IR 05000002/1987003
| ML20235G826 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | University of Michigan |
| Issue date: | 07/07/1987 |
| From: | Greger L, Paul R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20235G776 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-002-87-03, 50-2-87-3, NUDOCS 8707140396 | |
| Download: ML20235G826 (7) | |
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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION III
Report No. 50-002/87003(DRSS)
Docket No.50-002 License No. R-28 Licensee: University of Michigan Phoenix Memorial Laboratory Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Facility Name:
Ford Nuclear Reactor Inspection At:
Ford Nuclear Reactor, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Inspection Conducted: June 15-17, 1987 7!?!87 Inspector:
0% d 4!
. A. Paul ~
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Date Approved By:
114W 7!7[87 l'. R.Deg#r, Chief Dat'e Facilities Radiation Protection Section Inspect.on Summary Inspecticn on June 15-17,1987 (Report No. 50-002/87003(DRSSR Areas Inspected:
Routine, unannounced inspection of ri. r ds, logs, and
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organization; radiation protection; radwaste management control; transportation activities; and follow-up actions relative to previous i
noncompliance and open inspection items.
l Results:
No violations or significant safety issues were identified in the areas inspected.
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DETAILS
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1.
Persons Contacted
- F. K. Conway, North Campus Health Physicist
- G. Cook, Assistant Reactor Manager
- Indicates those present at the exit meeting.
2.
General This inspection, which began.at 11:30 a.m., on June 15, 1987 was conducted to examine the research reactor program at the University of Michigan. The facility was toured during full power operations. The general. housekeeping of the facility was satisfactory.
3.
Licensee Action on Previously Identified Items (Closed) Open Item (50-002/85004-01): Technical Specification Figure 6.1 needs-updating for organization change. The licensee made a Technical Specification change eliminating the position of Supervisor-Reactor Operations. The organization chart is current.
(Closed) Open Item (50-002/86001-01): Review training program for experimenters and others.
See Section 6.
(Closed) Open Item (50-002/86001-02):
Review program'for proper use and placement of employee film badges.
The licensee's review found that although no written specific instructions are given concerning placement of dosimetry, instructions are given to employees which are tailored to their job function, and employees working in radiation fields are expected to wear their dosimetry oriented toward the radiation field for best representation of exposure.
Periodic management and health physics surveillance made in areas where employees are working in radiation fields indicate film badges are generally worn properly; when they are not, corrective actions are taken.
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Qualifications and Organization The FNR/PML: Health Physics organization continues to report to the Director, Radiation Control Services (RCS) in accordance with Technical i
Specifications 6.1.e.
The current HP has seven years experience at a l
commercial nuclear reactor and is working on a Masters degree in Radiological Engineering from the University.
It appears the HP has sufficient administrative support to effcet adequate radiological controls. The HP is assisted by a full time health physics technician.
No violations were identified.
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5.
Audits The.1986 annual audit required by'TS 6.2.g conducted in July 1986 by a non-licensee. auditor.was reviewed by the inspector.. The-audit did not identify any significant radiological protection problems.
Corrective X
actions have been taken for most audit findings.
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'x Minutes O the Safety Review Committee (SRC) were' selectively reviewed-for the November 1980. to May 1987 period.
SRC members included representatives from Ft.;R and Radiation Control Services.
In accordance with TS 6.2.f., the SRC reviewed the following:
experimenter requests and qualification, proposed technical specifications, and selected procedures.
Frequencies were in accordance with TS 6.2.c.
No significant problems were noted.
No violations were identified.
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6.
Training During a previous inspection (Inspection Report No. 50-86001) it was noted that although the training program met the requirements of 10 CFR 19.12, additional instructions for certain employees should be considered to ensure those persons were qualified to perform their activities using radioactive material.
Since then, the licensee has revised the Radiation Safety and Security Instruction handout to ensure management verifies reactor user assignments and to assess if special training is required.
In addition, permanent badged workers will receive periodic retraining.
