Bio For Deactivation of a Nuclear Facility

DOE-STD-3011-2002

The guidance of DOE-STD-3009 for criticality safety, including its chapter 6, should be

followed.

Alternatively to the formatting guidance in the preceding paragraphs, when a BIO exists for

the facility already, the format of a BIO described in section A.7 of Appendix A of DOE-

STD-3011-94 may be retained, with a crosswalk to the DOE-STD-3009 format and content.

4. BIO FOR DEACTIVATION OF A NUCLEAR FACILITY

Deactivation refers to the process of placing the facility in a stable and known condition and

the removal of readily removable hazardous and radioactive materials. Deactivation

activities include the removal of energy sources, draining and/or de-energizing nonessential

systems, removal of stored radioactive and hazardous materials, and related actions.

Deactivation should be a short-term process, measured in months, or at most a very few

years. In this sense it is comparable to a facility with limited operational life. However, the

deactivation mission is not a continuation of a production function; instead, the mission is to

remove hazardous material to decrease risk during extended surveillance and maintenance or

decontamination and decommissioning. The BIO approach to developing a DSA for these

activities is designed to provide a time and cost effective means of satisfying the DSA

requirements of 10 CFR 830.

Hazardous material information reflecting the end of facility operations can support a

preliminary categorization, which would normally be the same as was assigned during

facility operations, and is necessary in any case for the planning process for deactivation.

Facility description can also be taken from existing information. However, the work to be

performed is new. Before BIO content beyond preliminary categorization and facility

description can be developed, a plan that describes the steps, and how they will be

accomplished, must be formulated. DOE O 430.1A requires an end-point process for

detailed engineering planning and plan documentation to be used to identify the preferred

alternative for deactivation and/or decommissioning, should be the primary source for the

description of the deactivation plan. DOE G 430.1-3, Deactivation Implementation Guide,

and the website http://www.em.doe.gov/deact, contain further guidance on plan development.

Development of the safety basis for deactivation should be closely coordinated during the

development of the plan. As described in the BIO, this plan defines the work to be

performed. It must be in sufficient detail that the hazards associated with the deactivation

process can be identified, an evaluation of normal, abnormal, and accident conditions

performed, and hazard controls identified and classified.

The plan should show remaining hazardous material inventory as a function of steps in the

plan. Depending on the extent of material removal during the process of deactivation, the

facility may fall below the category 3 nuclear facility threshold during deactivation. That

point should be identified and provisions made for verification, because Subpart B