IR 05000184/1996003
| ML20138H575 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | National Bureau of Standards Reactor |
| Issue date: | 12/30/1996 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20138H572 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-184-96-03, 50-184-96-3, NUDOCS 9701060122 | |
| Download: ML20138H575 (8) | |
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION I
Docket No: 50-184 License No: TR-5 Report No: 96-03 Licensee: U. S. Department of Commerce Facility: National Bureau of Standards Reactor Location: National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 Dates: November 5-8,1996 Inspector: Thomas F. Dragoun, Project Scientist i
Approved by: John R. White, Chief, Radiation Safety Branch Division of Reactor Safety 9701060122 961230 "
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l EXECUTIVE SUMMARY National Institute of Standards and Technology
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NRC Inspection Report No. 50-184/96-03 i
The overall conduct of operations was good, including management oversight ar.d control, organizational manning, staff qualifications, and facility maintenance. Procedures were i followed, and facility surveillance and performance documentation was well maintained.
l Actions were initiated to update the Safety Analysis Report, and updates of system
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drawings to reflect current modifications were expected to the completed within 6 month Minor maintenance items were identified during shift tours and quickly repaired.
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Report Details Summarv of Plant Status The reactor was operated continuously at 20 Megawatt l 01 Conduct of Operations 01.1 Oraanization and Operations and Maintenance Activities
! Inspection Scope (Inspection Procedure 39745) i i
The inspector reviewed: I e organization and staffing, ;
e administrative controls, ;
e the console log, and
- observed shift turnover ,
l Observations and Findinas The operating staff has been stable for several years, however, 25% of the operating staff are currently eligible to retire. Management has been able to recruit replacement operators as needed. Morale and motivation among the operators 1 appears to be high. Staffing on all shifts exceeds minimum requirements specified l in the T Logs were clear and descriptive. Data records indicated that the facility was operated within parameters specified in the T Tours of equipment areas using a checklist were conducted each shift. Minor maintenance items identified during the tour were repaired during the shift. Items requiring additional expertise were placed on the equipment status board. A senior operator, who is the designated equipment expert, made the necessary repairs when he reported for shift duty. Also, the status of these items was discussed during the shift turnove A highly structured preventative maintenance program was coordinated by a senior operator. Records were good and the program appeared to be effective in minimizing breakdowns. However, the inspector noted that routine maintenance on the emergency diesel-generators, such as crankcase oil and fuel filter changes, was l not done by the staff, but relied on site mechanics. Records indicated the last visit i by site mechanics occurred over a year ago, but did not indicate what maintenance was performed or the schedule being followed. The Division Chief stated that actions would be taken to ensure that the manufacturers' recommendations for maintenance were implemented. The inspector noted that monthly checks of automatic starting of the diesel generators, required by TS 5.8, were satisfactory.
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1 Conclusions '
Staffing requirements in TS 7.1 were satisfied. Minor maintenance items were !
quickly identified and repaire i l
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01.2 Fuel Movement Inspection Scooe (Insoection Procedure 60745)
The inspector reviewed: )
e Fuel handling procedures, e Fuel accountability, o burnup calculations, and e spent fuel pool criticality consideration I Observations and Findinas I No procedure changes were required as a result of the modification of the reactor head manipulating arms and relocation of proximity sensors in the spent fuel transfer tub Accountability records for individual elements and burnup calculations were well maintained and appeared acceptabl Spent fuel pool criticality calculations were based on high density racking of highly ,
reactive new fuel. This was considered conservativ l Conclusions Fuel was properly handled and appropriate records were maintaine Operational Status of Facilities and Equipment 02.1 Surveillance Inspection Scope (Insoection Procedure 61745)
The inspector reviewed:
e surveillance procedures, e surveillance data, and e limiting conditions of operatio . _ . _ _ ._ ,
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i b. Observations and Findinas Surveillances were conducted in accordance with a monthly schedule issued by the l deputy chief nuclear engineer, who also verified their completion. Surveillances
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were coordinated by a senior operator, who also maintained the record i Surveillance procedures and the data were filed together in one of the 365 folders labeled for each day of the year. Records were readily retrievabl c. fd2pclusions
The safety equipment surveillances required by TS section 5.0 were completed as !
require f 03 Operations Procedures and Documentation i Inspection Scope (Inspection Procedure 42745) i The inspector reviewed: ;
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e operating procedures, and '.
e adherence to procedure ,
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b. Observations and Findinas j I
I Operating procedures for equipment modified during the last major outage were
reviewed for updates. Identification of changes and coordination of staff input was l
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assigned to one SRO. A review indicated that all necessary changes were completed, appeared to be appropriate, and were approved by the deputy chief nuclear engineer. Reviews of changes by the safety evaluation committee, as - ;
specified in TS 7.2 (1), were conducted for systems determined to be safety '
significant by the chief nuclear engineer.
