IR 05000155/1978014
| ML19261B830 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 01/16/1979 |
| From: | Fisher W, Schumacher M NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19261B824 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-155-78-14, NUDOCS 7903070301 | |
| Download: ML19261B830 (6) | |
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT
REGION III
Report No. 50-155/78-14 Docket No. 50-155 License No. DPR 5 Licensee:
Consumers Power Company 212 West Michigan Avenue Jackson, MI 49201 Facility Name: Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant Inspection At:
Big Rock Point Site, Charlevoix, MI Inspection Conducted:
December 11-14, 1973
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Inspector:
M. C. Schumacher
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f Approved Ey.
W. L. I14he7, hkef
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Fuel Facility Projects and Radiation Support Section Inspec t ion Surr. iry Inspection on December 11-14, 1978 (Report No. 50-155/78-14)
Areas 1 spected:
Inspection of radioactive waste systems, including:
effluent releases; records and reports of effluents; effluent control instrumentation; procedures for controlling releases; containment air-cleaning systems; reactor coolant water qualitv; solid radioactive waste.
The inspection involved 31 inspector-hours on site by one NRC inspector.
Results: No items of noncompliance or deviations were identif _ed.
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DETAILS 1.
_ Persons Contacted
- C, J. Ilartman, Plant Sup,erint er ien t
- C.
E. Axtell, Health Physicist
- T. M. Brun, Chemical and Radiation Protection Supervisor
- D.
E. DeMoor, Technical Engineer
- G.
D. Gilbody, QA Engineer T. R. Fisher, QA Inspector R. M. Brun, Senior Secretary
- denotes those attending the exit interview on December 14, 1978.
2.
General This inspection, which began at approximately 1:00 p.m. on December 10, 1978, was conducted to examine licensee activities with regard to radwaste management., Visits were made to selected areas within containment, turbine building, control room, and radwaste.
Radiological conditions within the plant appeared good.
No problems of significance were noted.
3.
Previous Inspection Findirgs (Closed) Infraction (155/78-05): Unauthorized disposal of licensed material.
Corrective actions in accordance with licensee's letter dated October 6, 1978 was confirmed.
Liquid Effluents Records of 19 liquid waste batches released through December 11, 1978, were reviewed. All regulatory requirements pertaining to liquid releases appeared to have been satisfied.
The inspector confirmed that the January to Jure 1978 report of releases was corroborated by the data for the individual releases.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
5.
Airborne Effluents Records of airborne releases for 1978 through November were reviewed. The records included daily offgas ramples (gross counted), isotopically analyzed offgas samples, and analyses-2-
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of stack iodine and particulate filters.
Noble gas releases are
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calculated from offgas samples with appropriate allowance for holdup and decay.
The four methods used on site for determining release rate are, in descending order of preference: GeLi iso-topic analysis with TASC-2 analysis, sodium iodide analysis with isotopic mixture analysis, gross gamma well counter with decay factor based on most recent isotopic analys*s, and use of plot of offgas monitor units against release rate.
Noble gas release rates ranged between 350 and 1100soci/s for the period, less than 1 percent of technical specification limits.
A detailed review of onsite records for the second quarter showed good agreement with data reported in the January-June 1978 effluent report for noble gases and iodines plus particulates.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
6.
Solid Radioactive Waste The licensee's solid waste handling facilites are minimal.
Spent demineralize resins are collected in two underground tanks, the resin disposal tank and the concentrated waste storage tank.
The shipping cask ir placed adjacent to the ground le,el access to the tanks and 1 iled by repeating a series of cycles. consisting of alternately sluicing to and dewatering from the cask.
Spent filters are transferred in a shielded container to shipping liners stored in an underground vault in a fenced area adjacent to the security area.
Trash is collected in plastic bags in a designated area near the machine shop and then ransferred to the baler house inside the fenced area above.
The trash is compacted into drums stored above ground inside the fenced area, which is properly posted and secured. The liceasee estimates a dose of approximately three man-rems at yibutable to all aspects of solid radwaste handling in 1977.
