ML20042F609
| ML20042F609 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/30/1990 |
| From: | Bernero R NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Deere D NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9005090148 | |
| Download: ML20042F609 (4) | |
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.Dr.-Don U. Deere,' Chairman U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 1111 18th Street, N.W., Suite 801 Washington, D.C.
20036
Dear Dr. Deere:
t I am writing to confirm that the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
' Commission (NRC) will be pleased to meet with the staff.and consultants of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board scheduled to meet May 18, 1990.
AdescriptionofNRC'sbasicroleinnuclearmaterialtransportation,and of its relationships with the Department of Transportation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Department of Energy (DOE) is provided in the enclosed statement on transportation of nuclear fuel and waste.
Concerning the packaging and transportation of radioactive materials under Public Law 100-203, the NRC staff notes that DOE must use-packages that NRC has certified for such purpose.
NRC certification is based on the require-ments of 10 CFR Part 71, " Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material." DOE is currently in the system development phase, with an application for a spent fuel cask certification scheduled to be submitted to NRC in January 1992..
j The NRC staff' supports your effort, under Puolic Law 100 203, to evaluate.
DOE's activities related to the packaging or transportation of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel.
In the context of NRC's limited jurisdiction over nuclear material transportation, the NRC staff is prepared.
to assist you in this task.
Sincerely, Li i
- d h by G. A Arks.
Robert M. Bernero, Director Office of Nuclear Material Safety.
and Safeguards Y
Enclosure:
Transportation of Nuclear Fuel and Waste lh-rn Reviewed by:
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TRANSPORTATION OF NUCLEAR FUEL AND WASTE l
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) share federal L
responsibility for safety in the transportation of spent fuel. NRC is I
responsible primarily for safe packaging, to ensure radiological health and safety, and for safeguards, to ensure security of designated shipments-against sabotage. DOT is responsible for regulating-safe transport during shipment.
FEMA is responsible for coordinating federal and State partici-pation in developing emergency response plans.
In addition, federal assist-ance for radiological-protection in the event of an accident is available primarily through the Department of Energy.(DOE). DOE maintains teams of L
technically trained nuclear-safety specialists at about 30 sites throughout the count (DOE approves its own packages that are not used by NRC licensees. -
Primary reliance for safety, in transportation of radioactive material, is placed on the packaging.
DOT regulations prescribe general standards and requirements for all packages of radioactive material, and for handling
.and storage of those packages by carriers. For-packages that contain no significant fissile radioactive material and only small quantities of other l
radioactive materials, DOT standards and requirements provide adequate l
assurance of containment and shielding of the radioactive material. Although these small-quantity packages, termed Type A packages, may fail in an accident -
situation, the radiological consequences would be limited, because of the limited package contents.
When -the radioactive content of a package exceeds the small Type A quantity l
limit, it may only bo transported in a Type B package, one which will survive transportation accidents. A Type B package must be designed to withstand a series of specified impact, puncture, and fire environments, providing 9
reasonable assurance that the package will withstand most severe transporta-tion accidents. The NRC engineering-staff must independently review its design, to verify it% accident resistance. Finally, NRC must issue a certif-icate before a Type B package fabricated from that design can be used to transport radioactive material.
The standards established in the DOT and NRC regulations provide that the packagicg shall prevent the loss or dispersion of the radioactive contents,
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provide adequate shielding and heat dissipation, and prevent nuclear criti-cality under both normal and accident conditions of transportation. The.
normal conditions of transport that must be considered are specified in the regulations in terms of hot and ::old environments, pressure differential, vibration, water spray, impact, puncture, and compression tests. Accident conditions that must be considered are specified in terms of impact, puncture, and fire conditions.
ENCLOSURE 1
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= A licensee
- who wishes to use a packaging for which NRC has issued a certificate of compliance must have a quality assurance program that-satisfies the applicable NRC regulations and that NRC has approved. The licensee must also register with NRC as a user of a specific packaging and is~ required to have a copy of the certificate of compliance, packaging drawings, and other documents referenced in the approval, relating to the use and maintenance of the packaging and to the actions to be taken before shipment.
t Procedures applicable'to the shipment of packages of-radioactive material require that a package be labeled with a unique radioactive material label.
In transportation, the carrier is required to exercise control-over radio--
r active material packages, including loading and storage in areas separated from persons, and to limit the aggregation of. packages, to limit the exposure of persons.
l The procedures the carrier must. follow in case of an accident include:
l' notification of the shipper and DOT; isolating any spilled radioactive material from personnel contact, pending disposal instructions from qualified persons; and holding vehicles, buildings, areas, or equipment i
from service or routine occupancy, until they.are cleaned to specified values. Radiological assistance teams are available, through a federal interagency program, to provide equipment and trained advisory personnel, if necessary, to help manage accidents involving radioactive materials.
L DOT has requirements for radioactive material shipments, concerning both highway routing and driver training. Under the DOT rule, shipments made by truck should generally follow the most-direct interstate route and are l.
required to avoid large cities, if an interstate bypass or beltway is available. States are permitted to designate alternate routes, when those l'
routes are demonstrably as safe as the routes specified in the rule. As a related matter, NRC regulations require timely notification of the governor l
(or.his designee) of any State, before transport of potentially hazardous nuclear waste, including spent fuel, to, through, or across the boundary of the State. NRC also approves routes for the shipment of spent fuel, but i
solely to address concerns regarding potential deliberate acts to seize or q
L damage the shipment. Physical security requirements to prevent such acts L
include, but are not limited to: driver and escort training, armed escorts L
.through densely populated areas, transport immobilization features, and plans to deal with contingencies.
Studies indicate that approximately 3 million packages of radioactive I
materials are being shipped in the United States each year. Within the
- Licensee" means a person who is authorized to conduct activities under a license or construction permit issued by the Commission (10 CFR 2.4).
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lJ' limitations of the regulatory standards, radioactive materials may be safely transported in routine commerce, using conventional transportation equipment.* ~
i To ensure continued adequacy of measures required for the public health and safety, NRC reevaluated its regulations on transportation of radioactive materials.- During reevaluation, it published a final environmental statement designated NUREG-0170, which included an examination of the transportation of.
radioactive material by all modes of transport.- Considering the information' developed, the public comments received, and the safety record associated with the transportation of radioactive materials, NRC determined that its present
- regulations provided a reasonable degree cf safety, and that no immediate changes were needed to improve safety. Nevertheless, NRC-continues to study i
safety aspects of transportation of radioactive materials -to determine where i
safety improvements should be made.
- Section 201 of the Eners Reorganization Act. as amended by Public Law 94-79, imposes special restrictions on the air transport of plutonium.
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