IR 05000124/1987001
| ML20237H673 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000124 |
| Issue date: | 08/06/1987 |
| From: | Hosey C, Revsin B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20237H668 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-124-87-01, 50-124-87-1, NUDOCS 8708170308 | |
| Download: ML20237H673 (4) | |
Text
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UNITED ST ATES
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Report No.: 50-124/87-01 Licensee: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ATTN:
Dr. A. K. Furr, Director Health and Safety Programs Poultry Science Building Blacksburg, VA 24061 Docket No.: 50-124 License No.:
R-62 Facility Name: Virginia Tech Argonaut Reactor
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Inspection Conducted:
July 27-29, 1987 Inspector:
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K'. RevsiN Date Signed Approved by:
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C. M/ Hosey,vSection Chief Date Signed Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards SUMMARY Scope:
This special announced onsite inspection involved the area of cit,wout
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inspection and confirmatory survey of the decommissioning of the Virginia Tech
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Argonaut Reactor (VTAR).
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Results:
No violations or deviations were identified.
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REPORT DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted Licensee Employees A. K. Furr, Head, Department of Health and Safety.'
D. Smiley, Radiation Safety Officer Other Organizations M. Manning, Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc.
F. Gardner, Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc.
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G. Murphy,, Oak Ridge Associated Universities D. Styers, Oak Ridge Associated Universities
.2.
Exit Interview The inspection scope and findings were summarized on July 29, 1987, with those persons indicated in Paragraph 1 above.
The licensee did not identify as proprietary any of the materials provided to or reviewed by the inspector during this inspection.
3.
Licensee Action on Previous Enforcement Matters (92701, 92702)
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The VTAR was shutdown in July 1983, and dismantlement.and decommissioning commenced in September 1986.
This process was completed in January 1987.
As a consequence, enforcement items and inspector followup items identified during previous inspections no longer have applicability and are considered closed.
These items are 50-124/78-BF-01; 78-BU-07; 79-BU-19; 79-FI-04 : 79-01-01; 79-01-02; 79-01-03; 79-02-09; 82-01-01; 82-01-02; 82-01-03; 82-01-04; LER 81130; and 82-01-01.
4.
Closeout Inspection and Survey (83890)
a.
By letter dated July 17, 1986, the licersee forwarded for information purposes to the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)(, the plan developed by their contractor Chem-Nulcear Systems, Inc.
CNSI) for accomplishing the decommissioning of VTAR.
The plan included a discussion of the method that would be used for decontamination, the surveys that would be performed and the release criteria for the facility.
The NRC issued an Order on October 29, 1986, authorizing the dismantling of the facility and dispositica of the component parts.
By letter dated April 6, 1987, the licensee forwarded to NRR the l
final _ report for dismantlement and disposition (D&D) of VTAR and its facility and requested that the facility be released for unrestricted use.
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A survey to confirm the licensee's final survey was initiated by an NRC contractor, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (0RAU), on July 27, 1987.
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b.
Disposition of Special Nuclear Materials VTAR operation began in December 1959.
Originally licensed for a maximum power level of 10 kW Thermal (th), the reactor was later modified and the license amended to allow a maximum power level of 100 kW (th).
The VTAR was shutdown in July 1983 and a possession only license was issued in April 1985.
Other radioactive materials authorized by R-52 were a plutonium-berylluim (PuBe) startup source and one fission chamber.
All spent fuel onsite was shipped to Savannah River on December 20, 1985, and the remaining unirradiated fuel was shipped to the Department of Energy (D0E), Oak Ridge, TN on January 29 and February 4,1986.
The licensee maintained possession of the PuBe source and the fission chamber.
Authorization for possession of these materials was transferred to NRC License 45-09475-30 on February 6,1987.
The licensee informed the inspector that the reactor components and support equipment had been surveyed and all components with radiction levels in excess of the criteria specified by Table IV, Regulatory Guide 1.86, had been shipped offsite to a low level radioactive waste burial facility.
The inspector reviewed the shipping records dated November 20, 1986, December 8, 1986, December 11, 1986, December 19, 1986, and January 16, 1987, and confirmed that the reactor components, support equipment and activated concrete had been shipped to an authorized burial site.
Tours of the reactor cacility confirmed all material had been shipped except for plugs for the fuel storage cells, the polar crane and ventilation ductwork (see Paragraph 6).
c.
Confirmatory Surveys The NRC contracted with ORAU to perform the survey to confirm the survey data contain in the licensee's final report.
A survey team and associated equipment from ORAU were onsite during the time of the inspection to perform the survey.
Samples collected by ORAU were transported to the Oak Ridge laboratory for analysis.
The results of the in situ survey and sample analyses will be presented to the NRC in a~~draf t report by September 15, 1987, which is expected to be finalized by October 15, 1987.
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Exposure Records
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The last exposure attributable to licensee personnel from VTAR associated activity was during spent fuel movement and handling during the fourth quarter of 1985.
The highest exposure received by any single individual
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was 70 millirem whole body dose.
The VPI Radiation Safety Office will i
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continue to maintain the radiation exposure records for personnel who have been associated with the VTAR.
6.
Findings As a result of the cle.?out inspection, and review of the licensee's final report, the inspector. noted the following conditions related to the release of the VTAR facility for unrestricted use, a.
In performing the final survey, the licensee used NUREG-2082,
" Monitoring for compliance with Decommissioning Criteria," guidance.
The facility was divided into high potential, medium potential, low potential and special survey areas.
The number of grids surveyed in each of these art a was chostin to meet statistical criteria established for release of the area.
However, survey maps were not presented that denoted the surveyed grids so that the adequacy of the licensee's survey could be evaluated.
b.
Much of the facility ventilation ductwork and stack remained in place.
The final report failed to enumerate the survey data for this remaining ductwork.
c.
The stack vented to the roof of Robeson Hall.
No roof surveys had been performed by the licensee.
d.
Large amounts of concrete, piping, construction debris, etc. had been released from the f acility and disposed of in a landfill belonging to Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) and State University and located on VPI property.
Release surveys for this material were not available.
e.
Numerous samples of soil had been taken in the VTAR facility underneath the area where the reactor had been situated.
Neutron activation of soil had occurred in this area from reactor operation.
Activity up to 80 picocuries per gram of cobalt-60 had been determined to be present.
The disposition of this material was incomplete in that it remained in the facility.
In response to the above findings, the licensee indicated that an addendum to the final report would be submitted to the NRC.
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