IR 05000312/1975006
| ML19319D807 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Rancho Seco |
| Issue date: | 06/30/1975 |
| From: | Book H, Fish R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19319D795 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-312-75-06, 50-312-75-6, NUDOCS 8003250801 | |
| Download: ML19319D807 (9) | |
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U. S. HUCLEAR REGULATORY C0!O!ISSION
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'.* OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT
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REGION V
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- < IE Inspection Report No. 50-312/75-06 Docket No.
50-312 Licensee sacrwonen w.n4,.4m,1
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License No.DPR-54
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Sacramento, California 95813'
Priority
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Rancho Seco Category C
Facility Location Clay Station, Califortita
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i PWR, B&W, 913 MWe (2772 MWt)
. 'ype of Facility Type of Inspection Routine, Announced, Radio. logical
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June 16-19,1975 Dates of Inspection Dates of Previous Inspection June 4.10-12.1975 6[j 7!76~~_
Principal. Inspector '
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R. F. Fish, Radiation Specialist
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Accompanying Inspectors Date
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Other Accompanying Personnel:
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Reviewed by 7/'
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Date Herbert E. Book, Chief, Radiological and i
Environmental Branch
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SUMMARY.0F FINDINGS
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Enforcement Action None.
Licensee Action on Previously Identified Enforcement Items The corrective actions described in the licensee's April 25, 1975 letter responding to an IE:i.:nforcement letter dated April 16,1975 were verified to have been implemented.
(Paragraph 5 of Details.)
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Unusual Occurrences
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None.
Other Significant Findings Current Findinas A.
Most of the liquid radioactive waste is being disposed of by transfer to a licensed waste disposal company.
(Paragraph 2.a of Details.)
A)
B.
Since January 1975 radioactive waste gas has been stored for (
at least 45 days of decay before being released to the atmosphere.
(Paragraph 2.b of Details.)
C.
Area and process monitors and radiochemistry laboratory instru-mentation have been calibrated in accordance with Appendix B Technical Specifications of the licensees' procedures.
(Paragraph 3 of Details.)
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The corrective actions described in the four Unusual Events reported during the first five months of 1975 were confirmed.
(Paragraph 6 of Details.)
Status of Previously Reported Unresolved Items None reported.
Management Interview At the conclusion of the inspection a verbal sum ary of the findings was
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presented to the following licensee personnel:
R. Rodriguez, J. McColligan, P. Oubre, R. Colombo, R. Miller, and J. Sullivan. During the discussio'n
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j the liceness made the following commitments.
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A.
With respect to the operability testing of the automatic isolation valves in the liquid and gaseous waste discharge systems, required by Appendix B Technical Specifications j
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2.6.1 E and 2.6.3 D, the instrument calibration procedures will be expanded to specifically require these tests and i
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appropriate records kept.
B.
The weaknesses in the radiochemistry laboratory instrumentation
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calibrations will be examined and action taken to eliminate them.
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V-4-REPORT DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted R. Colombo, Technical Assistant R. Miller, Chemical and Radiation Protection Supervisor D. Gardiner, Senior Chemical and Radiation Assistant T. Morrill, ~ Chemical and Radiation Assistant R. Dean, Instrument and Control Foreman i
M. Carter, Shift Supervisor J. Sullivan, Quality Assurance Engineer
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2.
Radioactive Waste A.
Liquid Radioactive waste has been released via the site liquid ef-fluents on three occasions since October 1974; however, most of the liquid waste disposed has been by transfer to a licensed waste disposal company. Liquids released to the effluents are transferred to the site basins via the re-p%
generant holdup tank. The contents of this tank were (d thoroughly mixed before being sampled and then transferred to a basin. A sample was also removed from the basin prior to releasing the contents. The samples were analyze,d for gross beta, tritium and individual isotopes by gamma analysis.
A radioactive liquid waste release permit was prepared for each basin release. According to the records the sum of these three basin releases involved about 20 mci of activity plus about53mCioftyitiumandthereleasedconcentrationswere less than 1 X 10' and 1 X 10" mci /ml, respectively. Samples of the liquid wastes transferred to the waste disposal company
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A total of were obtained prior to each transfer and analyzed.
