IR 05000225/1981004

IE Insp Repts 50-225/81-04 & 70-0920/81-02 on 810908-11. No Noncompliance Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Organization & Operation,Measurement Controls,Storage & Internal Control, Inventory & Records & Repts

ML20031F917
Person / Time
Site:	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 07000920
Issue date:	09/23/1981
From:	Della Ratta A, Joyner J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:
Shared Package
ML20031F911	List: IR 05000225/1981004
References
50-225-81-04, 50-225-81-4, 70-0920-81-02, 70-920-81-2, NUDOCS 8110200551
Download: ML20031F917 (8)

Text

I

.

.

.

.

U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

REGION I

50-225/81-04 Report Nos. 70-920/81-02 50-225 CX-22 Docket Nos.70-920 License Nos.

SNM-910 Safeguards Group

Licensee:

Rensselaer polytechnic Institute Troy, New York 12181 Facility Name:

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Critical Experiments Facility Inspection At:

Troy & Schenectady, New York Inspection Conducted:

September 8-11, 1981 Date of Last Material Control & Accounting Inspection:

November 9, 1979 Type of Inspection: Unannounced Material Control & Accounting Inspectors:

0b/$$. ha2ft, 9-22 -si A. DellaRatth, Auditor date Approved by:

M ato M h ot/

9-2.3 Er/

g/ H. Joyner, fcf.ing' Chief, Material date Control and Aeduntability Section, Technical Inspection Branch Inspection Summary:

Inspection on September 8-11. 1981 (Report Nos. 50-225/81-04 and 70-920/81-02)

Areas Inspected: Organization and operation; measurement controls; storage and internal control; inventory; records ~and reports; and management of materials control system.

The inspection was initiated during regular working hoars and involved 23 inspector-hours onsite by one NRC inspector.

Results: The licensee was found to be in compliance with NRC requirements in the areas examined during the inspection.

1. 81102005S1 81100d ~

ppR,ADOCK 05000225; PDR O4

- -

.

-

.

_ _ _ _ - _ _ _ - - _ - _ - _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _,

__

_ __

_

__

__

.

.

'

.

L REPORT DETAILS 1.

P * sons Contacted

i'

• R. M. Ryan, Director, Office of Radiation & Nuclear Safety, Troy Campus

• D.

R. Harris, Director, Critical Facility, Schenectady F. J. Mastrianni, Assistant to Director, Office of Radiation &

Nuclear Safety R. Slov^tek, MBA Custodian, KAPL

• Denotes those present at the exit interview.

2.

Licensee Action on Previous Inspection Findings There were no items of noncompliance on the previous inspection (Report

'

Nos. 50-225/79-03 and 70-920/79-01).

3.

Exit Interview The inspector met with the licensee representatives (identified in Paragraph 1) at both sites at the conclusion of the inspection on September 10 and 11, 1981.

The inspector summarized the scope and findings of the inspection.

4.

MC 927138 - Independent Inspection Effort No items of noncompliance were noted. The inspector walked through various areas of the laboratory and critical facility to observe their

,

operation.

' ntrol and Accounting, Facility 5.

MC 85102B, 85202B/852048 - Material

Organization and Operation No items of noncompliance were noted. The inspection results were attained through discussions with licensee management and review of the licensee's Special Nuclear Materials Procedure Manual, which is incorporated into the " Radiation Safety Regulations and Procedures". The critical facility core loading has been modified to reduce the required quantity of enriched uranium belcw 5 kilograms of U-235.

The total site inventory of SNM was 5,298.26 grams of U-23S. Of this amount 4,951.92 grams was in the core and the remaining 346.34 grams was stored in the vault. Arrangements are underway to transfer 307.72 grams U-235 located in the vault to the RPI main campus in Troy, New York, under SNM License No. 910. The transfer is expected to be completed by the end of September, 1981.

.

-

-

-

-

-

.

._

.

. -

--

.__

.

.

,

.

6.

MC 85206B - Maasurement Controls No items of noncompliance were noted. The inspection results were attained l

through:

(1) a tour of the facilities and, (2) review of sealed source leak test records.

License Condition 11 of NRC License SNM-910 requires that each plutonium and Pu-238 source be tested for leakage at intervals i

not exceeding six months.

Verification of the presence of the sources, at the various storage locations, and a review of the control log indicated that the licensee had complind with this requirement.

The records indicated that the smear tests were performed on July 16, 1980, January 15, and July 14,1981.

'

There was no burnup reported by the licensee for the critical facility

,

due to the low operating power level and infrequency of use.

7.

MC 85210B - Storage and Internal Control No items of noncompliance were noted. The inspector reviewed the licensee's SNM file system which provides knowledge of the quantity and location of all SNM at the two facilities. A crosscheck of the SNM records was performed by the inspector, as stated in the section on Physical Inventory.

