NUREG-2116 "Safety Evaluation Report for the International Isotopes
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NUREG-2116 Safety Evaluation Report for the International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc. Fluorine Extraction Process and Depleted Uranium Deconversion Plant in Lea County, New Mexico Docket No. 40-9086 International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards AVAILABILITY OF REFERENCE MATERIALS IN NRC PUBLICATIONS NRC Reference Material Non-NRC Reference Material As of November 1999, you may electronically access Documents available from public and special technical NUREG-series publications and other NRC records at libraries include all open literature items, such as NRC=s Public Electronic Reading Room at books, journal articles, and transactions, Federal http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. Register notices, Federal and State legislation, and Publicly released records include, to name a few, congressional reports. 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Facsimile: 301B415B2289 The NUREG series comprises (1) technical and Some publications in the NUREG series that are administrative reports and books prepared by the staff posted at NRC=s Web site address (NUREGBXXXX) or agency contractors http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs (NUREG/CRBXXXX), (2) proceedings of conferences are updated periodically and may differ from the last (NUREG/CPBXXXX), (3) reports resulting from printed version. Although references to material found international agreements (NUREG/IABXXXX), (4) on a Web site bear the date the material was brochures (NUREG/BRBXXXX), and (5) compilations accessed, the material available on the date cited may of legal decisions and orders of the Commission and subsequently be removed from the site. Atomic and Safety Licensing Boards and of Directors= decisions under Section 2.206 of NRC=s regulations (NUREGB0750). NUREG-2116 Safety Evaluation Report for the International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc. Fluorine Extraction Process and Depleted Uranium Deconversion Plant in Lea County, New Mexico Docket No. 40-9086 International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc. Manuscript Completed: May 2012 Date Published: May 2012 Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards ABS TRACT This report documents the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) staff review and safety and safeguards evaluation of International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc.=s (IIFP), application for a license to construct a Fluorine Extraction Process & Depleted Uranium Deconversion Plant (FEP/DUP) and possess and use source materials. INIS proposes that the FEP/DUP be located in Lea County, New Mexico, approximately 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of the city of Hobbs. The facility will possess natural and depleted uranium, and significant quantities of hazardous chemicals derived from licensed material, e.g., hydrogen fluoride. The objective of this review is to evaluate the facility=s potential adverse impacts on worker and public health and safety, under both normal operations and accident conditions. The review also considers the management organization, administrative programs, and financial qualifications provided to ensure safe design and operation of the facility. The NRC staff concludes, in this safety evaluation report, that the applicant=s descriptions, specifications, and analyses provide an adequate basis for safety of facility operations and that operation of the facility does not pose an undue risk to the worker and public health and safety. Potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed facility and its reasonable alternatives are addressed in a separate document, “Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Fluorine Extraction Process and Depleted Uranium Deconversion Plant in Lea County, New Mexico,” NUREG-2116. The draft Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, dated Friday, January 13, 2012, see pages 2096-2098 and the final EIS is scheduled to be published in the fall of 2012. iii CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ iii CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................v TABLES ..................................................................................................................................... xi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... xiii ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................... xvii 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION ......................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Facility and Process Description ............................................................................ 1-1 1.1.1 Regulatory Requirements ........................................................................... 1-1 1.1.2 Regulatory Guidance and Acceptance Criteria ........................................... 1-1 1.1.3 Staff Review and Analysis .......................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Institutional Information .......................................................................................... 1-4 1.2.1 Regulatory Requirements ........................................................................... 1-4 1.2.2 Regulatory Guidance and Acceptance Criteria ........................................... 1-4 1.2.3 Staff Review and Analysis .......................................................................... 1-4 1.3 Site Description ................................................................................................... 1-11 1.3.1 Regulatory Requirements ......................................................................... 1-11 1.3.2 Regulatory Guidance and Acceptance Criteria ......................................... 1-11 1.3.3 Staff Review and Analysis ........................................................................ 1-11 1.3.4 Site Description Conclusions .................................................................... 1-29 1.4 References .......................................................................................................... 1-29 2.0 ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.................................................................. 2-1 2.1 Regulatory Requirements ...................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Regulatory Guidance and Acceptance Criteria ...................................................... 2-1 2.3 Staff Review and Analysis ..................................................................................... 2-1 2.3.1 Organization ............................................................................................... 2-2 2.3.2 Pre-operational Testing and Initial Startup .................................................. 2-2 2.3.3 Organizational Responsibilities and Qualifications ..................................... 2-3 2.3.4 Procedures ................................................................................................. 2-6 2.3.5 Incidents and Items of Concern .................................................................. 2-6 2.4 Evaluation Findings ............................................................................................... 2-7 2.5 References ............................................................................................................ 2-7 3.0 INTEGRATED