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four such transfers occurred in 1974 and 13 have occurred in 1975, through June 13. The activity involved has varied be-tween 22 and 982 mci for each transfer. The licensee's records include pertinent information regarding the activity trans-ferred, the principle isotopes present, the results of surveys around the truck (radiation levels and removable contamination),
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i and compliance with 00T regulations. The inspection showed that the licensee was conforming to his procedures for liquid radioactive waste disposal and environmental releases of liquid radioactivity.
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Gaseous Most of the radioactive gaseous releases have come from the waste gas decay tanks and purging of the containment building.
Prior to such relea:cs samples have been obtained and analyzed isotopically for noble gases, radioiodines and particulates.
Stack samples, obtained between the last filter and the release point, collected during each release have also been analyzed.
The process monitors provide samples for continuous radioactive gaseous releases from the gland seal steam exhaust and the exhaust duct.
Gaseous waste release permits have been prepared for each release of a gas decay tank and each purge (one permit may cover purging for more than one day during a ccntinuous purging condition).
Estimates for continuous gas releases have been made on a monthly frequency.
The records showed that six decay tank volumes were released during 1974 and all were decayed for less than 45 days.
The four decay tanks released to date in 1975 were all held for at least 45 days prior to release.
The gaseous releases are summarized on a monthly basis according to isotope (plus gross alpha and beta) and source of activity.
According to the records monthl-y releases of radiciodines have been in the range of 20-70 mC1. and noble gases between 10 and 70
/3 curies. The concentrations released have been small fractions (
i of those maximums allowed by 10 CFR 20.106(a).
The inspection
showed the licensee was following his procedures for environ-mental releases of airborne radioactivity.
3.
Instrumentation A.
Process and Area Monitors The operations personnel have been checking the gaseous process
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monitors for operability on a daily basis and the liquid process
and area monitors on a weekly frequency.
These activities have
been included on the surveillance checklists. On a monthly frequency these instruments have functionally tested. On a quarterly frequency each area monitor had been calibrated with a a cesium-137 source and each process monitor had been calibrated with cesium-137 and barium-133 sources.
These sources were traceable to a National Bureau of Standards (NBS) source.
l The licensee has a procedure for accomplishing the monthly functional test and the quarterly calibration. The quarterly calibration is performed by an instrument technician and a chemical and radiation assistant. The licensee stated that during the calibration of the waste gas header monitor the I
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operability of the automatic ' isolation valve is also checked and they hear it operate. Also, during the calibration of the waste water discharge monitor, the operability of the basin divert valves are checked and the diverting of effluent water into one of the basins observed. The procedures for calibration do not specifically include instructions for the operability checking of the automatic isolation valve and basin divert valves. There were no specific records confirming that the operability'of these valves had been demonstrated.
B.
Laboratory Instrumentation The periodic calibration of the radiochemistry instrumentation was described in approved procedures.
The Wide Beta II and Nuclear-Chicago Proportional Counter have been calibrated on a daily basis using cobalt-60 and lead-210 sources. On a two-week frequency the absolute efficiency of each of these instruments was to be determined using the same sources. A bound book for each instrument has been used to record the calibration data.
The records for the period October 1974 to date showed these calibrations had been made, however, the absolute efficiency determinations for the Wide Beta II instrument had been made p)
less frequent' than required by the licensee's procedures.
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was in the book which would permit determination of the absolute efficiency, but calculations had not been completed. Those
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that had been determined showed smal' variation one to another.
The licensee had established curves for both instruments shgwing the effect of backscattering and various amounts of boric acid absorption on the counting of samples.
The cobalt-60 sources were prepared from solutions traceable'to an NBS source.
The lead-210 sources were provided by Babcock and Wilcox laboratory personnel and the licensee had no certification for these sources.
The multichannel analyzer system, which includes a GeLi
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. detector and small computer, was initially calibrated in May 1974. Two additional calibrations have been made since then.
Several isotopes, including barium-133 and europium-152, were used to calibrate the equipment. On a daily frequency cobalt-57, cobalt-60 and cesium-137 sources have been used to check the energy calibration.
The results of the daily checks have been recorded in a bound book. -During this inspection the licensee could find the calibration data for the initial calibration only.
