IR 05000073/1980001
| ML19312E768 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vallecitos Nuclear Center |
| Issue date: | 05/02/1980 |
| From: | Book H, Fish R, Wenslawski F NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19312E763 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-073-80-01, 50-73-80-1, NUDOCS 8006090513 | |
| Download: ML19312E768 (5) | |
Text
_ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
.mi-
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
,
OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT
.
REGION V
Report No.
50-73/80-01 Docket No.
50-73 License No.
R-33 Safeguards Group Licensee:
General Electric Company Vallecitos Nuclear Center
'
Pleasanton, California 94566 j
Facility Name:
Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR)
Inspection at:
Vallecitos Nuclear Center Inspection conducted:
February 25-26, 28 and March 3. 1980 Inspectors:
O
/ /tc Signed H. t. Fish, Radiation Specialist D
Date Signed
f /fd Approved by:
^+
A D' ate'S igned y. Wenslawsk'
Chiefs Reactor Radiation gafetb F
Approved By:
.7. /f [, x f/}/m ranc
.
m
'
't H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Dste diigned Safety Branch Sum: nary :
Inspection on February 25-26, 28 and March 3, 1980 (Report No. 50-73/80-01)
Areas Inspected:
Routine, unannounced inspection of radioactive effluents, emergency planning, radiation safety procedures, surveys, personnel exposures,
--
instrumentation, environmental monitoring program, a tour of the facility and an independent survey. The inspection involved 12 hours1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br />.of onsite time by one (1) inspector.
Results:
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
RV Form 219 (2)
8 0 0 6 0 9 0 fG!
.
..
._ _
_
_
.
_
.
DETAILS
.
1.
Persons Contacted
,
C. Leighty, Manager, HTR Operations W. B. Johnson, Supervisor, NTR E. Strain, fluclear Safety Engineer P. Webb, Manager, Radiological and Environmental Protection R. Broz, Specialist, Radiation Emergency Planning C. Hooker, Supervisor, Radiological Protection
.
2.
Radioactive Effluents
Only gaseous effluents he.ve been released from the NTR facility.
Stack monitoring instrumentation was found to be as described in paragraph 2 of IE Inspection Report No. 50-73/78-01. The licensee's a
~
effluent records for 1978 and 1979 were. examined. According to the records the following releases occurred from the NTR.
l 1978 1979*
Noble Gas 620.8 Ci 290.6 Ci Iodine 10.2 mci 90 uCi No significant particulate activity was detected.
- "Nuclepore" irradiations were terminated in early 1979.
The radioactive releases were 1 per cent or less of the limits in 4'
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
3.
Emergency Planning The licensee completed the modifying and upgrading of the emergency plan and implementing procedures in 1978. The major revisions and succeeding minor changes were reviewed and approved as required by the administrative -
-
procedures. A cabinet containing emergency supplies and equipment has been located just outside the entrance to the NTR Facility. The
!
cabinet has a seal that shows when it has been opened. According to the licensee the cabinet is checked routinely and inventoried when the seal is found broken. The licensee noted that the emergency plan and implementing procedures applied to te entire Vallecitos site.-
l Mr. W. B. Johnson is the Building 105 Emergency Coordinator (NTR is located in Building 105). See paragraph 3 of IE Inspection Report-No. 50-73/78-01 for description of the upgraded emergency plan.
l Two emernency drills involving Building 105, which also includes the NTR, have been conducted since the March 1978 inspection.
These drills, classified as an announced criticality and unannounced emergency drill took place on October-12, 1978 and September 4, 1979.
Each drill was followed by a critique and a written report of the critique.. Adverse
-,
.-
l-2-
!
.
findings in the written reports were responded to by the appropriate organizations. According to the licensee, an annual sumary of the critique findings for all site building drills is usually prepared and l
distributed. Responses to this annual summary of critique findings have not been expected.
'
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
4.
Radiation Safety Procedures Sonic changes to the VilC (Vallecitos flo' ear Center) Safety Standards
'
-
and fluclear Safety and Quality Assurance fluclear Safety Procedures have been made since the March 1978 inspection. These changes clarified or improved the existing procedures and standards.
Two standards, Engineering for ALARA and Maintaining Radiation Exposure ALARA, were revised in flovember 1979. The inspection disclosed that the changes had been reviewed and approved in accordance with the administrative requirements governing such changes.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
5.
Surveys The licensee's survey program has not changed since the March 1978 inspection (see paragraph 5 of IE Inspection Report No. 50-73/78-01).
The survey program includes sampling the air in the reactor cell (daily),
the control room (weekly) and adjoining rooms (weekly). The survey records for the years 1979 and 1980 (through February 8) were examined on a random basis.
Survey records for earlier years had been placed in storage. A survey on February 7, 1980 showed the following radiation levels in the control room when the reactor was at full power:
general area - 2 mrem /hr, south cell door - 4 mrem /hr., reactor cell door-31 mrem /hr., operator area (control console) - 3 mrem /hr. These radiation levels are a sum of the gamma and neutron readings. This surveyalsoshgwedremovablealphaandbeta-gammaactivitywaslessthan
200 dpm/100 cm and 100 cpm /100 cm respectively for samples collected on the floors of the control room and the main hall outside the NTR facility.
