IR 05000263/1978002

Insp Rept 50-263/78-02 on 780221-24.Violations Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Radioactive Waste Sys,Including Effluent Releases,Records & Repts of Effluents,Effluent Control Instrumentation & Procedures Controlling Releases

ML20056B607
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	03/14/1978
From:	Fisher W, Miller D NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:
Shared Package
ML20056B603	List: IR 05000263/1978002 ML20056B602 ML20058K454
References
50-263-78-02, 50-263-78-2, NUDOCS 9102070603
Download: ML20056B607 (8)

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(, U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT i

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REGION III l

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Report N /78-02

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Docket N License No. DPR-22 Licensee: Northern States Power Company 414 Nicollet Mall i Minneapolis, MN 55401 Facility Name: Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant I

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Inspection At: Monticello Si'te, Monticello, MN

l Inspection Conducted: February 21-24, 1978

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I l Inspector: D. E. Miiler 3 / N7[

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i Approved By: W. L. Fisher, Chief 17s!/C//7<h ,

Fuel Facility Projects and .

( Radiation Support Section '

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Inspection Summary Inspection on February 21-24, 1978 (report No. 50-263/78-02)

Areas Inspected: Routine, unannounced inspection.of radioactive vaste systems, 3 luding: effluent releases; records and reports  ;

of ef fluents; t, .auent control instrumentation; procedures control-  ;

ling releases; containment air-cleaning systems; reactor coolant i vater quality; solid radioactive vaste; licensee event reports; and *

past unresolved items and commitment The inspection involved 30 i inspector-hours onsite by one NRC inspector.

' Results: Of the nine areas inspected, no items of noncompliance i were identified in eight areas; one apparent item of noncompliance  !

vas identified in one area (infraction - failure to perform required  ;

containment purge sampling and analysis - Paragraph 10). 'l I

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( DETAILS

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1. Persons Contacted ,

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- *L. Eliason, Plant Manager t

• Clarity, Plant Engineering and Radiation Protection  ;

Superintendent j

• F. Fey, Radiation Protection Engineer j

• L. Nolan, Engineer  ;

R. Jacobson, Chemist _

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• J. Windschill, Health Physicist P. Yurczyk, Radiation Protection Coordinator j J. Peterson, Chemistry Coordinator l

The inspectors also contacted three other radiation protection

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specialist during the course of the inspectio ;

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• Denotes those present at the exit intervie ,

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2. General This inspection, which began with a plant tour and visual  !

observation of facilities and equipment at 8:00 a.m. on j February 21, 1978, was conducted to examine the radwaste  !

aspects of routine plant operations, a previous unresolved l

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1 item, previous commitments made by the licensee, and review ,

of a licensee event repor I i

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3. Licensee Action on Previous Inspection Findings .

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(Closed) Unresolved Item (50-263/77-05)

Concerning the technical  !

specification requirement for containment purge sampling and ,

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analysis. Further review during this inspection resulted in l j issuance of an item of noncomplianc (Paragraph 10)  !

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! (Closed) Commitment (50-263/77-05): Concerning the needed  ;

! revision of Surveillance Record No. 0230 " Stack / Vent Noble l I Gas Waste Effluent." The record has been satisfactorily i revise (Paragraph 5.b). >

, i j (Open) Commitment (50-263/77-05): Concerning the needed i revision of calibration Procedure 0163 " Stack Gas Monitor

! Quarterly Calibration." The licensee is currently preparing a  ;

revisio ;

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(- Procedures

i During the course of the inspection, the following revised j procedures were specffically reviewed. No problems were _

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Chemistry Procedure 1.3.12. " Stack / Vent Charcoal-Particulate" 1 Chemistry Procedure 1.3.20, "Drywell Atmosphere Radioactivity

' Sampling" j Chemistry Procedure 1.3.23, "Drywell Charcoal-Particulate-Noble i i

< Gas" j Special Procedure 8060, " Procedure for Shipping Waste from the l

Fuel Pool Using the NECO B3-1 Cask" *

1 Calibration Procedure 1031. " Hopper Monitor Calibration" {

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l Surveillance Record 0230, " Stack / Vent Noble Gas Waste Effluents" .

i Surveillance Record 0237, " Containment Principal Gamma Emitters" i Surveillance Record 0244, " Containment Tritium"  !