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Facility procedures, and changes thereto, satisfied TS 7.8 requirement !
l 05 Operator Training and Qualification
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- Insoection Scope (Inspection Procedure 41745)
The inspector reviewed:
e active license status, e records of reactivity manipulations,.
i- o medical examinations, and
! o written examinations.
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l Observations and Findinas
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- - Requalification status and medical evaluations were up to date. Annual written j exams covered required subject areas and were technically challengin ' Conclusions
! The requalification program satisfied the requirements in 10 CFR 55.
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07 Quality Assurance in Operations
j- 07.1 Review and Audit and Desian Chanoe Functions
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" Inspection Scope (Inspection Procedure 40745) The inspector reviewed:
o Safety Evaluation Committee g6EC) membership and minutes of meeting, o Safety Audit Committee (SAC) membership and annual audit, and e Engineering changes under 10 CFR 50.5 Observations and Findinas SEC meetings were held as required and provided appropriate oversight of reactor operation The SAC audit, completed in September 1996, reviewed the conduct of maintenance, staffing, SEC activities, health physics program, changes to the cold source, and followup of unusual events. No program weaknesses were identifie A project to update the safety analysis report has been underway for several years although the facility is exempt from 10 CFR 50.71(e). The SRO in charge of the update indicated that, in response to recent NRC concerns over SAR accuracy at all reactors, a revised SAR may be submitted after the electrical system drawings are updated to capture changes made during the extended outage. The electrical engineering supervisor stated that a contracted draftsman was temporarily hired and a permanent position created to deal with the drawing backlog. He also stated that updated drawings would be available in 6 months. This matter will be reviewed in a future inspection (Inspector Followup Item 50-184/96-03-01).
A review of Engineering Change Notices indicated that the change evaluations required by 10 CFR 50.59 were completed. However, the licensee's supporting basis and rationale for concluding the absence of an unreviewed safety question was not always apparent or identified. The Division Chief stated that the methods of recording the considerations made during the 10 CFR 50.59 review and delineation of management acceptance of the results as a separate line item will be considered. This matter will be reviewed in a future inspection (Inspector Followup Item 50-184/96-03-02).
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- Conclusions Review and oversight functions required by TS 7.2 and 7.3 were completed in an acceptable manne P1 Conduct of EP Activities Scoce (Insoection Procedure 82745) I 1 .
4 The inspector reviewed:
- changes to the emergency plan,
- * changes to implementing procedures,
- facilities, equipment, and supplies, e exercises, and
- training.
f Observations and Findinas l A licensee safety analysis for replacement of the helium cold source with a i
hydrogen cold source concluded that no change to the emergency plan was required. The analysis appeared to be reasonable.
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The only recent program changes included a different personnel accountability )
system to be used during evacuations and minor procedure update !
i i In lieu of a biennial exercise, a bomb threat in August 1995 was critiqued with the l staf Conclusions I
The emergency plan was properly implemente ]
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X1 Exit interview (Inspection Procedure 30703)
The inspector presented the inspection results to members of licensee management at the conclusion of the inspection on November 8,1996. The licensee acknowledged the findings presente i
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PARTIAL LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED Licensee -
l D. Brady, Electrical Engineer
L. Lindstrom, Senior Reactor Operator T. Myers, Senior Reactor Operator J. Rowe, Chief, Reactor Radiation Division M. Suthar, Senior Mechanical Engineer J. Torrence, Deputy Chief Nuclear Engineer INSPECTION PROCEDURES USED
, IP 30703: ENTRANCE AND EXIT INTERVIEWS IP 39745 CLASS I NON-POWER REACTORS ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS AND i
MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES IP 40745 CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR REVIEW AND AUDIT AND DESIGN CHANGE FUNCTIONS IP 41745 CLASS l NON-POWER REACTOR OPERATOR LICENSES, REQUALIFICATION, i AND MEDICAL ACTIVITIES
IP 42745 CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR PROCEDURES ;
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IP 60745 CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR FUEL MOVEMENT i IP 61745 CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR SURVEILLANCE IP 82745 CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS i
ITEMS OPENT.D, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED Opened 50-184/96-03-01 IFl Updat s engineering drawings within six months 50-184/96-03-02 IFl Modify change approval records to delineate 10 CFR 50.59 considerations Closed None LIST OF ACRONYMS USED CFR Code of Federal Regulations IFl Inspector Followup item IP Inspection procedure NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission SAC Safety Audit Committee SAR Safety Analysis Report SEC Safety Evaluation Committee SRO Senior reactor operator TS Technical Gpecifications