in Davy Crockett Cartridge, 20mm Spotting M101 Robert Cherry, PhD, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

NRC License for Depleted Uranium in Davy Crockett Cartridge, 20mm Spotting M101

Robert Cherry, PhD, CHP President-elect (2015-2016), Health Physics Society Radiation Safety Staff Officer US Army Installation Management Command

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

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All information herein is in Public Domain

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Sources

 Wikipedia  YouTube  US Army Corps of Engineers, St Louis District, Archive Search

Report: Use of Cartridge, 20mm Spotting M101, Davy Crockett Light Weapon M28

 Army application and amendment application to Nuclear Regulation

Commission (NRC) for source material license number SUC-1593

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The licensing process for the M101 depleted uranium (DU) spotting round is new and unique to both the Army and the NRC and has been troublesome to both. Nothing herein is intended as a criticism of the NRC.

 Tactical nuclear recoilless spigot gun  M388 Projectile, Atomic Supercaliber 279mm  M390 Projectile, Atomic Supercaliber 279mm Practice  Deployed 1962-1968  Developed in late 1950s for use against Soviet armor and

troops if war broke out in Europe

 Davy Crockett M28 sections assigned to mechanized and

non-mechanized Infantry battalions

 M388 round used version of W54 warhead  Mk-54 weighed about 51 pounds (23 kg)  Yield between 10 and 20 tons of TNT equivalent (near

minimum practical size and yield for fission warhead)

 Only selectable feature was height-of-burst dial

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

 Complete M388 round  76 pounds (34.5 kg)  31 inches (78.7 cm) long  11 inches (28 cm) diameter at its widest point  Subcaliber spigot at back of shell inserted into launcher's

barrel

 M388 mounted on barrel-inserted spigot via bayonet slots  Spigot became launching piston after propellant discharged  Maximum range = about 1.25 miles (2 km)  Operated by a three-man crew  Vehicle-mounted M29s eventually replaced M28s

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

 More than 2,100 M388 projectiles produced  Poor accuracy  Nuclear weapon effects: heat, blast, and radiation  Greatest effect of M388 due to radiation  More than 10,000 rad within 500 feet (150 m)  About 600 rad at quarter mile (400 m)  About 24 rad at max range 1.25 miles (2000 m)  Warhead tested on July 7, 1962 (Little Feller II)  M29 system tested from a distance of 1.7 miles (2.7 km) on

July 17, 1962 (Little Feller I)

 Last atmospheric test detonation at Nevada Test Site  Videos on YouTube

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

The following museums have a Davy Crockett casing in their collection:

 Air Force Space & Missile Museum, Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station, Florida

 National Atomic Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico  National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia  Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

(moving to Fort Lee, Virginia)

 Watervliet Arsenal Museum, Watervliet, New York  West Point Museum, United States Military Academy, New York  Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada  Don F. Pratt Museum, Fort Campbell, Clarksville, Tennessee

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

M28 Davy Crockett Weapon System

 Low velocity cartridge used to determine the impact point

for the 279mm projectile (M28 system only)

 Upon impact, M101 projectile emitted puff of white smoke  Two to three meters in diameter, two to five meters in

height

 Visible for several seconds  “Insured a high probability of a first round hit for the

major caliber projectile”

Cartridge, 20mm Spotting M101

 Highly dense material required for the 20mm shell body to

mimic trajectories of M388 and M390

 Tungsten alloy initially selected  Met military requirements  Costly and difficult to machine  1959 study indicated depleted uranium (DU) alloy as

alternative

 8 percent molybdenum (D-38 uranium alloy)  Uranium density (18.8 g/cm3) comparable to tungsten

density (19.6 g/cm3)

 DU cost less than 50 percent of tungsten cost  DU easier to machine than tungsten  About 7½ inches long, weighed about a pound

Cartridge, 20mm Spotting M101

 DU projectile body spec

= (3,180 ± 25) grains

 D-38 alloy/round: 3180 grains

= 206 g

 DU/round = 92% × 206 g

= 190 g

 Manufactured, assembled, loaded,

and packed at Lake City Ordnance Plant (LCAAP) MO except fuze

 Total production = 75,318 rounds  On Army ranges under NRC

jurisdiction < 30,000 rounds

Cartridge, 20mm Spotting M101

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License application to Atomic Energy Commission, May 1, 1961

 Letter with two-page enclosure  Machine barstock at Lake City Arsenal  Distribute product to Army Field Forces  “We request … guidance on controls required for the proposed

end use of the item.”