. Gaseous Radwaste

j Augmented Off-Gas System

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! The system remains as previously described (50-263/77-05). i

} According to licensee personnel and review of licensee  ;

I records, condenser air inleakage and gas decay tank gross =

radioactivity is determined weekly, and the maximum gross l f radioactivity permitted in one gas decay tank'was not

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exceeded. No problems were identifie j

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! Noble Gas Releases [

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263/77-05). The inspector reviewed records of quarterly  !

l calibrations and monthly functional tests performed on the l j stack and vent noble gas monitors de-ing calendar year j

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1977. No problems were identifi i As previously committed (50-263/77-05), the licensee has revised Surveillance Record 0230, " Stack / Vent Noble Gas ,

, Waste Effluents." This revision formalizes and clarifies "

i the off-gas stack conversion factor.and noble gas monitor  !

I calibration. The inspector reviewed the revision and  !

identified no-problem l l >

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k Particulate. Iodine, and Tritium Releases ,

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I The monitoring and sampling systems remain as previously *

described (50-263/77-05). The inspector reviewed records  ;

of gaseous vaste sampling and analysis for calendar year '

1977. The requirements of Technical Specification 2.4. ,

appear to have been met. No problems were identified.

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4 Compliance with Technical Specification Requirement for

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Reporting f j I

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l The inspector reviewed the licensee's Effluent and Vaste {

i Disposal Semiannual Report for the periods January 1 through '

l June 30, 1977 and July I through December 31, 1977. These

reports appear to meet the intent of Regulatory Guide 1.21,The  ;

] Revision 1, as required by the technical specification :

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1 inspector selectively reviewed licensee sample records and 1 surveillance records from which the effluent releases are I i quantified. No problems were identified.

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4 Liquid Radwaste

i No liquid radwaste releases were made during calendar year

1977. Waste liquids continue to be recycled for reuse in,the

) reactor coolant system or used in processing of solid waste [

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The licensee's surveillance records for liquid radwaste storage jI activity and discharge canal and effluent monitor calibration I and functional tests were selectively reviewed. No problems  ;

were identified.

4 Solid Radwaste i

The licensee's radwaste solidification system remains out of  !

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operations awaiting completion of modifications. In the interim, mobile solidification services continue to be con-tracted. In addition, several shipments of compacted waste and ,

i solid core components have been made. Review of the licensee's l i

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waste disposal records revealed no discrepancies from the vaste I disposal data reported in the Effluent and Waste Disposal .'

l Semiannual Reports for calendar year 197 ,

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The inspector reviewed Licensee Event Report 78-01 concerning l

discovery of nonconforming bolts on a Model B3-1 shipping cas ;

f This cask is authorized by NRC Certificate of Compliance 6058.

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The licensee's corrective action, return of the empty cask to l

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its owner, appears to be adequate. The inspector contacted the I

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cask owner, who stated that all other B3-1 casks were inspected i and found to be in conformanc The subject cask will be held out of service until adequate corrective action is completed and a quality assurance inspection report is sent to the NRC Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety. Licensee Event J Report 78-01 is considered close I  ;

The licensee is using the B3-1 cask to ship used reactor vessel components for offsite burial. These components have large i

amounts of induced radioactivity and are significantly contam-inated with dispersible radioactive materials. The components are placed in an open liner and the liner placed in the cask underwater. The cask and liner are designed to allow draining

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of the trapped water before shipment. The inspector questioned ~

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if the cask use was permitted by NRC Certificate of Compliance 1 6058 and contacted the appropriate NRC division for clarificatio Shipment as described above appears to be acceptable only if the dispersible material does not exceed Type A quantities. The inspector found that the licensee has not determined the contam-ination quantity or transport group. The inspector discussed with the licensee the need to determine conformance with cask use requirements before future use. This matter remains unresolved pending licer ;ee action and subsequent inspector review.

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The inspector reviewed the licensee's method of determining

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packaging requirements for spent resin shipment and disposa The licensee performs gamma isotopic analyses onsite and contracts an outside laboratory to perform Transport Group 1 and 2 1sotopic analyses. The licensee's method of assimilating the information to quantify each transport group, and thereby establish the limiting transport group fo. pack-aging, is very informal and difficult to reconstruct. The

inspector discussed with the licensee the desirability of formalizing their procedures which determine Type A and B quantities in accordance with 10 CFR 71.4(q).

8. Reactor Coolant Water Quality

The inspector reviewed the tests performed routinely on the reactor coolant and found that they apparently comply with technical specification requirements for frequency and conten No problems were noted in this area.

