U.S. Nuclear Office of Nuclear NUREG/BR-0117

Regulatory Material Safety No. 04-03

Commission and Safeguards September 2004

NMSS Quarterly Newsletter

Contents Page

1. Gas Centrifuge Licensing Activities .................. 1

2. NRC Releases Cleaned-up Pennsylvania

Site for Unrestricted Use ................................... 2

3. Generic Communications Issued

(May 3, 2004 - September 15, 2004).................. 2

4. Selected Federal Register Notices

(May 1, 2004 - August 30, 2004) ....................... 3

GAS CENTRIFUGE LICENSING ACTIVITIES

There has been much activity recently in the area of

gas centrifuge (GC) uranium enrichment facility

licensing. Three applications for licenses have been

received. These applications signal a changeover in

uranium enrichment technology in the U.S. from the

current gaseous diffusion process. Figure 1 depicts a

typical uranium enrichment facility. It is the basic

concept behind all enrichment facilities including the

three recent applications for GC facilities.

The fuel of a nuclear power plant is

uranium, but only a certain type of

uranium atom can be easily split to

produce energy. This type of uranium

atom – called uranium-235 (U235) –

comprises less than one percent by

weight of the uranium as it is mined

or milled. Uranium-238 atoms, which

constitute 99 percent of natural

uranium, cannot be split easily to produce energy. To make fuel for light-water reactors, the natural uranium is

enriched to increase the concentration of U235 to three to five percent. This

enriched uranium is then sent to fuel fabrication facilities for manufacture into

reactor fuel.

Two different methods are utilized in the world today to enrich uranium. These

involve the gaseous diffusion and GC processes. Figure 2 shows the gaseous

diffusion process currently in use at the Paducah (KY) Gaseous Diffusion Plant

(GDP). Figure 3 depicts a simplified schematic of the GC process, similar to

what is proposed in each of the three applica-tions. In both processes, uranium

hexafluoride (UF6

) in solid form is converted to a gas and transferred to the

enrichment cascades. In the

enrichment cascades, the U235 atoms

are physically separated from the

heavier weight components. The

enriched UF6

 is then with-drawn and

packaged for shipment to a fuel

fabrication facility. In addition to

producing enriched U235, the

cascades also generate uranium

depleted in U235. Most of this

material is packaged and stored

onsite in air-tight cylinders.

Figure 1. Typical Uranium Enrichment Facility

From

Conversion

Facility

UF6 Feed

Vaporization

Enrichment Cascade

Buildings

UF6 Withdrawal

Products and Tails

To Fuel

Fabrication

Waste

Figure 2. Gaseous Diffusion Process Figure 3. Gas

Centrifuge Process

UF6 Feed

Fraction

Depleted

in U235

Fraction Enriched

in U235

Casing

Rotor

Electric

Motor

Low Pressure

Enriched

Stream

HighPressure

Feed

Stream

Low Pressure

Depleted

Stream
2

The first of the recent applications was submitted by

United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) Inc.

on February 12, 2003, for a Lead Cascade facility

located at the Portsmouth GDP site in Piketon, OH.

The Lead Cascade gas centrifuge is based on the

U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) advanced gas

centrifuge technology. The Lead Cascade facility,

consisting of up to 240 centrifuges, would enrich the

uranium up to 10 percent U235. This facility is

intended to provide operational information on the

machines and the auxiliary systems as they would

be used in commercial operations. The plant will

operate in a recycle mode, meaning the only

uranium withdrawals from the cascade will be in the

form of samples. The staff completed its review of

the application and issued a license to USEC Inc. for

this facility on February 24, 2004.

The second application was submitted by the

Louisiana Energy Services (LES) partnership on

December 12, 2003, for a full-scale facility, the

National Enrichment Facility (NEF), to be sited in

Eunice, New Mexico. The LES partnership is made

up of limited and general partners currently

consisting of Urenco, Exelon, Duke Power, Entergy,

and Westinghouse. The partnership intends to use

Urenco’s sixth generation gas centrifuge technology

that is currently being used in Europe. LES is

proposing a capacity of 3 million Separative

Work Units (SWU)/yr, with up to 5 percent

enrichment. The staff is currently reviewing

this application and plans to issue the final

Environmental Impact Statement and Safety

Evaluation Report in June 2005.