The senior chemical and radiation assistant responsible for the radiochemistry program was on vacation.
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The sources used in the calibration of this equipment v.ere traceable to NBS sources.
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The liquid scintillation counter was being checf:ed for proper operation using a tritium and a cobalt-60 sources on a daily frequency.
Every two weeks the instrument was calibrated using sources traceable to flBS standards. The daily checks and biweekly calibrations were being recorded in a bound book.
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Samples of the reactor coolant have been obtained on five days per week. At least three times per week the activity in these samples were determined. Almost all samples were analyzed for chloride, oxygen and boron. Approximately monthly an average energy for the activity present was determined and the total tritium present ascertained. The average energy results have varied over the range of 0.10-0.45 and the maximum activity present in the coolant has not exceeded 0.3 uCi/gm.
This infor-mation was obtained from examining a random sampling of the labora-tory results for the period October 1974 to May 14,1975.
5.
Quality Assurance (0A)
The QA organization performs audits of activities conducted under
.O the supervision of the Chemical and Radiation Protection Supervisor.
V The current audit program, which was adopted on March 3,1975 and
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approved by the Management Safety Review Committee (MSRC), requires an evaluation of the radiological and safety control activities (including radioactive waste) on a 6-month frequency. The enviro-mental monitoring program also is required to be audited on a yearly frequency. On January 7,1975 the first audit was performed and the second audit was performed on May 15, 1975.
Reports of the audit findings were prepared. The reports included commitments made by the Plant Superintendent's staff. Memoranda from the Plant Superintendent to the QA Director confirmed that the corrective actions had been completed following each audit. The second audit confirmed the corrective actions taken as the result of the first audit.
The QA organization maintains a system which identifies open actions to be performed, such as abnormal occurrence and unusual event reports. The system shows the date of the action or event and the due date when additional action is to be completed. QA makes inquiries to assure the additional action is taken in a timely manner.
The date when the additional action is taken is. recorded when complete and the pertinent papers are then filed in a completed file.
Since the March 1975 inspection, unusual events (environmental) have been included'in this system.
In addition the Plant Superintendent notifies the QA Director by phone when an unusual event occurs and documents the fact this call was made within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> of his notification.
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ene #irst five months of 1975.;:s. 75-1, 75
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... re :sscribed in the licensee's April The details of each
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re-intendent and the Chairman r was sub-
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The delay in submittin
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24-27,1975 inswas an item
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't al Director.
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cection and the corrective action
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' s April 25,'1975
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l c actions described in thletter. As desc ib
~~ '"ned during this inspectione licensee's r ed in
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A was= being loaded with liquid radio-
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- 'aing transferred to a licensed wast
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"ately colored rope'and permanent 1;' posted in accordance with-10 CFR
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The tank part of:the truck was
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the' end with the word " Radioactive "
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nnecting the transferarea were wearing pro
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laining in-the hnea '-~ hose to.the tank
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The exercise On June 18 an emergency drill was conducted.
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involved the simulated finding of an unconscious worker in The shift supervisor received the noti-a controlled area.
fication and assumed the position of Emergency Coordinator.
Within The Plant Superintendant was immediately notified.
the constraints of the exercise, the Coordinator appeared to take the appropriate actions and followed the procedures implementing the emergency plan. Observers were stationed at the site of the injury and in the reactor control room.
Observers followed the transfer of the injured person from The ambulance left
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'the injury site to the SMUD ambulance.
the site and immediately returned. There were no contacts with offsite organizations. Shortly after the drill a critique was held. Notes were taken during the critique
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and a report of the drill will be issued.
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Gas Monitor Calibration On May 14,1975 the licensee performed a confirming calibration of the waste gas surge tank monitor. The procedure for performing the calibration had received the required approvals. The background readings of the monitor were determined. The monitor was then f')
calibrated in the normal manner using a barium-133 and a cesium-137 Radioactive gas, at two difference concentrations, were g
sources.
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passed through the monitor and the monitor readings recorded.
Samples of each gas concentration were analyzed in the radio-The monitor readings were within +10% of chemistry laboratory.
the laboratory results as required by the procedure acceptance criteria.
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