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(, Standby Gas Treatment System The licensee's surveillance records for calendar year 1977 were l reviewed. No discrepancies from the technical specification i

requirements were noted. No significant system operability !

problems were identified during testin l 1 Containment Purge According to licensee personnel and records, all drywell purges are conducted through the standby gas treatment system. The radioactive effluents are quantified by the off-gas stack monitor. The technical specifications require that each purge

be sampled and analyzed for tritium and principal gamma emitters.

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During the previous radwaste inspection (50-263/77-05), the inspectors found that the licensee was not collecting and analyzing a noble gas sample for each purge. The licensee had interpreted the requirement for principal gamma emitter deter-mination to apply only to the particulate components of the purge effluent. Since a disagreement between the inspectors and the licensee existed concerning the interpretation of the requirements, the item was lef t unresolved and the licensee was to ask NRR for clarification. Upon further review, the licensee decided that the inspectors' interpretation was apparently correc The licensee subsequently revised the appropriate procedures and, I

in January 1978, began collection and analysis of noble gases for

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each purg The past failure to perform surveillance required by Technical Specification B.2.4.4.e is therefore considered an item of non-

compliance. The inspector reviewed the licensee's corrective

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actions, including procedure revision, which appear to be adequat This matter is considered resolve . Isolation Functional Tests The inspector selectively reviewed the following records of monitor calibration and functional tests of instrumentation

, which initiate isolations. The isolation test records listed below were also reviewed for calendar year 1977.

Test No. 0070a, "Off-Gas Monitor Functional Test Procedure" Test No. 0070b, "Off-Gas Monitor Quarterly Calibration Procedure" Test No. 0064a, " Reactor Building Exhaust Plenum Monitor Monthly Functional Test" P

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s j (, Test No. 0065, " Reactor Building Exhaust Plenum Monitor j Quarterly Calibration" [

] Test No. 0067a, " Spent Fuel Pool Monitor Monthly Functional '

l Test" Test No. 0067b, " Spent Fuel Pool Ouarterly Calibration" l

Test No. 0246, " Stack Gas Valves Automatic Isolation" Test No. 0247, " Quarterly Reactor Building Ventilation System j i Automatic Isolation Test" j t ,

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function of isolation systems appear to have been met. No {

j problems were identifie l I )

l 12. Exit Interview q?

l l The inspector met with'Itcensee representatives'(denoted in  !

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j Paragraph 1) at the conclusion of the inspection on February 24, .

i 1978 and further by telephone with Mr. Eliason and others on !

j March 1,197 i

. The following matters were discussed:

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. The purpose and scope of the inspectio .

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!'  ! The item of noncompliance. The inspector stated that the l j corrective actions appear to be adequate and no response l j ( is necessar (Paragraph 10)  !

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. The unresolved item concerning use of the B3-1 shipping i

cask. The licensee stated that contamination quantities on

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package contents will be evaluated. (Paragraph 7) -l I \

i The need to formalize procedures which determine Type A and j

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B quantities in accordance with 10 CFR 71.4(q). The licensee l l stated that the procedures would be formalized. (Paragraph 7) l i  !

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1 Previous commitment (Paragraph 3) )

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( Test No. 0065, " Reactor Building Exhaust Plenum Monitor Quarterly Calibr. tion" }

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l Test No. 0067a, " Spent Fuel Pool Monitor Monthly Functional j

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Test No. 0067b, " Spent Fuel Pool Quarterly Calibration"  ;

i . Test No. 0246, " Stack Gas Valves Automatic Isolation"  ;

1 Test No. 0247, " Quarterly Reactor Building Ventilation System j Automatic Isolation Test"

! The technicL1 specification requirements for operability and  !

] function of isolation systems appear to have been met. No j i problems were identifie ,

I l A j 12. Exit Interview

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j The inspector met with licensee representatives (denoted in I Paragraph 1) at the conclusion of the inspection on February 24, l l

4 1978 and further by telephone with Mr. Eliason and others on l

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March 1, 197 (

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l The purpose and scope of the inspection.

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The item of noncompliance. The inspector stated that the

1 corrective actions appear to be adequate and no response l i ( is necessar (Paragraph 10) [

. The unresolved item concerning use of the B3-1 shipping j cask. The licensee stated-that contamination quantities on i j package contents will be evaluate (Paragraph 7) j i

i i The need to formalize procedures which determine Type A and l l B quantities in accordance with 10 CFR 71.4(q). The licensee I

stated that the procedures would be formalized. (Paragraph 7) {

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, Previous commitment (Paragraph 3)

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