IR 05000089/1980003

IE Insp Repts 50-163/80-03 & 50-089/80-03 on 801215-18.No Noncompliance Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Radiation Protection,Environ Monitoring,Emergency Aspects of Triga Mark 1 & Mark F Reactors & Records & Logs

ML19341C838
Person / Time
Site:	General Atomics
Issue date:	01/16/1981
From:	Book H, Curtis J, Wenslawski F NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V)
To:
Shared Package
ML19341C829	List: IR 05000089/1980003 ML19341C828
References
50-089-80-03, 50-163-80-03, 50-163-80-3, 50-89-80-3, NUDOCS 8103040261
Download: ML19341C838 (5)

Text

{{#Wiki_filter:. U. 5. ilUCLEAR REGULATORY C0!!'11SSI0'l 0FFICE OF IllSPECTI0tl AtlD ErlFORCEME!!T REGIOil V 50-163/80-03 Report flo.

50-89/80-03 Docket flo.

50-163, 50-89 License flo.

Safeguards Group Licensee: General Atomic Company P. O. Box 81608 . San Diego, California 92138 Facility flane: TRIGA Facility, Mark I and Mark F Reactors Insoection at: GA Torrey Pines Site December 15-18, 1980 Inspection conducted: ' ' !: / / G / pt4 4 m e n -r w / 4% /P/ ) Inspectors: y -/" J. R. Curtis, Radiation Specialist Uate Signed / - ,- Approved by: [ ' a+ (a v-M /_//4d/ F. Wonslawski Chief, Reactor Radiation Date Si~gned Satety Sect,on 1 i _. 3 ' ' ,, t: .., Approved by: T* .. /~cT C /./6 3( / li. F !fo~oT. ThTef, Fuel FaciTity and u.te Signed h teria ls Safety Branch Summary: Inspection on Cacember 15-18, 198_0_ and Telecon with fir. F. Bold on January 6,17hT-{heoort ilos. 50-89/80-03 and 50-163/80-03) Areas Insoected: Radia tion protection, environmental monitoring and emergency planning aspects of the TRIGA Mark 1 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 neasurenents were included in the inspection.

The inspection involved 26 hours onsite by one inspector.

Results: !!o items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

, 8108040261

. DETAILS 1.

Persons Contacted H. Uellhouser, Director, Nuclear Materials Control Division F. Bold, ' tanager, Health Physics Department

• N. Whittemore, Physicist-in-Charge, TRIGA Facility
• N. Mowry, Licensing Administrator
• G. Trimble, Staff Health Physicist
• J. Lestyk, General Atomic Counsel and other members of the G. A. Nuclear Materials Control Division staff

.

• Indicates presence at the Exit Interview.

2.

General Reactor Goerations - Tour The TRIGA Mark 1 and Mark F reactors are pool type research reactors capable of oulsed and steady state operation at up to 250 KW and 1.5 MW, respectively.

The princioal use of the reactors are for neutron activation, neutron radiography, high temperature and irradiation response studies of fuel samples in King Furnace facilities, and operator training.

The !! ark F reactor had been set up for routine, " cold" neutron radicarapny opera tions.

The work load for this operation has been significantly reduced since March - April 1980.

The insoector toured the facility, observed operations of the Mark I arid dark F reactors, observed that monitoring, posting, and radiation hazard surveillance and control procedures were being properly utilized.

10 items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

3.

Organizational Chan9pi There have been no changes in the TRIGA facility staff since the last radiation protection inspection.

Reactor operator trainees and persons who perform experiments or otherwise utilize the reactor are authorized access via the formal General Atomic system of issuance of Ucrk Authorizations and Radiological Work Permits.

The G. A. Heal th Physics organization has had some personnel changes and reorganization.

Senior Staff Health Physics Technicians have been assiqned responsibility for a larger segment of the technical support and surveillance program and supervise Health Physics Technicians who have more specific assionments.

The inspector not with the health physics personnel assigned to the TRIGA facility l l l ! ! .

.' . -2-and reviewed the status of the program.

Persons contacted appeared to be reasonably aware of the status of reactor operations and were conductinq routine monitoring and survey operations as prescribed in G. A. 's Heal th Physics procedures, e.g., HPD-123.

'to items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

4.

Examination of Records Health Physics records, logs, personnel dosimetry records, sDecial and routine survey records, and results of environmental monitoring evaluations were examined.

Recorded information was reasonable and consistent with General Atomic's active program of radiological protection and coerational surveillance of the TRIGA facility.

Personnel exposures resulting from " cold" neutron radiography operations and maintenance of the associated equipment were the major contributor to personnel dose at the TRIGA facility.

