DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD

January 24, 1997

Rich Tontodonato and Dominic Napolitano on site this week reviewing Recommendation 96-1 issues and Tank Farm Authorization Bases. Randy Robinson and Jo Covino were on site this week attending the ITP Chemical Process Panel meetings. Mike Merritt was on site this week participating in the canyon utilization discussions.

Reservoir Loading Line 6 (LL6) Modifications - The site reps discussed the LL6 modifications and walked down the facility. Recall that LL6 is one of two reservoir loading lines in Building 233-H (formerly RTF) which was not completed because of reduced production needs. Construction and nonradioactive startup testing are currently scheduled to be completed at the end of 1997, with a readiness assessment scheduled for August 1998. There may be additional hazards associated with this somewhat different loading line design (i.e., utilization of a heater). The safety analysis for this upgrade is currently being performed and will eventually update the current SAR.

SRS Canyon Utilization Discussions - Two days of discussions on utilization of SRS facilities for nuclear material stabilization focused largely on whether to pursue consolidation into a single canyon or to continue with plans to utilize both canyons. Information presented generally concluded that two canyon operation is cost effective, accomplishes nuclear material stabilization sooner, allows deactivation of both canyon facilities earlier, and provides a greater amount of flexibility to accommodate emerging stabilization needs.

Board Members