ENCLOSUE 2 ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY - tu"g-- 9W~J SOUffk CASS AV&C AMQMW tbrOS 6O4N 9 Telephone: (312) S488 May 2, 1988 Mr. Robert Browning Division of High Level Waste Management Nuclear Regulatory Commission 'c Mall Stop 4H3 Washington, DC 20555 Dear Mr. Browning: I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss the treatment and disposal of fuel reprocessing wastes from an Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) with representatives of your Division as well as the Division of Low Level Waste Management. The IFR is being developed by the Department of Energy as one of their advanced concepts for commercial power reactors. It is a sodium-cooled, fast reactor with metal alloy fuel. This reactor concept has a close-coupled fuel cycle that employs a pyrochemical electrorefining process to separate fission products from actinides. Reactor licensing aspects of the IFR are being discussed on an informal basis with other Divisions of the NRC. Work is under way at Argonne to develop methods for treating process wastes and converting them to disposable waste forms. The principal radioactive wastes from the electrorefining process are (1)a metallic mixture with the stainless steel cladding and noble metal and rare earth fission products; and (2)a chloride salt containing alkali metal, alkaline earth and halide fission products. We are assuming that the IFR would be a commercial power reactor and, consequently, the high-level wastes would be sent to a deep geologic repository and low-level wastes would be sent to a near-surface disposal facility. The IFR process wastes are considerably different from the wastes produced by the conventional Purex process, and for that reason, we feel that informal discussions with the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would be useful. We would like to obtain background information f on current regulations relevant to the disposal of both high- and low-level wastes. The analyses that led to these regulations are of particular interest. If these analyses were made with more conventional wastes in mind, we would need advice on how to apply the analyses to the IFR situation. These discussions will help to get the development of IFR waste treatment methods started in the right direction. When I first talked with you, I had asked for a meeting during the last half of May. We would now prefer coming to your office sometime between June 1 and June 10 in the early afternoon, if possible. About two hours should be sufficient-time for Les Burris and me to present background information on the IFR fuel cycle and waste handling concepts, and to obtain initial reactions from your people. A suggested agenda is: 8806300388 80628 NMSS SUBJ 407 DCD USDwP"dEKRqy ThE Wmshy d CWwp
Mr. Robert BrowningDivision of High Level Waste ManagementNuclear Regulatory Commission 'cMall Stop 4H3Washington, DC 20555
Dear Mr. Browning:
I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss the treatmentand disposal of fuel reprocessing wastes from an Integral Fast Reactor(IFR) with representatives of your Division as well as the Division of LowLevel Waste Management. The IFR is being developed by the Department ofEnergy as one of their advanced concepts for commercial power reactors. Itis a sodium-cooled, fast reactor with metal alloy fuel. This reactorconcept has a close-coupled fuel cycle that employs a pyrochemicalelectrorefining process to separate fission products from actinides.Reactor licensing aspects of the IFR are being discussed on an informalbasis with other Divisions of the NRC.
Work is under way at Argonne to develop methods for treating processwastes and converting them to disposable waste forms. The principalradioactive wastes from the electrorefining process are (1) a metallicmixture with the stainless steel cladding and noble metal and rare earthfission products; and (2) a chloride salt containing alkali metal, alkalineearth and halide fission products. We are assuming that the IFR would be acommercial power reactor and, consequently, the high-level wastes would besent to a deep geologic repository and low-level wastes would be sent to anear-surface disposal facility.
The IFR process wastes are considerably different from the wastesproduced by the conventional Purex process, and for that reason, we feelthat informal discussions with the staff of the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission would be useful. We would like to obtain background information fon current regulations relevant to the disposal of both high- and low-levelwastes. The analyses that led to these regulations are of particularinterest. If these analyses were made with more conventional wastes inmind, we would need advice on how to apply the analyses to the IFRsituation. These discussions will help to get the development of IFR wastetreatment methods started in the right direction.
When I first talked with you, I had asked for a meeting during thelast half of May. We would now prefer coming to your office sometimebetween June 1 and June 10 in the early afternoon, if possible. About twohours should be sufficient-time for Les Burris and me to present backgroundinformation on the IFR fuel cycle and waste handling concepts, and toobtain initial reactions from your people. A suggested agenda is:
8806300388 80628NMSS SUBJ407 DCD
USDwP"dEKRqy ThE Wmshy d CWwp
. * 4
Mr. R. Browning 2 May 2, 1988
L. BurrnsR. JohnsonR. JohnsonR. Johnson
Overview of IFR Fuel Cycle ......................Description-of IFR Process Wastes ........... T.Proposed Waste Treatment Methods ............ T.Proposed Waste Forms for Disposal ........... T.Comments and Discussion
We would also like to establish contacts with both the High-Level and Low-Level Waste Management Divisions to facilitate on-going discussions.