 216,157 pounds (98,000 kg) of DU 

License # SUB-459 issued November 1, 1961

 Lake City Arsenal MO and Frankford Arsenal PA  Included products in addition to M101 spotting round  Allowed distribution to Army Field Forces  Silent on “controls required for the end use of the item”

Original Licensing of the M101 Spotting Round

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Renewal, April 21, 1965

 Lake City Arsenal no longer on license  Frankford Arsenal remains on license 

Amendment, October 17, 1973

 Limits Army to fabrication and testing  Distribution to Army Field Forces prohibited 

License #SUB-459 expired April 30, 1978; does not address decommissioning of LCAAP, Frankford Arsenal, or Army ranges

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License #SUB-1339 supersedes SUB-459 for Frankford Arsenal in 1978

 Army asked for “storage and decontamination”  Remediation activities in 1980-1981  License expired in 1983  Documentation of license termination not found  Did not address residual M101 DU on Army ranges

Original Licensing of the M101 Spotting Round

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Remediation of LCAAP

 Addresses demilitarization of 40,000 M101 rounds  Does not address residual M101 DU on Army ranges 

NRC reexamination of license terminations

 GAO-directed in 1989  NRC looked at Frankford Arsenal and residual M101 DU on

Army ranges

 NRC determines Frankford Arsenal required additional review

(i.e., data)

 NRC does not determine that residual M101 DU on Army ranges

required additional review

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NRC confirms Frankford Arsenal acceptable for release on August 18, 2003 after additional surveys and remediation

Original Licensing of the M101 Spotting Round

Physical Properties of Uranium (U) Metal or Alloy

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Density = 18.8 g/cm3 (comparison: water, 1.0 g/cm3; lead,

11.3 g/cm3; tungsten and gold, 19.3 g/cm3)

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Pyrophoric

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Naturally occurring

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Found in low levels within all rock, soil, and water

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51st most abundant element in Earth’s crust (2-4 ppm)

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Less common than tin (#49)

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More common than germanium (#53), arsenic (#55), silver (#65), and gold (#72)

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Typical daily intake from food is 0.1 – 1.1 g

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Typical body content is about 0.1 mg

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Highest atomic number (92) in nature

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Radioactive (emits α, , and γ)

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Decay series ends at lead-206 (206Pb) or 207Pb

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Source (along with thorium) of all helium and radon in atmosphere

Uranium Isotopes

Isotope Neutrons Half-life (years)

234U

142 245.5 thousand

235U

143 704 million

238U

146 4.468 billion Typical Isotopic Mass Abundances Isotope Natural Enriched Depleted

234U

0.0055% 0.03% 0.0007%

235U

0.72% 2.96% 0.20%

238U

99.28% 97.01% 99.80% Typical Isotopic Activity Abundances Isotope Natural Enriched Depleted

234U

48.9% 81.8% 14.2%

235U

2.2% 3.4% 1.1%

238U

48.9% 14.7% 84.7%

Uranium-238 Decay Series

Uranium-235 Decay Series

Primary Biological Effects

Effect Kidney Burden (μg U/g kidney) Total Kidney Burden (mg U) Intake (mg) No effect 1.1 0.337 6.5 Maximum nonlethal 2.2 0.71 13 LD50 54.8 16.79 322

Heavy Metal Chemical Toxicity Due to Intake Likelihood of lung cancer induction due to inhalation is presumed to be proportional to the radiation dose.