Air samples taken in the control room showed alpha activity
-.
concentrations in the range of 0.04-1.9X10-g uCi/cc and beta activity concentrations in the range of 0.13-3.2X10-0.4 - 35X10_gr activity inside uCi/cc.
the reacgr cell shogd concentrations of uCi/cc and 0.2X10-
- 4.3X10-uCi/cc for alpha and beta activity respectively.
flo items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
6.
Personnel Exposures The licensee's program for measuring exposures received by personnel working at the flTR has not changed since the March 1978 inspection (see paragraph 6 of IE Inspection Report No. 50-73/78-01).
The licensee's exposure data for the flTR and Radiological Protection personnel for the years 1978 and 1979 were examined. This data showed-the following exposure informatio r-3-
..
!
.
NTR 1978 1979 Annual Whole Body (Max.)
2.487 rem 1.465 rem Quarterly Whole Body (Max.)
1.210 rem 0.620 rem Radiological protection Annual Whole Body (Max.)
2.895 rem 1.040 rem Quarterly Whole Body (Max.)
0.815 rem 0.470 rem flo significant exposure of the skin was received and the maximum extremity exposures were about 1 percent of the 10 CFR 20.101 annual limit.
These personnel have received whole body counts on approximately a quartarly frequency. A random examination disclosed that all results showed less than 1 percent of a maximum permissible body burden was detected.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
7.
Instrumentation The licensee has not changed the program relating to survey meters and stack monitors at the NTR since the March 1978 inspection (see paragraph 7 of IE Inspection Report No. 50-73/78-01). The inspection included examining the survey meters and monitors for the most recent calibration date.
All had been calibrated within the last 10 weeks which is the calibration frequency shown in the calibration procedure.
No items of noncompliance ore deviations were identified.
8.
Environmental Monitoring Program The licensee has an environmental monitoring program for the site.
The program involves the collection of water (streams and wells), air, stream bottom sediments, vegr.tation and soil samples.
TLD's (thermoluminescentdosimeter
. Ca SO :Dy) have been placed at
,'
31 locations to measure the.evels of radiation (primarily cloud gammas). The results of the environnental monitoring program in 1979 have been documented in Report No. NE00-24787 submitted by the licensee to the NRC in connection with Docket No.70-754 (license No. SNM-960). The examination of the data showed the results were not significantly different from those for the previous 5 years and there was no identifiable increase in the radioactivity in the offsite environment from the onsite operations.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identifie __
-4-
.
.
-
.
9.
Tour of Facility During the inspection, the flTR facility was visited.
The reactor was not operating at the time of the visit and the door to the facility was locked. According to the licensee, the operating hours of the reactor had been greatly reduced since January 1,1980; however, it was hoped that use would increase in the near future. The entrances were
'
posted as follows:
Door To Posting Facility per 10 CFR 20.203 (b)
Reactor Cell per10CFR20.203(c)(1)and(e)
South Irradiation Cell per 10 CFR 20.203 (c)(1)
florth Room per 10 CFR 20.203 (b) and (e)
The emergency cabinet, located outside the entrance to the facility, was secured with a sealed wire.
A hand and foot rounter was located in the hallway of Building 105 and must be used by personnel leaving the flTR facility.
flo items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
10.
Independent Survey During the visit to the facility the inspector surveyed the control room, south cell and north room. The surveys were made with the Region V
,
beta-gamma survey meter, serial flo flRC 377, that was calibrated on J
February 18, 1980. Radiation levels in the control room were essentially
'
background.
Radiation levels in the south cell were less than 0.5 mR/hr except near the gate that shielded the room from the reactor where radiation levels of 10-20 mR/hr were detected. fio significant radiation levels were detected in the north room. Wipes of the floor were taken in these three rooms and in the hallway 2 utside the flTR facility.
All smear results showed less than 100 dpm/100 cm when counted with the Region V flMC Model PC-55 proportional counter.
11.
Exit Interview
,
,
,
On March 19, 1980 the inspector met with the following licensee personnel:
R. Darmitzel, Manager of IPP Section; P. Kachel, Manager of GETR Operations; D. Smith, Acting Analyst; E. Strain, fluclear Safety Engineer; P. Webb, Manager of Radiological and Environmental Protection.
The scope of the inspection and the findings were discussed. The licensee was informed that no items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
The only item discussed concerned the emergency drill findings and subsequent corrective action. The licensee was informed that the annual summary of critique findings did not appear to assure that any differing opinions still remaining would be resolved. Mr. Darmitzel stated that the system would be reviewed to see if any corrective action was necessary. According to the licensee, adverse findings resulting from the various emergency drills should ahtays be corrected and there should not be any unresolved differing opinions.
.