The third application was submitted by USEC Inc.

on August 23, 2004, for a gas centrifuge uranium

enrichment facility known as the American

Centrifuge Plant (ACP). USEC Inc. is proposing a

3.5 million SWU/year plant to be located at the

Portsmouth GDP site in Piketon, OH. The ACP

would be an expansion of the Lead Cascade and

would operate at up to 10 percent enrichment. The

staff is currently reviewing this application and

plans to complete its initial acceptance review by

September 22, 2004. If the application is

determined to be acceptable, the staff will initiate

its technical and environmental reviews.

For more information related to gas centrifuge

uranium enrichment facility licensing, visit our

website at http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cyclefac/gas-centrifuge.html.

(Contact: Brian W. Smith, Fuel Cycle, NMSS,

301-415-5331; e-mail: bws1@nrc.gov)

NRC RELEASES CLEANED-UP

PENNSYLVANIA SITE FOR

UNRESTRICTED USE

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has

granted the request of Babcock and Wilcox

Company, Pennsylvania Nuclear Operation (B&W),

to terminate its license to possess radioactive

material at a former nuclear service operations site

in Parks Township, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles

northeast of Pittsburgh, and has released the site for

unrestricted use.

“Radioactive material on this site has been cleaned

up to meet our strict criteria, and the site is now safe

for other uses,” said Daniel M. Gillen, Deputy

Director for the Decommissioning Directorate,

Division of Waste Management and Environmental

Protection. “We have verified this through

independent radiation surveys by the NRC and its

contractor.”

B&W and its predecessors used radioactive material

at a facility on the site from 1960 until 1996 for

nuclear fuel fabrication, research and development

and service work. Based on the remedial actions

taken by the licensee, the staff’s review of the

licensee’s termination surveys, and the results of the

staff’s confirmatory surveys, NRC concluded that

the licensee has completed the decommissioning

activities in accordance with its approved

decommissioning plan, and the site is suitable for

unrestricted release.

( Contact: Amir Kouhestani, 301-415-0023;

e-mail: AGK@nrc.gov)

GENERIC COMMUNICATIONS ISSUED

(May 3, 2004 - September 15, 2004)

The following are summaries of U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) generic

communications issued to the Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) licensees.

If one of these documents appears relevant to your

needs and you have not received it, please call one

of the technical contacts listed below. The Internet

address for the NRC library of generic

communications is - http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/gen-comm/index.html . Please

note that this address is case-sensitive and must be

entered exactly as shown. If you have any questions

or comments about generic communications in

general, please contact Ivelisse M. Cabrera, NMSS,

at (301) 415-8152, or by e-mail: imc1@nrc.gov .
3

Information Notices (INs)

IN 2004-12, “Spent Fuel Rod Accountability,”

was issued on June 25, 2004. This IN was sent to

all holders of operating licenses for nuclear power

reactors, research and test reactors, decommissioned

sites storing spent fuel in a pool, and wet spent fuel

storage sites. This notice informed addressees of

issues at two reactor facilities regarding the

effectiveness of the material control and

accounting program.

(Technical Contacts: Todd Jackson, Region I,

610- 337-5308; e-mail: tjj@nrc.gov;

Martha Williams, NSIR, 301-415-7878;

e-mail: msw2@nrc.gov)

IN 2004-13, “Registration, Use, and Quality

Assurance Requirements for NRC-Certified

Transportation Packages,” was issued on June 30,

2004. This IN was sent to all materials and

decommissioning reactor licensees to clarify

responsibilities regarding the packaging and

transportation of licensed material, as delineated in

10 CFR Part 71. Specifically, this IN was issued to

remind licensees of 10 CFR 71.12 requirements to

notify NRC before the first use of NRC-approved

transport packages (user registration), and to ensure

licensees have copies of the current Certificates of

Compliance, or other approval, and comply with all

of their conditions before each transport; and, if

necessary, to properly transfer licensed material

prior to transport, or delivery to a carrier for transport.

(Technical Contacts: Cynthia Barr, NMSS, (301)

415-4015, e-mail: csb2@nrc.gov; Tomas Herrera,

NMSS, 301-415-7138; e-mail: txh1@nrc.gov)

IN 2004-14, “Use of Less than Optimal Bounding

Assumptions in Criticality Safety Analysis at

Fuel Cycle Facilities,” was issued on July 19, 2004.

This IN was sent to all licensees authorized to

possess a critical mass of special nuclear material to

alert them to a safety concern arising from the use of

less than optimal bounding assumptions in criticality

safety analysis at fuel cycle facilities.