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7.
. Instrumentation end Equipment The inspector reviewed calibration records for gaseous detectors (GADS - HP Procedure 209) and moving air particulate monitors (MAPS - HP Procedure 208) for the period July 1986 through May.30, 1987.
Calibrations and frequencies were in accordance with applicable technical specifications and procedures. Minor discrepancies were found concerning computation of the radioactive decay values generated for the MAP calibration paper; corrections were made by the HP. The two GADS continuously monitor ventilation exhaust from the FNR and FNR-PML stack No. 2; the MAPS monitor stack effluents, the pool floor, and beam port floor.
During facility tours, portable survey instruments were observed to be calibrated and operable.
Calibration records reviewed for neutron survey instruments indicated the licensee is calibrating the detectors in accordance with requirements.
Calibration records of laboratory counting instruments were reviewed.
The gas proportional c'ounter was calibrated in accordance with Procedure HP-211 on a quarterly basis. The GeLi system is calibrated semi-annually with a multi-nuclide NBS traceable liquid standard.
Records reviewed revealed no significant problems.
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No violations were identified.
8.
Personal Monitoring Vendor film badges, sensitive to beta, gamma, and thermal neutrons, are
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issued monthly to reactor personnel and experimenters.
Two estremity badges are provided to personnel who. handle samples and/or have a potential for extremity exposure.
Records indicated the highest yearly dose for 1986 was 110 mrems whole body and 310 mrems extremity, both well below 10 CFR 20.101 limits. Exposure records are routinely reviewed by.
the reactor HP and assistant reactor manager; results are posted in the 1unchroom for employee review.
NRC Form-4's are not maintained. Vendor reports are the official NRC Form-5 records.
No violations were identified.
9.
Bioassays
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According to licensee records, several tritium urinalyses were conducted during 1986 and 1987 because the, procedural criteria requiring bioassays (airborne tritium surveys taken during heavy water transfers which exceed 1.0 MPC) were met.
Positive results were found on the urinalyses of three workers who were involved in a spill of tritiated heavy water on April 13, 1987.
The licensee informed Region III of the spill on April 15, 1987.
The spill occurred during transfer of the water from a 30 gallon transfer container to a 55 gallon storage' drum in'the radioactive waste storage area.
The spill occurred because the 55 gallon drum was too full initially. Although the technitian attempted to terminate the transfer, residual pressure from the pressurized transfer tank forcea the tritiated "ater to overflow from the 55 gallon tank through a. vertical vent line designed to vent airborne activity to the ventilation exhaust system. Approximately two pints of overflow was spilled onto the floor via the vent line. _An airborne tritium sample taken in the area during the evolution indicated airborne concentrations up to about 160 times MPC; however, urinalysis results ir.dicate nnce of the workers received an intake of more than 5 MPC-hours exposcre appare'ntly due to their limited time in the area of highest tritium
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concentrations.
The licensee estimated that approximately 182 millicuries was spilled; 166 millicuries was recovered by maps and paper towels. Approximately 16 millicuries was released via the ventilation system assuming that ten percent of the released liquid evaporated.
Based on a one-minute j
release duration, ventilation system flow rates, and the T/S allowed
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dilution factor (400), the unrestricted area release concentration was only a fraction of the unrestricted area MPC.
No regulatory limits were exceeded.
To prevent recurrence the licensee installed a five gallon overflow flask in the vent line to allow detection / collection of any overflow during future transfers.
The inspector verified the installation.
No violations were identified.
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10.
Posting, Labeling and Control
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Area posting, reviewed during facility tours, was in accordance with 10 CFR 20,203. Access control of high radiation areas met
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regulatory requi*ements.
No violations were identified.
11. Surveys The inspector selectively reviewed results of direct radiation and smearable contamination surveys conducted in accordance with
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Procedures HP-101 and HP-102 for CY 1986 and 1987 to date.
No significant inconsistencies were noted.