Sincerely,
1,ei,4 -'IO
Terr6 R. JohnsonNuclear Fuel Reprocessingand Waste Management Section
Chemical Technology Division
TRJ : sc
ENCLOSURE 3
IFR FUEL CYCLE- 1 -
Mr. Terry R. JohnsonNuclear Fuel Reprocessing
and Waste Management SectionChemical Technology DivisionArgonne National Laboratory9700 South Cass AvenueArgonne, Illinois 60439
MAY 2 7 192
tweller9 gTR
Dear Mr. Johnson:
I am responding to your letter of May 2, 1988, regarding your interest indiscussing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff the plannedDepartment of Energy Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) and its closely coupled fuelcycle. Specifically, you expressed interest in discussing the treatmentand disposal of both high-level and low-level wastes resulting from thereprocessing of IFR spent fuel. The staff of the NRC would be pleased toparticipate in discussions with you and Les Burris on the IFR fuel cycle andwaste handling concepts and arrangements have been made for an initial meetinghere at NRC Headquarters for the early afternoon (1:0 PM) of June 9, 1988. Wewill have a representative from the Division of High-Level Wasteila-nagement,the Division of Low-Level Waste Management and Decommissioning, and the Officeof Nuclear Regulatory Research (Waste Management Branch) for these discussions.
In your letter, you also expressed interest in establishing contacts with boththe High-Level and Low-Level Waste Management Divisions to facilitate ongoingdiscussions related to waste management issues. The contact for theDivision of High-Level Waste Management is Rick Weller (301-492-3458),Materials Engineering Section Leader, Technical Review Branch. Thecontact for the Division of Low-Level Waste Management and Decommissioning isMike Tokar (301-492-0961), Engineering Section Leader, Technical Branch.
We look forward to meeting with you and Les Barris.
Sincerely,
c.a dt1e of
£&6°05
A ed ° eo4' Robert E. Browning, DirectorDivision of High-Level Waste ManagementOffice of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards
DISTRIBUTION
Central Files REBrowning, HLWMBYoungblood, HLOB HLTR r/fRCunningham, FC MKnapp, LLWMJSurmeier, LLTB/LLWM
RLBallard, HLTRRWeller, HLTRJGreeves, LLWM
JOBunting, HLSEFCostanzi, RESMTokar, LLTB/LLWM
-
OFC : HLTR - :…NAME :RWeller/cj : RBal
k : J__ eier- :-xkar : JSurmeier : E
DATE : 5/:7/88 : 5/,/88 : 5/88 : 5/2 88 :
TW ning: : :
5 7 88 :
ENCLOSURE 4
TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OFFUEL CYCLE WASTES
FROM ANINTEGRAL FAST REACTOR
(IFR)
Terry JohnsonLes Burris
ChemicalArgonne
Technology DivisionNational Laboratory
* IFR and Its Fuel Cycle
* Process Wastes and Their Treatment
* Concepts for Waste Packaging and Disposal
ASSUMPTIONS
* Commercial IFR
* Discharged
* Recoveredto Reactor
- Fuels Are Reprocessed
U and Pu Are Returned
* TRU, HL WastesRepository
Go to Geologic
* LLW Go to Engineered,Surface Repository
Near-
a
A~
PURPOSE OF MEETING
* Introduce IFR Fuel Cycle
* EstablishContacts
Ongoing Informal
* Obtain Guidance inProposed MethodsDisposal
Assessingfor Waste
. . a
ENCLOSURE 5
Overview of theIFR Pyrochemical Process
by
Leslie Burris
Presented to theNuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC
June 9 1988
WHAT IS THE IFR?
An Advanced Fast Reactor Concept
Key Features
* Pool Primary Coolant System
Integral with* CompleteReactor
Fuel Cycle
* Metallic Alloy Fuel
PUMP W,,,, I H X
POOL (
(
LOOP
.
20 I I I I
IT I I I I I I
EBR-II DRIVER FUEL BURNUPCAPABILITY
E
0o
a:
zc:co
15
10
5
ExpectedBurnup Limit
MARK-11A
xIIIIIIII
(
C
MARK-II Iv
(75% Sdensil
MARK-IA
'mear\ -jty) x
x ?(85% Smear
density)
0_0�-_yI I
J
I I I Il I0o I
1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984
DATE BURNUP LIMIT ACHIEVED
EFFECT OF LOSS OF FLOW WITHOUTSODIUM TEMPERATURE FOR METAL50 0 I I I I I I I III I I I .
* Dispose of in On-Site Repository(Engineered, Near-Surface)
SALT DISPOSAL
APPROACH
* 10CFR61.58
"The Commission mayauthorize other provisions for theclassification and characteristics ofwastes on a specific basis, if, afterevaluation, it findsreasonable assurance of compliance withthe performance objectives in Subpart C
',* s6e68
* Analysis to Determine if IFR SaltMeets Performance Objectives?
SUMMARY
* " Nuisance" Fission Products Are Easily Handled
Tritium - in a small volume of water
Krypton - easily concentrated and stored
C-14 - forms stable carbides
Iodine - forms stable iodides
Ruthenium - contained in Cd as metal
* Radioactivity Is Easily Contained in ReprocessingFacility
* Few Waste Streams
* Wastes Contain <1% of Np, Pu, Am, and Cm
SUMMARY
IFR Results in Low Potential Dose to Public
* Less U Mining
* Lower Releases from Reactor
* Low Doses from Fuel Reprocessing
* Lower Releases from Waste Repositories
Total Potential Dose is Lower than Dose from LWRCycle without Fuel Reprocessing
