IR 05000070/1980001
| ML19323C183 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vallecitos File:GEH Hitachi icon.png |
| Issue date: | 04/24/1980 |
| From: | Book H, Fish R, Wenslawski F NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19323C172 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-070-80-01, 50-70-80-1, NUDOCS 8005150110 | |
| Download: ML19323C183 (7) | |
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U. S. flUCLEAR REGULATORY COVilSSIO:1 0FFICE OF INSPECTI0:1 At4D ErlFORCEf1EilT REGIO:1 V.
Report flo.
50-70/80-01 License flo.
50-70 Priority TR-1 Category Licensee:
General Electric Company Vallecitos fluclear Center
P. O. Box 460, Pleasanton, California 94566 Facility flame:
General Electric Test Reactor (GETR)
Inspection at:
Pleasanton, California Inspection conducted: February 25-26, 28-29 and March 5-6, 1980 Inspectors:
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F. A. Wenslassiti, Chief, Reactor Radiation
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2 y kO Approved by:
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H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Date Signed Safety Branch Inspection on February 25-26, 28-29 and March 5-6,1980 (Report flo. 50-70/80-01)
Areas Inspected: Routine, unannounced inspection of organization, surveys, personnel exposures, tour of facility,- independent survey of tri. lum in ground water near GETR. The inspection involved 20 ilours of on site time by one (1) inspector.
Resul ts: fio items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
a IE:V Form 219 (1)
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DETAILS
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1.
Persons Contacted
- P. Kachel, Manager, GETR Operations W. Springsteen, Supervisor, GETR Planning and Materials E. Hagberg, Shift Supervisor
- P. Webb, Manager, Radiological and Environmental Protection R. Broz, Specialist, Radiation Emergency Planning C. Hooker, Supervisor, Radiological Protection J. Reck, Radiation Monitor
- E. Strain, Nuclear Safety Engineer i
- Denotes those attending the exit interview.
2.
Organization GETR is still being manned on a three shift, 7 days a week basis.
The shift crew consists of a shift supervisor, an operator and a radiation monitor. During the hours of 4:00 PM - 8:00 AM Monday-Friday and weekends the GETR monitor is the only radiation safety person normally onsite. The reactor remains shutdown and only routine surveillance and a little maintenance activities have been performed. The Radiological and Environmental Protection group has not changed significantly since the May 1978 inspection; however, there have been some changes in personnel.
. No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
3.
Surveys The survey program has not changed significantly since the May 1978 inspection (see paragraph 7 of IE Inspection Report flo. 50-70/78-05).
The program consists of routine and special surveys involving direcP radiation measurements and smears to detect removable contamination.
Continuous air and iodine monitors continue to be operated 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> per day inside the GETR containment building.
Records of survey results for the period August 1979 through February 15, 1980 were examined on a random basis.
Earlier survey records had already been placed in storage.
According to the records clean areas showed
removable contamination lecels were gengrally less than 100 cpm /100 cm beta-gamma and less than 203 dpm/100 cm alpha. Some smear results showed several theusand cpm (f.e. 8,000, speck of 50,000); however, the record also showed the results of smears taken after the area (s) was cl eaned. According to the records radiation levels in most of the clean areas of the containment building were less than 1 mR/hr. All of the elevated radiation levels, those above about 20 mR/hr were within the controlled areas of the containment building. The only changes in the radiation levels since the May 1978 inspection were reductions due primarily due to decay. Air particulate concentragons and 0.4-9.5X10 ynment building were in the ranges of <0.3-21X10-inside the cont and uCi/cc for alpha and beta activity respectively.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
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4.
Personnel Exposures There have been no changes in the personnel monitoring program since the May 1978 inspection (see parsgraph 6 of IE Inspection Report flo. 50-70/78-05). According to the records the following exposures were received by GETR assigned personnel during the years 1978 and 1979.
Monthly Chance 1978 1979 Annual Whole Body Exposure (Max.)
2.980 rem 1.415 rem Quarterly Whole Body Exposure (Max.)
1.195 rem 0.570 rem Quarterly Change Annual Whole Body Exposure (Max.)
4.125 rem 0.085 rem Quarterly Whole Body Exporure (Max.)
1.690 rem *
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- Exposure history obtained prior to exposure above 1.25 rem in a quarter.
The routine whole body counts showed all depositions were less than 1 percent of'a maximum permissible body burden.
flo items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
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5.
Tour of Facility The inspection included a tour of the GETR facility. The tour included observing general conditions, posting of areas and the control of high radiation areas. Area postings and container labuling were found to be in accordance with 10 CFR 20.203 (b),
(c) (1), (e) and (f). The facility was clean looking and no operations were in progress.
flo items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
6.
Independent Survey During the tour of the facility the inspector surveyed various areas inside the containment building and several other locations.
The radiation levels were measured with the Region V beta-gama survey meter, serial flo. NRC 377, that was calibrated on February 18, 1980.
Within the controlled area on the first floor the following levels were found: general area-5 mR/hr, drain in floor-35 mR/hr, spot on floor near drain-10 mR/hr, near door to equipment room - <1 mR/hr.
