CSA Group Performance testing of nuclear air-cleaning systems at nuclear facilities

Preface This is the first edition of CSA N288.3.4, Performance testing of nuclear air-cleaning systems at nuclear facilities. It is part of the CSA N288 series of Standards and guidelines on environmental management of nuclear facilities. The CSA N-series of Standards provides an interlinked set of requirements for the management of nuclear facilities and activities. CSA N286 provides overall direction to develop and implement sound management practices and controls, while the other CSA nuclear Standards provide specific technical requirements and guidance that support the management system. This Standard works in harmony with CSA N286 and does not duplicate the generic requirements of CSA N286; however, it may provide more specific direction for those requirements. Scope 1.1 Facilities 1.1.1 Types of facilities 1.1.1.1 Class I nuclear facilities This Standard addresses the design and execution of a nuclear air- cleaning system testing program for Class I nuclear facilities. These facilities include a) nuclear reactors; b) uranium fuel fabrication plants; c) isotope processing facilities; d) particle accelerators with a beam energy equal to or greater than 50 MeV; and e) nuclear waste management facilities. 1.1.1.2 Other nuclear facilities Parts of this Standard could also be relevant to the design and execution of a nuclear air-cleaning system testing program for a) Class II nuclear facilities; b) institutions operating under the authority of a Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices licence; c) facilities that use or store naturally-occurring radioactive materials; and d) waste nuclear substance licensees. However, in these situations, the operator of the facility or institution is responsible for determining the applicability and suitability of this Standard in accordance with the terms of the operator's site licence. 1.1.2 Facility lifecycle This Standard addresses nuclear air-cleaning system testing performed during commissioning, operations, and decommissioning. 1.2 Effluent covered under this Standard This Standard provides information on testing of nuclear air-cleaning systems that remove radioactive particulate matter and iodine species from airborne effluent streams. 1.3 Operating conditions This Standard provides guidance for the design and execution of a testing program for nuclear air cleaning systems used for a) normal operations; b) emergency operation; c) operation following upset, maintenance, engineering, or procedural changes with the potential to affect system performance; and d) operation following engineering changes that might affect system performance. 1.4 Reporting This Standard provides guidance on reporting the results of a nuclear air-cleaning system testing program. However, users are cautioned that the statutes, regulations, licences, and permits that govern the operation of the nuclear facility or licensed activity can impose reporting requirements that differ from those described in this Standard. The operator of the nuclear facility or licensed activity is responsible for determining the required frequency and content of reports to regulatory agencies necessary to ensure compliance with the statutes, regulations, licences, and permits that govern the operation of the nuclear facility or licensed activity. 1.5 Qualifications of staff This Standard provides guidance in the training and qualifications of staff performing the following tasks: a) testing; b) designing or reviewing a testing program for a nuclear air-cleaning system; and c) training staff to perform testing on nuclear air-cleaning systems and to administer a testing program. 1.6 Exclusions 1.6.1 Environmental and effluent monitoring Equipment in a nuclear air-cleaning system which is installed specifically for the collection and quantification of airborne substances (e.g., in effluent and environmental monitoring programs) or for the mitigation of non-radioactive hazardous substances is excluded from testing programs conforming to this Standard. For the design and execution of environmental and effluent monitoring programs, refer to CSA N288.4 and CSA N288.5, respectively. 1.6.2 Testing of process off-gas treatment systems This Standard does not apply to nuclear air-cleaning systems that are designed to abate noble gases, tritium, or carbon-14 releases. 1.7 Terminology In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the standard. Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material. Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements. Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.