IR 05000151/1993001
| ML20046A812 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | University of Illinois, 05000356 |
| Issue date: | 07/21/1993 |
| From: | Cox C, Mccormickbarge NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20046A808 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-151-93-01, 50-151-93-1, 50-356-93-01, 50-356-93-1, NUDOCS 9307300088 | |
| Download: ML20046A812 (6) | |
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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REGION Ill
Reports No. 50-151/93001(DRSS); 50-356/93001(DRSS)
Dockets No. 50-151; 50-356 Licenses No. R-115; R-117
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Licensee: University of Illinois Facility Name: -TRIGA and LOPRA Reactors-
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i Inspection At:
Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, Urbana, Illinois j
Inspection Conducted: July 6-8,1993 b h?I
d Inspector:
C. Cox Date
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Approved By:
[4} /[f#VmM 7/:2//49 i
aw v/J. W. McCormick-Barger, 'C ef Date /
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Emergency Preparedness and Non-Power Reactor Section inspection Summary Inspection on July 6-8. 1993 (Reports No. 50-151/93001(DRSS):
_i No. 50-356/93001(DRSS))
Areas Insfected:
Routine, announced inspection to review actions on:
organization, logs, and records; review and audit functions; requalification training; procedures; surveillance; experiments; fuel handling activities;
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emergency planning; radiation controls; radwaste management (40750); review of
periodic and special reports (90713); and transportation activitics (86740).
Results: Of the 11 areas inspected, no violations or concerns were
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identified.
The recordkeeping greatly improved from the last routine
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inspection. The reactor supervisor and the reactor health physicist had made great progress in proceduralizing the activities at the facility with more i
procedure improvements scheduled.
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DETAILS
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Persons Contacted University of Illinois
- B. G. Jones, Head, Department of Nuclear Engineering
- D. F. Hang, Acting Reactor Laboratory Director
- R. L. Holm, Reactor Supervisor
- M. Kaczor, Health Physicist
- Denotes those attending the exit meeting on July 8, 1993.
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General
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This inspection, which began on July 6, 1993, was conducted to examine
'j the research reactor program at the University of Illinois.
The facility was toured shortly after arrival.
The general housekeeping of the facility remains adequate.
Radiological protection practices were followed.
Beam ports and neutron columns were secured and locked.
Instrumentation, including radiation detectors, were calibrated.
The TRIGA reactor was operated on a 5-day work schedule from 1992 through July 1993.
The inspector observed a reactor startup, insertion
and removal of samples from the core, and performance ~ of the daily and weekly checklists.
The LOPRA reactor was operated a minimal amount of time for classroom
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experiments and to complete required surveillances during the same timeframe,
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Oraanization. Loas. and Records (40750.1 The facility organization was reviewed and verified to be consistent with the Technical Specifications (TS) and _ Safety Analysis Report (SAR).
The minimum staffing requirements were verified to be met during reactor operation, and fuel handling and refueling operations.
Changes in the facility organization included the acting Reactor Supervisor was made
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the Reactor Supervisor and a staff Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) was hired, but had not received his SR0 license at the time of the inspection.
l Major improvements in logs and recordkeeping were noted since the
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December 1991 inspection. The Reactor Supervisor and the Reactor Health
'I Physicist had proceduralized many of the recordkeeping and surveillance requirements to provide documentation of the technical specification requirements r
No violations or deviations were identified.
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4.
Reviews and Audits (40750)
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The licensee's Reactor Committee (RC) performed the function of reviewing activities at the facility. The RC oversight had significantly improved in' response to issues identified in Inspection Reports No. 50-151/91001(DRSS); No. 50-356/91001(DRSS). The RC meet more frequently than required by Technical Specification, mainly due to the reviews required by the installation of a new digi al control console. The RC meeting minutes were up-to-date and provided an accurate account of the items reviewed.
Especially noteworthy was the review of the experiment involving.the nuclear excitation of alkaline metal excimers.
Due to the reactive nature of the sodium in the
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experiment, the Reactor Supervisor correctly noted that the experiment required double encapsulation.
However, the double encapsulation failed when an experimenter inadvertently secured cooling water to the experiment resulting in experimental heatup and a seal failure in one of
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the barriers. The RC meeting minutes included a detailed investigation of the experiment failure which provided a valuable lessons learned for review of future experiments.
An annual audit was conducted in 1993 as part of the improvements in the oversight provided by the RC. The audit was conducted by a well qualified representative from a local nuclear utility. The audit report had not been completed by the time of the inspection so the results were not reviewed by the inspector.
l No violations or deviations were identified.
