IR 05000280/1980016
| ML18139A439 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Surry  |
| Issue date: | 05/08/1980 |
| From: | Brown R, Potter J, Stohr J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18139A437 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-280-80-16, 50-280-80-17, NUDOCS 8007150471 | |
| Download: ML18139A439 (9) | |
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION II
101 MARIETTA ST., N.W., SUITE 3100 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 Report Nos. 50-280/80-16 and 50-281/80-17 Licensee:
Virginia Electric and Power Company Richmond, VA 23261 Facility Name:
Surry Power Station Docket Nos. 50-280 and 50-281 License Nos. DPR-32 and DPR-37 Inspection at Inc. Disposal site near Williamsburg, Virginia and Chem-Nuclear Systems, Barnwell, South Carolina SUMMARY Inspection on April 23 and 25, 1980 Areas Inspected D'ate'Signed
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This special, announced inspection involved 20 inspector-hours on-site concerning the April 14, 1980, shipment of radioactive waste for burial including surveys, shipping paper requirements, labeling, placarding and radiation levels. Details I addresses inspection activities at the waste disposal site. Details II addresses inspection activities at Surry Power Statio Results Of the five areas inspected, no items of noncompliance or deviations were identified in three areas; two items of noncompliance were found in two areas (Severity Level II - vehicle surface radiation levels in excess of regulatory limits - Details II, paragraph 5; Severity Level II - inadequate survey -
Details II, paragraph 5).
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DETAILS I Inspector:u;/_dl/~
R. A. Brown, Radi ion Specialist, FF&MS Section, <;"bk Date Signed FF&MS B Persons Contacted Licensee Employees D. Densmore, VEPCO S. Sarver, VEPCO J. Ott, Chem-Nuclear Systems, In R. Sappington, South Carolina DHEC W. House, South Carolina DHEC General Region II received notificaiton from the Surry Resident Inspector at 5:00 on April 22, 1980, that a radioactive wast~ shipment from the Surry Nuclear Power Plant arrived at the Chem-Nuclear disposal site with radiation levels apparently in excess of Department of Transportation regulation In response to thi_s notification, Region II dispatched an inspector to the Chem-Nuclear site.on April 23, 198 The NRC inspection consisted of a review of-the shipping papers, radiation survey of the vehicle, and radiation level surveys of selected package General surveys and observations were conducted to determine if the vehicle had proper placards, proper seals, and if any obvious safety hazards existe The contents of the vehicle were inspected for appropriate marking, labeling, tightness of seals, integrity of package construction or any evidence of leakag Chem-Nuclear assigns a control number for each shipment upon arrival at the site. These numbers were called "shipment survey report numbers" (SSR No.)
and were used by the inspectors to identify licensee-shippers during this inspection.
. 3. * *. Shipment Inspected
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This shipment was inspected on April 23, 1980 at the dispo~al site operated by Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc., located at Barnwell, South Carolin The shipment inspected originated at Surry Power Station on April 14, 198 *
- Shipping Papers The shipping papers were reviewed for completeness and to ascertain if the contents of the shipment were properly identified, and if emergency notifi-cation procedures and instructions were included as required under 49 CFR 172, Subpart c.* Specific requirements for shipping papers were reviewed as*
follows:
Material shipping name Material class Name sequence Total quantity Limited quantity Name of each radionuclide Physical and chemical form Activity in curies Category or label Notation of NRC/ERDA package approval Proper certification 49 CFR 172.100.172.200/172.202 49 CFR 172.200/172.202
..,,c 49 CFR 172.200/172.202 49 CFR 172.200/172.202 49 CFR 172.200/172.203 49 CFR 172.203 49 CFR 172.203 49 CFR 172.203 49 CFR 172.203 49 CFR 172.203 49 CFR 172.204 No items of noncompliance were identifie.
The vehicle was inspected for conformance with DOT placarding requirements (49 CFR 172, Subpart F and 49 CFR 173.392) *.
The vehicle was also inspected for compliance with the following:
Maximum transportation index of 50 - (49 CFR 177.842)
Loaded so a~ to avoid spillage (49 CFR 177.842)
Properly blocked and braced (49 CFR 173.392/177.842)
LSA vehicle survey (49 CFR 177.843)
No items of noncompliance were identifie.
Maximum Radiation Levels The truck was surveyed for maximum radiation levels in the normally occupied portions of the vehicle, at the surface of the closed trailer, in a vertical plane six feet from the sides of the vehicle where possible, and on the surface of a representative packag Noncompliance:
This shipment was carried by Tri-State Motor Transport on trailer number_ 44073 The shipment arrived at the disposal site on April 22, 198 Radiation levels of 275 mR/hr were measured at the surface of the trailer. This exceeds the 200 mR/hr limit of 49 CFR 173.393(J).