Records show a decline in exposure levels af ter April 1980 when the neutron radiography operations on the Mark F reactor were extensively curtailed.

The range of annual doses for persons who work in or frequent the TRIGA facility for 1979 were from 300 to 2500 millirem / year.

Results for the first three quarters of 1980 are consistently lower than 1979 values, taking into account the fact that only three of the four quarters of 1980 had been summed.

?!o itens of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

5.

Radiological Protection and Ccntrol Procedures , The General Atcaic Health Physics Program is formalized in an extensive series of Health Physics Department procedures currently numbering aporoximately 125. These procedures cover all aspects of the company program from access control to environmental sampling and counting procedures.

A number of the G. A. HPD procedures related to the health physics proqran at the TRIGA facility were examined by the inspector.

Observations during the tour and discussion with members of the health physics staff indicated that the licensee had a formalized proqram for operational surveillance and routine monitoring of radiological conditions at the facility based on these management approved, periodically reviewed procedures.

Tio items of noncompliance or deviations were identifie. - . -. - -. .- - - .. _ - -- .. i

. . . . -3-l 6.

Emergency Response Plannino - Drills i i i The licensee has a well developed, corporate emergency plan and a ! response organization equipped with a communications system and [ emergency response van.

The TRIGA facility has its own local '

. emergency response plan incorporating action levels for various ' stages of emergency response including evacuation.

Evacuation drills have been conducted periodically. The last drill was held in February 1980; a problem with one of the alarms was identified during the critique and corrective action was taken to fix it.

The G. A. fire protection and health physics staff periodically maintain and test air samplers and resoiratory protection equipment that are olaced at strategic locations in and around the facility for emeroency use.

i flo items of noncomnliance or deviations were identified.

7.

E_nvironmental Protection and Monitorino Procram The insnector reviewed the status of the environmental monitoring proqram at the General Atomic (GA) Torrey Pines site as it applies to the TRIGA facility.

The licensee maintains an active environmental nonitorinq program that involves routine air, soil, vegetation and water sampiing from some 26 locations around the GA site.

TLD and - film badges are located at and around the TRIGA facility boundary , fence wnicn is well inside the General Atomic site boundary.

Results of the environmental monitoring program are reviewed and if GA established " alert" levels - that are less than regulatory limits - are exceeded, the possible sources of the release or

unusual reading are investigated.

If unusual or unexpected sources of such readings are identified the person responsible for the , operation is contacted to take corrective action.

Licensee representatives indica ted that there were no instances where " alert" levels were ' found in the samples that are taken to monitor the TRIGA facility.

' flo items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

8.

Licensen Resoonse to IE Bulletins, Circulars, etc.

i The licensee representatives indicated that they had received IE Circular 30-14, relating information on the problem of contamination , i of potable water via cross-linkage with domineralized water systems.

] The Circular was routed to appropriate persons for review of possible j-problems at the GA TRIGAs.

The demineralized water system at the facility was evaluated for possible cross-linkage.

fio cross connections or potential sources of contaminated water were found.

! The licensee had received and responded to IE Bulletin 79-19, regarding Packaging of Low-level Radioactive Waste for Transport i

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- .. _ _ _ _ ~- ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _. _. _ _ _

.

l-4- . and Burial.

The licensee reoresentative estimated that in the past , j year, 20 to 25 fif ty-five gallon drums of uncompacted low-level waste had been generated at the TRIGA facility.

The activity in i this waste is low and it is co-mingled with waste from other more radioactive wastes generated in the hot cell and radiochemistry facilities adjacent to the TRIGA facility. All wastes are collected

and processed for disposal at a central waste yard for all radioactive waste handled at the GA Torrey Pines Site. Transfers and shipment of these wastes are conducted under State of California license and

transoort requirements.

Procedures for radioactive waste handling, packaging and transport have been generated.

Specific persons have been designated to manage radioactive materials transfer and shipment from the site to assure compliance with NRC, DOT and state requirements.

No items.of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

9.

Indeoendent Measurements

In the course of the inspection, during a tour of the facility, the inspector made a survey of radiation levels in and around the building housing the Mark 1 and Mark F reactors.

The reactors were

not operating at the time of the survey. General radiation levels measured at approximately one meter above the floor level were in the normal background range of-0.0 to 0.1 niiltrads per hour as measured by the HRC Tissue Equivalent Digital Survey, Meter Model _ 10703 Serial #117 due for its next calibration on January 2,1981.

l No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.

10.

Exit Interview An exit interview was held with individuals identified in Paragraph 1 of this report by an asterisk.

The inspector reviewed the scope

and resul ts of the inspection.

There were no items of noncompliance , or deviations identified and no licensee commitments were sought or

i proposed.

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