[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 154 (Thursday, August 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39475-39476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2018-0066]


Dry Storage and Transportation of High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft NUREG; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment a draft NUREG, NUREG-2224, ``Dry Storage and 
Transportation of High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel.'' The draft NUREG 
provides technical background information applicable to high burnup 
spent nuclear fuel (HBU SNF), provides an engineering assessment of 
recent NRC-sponsored mechanical testing of HBU SNF, and proposes 
example approaches for licensing and certification of HBU SNF in 
transportation and dry storage.

DATES: Submit comments on the draft NUREG-2224 by September 24, 2018. 
Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical 
to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration only for comments 
received on or before this date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0066. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     Mail comments to: May Ma, Office of Administration, Mail 
Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Reed, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards, telephone: 301-415-7213; email: 
[email protected]; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2018-0066 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain 
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0066.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-

[[Page 39476]]

415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. Draft NUREG-2224, ``Dry 
Storage and Transportation of High Burnup Spent Nuclear Fuel,'' is 
available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML18214A132
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2018-0066 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into 
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove 
identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Discussion

    Historically, the potential for changes in the cladding performance 
of HBU SNF to compromise the analyzed fuel configuration in 
transportation packages and dry storage systems has been addressed 
through safety review guidance (Interim Staff Guidance (ISG)--11, 
Revision 3, ``Cladding Considerations for the Transportation and 
Storage of Spent Fuel'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML033230335); NUREG-1536, 
Revision 1, ``Standard Review Plan for Spent Fuel Dry Storage Systems 
at a General License Facility'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML101040620)). 
Time-dependent changes on the cladding performance of HBU SNF are 
primarily driven by the fuel's temperature, rod internal pressure (and 
corresponding pressure-induced cladding hoop stresses), and the 
environment during dry storage or transport operations. ISG-11, 
Revision 3 and NUREG-1536, Revision 1 defines adequate fuel conditions, 
including peak cladding temperatures during short-term loading 
operations to prevent and mitigate degradation of the cladding.
    Draft NUREG-2224, ``Dry Storage and Transportation of High Burnup 
Spent Nuclear Fuel,'' (ADAMS Accession No. ML18214A132) is a technical 
basis document which expands on the aspects of ISG-11, Rev. 3 and 
NUREG-1536, Rev. 1 that pertain to hydride reorientation in HBU SNF 
cladding. Hydride reorientation is a process in which the orientation 
of hydrides precipitated in HBU SNF cladding during reactor operation 
changes from the circumferential-axial to the radial-axial direction. 
Draft NUREG-2224 provides an engineering assessment of the results of 
NRC-sponsored research (NUREG/CR-7198, Rev. 1, ``Mechanical Fatigue 
Testing of High-Burnup Fuel for Transportation Application,'' ADAMS 
Accession No. ML17292B057) on the mechanical performance of HBU SNF 
following hydride reorientation; and per the conclusions of that 
assessment, presents example approaches for licensing and certification 
of HBU SNF for transportation (under part 71of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Packaging and Transportation of 
Radioactive Material'') and dry storage (under 10 CFR part 72, 
``Licensing Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear 
Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater Than 
Class C Waste'').
    The staff will review and consider public comments received on 
draft NUREG-2224 as it finalizes the guidance. The NRC is particularly 
seeking public comment on the following:
    1. Are NRC's assumptions regarding the performance of other 
cladding alloys based on data obtained from HBU SNF with Zircaloy-4 
cladding for evaluating design basis drop accidents reasonable? If not, 
please explain why not.
    2. Are the described licensing and certification approaches easy to 
follow and practical? If not, please explain why not.
    3. Is the proposed approach for evaluation of vibration normally 
incident to transport clear? If not, please explain why not.
    4. Are the discussions on consequence analyses due to hypothetical 
fuel reconfiguration clear and meaningful? If not, please explain why 
not.
    5. Are there any potential conflicts between NUREG-2215, Standard 
Review Plan for Spent Fuel Dry Storage Systems and Facilities, Draft 
for Comment (ADAMS Accession No. ML17310A693) and this document? If so, 
please describe any conflicts.
    6. Is the NRC's reassessment of the ductility transition 
temperature as measured by ring compression testing of defueled HBU SNF 
specimens reasonable? If not, please explain why not.
    In answering the questions, please fully explain your answers. In 
addition, comments are invited on any areas of the draft report.

III. Public Meeting

    The NRC will conduct a public meeting for the purpose of describing 
the draft NUREG and answering questions from the public. The NRC will 
publish a notice of the location, time, and agenda of the meeting on 
the NRC's public meeting website at least 10 calendar days before the 
meeting. Stakeholders should monitor the NRC's public meeting website 
for information about the public meeting at: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of August 2018.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael C. Layton,
Director, Division of Spent Fuel Management, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2018-16994 Filed 8-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P