Uranium Overexposure Dominant Effect Natural Approximately even Enriched Lung cancer induction Depleted Chemical toxicity

Potential Health Risks

 Models, developed by National Laboratories,

using environmental radiological monitoring data, show no significant potential health risks for residual DU on Army ranges

 Monitoring to date indicates minimal DU

migration

Uranium Oxides

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M101 DU oxidizes when left in the environment. The most common forms of uranium oxide are U3O8 and UO2. Both:

 Are solids  Have low solubility in water  Are relatively stable over a wide range of environmental conditions 

Triuranium octaoxide (U3O8)

 Most stable form of uranium oxide  Form of uranium oxide most commonly found in nature 

Uranium dioxide (UO2)

 Form of uranium most commonly used as a nuclear reactor fuel  At ambient temperatures, UO2 gradually converts to U3O8

Uranium Chemistry

UO2(NO3)2∙6H2O = uranium nitrate hexahydrate (UNH)

“Discovery” of M101 DU at Schofield Barracks

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In 2005, the Army discovered M101 rounds during unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance for a new Battle Area Complex on Schofield Barracks ranges.

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The Army reported this to the NRC in 2006.

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The NRC then required the Army to apply for a new license to possess legacy M101 DU on all its ranges.

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USACE St Louis began project to conduct archive searches and to collect and analyze information concerning M101 use at Army installations.

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Commanding General (CG), US Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) applied for this license in 2008 on behalf the Army for all known M101 impact areas under NRC jurisdiction.

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Army hired a qualified health physicist to be the license radiation safety

• fficer (RSO) in 2009.

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The license RSO became the manager of licensing activities almost immediately after hire by default.

USACE St Louis Archive Search Project

Installation Estimated number of M101 rounds Donnelly Training Area, Fort Wainwright AK 93 Fort Benning GA 9700 Fort Bragg NC 4212 Fort Campbell KY 681 Fort Carson CO 1404 Fort Gordon GA 135 Fort Hood TX 4038 Fort Hunter Liggett CA 135 Fort Jackson SC 135 Fort Knox KY 3956 Fort Polk LA 1923 Fort Riley KS 105 Fort Sill OK 585 Joint Base Lewis-McChord/Yakima Training Center WA 1756 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst NJ 50 Schofield Barracks/Pohakuloa Training Area HI 714 Total 29622 (5628 kg)

Typical M101 Impact Area

M101 Rounds

M101 Rounds

Licensing Correspondence, 2009-2010

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July 8, 2009: Army provided generic Physical Security Plan (PSP), generic Environmental Radiation Monitoring Plan (ERMP) and site-specific ERMPs for Schofield Barracks and Pohakuloa Training Area.

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March 11, 2010: NRC requested Army submit license applications for the remaining DU facilities, including site specific ERMPs, within 6 months.

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September 9, 2010: Army responded to March 11, 2010 NRC letter and requested a two week extension.

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September 13, 2010: Army provided the site-specific ERMP for Fort Benning.

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November 24, 2010: NRC orders Army to allow:

 No entry into any M101 impact area unless NRC-approved RSP is in place  No use of high explosive munitions in any M101 impact area 

November 30, 2010: NRC comments on previous correspondence:

 Provide site-specific Radiation Safety Programs (RSPs), PSPs, and Training

Programs for each installation where DU is identified

 Provide a revised generic ERMP  Develop revised ERMPs for the Schofield Barracks, Pohakuloa, and Fort

Benning sites

Licensing Correspondence, 2011-

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February 9, 2011: Army asks for relief at Schofield Barracks from “no entry” and provided RSP for NRC consideration

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February 17, 2011: Army responds to November 30, 2010 NRC letter

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May 17, 2011: NRC provides comments on proposed RSP

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July 23, 2012: NRC proposes license conditions

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August 1, 2011: In response to a petition, NRC issues NOV to Army for not possessing a license for DU on its ranges, but assesses no penalties

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September 10, 2012: Army responds to proposed license conditions (one

• f which required constant air monitoring around M101 impact areas)

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October 13, 2013: NRC issues SML #1593 to CG IMCOM for Hawaii ranges

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June 1, 2015: CG IMCOM applies for amendment to add remaining 15 installations to license

Current Status

 License amendment application includes:  Radiation Safety Plan  Physical Security Plan  Programmatic approach for preparing site-specific

environmental radiation monitoring plan

 Decommissioning funding plan (estimated cost for

decommissioning ALL sites = $350,000,000

 NRC accepted license amendment application for review and

requested additional information on September 1

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NRC published draft license conditions in Federal Register on January 4

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Expecting license amendment near end of February

Davy Crockett (1786-1836)

Upon losing re-election to Congress: “You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.”