These measurements were made by the* inspector with a Xetex.,.GM survey meter, Serial Number 07612, calibrated on April 3, 1980.
Inspector discussions with VEPCO and State of South Carolina representatives found that radiation level measurements made by them were in the range of 270 to 300 mr/h VEPCO personnel used an Eberline E130G GM survey meter,
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-3-Serial Number 7050 calibrated on March 27, 1980, and State of South Carolina personnel used an Eberline E520 GM survey meter, Serial Number 940, calibrated in January 198 Further investigation showed that these high levels were apparently due to-material contained in drum number 80-110.
Packaging A representative sampling of packages from each shipment was examined for..,
conformance with DOT marking and labeling requirement External features of the packages were examined for conformance with DOT and NRC requirements as noted below:
Low specific activity (LSA) packaging Tight packages - ltd. Qt No release of material Radioactive material markings Security seals Gross weight requirements Proper shipping name LSA labeling Cask design specifications No items of noncompliance were identified..
49 CFR 173.392 49 CFR 173.391 or 173.392 49 CFR 173.392/173.393 49 CFR 172.310 49 CFR 173.393 49 CFR 172 ;310 49 CFR 172.100/172.300 49 CFR 73.392 49 CFR 173.393a
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DETAILS II Inspec~~
S. C. Ewald, Radiation Specialist, Radiation s-/~1~
DM Signed Reviewed b:~poJ s,r~;:s Branch 5 /gJgo Date Signed A. F Gibson, Section Chief, Radiation Support Section, FF&MS Branch I*! Persons Contacted.
Licensee Employees
- J. L. Wilson, Station Manager..
- T. A. Peebles, Superintendent Technical Services
- R. M. Smith, Health Physics Supervisor
- M. R. Beck.ham, Assistant Health Physics Supervisor
- F. L. Rentz, Resident QC Engineer
- S. P. Sarver, System Health Physicist
- W. L. Stewart, Corporate Nuclear Operations H. L. Anglin, Assistant Health Physics Supervisor Other licensee employees contacted included three technician NRC Resident Inspecior
- D. J. Burke Exit Interview The inspection scope and findings were summarized on April 25 with those persons indicated in Paragraph 1 abov Items discussed included two apparent items of noncompliance relative to a radwaste shipment and proposed corrective action Licensee management agreed with the inspector's conclu-sions relative to adequacy of radiation surveys and acknowledged generic concerns about the survey program in genera Licensee Action on Previous Inspection Findings Not inspecte.
Unresolved Items Unresolved items were not identified during this inspection *
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- Radioactive Waste Shipment On April 14, 1980, a truck was loaded with 30 - 55-gallon drums and 3 - 125 cubic foot boxes of Low Specific Activity (LSA) radioactive wast The vehicle left the site for burial at the Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc. (CNSI) facility at Barnwell, South Carolin The trailer was left at the trucking company's local terminal for one ~eek prior to delivery to the burial site on April 2 Routine surveys of the incoming vehicle by State of South Carolina representatives identified an area on the truck surface with radiation levels of 270 mrem/hour..
These measurements were confirmed by VEPCO staff and a Region II
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Inspector (see Details I) on April 2 The high radiation levels (270 to 300 mrem/hr) apparently resulted from a single 55 gallon drum (identified as drum No. 1101) with'measured surface radi~tion levels of 600 to 800 mrem/h With regard to the above shipment, the inspector reviewed the shipping papers, survey records, etc., and noted no ommissions in required documentatio The inspector reviewed Health Physics Procedure.9-4, "Packaging and Shipment of Radioactive Waste", and identified no items of noncompliance concerning procedure adequac The inspec-tors interviewed the Assistant Health Physics Supervisor, health physics t~chnicians, and quality control staff directly involved with this shipment and determined no obvious violation of procedures had occurre This is discussed further belo An inspector also examined calibr.ation records of survey instrumentation used for this shipment which verified the instrument was functiona Based on a review of procedures and discussions with Health Physics Staff, three separate surveys are routinely conducted on radioactive waste prior* t*o shipmen After the waste is compacted into 55 gallon drums, dose rate surveys are conducted, prior to movement to the waste storage pa Procedures specify contact and 3 foot readings be recorded for activity estimates, however, each drum is also scanned to identify the highest contact radiation dose rat These surveys are repeated when the drums are loaded on the truck for shipmen The tµird survey is a measurement of radiation levels on the truck surface, 3 feet from the surface, and in the drivers ca For drum number 1101, records of the first two surveys indicated surface radiation levels of 100 mrem/h The truck survey identified an area with radiation levels of 70 mrem/hr on the surface, 15 mrem/hr at 3 feet, and 6.mrem/hr at 6 fee Based on interviews and survey records, it appears this area was near the area found at the CNSI Barnwell site with radiation levels of 270 to 300 mrem/hou After reviewing survey records and interviewing the staff involved, it appears that the three surveys discussed above were conducted, however, the radiation levels identified can not be reconciled with those measurements made at the CNS! burial sit The possibility of the drum contents shifting during transit was discussed. If an item with high radiation levels shifted during transit from the center.to the
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- outer region of the drum, a shift in radiation levels would be expecte However, it is most likely that the drum was compacted waste, and while a highly contaminated item might be in the drum, it would not be able to shift to any significant degree because of the compactio The inspector discussed surveys with licensee management and concluded that, while the surveys were performed, they were inadequate in that they failed to identify actual radiation level CFR 71.5 requires licensees to comply with regulations of the Department of Transportation (DOT) in 49 'CFR Parts 1°70-189 for trans-.
