Group of Experts on Monitoring of Radiologically Contaminated Scrap Metal

1
NATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING CONTROL OVER
SOURCES OF IONISING RADIOATION IN SCRAP METAL

• Presented by Mr. Dancho ELENKOV
• Nuclear Regulatory Agency (Bulgaria)
  Deputy Chairman
• 69 Shipchensky prokhod Blvd. 1574 Sofia, BG
• phone [phone]
• fax [phone]
• e-mail D.Elenkov_at_bnsa.bas.bg

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Content of the presentation

• Statistics for the period 1998 - 2003
• Origin of radioactive contamination in scrap in
  Bulgaria
• Existing and planned national regulatory
  mechanisms
• Monitoring of the movement of radioactive
  materials - scrap metal
• Dispositioning (removal) of detected radioactive
  materials
• Conducting drills and exercises
• Good (and bad) practices and lessons to be
  learned
• Planned activities and mechanism

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Statistics for the period 1998 - 2003
4
Origin of SIR in scrap in Bulgaria
1. Events inside the country (theft)
2. Import of contaminated scrap metal
3. Illicit traffic
5
Existing and planned national regulatory
mechanisms

• Existing mechanism - legislation
• Act on the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy (ASUNE) -
  June 2002 (new)
• Basic Standards for Radiation Protection
  (BSRP-2000) - January 2001 (new Regulation, based
  on the IBSS No. 115 of IAEA, 1996)
• Regulation No.0-35 on the safe use of sources of
  ionizing radiation (1974)
• Regulation No.5 on the issue of licenses for the
  use of atomic energy (1989)
• Regulation No.46 for safe transport of
  radioactive materials (1976)
• Regulation No.7 for safety management of RAW
  (November 1991)
• Regulation on emergency planning and response
  (April 1998)

6
Existing mechanism - Authorisation process
(licenses and permits for safe use of SIR)
Existing and planned national regulatory
mechanisms (cont.)

• The authorisation process is basic mechanism for
  effective
• control over possession and use of radiation
  sources, which
• includes granting of licenses
• granting of permits.
• According the new ASUNE there are six types of
  licenses
• use of sources of ionising radiation (SIR)
• manufacturing of radiation sources or of parts
  thereof
• handling of radiation sources for services
• import/export of radiation sources
• specialised training of persons engaged in
  practices with SIR
• transport of SIR

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Existing and planned national regulatory
mechanisms (cont.)
Existing mechanism - Authorisation process
(licenses and permits for safe use of SIR)

• According the new ASUNE there are six types of
  permits
• setting of a facility with radiation sources on
  specific site
• construction of a facility with SIR, assembly and
  preliminary tests
• decommissioning of a facility with SIR
• temporary storage of radiation sources
• single transport of SIR
• import and export of SIR or of parts thereof

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Existing and planned national regulatory
mechanisms (cont.)

• Article 35 of SUNEA
• license for operation of a nuclear facility is
  being granted to a legal entity, registered in
  the Republic of Bulgaria, which has approved
  emergency plans for action in case of an
  accident. Concerning the facilities with SIR
  which provides the requisite measures for
  radiation protection ensuring for all categories
  exposured individuals, as in normal
  circumstances, as well as in case of incidents
  and accidents
• Article 117 of SUNEA
• ... Emergency planning measures are being
  established by the emergency plans as follows
• - off-site emergency plan
• - on-site emergency plan

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Existing and planned national regulatory
mechanisms (cont.)

• inspections - to determine on-site whether
  practices are carried out and sources are used in
  accordance with the requirements of relevant
  regulations and with any license or permits
  conditions
• radiation safety appraisals
• accident notification and investigation
• periodic feedback from users about key safety
  parameters.
• The priority and frequency of inspections
  depend on the risk and complexity associated with
  the practice, as well as potential accident
  consequences and the type and frequency of
  violations found during inspections.

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Types of practices and sources covered by the
legislation and requires emergency planning

• measures for emergency planning and emergency
  preparedness are established by the state bodies
  and licensees implementing activities related to
• design of nuclear facilities
• construction of nuclear facilities
• commissioning of nuclear facilities
• operation and decommissioning of nuclear
  facilities
• manufacture, transportation and storage of
  nuclear material
• practices with sources of ionising radiation.

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Types of practices and sources covered by the
legislation and requires emergency planning
(cont.)

• nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents,
  affecting potentially or really on the territory
  of the Republic of Bulgaria or abroad, have
  occurred
• in nuclear facilities
• in facilities, operated with SIR (industrial,
  agriculture, medical, research, etc)
• in falling of satellite with nuclear reactor or
  nuclear and radioactive substances on board
• in use of nuclear weapons, nuclear and
  radioactive materials for terrorist purposes,
  sabotages and illegal traffic (SIR of an unknown
  or untraceable origin)
• in transportation of nuclear materials and SIR
• in radioactive wastes management, etc.
• the scrap metal processing facilities

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Existing emergency plans

• Off-site emergency plans
• - National Basic Plan
• (National Emergency Plan) for conducting
• of rescue and urgent post accident restoration
• works in case of disasters, accidents and
• catastrophes (last version April 2002)
• - in accordance to the National Emergency Plan,
  emergency plans of the municipal administration
  bodies and of the local self- government, of the
  ministries and the organisations (last version
  2002 2003) were developed.

Actions in case of an
radioactive cont. scrap
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Existing emergency plans (cont.)

• On-site emergency plans
• The NPP Kozloduy Emergency Plan, version 3, 2000
• The Plan for eliminating of the consequences and
  for protection of the population and of the
  environment in case of radiation accident during
  transportation of spent/fresh nuclear fuel,
  2001/April 2002
• Emergency Plan on RAW Department at NPP Kozloduy
  , (July 2001)
• The Emergency plan for the Nuclear Scientific
  Experimental Base (NSEB) Bulgarian Academy of
  Sciences, December, 2001
• The Emergency Plan of Permanent Repository of
  Radioactive Wastes Novi Han, January, 2003
• The Emergency plans of all facilities (over 1500
  in number), using SIR and generating RAW (last
  versions in the period 1998 2003)
• The Emergency Plans of the scrap metal processing
  facilities

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Monitoring of the movement of radioactive
materials - scrap metal
Kremikovtsy facility
Stomana-Industry - Perniik facility
Automatic radiation monitoring
Manual dose-rate control (continuos)
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Governmental and private sector response
procedures and requirements

• In case of accident with SIR an inter
  organisational team is being formed by the
  Permanent Commission, which includes experts
  from
• Members of the emergency response team
• NRA
• Civil Protection State Agency
• National Centre on Radiobiology and Radiation
• Protection Ministry of Health
• Ministry of Internal Affairs Service "Control
  of the Dangerous Substances"
• Ministry of Environment and Waters (in case of
  risk for the environment)
• State enterprise for RAW Management)
• Ministry of Interior

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Notification and Information ExchangeTmax. 72
h - for gathering and safety storage of the SIR
T10 min
T10 min
T10 min
T15-30 min
T 24 h
T 120 min
T 75 min
MIA
T 24 h
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Example of dispositioning (removal) of detected
radioactive materials

• Actions of the Emergency Response Team
• 1. Detection of increasing of ?-background
• 2. Removing the wagon in a special place
• 3. Notification of the NRA, CPSA, MH, MI
• 4. Police investigation (for the origin of the
  source)
• 4. Determination the location of the SIR by
  measurements
• 5. Dose-rate control (continuously)
• 6. Individual dose control (continuously)
• 7. Request assistance (if necessary)
• 8. Guttering the national emergency response team
• (if necessary)

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Dispositioning (removal) of detected radioactive
materials (cont.)
9. In situ gamma-spectrometry for isotope
determination 10. Off-loading of the wagon
(partially or complete) 11. Localisation of the
source 12. Removing of the source 13. Temporary
storage 14. Monitoring 15. Exemption of the
clear scrap 16. Informing the population 17.
Informing the IAEA 18. Transpiration of the
founded SIR for special investigation (source
number, activity, etc.) 19. Transpiration of the
founded SIR to the permanent RAW repository
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Conducting drills and exercises

• Full scope emergency drills are organized each 5
  years, for gaining knowledge about the national
  emergency plan.
• Exercises on adoption of plan elements are
  annually performed
• for 6 years 15 exercises, for example
• Bulgarian-Turkish exercises Combating of
• illicit trafficking of nuclear materials,
  October 2002

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• Planned activities and mechanism
• Further development of the existing secondary
  legislation by
• developing a new categorization of the site used
  sources of ionizing radiation (SIR)
• developing a new threat categorization of
  facility emergencies - including the scrap metal
  processing facilities (category V)
• Developing a new secondary legislation
• More clear lines of authority and responsibility
• Contractual requirement for submission of
  certificate for radioactivity content in scrap
  metal

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Planned activities and mechanism

• Strengthening the capabilities at all levels -
  regulator, competent authorities (MH, CPSA, MI,
  etc) and operator
• Improvement of the Quality Management System
• Intensification of the use of external
  expertise's.
• Enhancement of the individual qualification of
  the staff
• Conducting drills and exercises
• Motivation of the staff.
• Thank you for your attention -))