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Airborne activity released through the FNR ventilation exhaust stack and FNR-PML Stack No; 2 is monitored by GAD and MAP, and sampled for pa rti cul a'te s.
Effluent records reviewed for CY 1986 indicated all releases were within technical specification limits. The dilution factor of 400 allowed by technical specifications is necessary to meet limits for gaseous releases, but not particulate or iodines.
Calculational methods were reviewed; no problems were noted.
13.
Liquid Effluents Liquid effluents are discharged to the sanitary sewer on a batch basis.
Before discharge, tank contents are recirculated, filtered by prefilters and a filter, and sampled.
Samples are analyzed for gross beta, tritium,
.and isotopic gamma activities.
Records reviewed indicated 1986 release concentrations were well within 10 CFR 20 limits using the approved dilution factor.. Calculational methods kere reviewed; no problems were n'oted.
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l No violations were noted.
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14. Material Transfer There have been no spent nuclear fuel shipments since June 1984. The I
next shipment is scheduled for August, 1987.
Irradiated samples are routinely shipped from the FNR facility to other licensees off-campus.
The licensee maintains copies of the recipient's licenses on file to
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verify the recipients are authorized to receive the material.
l During this inspection a review was made to determine the administrative arrangement for transferring irradiated material from the research reactor to the Byproduct Material License (BPM) or others to ensure there is a clear dema.:ation of authority and responsibility.
The results of this review indicates there is no written policy ac! dressing this matter, however, the licensee's practice concerning this matter follows: An HP representative is present during the extraction oi
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l all irradiated pool samples from the reactor and makes an entry of each sample into the health physics log, the point at which the material is transferred from the reactor license to the BPM.
For radioactive material to be transferred to offsite licensees, the log does not show transfer to the University broad scope. license before transfer offsite.
The licensee stated this matter would be reviewed to ensure documentation exists to show transfer of all radioactive material from the FNR license.
(50-002/87003-02)
It appears the licensee has adequate controls to ensure persons'are.
authorized to receive reactor produced byproduct material. No problems were noted with shipping records or records of the recipients who were authorized to receive the material.
This matter was discussed at the
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exit interview.
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15.. Reports In Section 6.2.b " Iodine Releases" of the licensee's Report on Reactor Op'erations of 1986, the licensee reported that 46 microcuries of iodine-131 were released from the main reactor exhaust stack during steady state reactor operations. This matter was discussed with the licensee who stated that the reported iodine released via the reactor stack did not originate from the reactor, but more likely frem iodine-131 taken into the reactor building ventilation supply from the adjacent research laboratory ventilation exhaust. To resolve this problem, the licensee committed to sample the reactor building intake air for a period sufficient to account for the source of the iodine-131 released through the reactor stack. This matter was discussed at the exit meeting and will be reviewed at a future inspection.
(50-002/87003-01)
16. Pool Water Chemistry and Heavy Water Reflector Tank Tritium Selected gamma isotopic results of pool water samples, taken weekly, were reviewed i'or CY 1986-1987 to date.
Samples are also reanalyzed two weeks post-collection. Quarterly tritium analyses of the heavy water taak indicated the tritium inventory remained less than 50 curies, as required by TS 3.5.b.
No abnormal activity or trends were noted.
No violations were identified.
17.
Exit Meeting The inspector met with licensee representatives noted in Section 1 on June 8,1986, to discuss the findings and scope of the inspection.
The inspector discussed the likely informational content of the inspection regarding documents or processes reviewed. The licensee did not identify such documents / processes as proprietary.
In response to the inspector's comments, the licensee:
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a.
Stated that the entry into the transfer sheet " log" of radioactive samples from the reactor is the mechanism by which reactor irradiated material is transferred to the BPM, and agreed to review needed changes to this log to account for all transfers to the Univsrsity byproduct materials license (Section 14).
b.
Committed to sample reactor building intake air to resolve the origin of the iodine seen in the exhaust air (Section 15).
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