ATL has spent years assembling an outstanding team of technical experts to respond to the needs of both the nuclear power and nuclear weapons communities. We possess demonstrated capabilities in engineering design, permitting and license application support, nuclear safety and security, environmental impact assessments, and health physics. Here are some examples of this work.
License Renewal Application (LRA) Aging Management Program Reviews ATL uses experts in materials, mechanical, structural, electrical, and systems engineering at nuclear power plants to evaluate aging management programs proposed in LRAs and ensure that nuclear plants applying for license renewal have acceptable aging management programs to protect against failures of structures, systems, and components caused by aging. We have recently performed this work at:
By participating in over 150 expert panel meetings on various materials aging management programs (AMPs), ATL helped the NRC revise the Generic Aging Lessons Learned Report (GALL Report), Revision 2 (NUREG-1801) and its companion document, the Standard Review Plan for License Renewal (SRP-LR), Revision 2 (NUREG-1800). These two documents, published in early 2011, are extensively used by the utility industry when preparing license renewal applications for nuclear power plant operating extensions. They also are the standard reference used to guide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s staff when performing safety audits of LRAs to ensure that passive components in operating reactors are not going to lose their function due to the effects of aging materials on extended life cycles. The technical basis for the updates of these NUREG documents and the response to over 2,000 public comments are documented in NUREG-1950, also developed by a team of ATL and NRC staff, and published in the spring of 2011.
Spent Fuel Container Inspections for NRC's Nuclear Materials Safeguards and Security ATL provides technical experts to inspect manufacturers of spent nuclear fuel shipping and storage containers to ensure that they are being manufactured and tested in compliance with NRC regulations (10 CFR 50.55(a)). Our engineers inspect welds, joints, concrete, material thickness, and other aspects of the manufacturing to protect against accidental releases or failures. We have recently performed these inspections at:
Power Plants
Manufacturing Facilities
Authorization Basis Reviews at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) ATL conducted nuclear safety reviews using an expert team in nuclear safety analysis, criticality safety analysis, systems safety, fire safety, natural phenomena, transportation, industrial hygiene, health physics, and quality assurance with extensive knowledge of DOE's nuclear safety requirements and the implementation of 10 CFR 830, the history of their evolution, and current interpretations by DOE Headquarters. In addition, ATL has provided independent review of Documented Safety Analyses (DSAs) for several LANL nuclear facilities, including critical, transuranic waste processing, characterization, and storage; plutonium laboratories; as well as nonnuclear facilities. ATL has provided onsite nuclear safety assistance to DOE's Richland Operations Office and the Office of River Protection. These tasks included review of DSAs, preparation of Safety Evaluation Reports, and development of implementing directives.
Dose Reconstruction For the Radiation Studies Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ATL performed a retrospective environmental dose reconstruction to evaluate radiation exposure to the public from historical radiological releases at DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS) nuclear weapons production facility. This work involved modeling and risk assessment, health physics, and environmental health expertise. ATL performed extensive statistical analysis, including data sensitivity analysis. The final report, comprised of 13 chapters and 19 appendices, is found on the Radiation Studies Branch web site.
