[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 135 (Friday, July 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36267-36269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17360]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Prototype Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Transfer System
Project
AGENCY: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, DOE.
ACTION: Notice to interested sources.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy is currently engaged in a
cooperative agreement with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
to design a spent nuclear fuel dry transfer system. The design for this
system is being developed by Transnuclear, Inc. under a subcontract
from EPRI. The system will enable the transfer of individual spent
nuclear fuel assemblies from a conventional top loading transfer cask
to a multi-purpose canister (MPC) in a shielded overpack, or
accommodate spent nuclear fuel transfers between two conventional
casks. DOE is inviting letters of interest from potential sources to
fabricate, demonstrate and/or license this system.
DATES: Letters of interest must be received no later than August 30,
1995.
ADDRESSES: Letters of interest should be sent to the U.S. Department of
Energy, Attn: Michelle Miskinis, HR-561.21, 1615 M Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20036.
[[Page 36268]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Miskinis, (202) 634-4413.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A dry transfer system has several
significant applications and could benefit the Federal waste management
system and utilities in a number of ways. It has the potential to:
(1) Allow recovery operations at shutdown reactor sites with
independent spent nuclear fuel storage installations.
(2) Provide a means for utilities that can presently handle only a
truck cask to utilize a rail cask.
(3) Permit the deployment of the larger capacity 125 ton MPC at
reactor sites that would otherwise be limited to the 75 ton MPC.
(4) Allow transfers of spent nuclear fuel from existing utility on-
site storage casks/canisters into MPCs without returning to the reactor
storage pool.
(5) Support existing or future Department of Energy and Office of
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management spent nuclear fuel management
activities.
The Draft Project Design Report for the dry transfer system is
expected to be completed by August 1, 1995. It will contain cost
estimates for an operational system. The Topical Safety Analysis Report
will be submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in early 1996.
Upon approval, the topical report is expected to be referenced in
subsequent site specific licensing applications for use of the dry
transfer system in at-reactor applications and independent spent fuel
storage installations.
The DOE desires that a Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved dry
transfer system be available by 1998 to support potential program
needs. Therefore, we are requesting electric utility companies and
other private and public entities to provide us with information
regarding their interest in participating with the DOE in a cooperative
project for prototype fabrication and demonstration of a dry transfer
system that is based on the DOE/EPRI design. Because site specific use
of the system will require approval by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, the licensing phase of the project may be pursued
independent of prototype fabrication and demonstration activities.
This project is contingent upon the availability of appropriated
funds.
A summary description of the dry transfer system is provided below.
Description of DOE/EPRI Dry Transfer System
The DOE/EPRI designed dry transfer system consists of a facility to
perform cask preparatory activities and provide shielding during spent
nuclear fuel transfer operations. Appropriate operations and support
systems are included. Key operational systems, e.g., the spent fuel
handling and transfer subsystems, are being designed by SGN (Societe
Generale pour les Techniques Nouvelles) under a subcontract with
Transnuclear, Inc. and incorporate technology and experiences from
French dry spent fuel transfer operations at La Hague. Spent fuel
handling experiences at Federal and commercial facilities in the United
States also have been factored into the design.
The base dimensions of the facility will be approximately 40 x 60
feet with a height of approximately 45-50 feet. It consists of a
Preparation Area, a Lower Access Area and a Transfer Confinement Area.
The Preparation Area is a sheet metal building where casks are prepared
for unloading, loading or shipment. The Lower Access Area and Transfer
Confinement Area are the first and second floor, respectively, of a
concrete cell which has walls approximately 3 feet thick. The sheet
metal building abuts the concrete cell which allows casks to be moved
into the Lower Access Area from the Cask Preparation Area. A large
shield door separates the Preparation Area from the Lower Access Area.
The Lower Access Area and the Transfer Confinement Area are separated
by a floor containing two portals in which the casks are aligned. The
fuel handling machine is located in the Transfer Confinement Area and
moves fuel assemblies from one cask to the other. On the roof of the
Transfer Confinement Area is a crane dedicated to handling cask shield
plugs and lids. The crane can be operated manually for off-normal
recovery. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
are balanced to ensure airflow from the Preparation Area
(uncontaminated) to the Lower Access Area, to the Transfer Confinement
Area (potentially contaminated). The control room and HVAC systems are
separate from the facility and are envisioned to be portable, i.e.,
housed in a trailer or van. The transfer operations are performed
remotely, however, maintenance on the facility equipment is manual.
The fuel handling machine includes a single fail safe crane and a
transfer tube that contains the spent nuclear fuel assembly during the
transfer operations. At the bottom of the transfer tube is a ``crud
catcher'' which closes when the spent fuel assembly is in the transfer
tube. The device catches crud during transfer and prevents the
spreading of contamination in the Transfer Confinement Area. When the
spent fuel transfer tube is aligned with the receiving cask, the device
opens and any accumulated crud falls into the receiving cask, e.g., the
MPC. There will be two monitoring systems in the facility to ensure
proper grappling of the fuel: (1) A video monitor and (2) a series of
switches, to assure that the operator knows the position of the fuel at
all times. The fuel handling machine can be operated manually from the
facility catwalks for off-normal recovery.
A unique feature of the dry transfer system is that all major
components are transportable, except the concrete cell. The spent fuel
handling equipment, for example, as well as the floors and roof are
designed to be lowered-in and raised-out through the top of the cell.
This feature is economically attractive because it enables the same dry
transfer system equipment to be used at different locations.
Letters of Interest
Sources may indicate an interest in one or all phases of the
project, i.e., prototype fabrication, demonstration and site specific
licensing.
Sources interested in being considered for participation in this
effort should forward a letter of interest referencing this Federal
Register notice to the address shown above. Letters of interest must
include the following information pertaining to the offeror's ability
to perform: (1) Previous experience in the fabrication, construction or
licensing of equipment and facilities in accordance with ASME NQA-1 or
Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements, and experience in the
management of spent nuclear fuel, (2) relevant professional
qualifications and specific experience of any key personnel who may be
assigned to the project, (3) availability and description of special
facilities that may be required in the fabrication or demonstration of
the system, and (4) any additional pertinent information concerning the
offeror's qualifications to perform the work. Letters of interest
should not be submitted by companies which do not possess the
capabilities required for the appropriate project phase or phases.
Letters of interest should not exceed 10 pages.
Additional information may be requested by the Department of Energy
following receipt of any letter of interest. This notice should not be
construed as a commitment by the Department of Energy to enter into any
agreement, nor is it a Request for Proposal.
[[Page 36269]]
Issued in Washington, DC on July 7, 1995.
Lake Barrett,
Deputy Director, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.
[FR Doc. 95-17360 Filed 7-13-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