Radiation levels at the barrier around the basement controlled area varied over the range of 3.5 - 35 mR/hr. The surface reading of a storage cabinet on the second floor read 60 mR/hr. A drain on the second floor read about 35 mR/hr. The radiation level at the barrier around the controlled area on the third floor varied over the range of 0.5 to 5 mR/hr. Radiation levels at the barrier around the tank farm area were a maximum of 10-20 mR/hr. At the
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time of the tour an additional area around a part of the tank farm had been temporarily barricaded while a mobile tank, used to transport liquid waste to the waste evaporator, was being filled. Radiation levels at the temporary barrier were less than 1 mR/hr. No other significant radiation levels in the area around the containment building were detected. Several smears were taken inside the containment building and outside at the entrance to the containment building. Witg the exception of two, all smears showed less than 120 dpm/100 cm. The two smears taken inside the firsg floor controlled area showed about 250 and 10,500 dpm/100 cm. The higher result was a smear taken near the entrance to the equipment room which is a high radiation area. The smears were counted with the Region V NMC Model PC-55 proportional counter.
7.
Tritium in Ground Water Near GETR On March 27, 1980 the licensee informed the inspector that elevated tritium concentrations had been found in water samples taken from a well located just west of the GETR control (office) building and south of the' tank farm. The first such sample was collected Subsequent samples were collecteg on January ~g8 January 23, 1980.
and 30. These samples showed 2.4X10-5, and 2.6X10- and 2.7X10 uCi/ml respectively. A water sample taken from a pit located just east of the cogtainment building showed less than the minimum detectable
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(4X10- uti/ml) concentration of tritium. Accordina to the licensee the well sample was taken as the result of the California Regional
- Water Quality Control Board staff inquiring about the possibility of collecting ground water samples around the GETR facility to test for tritium.
The licensee believes the source of the elevated tritium concentrations was leakage from piping associated with transfer of primary water between the containment ouilding (reactor) and the tank farm area.
This piping was underground until 1973 when all but a short run between a shutoff valve and the containment building was placed above ground.
The first piping leak, in the recirculating line on the fill and flush pumps, was detected in 1965. Another part of this piping leaked in 1970. A third leak was detected in the discharge line from these pumps in 1973, prior to moving the piping above ground.
To confirm the current leakage integrity of the tank farm the licensee started leak testing the tanks and associated piping. At the time of the inspection testing had started on one of the three underground liquid storage tanks (volume 25,000 gallons each). A resin hold tank is also located underground in the same location. After testing the tanks, the piping will be tested.
According to the licensee there is a collection sump beneath the underground tanks. Uater in the sump can be pumped to the radwaste system. The licensee said that during periods of rain this sump has overflowed. Seven water samples were collected from this sump during in the range of 5.0-6.4X10~gf these samples showed tritium concentration this period. The analyses the minimum detectable limit (3}-3X10-8Noalpgaorgetaactivityabove uC /ml.
and 5-5X10' respectively)
was detecte.
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On February 29 1980 the fiRC collected water samples from (1) the well west of tile control building, (2) the diesel tank well, and (3) the discharge of a basin being released to Vallecitos Creek.
Attachment 1 shows the locations of the well west of the control building (designated B-2), the diesel tank well and the pit east of the containnent building. The well (B-2) is about 70 feet deep with a one-inch PVC pipe that has been slotted below a depth of 30 feet.
This well, which was drilled in connection with a geologic investigation, was backfilled with clean gravel to a depth of 19 feet. At the time of the sample collection the licensee determined the water level was at about 23 feet from the surface. The diesel tank well, used for detecting leakage from the tank of diesel fuel, was measured and found to be about 117 inches deep with the top of the water at about 99 inches. The licensee collected duplicates of the three samples.
The results of the analyses of the samples collected on February 29 were as follows:
Samole flRC Lab Licensee (uCi/ml)
(uCi/ml)
< 3+3T10 fl0-5
Well Sample (B-2)
H-3 4.73+0.06X10 8*
3.9+0.7 Alpha 1.04TO.08X10-Gamma Scan Cs-137 3+8X10-9 Maybe RA-226
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<3+3T10 fl0-5 1.22+0.04X1 g*-5 1.4+0.4 Diesel Tank Well H-3 4.5+ii.5X10-Sampie Alpha
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Gamma Scan
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CS-137 2.3+0.7X10-8'
Trace of Cesium-137 Discharge Water H-3 14+2X10-7 4 4+4X10-6 Sampie Alpha 3.lf+0.3X10-9*
< 3T3X10-8 Gamma Scan
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No gamma detected **
3.9+1.4X1g-8 TI-208 Cs-137 2+0T7X10-Pb-212 278+1.4X10-8
- Does not include a systematic error of + 25%.
During the period February 15 through March 5,1980 the licansee obtained 16 additional samples from the well west of the control building (b-2).
The results of the analyses of these samples showed no alpha or beta activity above the minimum detectablg limit and tritium concentrations varied over the range of 2.4-5.2X10- uCi/ml. The maximum tritium concentration permitted in gffluents released to unrestricted areas, per -10 CFR 20.106, is 3X10" uCi/ml.
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8.
Exit Interview
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On March 19, 1980 the inspector met with the following licensee personnel:
R. Darmitzel, Manager of IPP Section; D. Smith, Acting
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Analyst; those so designated in paragraph 1 of this report. The scope of the inspection and the findings were discussed. The licensee was informed there were no apparent items of noncompliance or deviations.
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The results of the inquiry into the elevated tritium concentrations in water from the well west of the GETR control building and the NRC analyses of water samples collected on February 29, 1980 were discussed.
The inspector requested that he be informed of the tank and pipe leak i
testing results when the testing has been completed.
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