5.
Reaualification Trainino (40750)
The licensee's approved requalification program was reviewed and the records indicated that the requirements of the requalification program were being met. A new digital control console was installed in 1993 and training records indicated that requalification training included the operation of the new console.
No violations or deviations were identified.
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Procedures (40750)
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The inspector determined that the required procedures were available to
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the operators and the contents of selected procedures were found adequate. Major procedure improvements were noted. The inspector observed a routine reactor startup and accompanied the reactor operator.
and health physicist on the daily and weekly checklists and reviewed selected completed daily and weekly checklists.
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No violations or deviations were identified.
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Surveillance (40750)
The inspector reviewed the TRIGA surveillance procedures and test
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results for fuel, control rods, reactor safety systems, emergency spray cooling system, and radiation monitoring equipment. The LOPRA surveillance requirements for control rods, fuel, and safety system were also reviewed. Major improvements in surveillance recordkeeping and in the surveillance procedures were noted.
No violations or deviations were identified.
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Experiments (40750i The RC reviewed several new experiments, including the experiment mentioned in Section 4 of this report since the last inspection.
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reviews were properly documented and determined to be in accordance with
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requirements.
No violations or deviations were identified.
9.
Fuel Handlina (40750)
The facility fuel handling program was reviewed by the inspector. The review included the verification of approved procedures for fuel
handling and their technical adequacy in the areas of radiation protection, criticality safety, Technical Specification, and security
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plan requirements. The inspector determined by records review and i
discussions with personnel that fuel handling operations were carried -
j out in conformance to procedures.
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No violations or deviations were identified.
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Emeraency Plannina (40750)
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The inspector reviewed the emergency plan requirements, including drills-l and the emergency action levels-(EAls) identified in the emergency plan.
The evacuation drills were well documented and the drill frequency
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exceeded the plan requirements. The EAls were based on radiation levels and projected dose rates and were in accordance with regulations.
However, the radiati]n levels and doses in the EALs were not based on actual Area Radiation Monitor (ARM) readings or actual stack monitor readings which could lead to inconsistent classifications by the licensed operators. A review of the available ARM and stack monitor indications was planned to determine if the EALs could be revised to allow easier classification. No completion date was given to the inspactor No violations or deviations were identified.
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Radiation Control (40750)
Exposure rates for the facility personnel were well within regulatory limits.
Areas were properly posted.
Instruments were properly i
calibrated.
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Survey requirements for the facility were not well defined. While more
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than adequate dose rate and contamination surveys were conducted, there
were no procedural requirements for survey frequency. The strength of
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the licensee's radiation protaction program relied entirely on the experience of the reactor health physicist. The current health j
physicist had implemented a strong program based on his ten years of shipyard and commercial nuclear experience.
In preparation for the new 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 20 requirements for a radiation protection program, the reactor health physicist was l
proceduralizing his radiation protection program. Several of the
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completed procedures were reviewed by the inspector.
No violations or deviations were identified.
12.
Radwaste (40750)
The licensee was in the process of an annual sorting and classification of solid radwaste. The annual sorting was a method used to reduce the amount of solid radwaste. All solid radwaste would then be transferred
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to the campus health physics group for disposal.
A review of the liquid radwaste records indicated all discharges were well within regulatory limits for 1992 through July 1993.
Argon 41 was routinely released with all releases being well within the
'I licensee's technical specification limits. The only other gaseous effluent released from the facility was a small amount of Tritium released from the evaporation of the pool water.
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No violations or deviations were identified.
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13.
Review of Periodic and Special Reports (90713)
The inspector reviewed the 1991 and 1992 annual reports and determined that the reports were submitted in a timely manner and contained the information required by Technical Specifications.
14.
Transportation Activities (86740)
The inspector reviewed the licensee's spent fuel shipping program for
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compliance with the requirements in Department of Transportation (DOT)
and NRC regulations, 49 CFR Parts 172 and 173 and 10 CFR Part 71, respectively.
Byproduct material was transferred from the byproduct and reactor licenses only to customers who had a valid NRC or Agreement State license that authorized the type and quantity of material.
No violations or deviations were identified.
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15.
Exit Interview (30703)
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The inspector met with licensee representatives denoted in Paragraph 1 during and at the conclusion of the inspection on July 8,1993. The inspector summarized.the scope and results of the inspection and discussed the likely content of this inspection report. The licensee acknowledged the information and did not indicate that any of the-information disclosed during the inspection could be considered
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proprietary in nature.
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