Criticality Safety Outside the Reactor

Criticality Safety Outside the Reactor.pdf

On August 24, 2017 (82 FR 40173), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG–3053, ‘‘Nuclear Criticality Safety Standards for Nuclear Materials Outside Reactor Cores.’’ This DG would be published as Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 3.71. The proposed revision would provide methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for criticality safety standards used with nuclear materials outside reactor cores. The three previous versions of RG 3.71 endorsed specific safety standards developed by ANSI/ANS–8 to provide guidance, criteria, and best practices for use in preventing and mitigating criticality accidents during operations that involve handling, processing, storing, or transporting special nuclear material at fuel and material facilities (or a combination of these activities). The revision would provide up-to-date guidance based on changes to American National Standards Institute/American Nuclear Society (ANSI/ANS)-8 standards. The revision would also endorse International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard 7753:1987, ‘‘Nuclear Energy—Performance and Testing Requirements for Criticality Detection and Alarm Systems.’’  Submit comments by October 23, 2017. 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. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.