IR 05000089/1979001

IE Insp Repts 50-089/79-01 & 50-163/79-01 on 790514-18.No Noncompliance Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Radiation Protection,Environ Monitoring & Emergency Planning Aspects of Triga Mark I & M F Reactors

ML19207A412
Person / Time
Site:	General Atomics
Issue date:	05/30/1979
From:	Book H, Curtis J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V)
To:
Shared Package
ML19207A411	List: IR 05000089/1979001 ML19207A410
References
50-089-79-01, 50-163-79-01, 50-163-79-1, 50-89-79-1, NUDOCS 7908170472
Download: ML19207A412 (4)

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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT GIoN V 50-89/79-01 50-163/79-01 Report No.

50-89 R-38 Docket No.

R0-163 License No.

P-67 Safeguards Group Licensee:

General Atomic Company P. O. Box 81608 San Diego, California 92138 Facility Name:

Mark I and Mark F (Trigas)

Inspection at:

_ San DieGo, California, Torrey Pines Mesa Inspection conducted:

flav 14-18.1979

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Inspectors:

C llA %

9'79 (f. R. Curtis, Radiation Specialist

'Date s4raed Date Signed Date Signed

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Approved By:

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H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials

/ Dat/ Signed Safety Branch Sun ma ry :

Inspection on flay 14-18,1979 (Report Nos. 50-89/79-01 and 50-163/79-01)

Areas Inspected:

Radiation protection, environmental monitoring and emergency plannin9 aspects of the TRIGA Mark I and Mark F reactors.

Inspection of records and logs, observation of operations, a tour of monitoring sites, discussions with operations and staff personnel, and independent rieasurements were included in the inspection.

The inspection involved 34 hours3.935185e-4 days <br />0.00944 hours <br />5.621693e-5 weeks <br />1.2937e-5 months <br /> bnsite by one inspector.

Results:

No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

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DETAILS 1.

Persons Contacted

• H. Wellhouser, Director, ?!uclear flaterials Control Division

• F. Bold, Manager, Health Physics Department

• W. Whittemore, Physicist-in-Charge, TRIGA Facility

• W. Mowry, Licensing Administrator J. Shoptaugh, TRIGA Operations W. Stout, TRIGA Operations P. Bedsaul, Health Physics, TRIGA G. Trimble, Staff Health Physicist W. Keith, Health Physics Departnent

• Indicates presence at the Exit Interview.

2.

General Reactor Operations - Tour The TRIGA flark I and Mark F reactors are pool type research reactors capable of pulsed and steady state operation at up to 250 KW and 1.5 MW, respectively. The principal uses of the reactors are for neutron activa-tion, neutron radiography, high temperature and irradiation response studies of fuel samples in King Furnace facilities, and operator training.

The Mark F reactor has been set up for routine, " cold" neutron radiography operations and has been runnir.g on an extended shift schedule of approxi-mately 12 hours1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> per day for that purpose.

The inspector toured the facility, observed operations of the Mark I and l' ark F reactors, observed that nonitoring, posting, and radiation hazard surveillance and control procedures were being properly utilized.

fio items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

3.

Oroanizational Changes _

Other than normal rotation of assignments of GA staff health physics personnel, there have been no organizational changes in the TRIGA facility staff. Among users, changes did take place; the outside user group per-forming the " cold" neutron radiography was a private, separate company and since the fall of 1978, has become an operating group within the General Atomic Company.

The managenent and lead technical personnr1 in the organization were incorporated into this group and are now General Atomic employees as opposed to their previous status as contractor em-pl oyees.

The Health Physics Organization of General Atomic provided 700240

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training courses in radiation protection and safety to menbers of this group to meet corporate and license training requirements.

A limited number of temporary / contractor personnel have also been working on the cold neutron radiography project. These individuals have worked under direct supervison and have been allowed to work in the TRIGA compound under Radiation Work Permits and General Atomic procedural controls as described in HPD-ll.

(See appendix to Inspection Report flo. 50-163/78-02 for details. )

f!o items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

4.

Examinatien of Records Health Physics Survey records, logs, personnel dosimetry records, special surveys, constant air monitor records, counting roon records and audit reports were examined.

Recorded information was consistent with an active program of radiological protection and operational surveillance aimed at hazard control.

Personnel exposures resulting from the increase in operational hours of the !! ark F reactor 'or cold neutron radiography operations and exposures associated with mamtenance and repair work on the associated refrigeration system were noted and discussed with opera-tions and health physics personnel. Additional controls and shielding have been incorporated into the operation to reduce exposures, and efforts and studies are continuing in an effort to lower reported exposures for these operations.

fio items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

5.

Radiological Protection and Control Pro edures The General Atomic Health Physics Program is formalized in an extensive se-ies of Health Physics Department procedures currently numbering 104.

These procedures cover all aspects of the company program from access con-trol to environmental sampling and counting procedures. A number of pro-cedures were reviewed, revised, submitted to the appropriate approval authoritics and re-issued in the passed year.

Inspector's review of procedures relating to Argon-41 monitoring and personnel exposure sur-veillance indicated that the licensee hat established a program for active surveillance and control of the radiation protection aspects of the TRIGA operations.

fic items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

6.

Emergency Response Planning - Exercise

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The licensee has a well developed corporate emergency plan and response organization at the Torrey Pines Mesa site. An emergency response van is well equipped for radiation emergency response.

The inspector observed the contents and state of readiness of this van which is keot within 150 yards of the IRIGA facility.

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The licensee held a drill exercising the handling, transport and medical care of contaminated patients in February 1979. A report describing the exercise and the critique that followed was reviewed and discussed with the General Atomic Emergency Coordinator (Manager of Health Physics Department).

The exercise simulated four severely injured and contamin-ated persons who were transported to the cooperating medical facility via the contract ambulance service where they were monitored for contamina-tion and treated. The exercise was not specific to a TRIGA facility emergency, but was applicable.

The report and discussion with the emer-gency coordinator indicated that a well organized, effective effort was devoted to the exercise and was proven beneficial when an actual emergency situation involving a contaminated accident victim occurred shortl3 fter the drill and was successfully handled.

f'o items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

7.

Environnental Protection and Monitoring Program The inspector reviewed the status of the environmental monitoring program at the General Atomic Torrey Pines site as it applies to the TRIGA Facility.

The licensee maintains an active environmental monitoring program that involves routine air, soil, vegetation and water sampling from some 26 locations around the site. TLD and film badges are located at and around the TRIGA facility boundary fence which is well inside the General Atomic site boundary. The inspector toured the sampling sites, observed air sampling equipment in action, visited the processing and sample counting laboratory and discussed the program and results with licensee representa-tives.

Results of the monitoring program were well within regulatory limits. The procedures g3verning evaluation of results establish " alert levels" for various environmental sample types. These are well below regula-tory limitations and are very seldom exceeded.

No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

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8.

Exit Interview An exit interview was held with individuals identified in Paragraph 1 of this report by an asterisk. The inspector reviewed the general scope and results of the inspection. The cold neut'ron radiography operation and its impact on radiation levels, monitoring equipment and personnel exposures were discussed. Licencee representatives of the operations and staff departments reviewed their efforts to reduce exposures and reiterated their conviction to continuation of their ALARA program on this project.

There were no items of noncompliance or deviations identified and r.o licensee comitments were sought or proposed.

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