Regulatory Gap 9:

General Design Criteria A

Baseline Design Criteria Baseline Design Criteria

GDC/BDC

May 2010 
What Are GDC/BDC?

The NRC establishes minimum requirements for propo

facilities or applications of licensed radioactive mateprovide:

– assurance that important to safety SSCs will have the 

reliability to perform their intended safety functions 

– assurance that uncertainties and errors, from design a

and unknowns, are adequately addressed

– adequate defense in depth adequate defense in depth– redundancy and diversity– assurances that balance of plant and unanalyzed situa

negatively impact safety

NRC regulations frequently identify these minimum req

by terminology:

– General Design Criteria (GDC) or Baseline Design Cri– Where used, GDC and BDC are essentially synonymo

although the GDC term is more prevalent in the regulatends to be more specifically stated.

May 2010

SSC = Structure, Sys
Currently ...

• Reprocessing and recycling (R&R) 

facilities are production facilities

• Regulated under 10 CFR Part 50

– GDC in 50.34 and Appendix A– Other sections of Part 50 imply additio

GDC (e.g., Appendix F, Appendix I)

• GDC specific to R&R are needed to 

address the large quantities and typradionuclides at these facilities 

May 2010 
Relevant Sources For 

Potential R&R GDC/BDC

May 2010

NUREG-1909, “Background, Status, and Issues Related to the Regulation Advanced Spent Nuclear Fuel Recycle Facilities”
Part 50: 

Previously Proposed Append

• 50.34(a)(3) (i) footnote: “GDC for chem

processing facilities are being develop

• “General Design Criteria for Fuel 

Reprocessing Plants” 

– 39 Federal Register 26293, July 18th, 197

– Indefinitely deferred on April 19th, 1984 un

needed for NRC’s regulation of a reprocefacility (49 Federal Register 16699, April 1

1984). 

• 27 GDC in 7 categoriesMay 2010 
Part 50:

Previously Proposed Append

• 50.34(a)(3) (i) footnote: “GDC for chem

processing facilities are being develop

• “Design Criteria for Protection of Fuel 

Reprocessing Plants and Licensed MaTherein”

– 39 Federal Register 26296, July 18th, 197

– Indefinitely deferred on April 19th, 1984 un

needed for NRC’s regulation of a reprocefacility (49 Federal Register 16699, April 1

1984). 

• 19 GDC in 3 categoriesMay 2010 
NRC Staff Review and Sta

• Reviewed the existing GDCs/BDCs 

relevant documents

– Regulations have no thresholds for app

existing GDCs/BDCs

• Identified

– 10 potential categories of GDCs/BDCs– 77 potential areas within the ten categ

• Found significant fraction of areas co

become draft GDCs

May 2010
Relative Consequences

Material Relative Inhalation Dose/LEU, 5%

1

U-235, 100%

5

MOX, 5% Pu-239, 95% U-238 19,000MOX, 5% Puf, Weapons-grade Pu 25,000MOX, 5% Puf, Reactor Pu 230,000MOX, 5% Puf, Reactor Pu, 0.25% Am 310,000SNF, Cs, Sr, U, TRUs 220,000Fission Products – Cs + Sr 41,000May 2010

SNF, FPs based upon 60,000 MWD/MTIHM Burnup
Ten Potential Draft 

GDC/BDC Categories

• Overall/General• Multiple Confinement 

and Containment Barriers, and Systems 

P Sft

• Physical Secu• MC&A• Fuel and Radio

Waste

•

Process 

S

a

f

e

ty 

Features

• Nuclear Criticality 

Safety 

• Radiological 

Protection

• Siting• Decommission

May 2010
Some Samples Of 

Potential Areas For GDCs/BD

• Quality 

standards/records

• Minimize risk from R&R• Fire and explosion 

protection

• Emergency pro

heat removal

• Control Room• Criticality Safety 

Monitoring and 

• Negative pressure 

differential

• Flammable gas 

monitoring and control

• Habitability• Seismic Protection

•

ALAR

A

• Shielding• Waste Manage• Aircraft Impact • Design for Even

Decommissioni

May 2010 
Path Forward

• Continue development into a 

regulatory/technical bases

• Identify potential draft GDCs/BDCs• Di ith t k h ld t f t Discuss with stakeholders at future 

workshops 

May 2010 
Regulatory Gap 9:

Back

ground Slides

BDC/GDC

May 2010 
Relevant Sources For 

Potential BDC/GDC

Regulations:• Part 20: Basic radiation protection/principle• Part 50: Licenses Production Facilities• Part 52: Design Certification etc. for Part 5• Part 70: Licenses SNM/materials• Part 72: LicensesProposed Regulations:• Part 50: Proposed Appendix P• Part 50: Proposed Appendix QOther Documents:• NEI White Paper• NUREG-1909May 2010 
10 CFR 20 – “Part 20”

• Part 20 – “Standards for Protection a

Radiation.”

– Provides the basic radiation limits and 

requirements for using licensed radioarequirements for using licensed radioa

materials. 

May 2010 
10 CFR 50 & 52

“Parts 50 and 52”

• Part 50 – “Domestic Licensing of Productio

Utilization Facilities.” 

– Applies to reactors and reprocessing plants– Extensively used for power reactors (LWRs – 

water reactors). water reactors).

– Reprocessing plants are considered to be pro

facilities. 

• Part 52 – “Licenses, Certifications, and App

for Nuclear Power Plants.” 

– Used for one-step licensing of nuclear power – Contains numerous references to the GDC o

May 2010 
10 CFR 70 – “Part 70”

• Part 70 – “Domestic Licensing of Sp

Nuclear Material.” 

– Regulates the SNM used by fuel cycle 

facilities

– Used primarily for uranium enrichment 

fuel fabrication facilities

– Applied to one uranium-plutonium mixe

oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication plant.

May 2010 
10 CFR 72 – “Part 72”

• Part 72 – “Licensing Requirements f

Independent Storage of Spent NucleFuel. High-level Radioactive Waste, 

Reactor

-Related Greater Than Class 

Related Greater Than Class

Waste.” 

– Applied primarily to dry storage of spen

nuclear fuel (SNF).

May 2010 
Proposed Regulations

(Late 1970s/Early 1980s)

• Proposed Appendix P to Part 50 –

“General Design Criteria for Fuel Reprocessing Plants”

• Proposed Appendix Q to Part 50 Proposed Appendix

Q to Part 50

–

“

Criteria for Protection of Fuel Reprocessing Plants and Licensed Material Therein”

May 2010