8.

MC 85212B - Physical Inventory No items of noncompliance were noted. The inspector performed an inventory verification on September 9 and 10 of the material held under License No.

SNM-910 at the RPI compus site. The licensee's most recent physical inventory listing (as of September 23,1980) was used as the basis for the verification. All items on the listing were located and identified by serial number or other identifying marking.

The inventory verification at the critical facility was perfor, Tad by the inspector on September 10, 1981. The critical facility inventory consisted of 12 fuel plates and 600 disc foils in the storage vault and 176 fuel plates in the core. The core map was compared, by a visual check, to the fuel assemblies in the core. No discrepancies were noted.

9.

MC 852168 - Records and Reports No items of noncompliance were noted. The inspection results were attained through: (1) review of all Material Transaction Reports (Form NRC-741)

filed by the licensee for the period October 1,1979 through March 31,

,

1981, to verify compliance with 10 CFR 70.54, and (2) a 100% audit of Material Status Reports (Form NRC-742) for periods ending March 31 and September 30, 1980 and March

.1, 1981, to verify compliance with 10 CFR 70.53. Material balance summaries for the period covered by the inspection are shown in Exhibits I through IV.

. -

-

- - - -

-

--

.

.

,

10. MC 852188 - Management of Materials Control System No items of noncompliance noted. Written procedures employed by the licensee for the control of special nuclear material were acceptable and were being.mpiemented by the personnel charged with accountability responsibilitie.

.

i i

Exhibit I Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute D/N 70-920 L/N SNM-910

-

Material Balance Summary October 1,1979 - March 31,1981 Urani2m-233 RIS:ZSX Grams Uranium U-233 Beginning Inventory @ 10/1/79 360 351 Ending Inventory 0 3/31/81(I)

360 351

_

(1)

1 Fission Chamber

1 1 Al Fuel Rod

3 11 Zr Fuel Rods 333 328 1 Long Foil

19 360 351

..

. -

- _. - _ - -

._ =.

_ _ - = _ _ -. -

_

'

-

.

$

-

i

'

i Exhibit II

.

f Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute D/N 70-920

-

L/N SNM-910 50-225 CX-22 t

i Material Balance Summary October 1, 1979 - March 31, 1981 i

~ Enriched Uranium RIS:ZSX Grams Uranium U-235 i

Beginn'ing Inventory 9 10/1/79 12,072 11,236

'

Receipts

1 I

'

I Material to Account For 12,074 11,237 Removals 6,123 5,700 U)

Ending Inventory 0 3/31/81 5,951 5,537 Materials Accounted For 12,074 11,237 p

b)

8 Plates 253 236

600 Disc Foils

10

'

188 Fuel Plates 5,611 5,288

7 Fission Chambers

3 Detectors

Powder 5,951 5,537

__

• 1ess than 1 gram

A

.

-

m m

.

.

.

m

.

m

.

.

.

.

.

.

-

.

--.-

m

...i

I

~

l

-

.

,

.

Exhibit III Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute D/N 70-920 L/N SNM-910

-

Material Balance Summary October 1, 1979 - March 31, 1981 Plutonium-238 RIS:ZSX Grams Plutonium PU-238 Beginneing Inventory @ 10/1/79 0.30 0.20 Ending Inventory @ 3/31/81 (I)

0.30 0.20 (I)

Source, Serial No. MRC-41

-

- -

-

-

-

..

..

.

-

.

Exhibit IV Rensselaer Polytechnic Ir.stitute New York State License No. 1035 D/N 70-920 L/N SNM-910

-

50-225 CX-22 Material Balance Summary October 1,1979 - March 31,1981 Plutonium RIS:ZSX Grams Plutonium Pu-239, 241 Beginning Inventory @ 10/1/79 397 375 Receipts

90 Material To Account For 493 465 Removals

0 Ending Inventory @ 3/31/81(I)

493 465 Material Accounted For 493 4_65 (I)

1 PuBe Source No. M-734

74 (License CX-22)

1 PuBe Source No. MRC-330

47 1 PuBe Source No. M-89

14 1 PuBe Source No. M-90

14 1 PuBe Source No. M-91

14 1 PuBe Source No. M-96

2 1 PuBe Source No. M-97

2 1 PuBe Source No. M-1149

91 1 PuBe Source No. 963-S-55

91 1 Accident Dosimeter (Critical

1 Facility)

2 Discs (Foils)

25 (License SNM-910)

1 PuBe Source No. N320C39

30 1 PuBe Source No. N320C30

30 1 PuBe Source No. N320C31

30 (NYS License No. 1035)

.

'

493 465 s

--.

-

-