(Technical Contact: Dennis Morey, NMSS,

301-415-6107; e-mail: dcm@nrc.gov)

Regulatory Issue Summaries (RIS’)

RIS 2004-08, “Results of the License

Termination Rule Analysis,” was issued on May

28, 2004. This RIS was sent to all holders of

operating licenses for nuclear power reactors,

research and test reactors, and decommissioning

sites, to inform them of: NRC’s analysis of issues

associated with implementing NRC’s License

Termination Rule; the Commission’s direction to

date on how they can be addressed; schedule for

future actions; and opportunities for stakeholder

comment.

(Technical Contact: Robert L. Johnson, NMSS,

301-415-7282; e-mail: rlj2@nrc.gov)

RIS 2004-09, “Status of Deferral of Active

Regulation of Ground-Water Protection at In

Situ Leach Uranium Extraction Facilities,” was

issued on June 7, 2004. This RIS was sent to all

holders of materials licenses for uranium and

thorium recovery facilities to inform them and other

interested parties of: (1) NRC’s plans for the

deferral of active regulation of ground-water

protection at in situ leach uranium extraction

facilities; and (2) the comments received in response

to RIS 2004-02 on this topic. This RIS supersedes

RIS 2004-02 in its entirety.

(Technical Contact: John H. Lusher, NMSS,

301-415-7694; e-mail: jhl@nrc.gov)

RIS 2004-11, “Supporting Information

Associated with Requests for Withholding

Proprietary Information,” was issued on June 29,

2004. This RIS was sent to all submitters of

proprietary information to the NRC to inform them

that some submittals continue to not sufficiently

support the basis for claims of competitive harm

under 10 CFR 2.390(b).

(Technical Contacts: John W. Lubinski, NMSS,

301-415-6947; e-mail: jwl@nrc.gov; Jack N.

Donohew, NRR, 301-415-3764; e-mail:

jnd@nrc.gov)

SELECTED FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

(May 1, 2004 - August 30, 2004)

“Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences

Fiscal Year 2003; Dissemination of Information”

69 FR 24688, May 4, 2004.

(Contact: Annette L. Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the

Commission, 301-415-1969; e-mail: avc@nrc.gov)

“Changes to Adjudicatory Process; Correction,” 69

FR 25997, May 11, 2004.

(Contact: Geary S. Mizuno, Office of the General

Counsel, 301-415-1639; e-mail: GSM@nrc.gov)
4

“10 CFR Part 70, Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards; Notice of Issuance of Final Backfit

Guidance,” 69 FR 28043, May 18, 2004.

(Contact: William Gleaves, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards, Division of Fuel

Cycle Safety and Safeguards, 301-415-5848;

e-mail: bcg@nrc.gov)

“10 CFR Parts 30, 40, 50, 60, 61, 70, 72, and 76.

Union of Concerned Scientists; Denial of Petition

for Rulemaking,” 69 FR 28849, May 19, 2004.

(Contact: James R. Firth, Office of Nuclear Material

Safety and Safeguards, 301-415-6628;

e-mail: jrf2@nrc.gov)

“10 CFR Part 2. Licensing Proceeding for a HighLevel Radioactive Waste Geologic Repository;

Licensing Support Network, Submissions to the

Electronic Docket,” 69 FR 323836, June 14, 2004.

(Contact: Francis X. Cameron, 301-415-1642;

e-mail: FXC@nrc.gov)

“Governors’ Designees Receiving Advance

Notification of Transportation of Nuclear Waste,”

69 FR 39517, June 30, 2004.

(Contact: Rosetta O. Virgilio, Office of State and

Tribal Programs, 301-415-2367; e-mail:

rov@nrc.gov)

“10 CFR Part 72. List of Approved Spent Fuel

Storage Casks: NAC-MPC Revision,” 69 FR 50089,

13 August, 2004.

(Contact: Jayne M. McCausland, Office of Nuclear

Material Safety and Safeguards, 301-415-6219:

e-mail: jmm2@nrc.gov)

(General Contact: Michael K. Williamson, NMSS,

301-415-6234; e-mail: mkw1@nrc.gov)

Comments , and suggestions you may have for

information not currently included, that might be

helpful to licensees, should be sent to:

E. Kraus, Editor

NMSS Licensee Newsletter

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Two White Flint North, Mail Stop 8-A-23

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Washington, D. C. 20555-0001