portation of licensed materia CFR 173. 393 lists general packa_ging and shipment requirement For "sole use" vehicles, 49 CFR 173. 393 (j)
requires, in part, radiation levels not exceed 200 mrem/hpur at any
_point on the external surface of the vehicl The inspector informed licensee management that, based on surveys at the Barnwell burial site, the shipment of licensed material in a vehicle with radiation levels of 270 to 300 mrem/hour at the surface was in noncompliance with 10 CFR 71.5 (280/80-16-01; 281/80-17-01).
49 CFR 173.393(n)(9) requires, in part, the shipper ensure by examina-tion or appropriate test that external radiation levels are within allowable limits. The inspector concluded that, based on reviews discussed earlier, surveys were conducted by the licensee, however, they were not adequate to assure compliance with regulatory require-ment The inspector informed licens~e management that the survey inadequacies were in noncompliance with 10 CFR 71.5 in that the high radiation levels were not identified (280/80-16-02; 281/80-16-02). Generic Concerns The two items of noncompliance identify problems relative to a specific instance where an inadequate vehicle survey failed to identify high radiation levels on the vehicle surface. However, as discussed in paragraph 5, two other surveys of the drum causing the problem also failed to* identify high radiation level The inspector expressed concern that a highly radioactive item, with radiation levels probably on the order of 1000 mrem/hr, was handled through the entire solid waste packaging system and was never identified. Failure to identify items such as this would lead to unnecessary exposure, and in some cases might lead to an overexposure of a worke The inspector stated that corrective measures should not be limited to truck surveys, but also include improvements in radioactive material identification and surveys in genera Licensee management acknowledged these concerns and agreed to address general waste material surveys in the-development of their corrective action *7.*.. * *. Licensee Enforcement Conference Attendees at the Virginia Electric and Power Company-Nuclear Regulatory
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Commission meeting on April 30, 1980 at the NRC Region II Office were:
Virginia Electric and Power Company J. H. Ferguson, Executive Vice President-Power B. R. Sylvia, Manager Nuclear Operations and Maintenance J. T. Rhodes, Manager Nuclear Technical Services J. L. Wilson, Station Manager-Surry Power Station R. M. Smith, Health Physics Supervisor-Surry Office of Inspection and Enforcement, Region II James P. O'Reilly, Director, Region II
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J. Philip Stohr, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Branch R. C. Lewis, Chief, Reactor Operations and Nuclear Support Branch P. J. Kellogg, Acting Chief, Reactor Projects Section No. 3, Reactor Operations and Nuclear Support Branch G. L. Troup, Acting Chief, Radiological Effluents and Waste Section, Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Branch D. J. Burke, Resident Inspector, Surry Power Station E. H. Webster, Project Inspector, Reactor Projects Section No. 3, Reactor Operations and Nuclear Support Branch S. C. Ewald, Radiation Specialist, Radiation Support Section, Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Branch Conference Summary
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On April*JO, i980, representatives of Virginia Electric and Power Company met with Region II personnel in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss the radioactive waste shipment of April 14 found to have high radiation levels on the vehicle surfac The two items of noncompliance (see paragraph 5) were discussed with emphasis on the item concerning adequacy of surveys. It was noted that failure to identify high radiation levels on the 55-gallon drum, responsible for the truck surface radiation levels, in. three separate surveys indicate a generic weakness in the survey program existed as discussed in paragraph A review of inspection findings for 1979 strongly supported this conclusio These generic concerns were discussed with VEPCO managemen (2)
VEPCO management acknowledged the items of noncompliance and the generic implications and discussed proposed corrective measures with Region II staff. It was noted that the position of Health Physics Supervisor has been raised on site so this position now reports directly to the station manage With regard to the specific concerns about surveys, VEPCO staff discussed detailed plans for assuring more thorough radiation survey These plans call for more attention to all waste surveys from labeling of waste bags in plant to two independent final truck survey In addition, an Assistant Health Physics Supervisor has been designated whose single responsibility is radioactive waste minimization,
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packaging, and transportatio VEPCO management stated by devoting more attention, both management and committed manpower, to these survey programs, future problems of this type should be avoide '1 i\\