10 CFR 20.304. 20.302.

and Current 20.2002

Zinc Plating of Hardened

Metal Parts and Removal

of Protective Coatings

in Refurbished Circuit

Breakers

Potential Common-Mode

Post-Accident Failure of

Containment Coolers

Failure of Reactor

Trip Breaker from Cracking

of Phenolic Material in

secondary contact assembly

08/19/96

08/12/96

8/12/96

8/05/96

All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission licensees

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors

All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors

96-45

96-44

96-43

Failures of General

Electric Magne-Blast

Circuit Breakers

08/02/96 All holders

for nuclear

of OLs or CPs

power reactors

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

<2 Distribution:

SSSS r/f

FCombs. IMNS

-SSD-7Zv DRAT ticket # 5410

JPiccone, IMOB

KRamsey, IMOB

If A';

,,A X,&

DOCUMENT NAME:

C:\\SSSS\\KRIN.IN

To receive a copy of this document, indicate In the box:

'C

= Copy without attachment ernclosure

'E" = Copy with attachment;enclosure

N'

= No copy

OFFICE

IMAB

[

IMAB

I

IMA

, I

I

IMNS

I

NAME

MBurgess/mb

SBaggett

LCa!*qr- DCool

DATE

08/

/96

08/

/96

08/ R; /96

08/

/96

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

er- ?\\6

41I

-'/ 'ENXE G