The records of five solid waste shipments made in 1978 through November were reviewed.
All appeared to meet regulatory require-ments.
The licensee possessed required documentation pertaining to the shipping casks.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
7.
Records and Reports of Effluents The licensee's semiannual report for the period January to June 1978 was reviewed, together with records of gaseous and liquid 1/
BRP Plant, Annual Occupational Exposure Report for 1977.
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effluents and solid radioactive shipments.
The records were
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satisfactory and reports were submitted as required.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
8.
Effluent Control Instrumentation Process and effluent monitor calibrations and tests, including alarm setpoints and autoraatic actions, and monitor operability were reviewed for 1978.
Calibrations included liquid source calibrations of the stack, canal, radwaste, condensate, and service water monitors done in March 1978, as well as monthly and quarterly calibration checks required by Technical Specification 6.4.3.
The inspector observed that background levels on the radwaste monitor had been significantly reduced with the additien of shielding and more ef fective decontamination practices.
Possible problems with noble gas capture by charcoal cartridges were discussed. The licensee has no installed real time iodine monitors.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
9.
Reactor Coolant k'ater Quality Selected records of daily reactor coolant surveillance for radioactivity, pH, conductivity, chloride, boron, and SiO 2 were reviewed.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
10.
Procedures Thefollowingradwasteprocedures,appedoramendedsincethe radwaste inspection of January 1978,- were reviewed.
RCP2, Revision 4, July 20, 1978:
" Analysis of Of f gas" RCP6, Revision 6, August 15, 1978:
" Analysis of Stack Gas Filters" RCP7, Revision 4, April 20, 1978:
" Analysis of Liquid Radioactive Batch" RIP 14, Revision 1, April 26, 1978:
" Liquid Calibration of Process Monitors" 2/
RIII Inspection Report No. 155/78-01.
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No problems were identified in the above procedures.
RIP 17, Revision 2, June 9, 1978:
" Calibration of Liquid Process Monitor" It was noted that the 1 mR/hr calibration point was not always achievable on the radwaste monitor.
Licensee representatives stated that the procedure would be altered to reflect this.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
11.
Facilities Radiation protection facilities at access control are being improved by the addition of approximately 250 square feet of space formerly occupied by the laundry. The laundry has been moved to a location above the turbine operating deck.
12.
Containment Air Cleaning System Offgas particulate removal is provided by a high efficiency filter in a vault at the base of the stack.
The filter is changed at refueling outages.
Provisions for in-place effi-ciency testing were not made in its design, according to licensee representatives.
13.
IE Circulars IEC 77-14, " Separation of Contaminated Water Systems from Non-contaminated Plant Systems." The licensee's review concluded that the well supplied domestic water system was isolated from contaminated plant systems.
Demineralized water is also fed from well water but is separated by an air gap and a subsequent sand filter.
An event involving contaminationofpo3pionsofthedemineralizedwatersystenwas recently described.-
Subsequent to this occurrence, the licensee relapped two leaky check valves and designated two additional valves to be maintained locked to prevent recurrence.
Flushing of the demineralizgd system has resulted in low level contamination (approximately 10 uC1/ml) only in the portion of the system inside containment.
The entire demineralized water system has been posted and monthly surveillance at five locations instituted.
14.
Exit Interview The inspection results were reviewed with Mr. Hartman and others of the station staf f at a meeting on December 14, 1978, The 3/
RIII Inspection Report No. 155/78-05.
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inspector stated that no items of noncompliance had been identified.
He noted that plant cleanliness and radiological conditions appeared good.
Radioactive effluents appeared to be well documented and reported releeses were in agreement with plant records.
Radwaste monitor operation appeare.d much improved with lower backgrounds.
Calibrations were satisfactory but the procedures for solid source calibration needed modification to recognize that a 1 mR/hr calibration point cannot always be achieved. Corrective action following contamination of the demineralized water system appeared satisfactory.
The licensee stated that the calibration procedures would be revised.
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