IR 05000375/1986001
| ML20215E422 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000375 |
| Issue date: | 12/02/1986 |
| From: | Fish R, Garcia E NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20215E418 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-375-86-01, 50-375-86-1, NUDOCS 8612220285 | |
| Download: ML20215E422 (7) | |
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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMISSION -
REGION V
Report No. . 50-375/86-01 Docket No. 50-375 License No. R-118 Licensee: Rocketdyne Division Rockwell International Corporation 6633 Canoga. Avenue Canoga Park, California 91304 Facility Name: Rockwell International Research Reactor L-85 Inspection at: Rockwell's Field Laboratory, Santa Susana, California Inspection conducted: September 30 through October 31, 1986 Inspector: h E 8ce. L //4 E. M. Garcia, Emergency Response Coordinator Date Signed Team Leader Team Me.nbers: Glen Murphy, ORAU Field Team Leader, Assistant Manager, Radiological Site Assessment Program, ORAU Dale Condra, Assistant Radiochemist, Radiological Site Assessment Program, ORAU David Gibson, Health Physics Technician, Radiological Site Assessment Program, ORAU Approved By: M R. F. Fish, Chief
_ _ _ /AhIF8 Date Signed Emergency Preparedness Section Summary:
Inspection on September 30 through October 31, 1986 including onsite inspection on September 30 through October 2, 1986 (Report No. 50-375/86-01)
Areas Inspected: Special announced team inspection by a regionally based inspector and staff of the Radiological Site Assessmeat Program, Oak Ridge Associated University (an NRC contractor) of the Rockwell International L-85 Reactor Facility, Building T093. This inspection was to verify that the contamination and radiation levels required by the February 22, 1983 Order Authorizing Dismantling of Facility and Disposition cf Component Parts from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, had been satisfied. The guidance provided in Inspection Procedure 83890 was utilize Nk22gg 73 G
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Results: Preliminary evaluation of those measurements performed by ORAU confirmed the findings described in the licensee's " Radiation Survey for Release for Unrestricted Use - L-85 Reactor Facility, Revision A." Nuclear fuel has been transferred to an authorized recipient and the contamination and radiation limits for release of facilities and equipment for unrestricted used appear to have been satisfied. The ORAU measurements have confirmed the presence of an area where the gamma radiation level exceeds 5 pr per hour above background at a meter above the surface. This area is located in the hole generated from the removed concrete. The licensee will conduct additional exposure rate measurements after the hole is filled with corcret No violations or deviations of NRC requirements were identifie .
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DETAILS Persons Contacted'
Rockwell International
- Dr. M. E. Remley, Director Nuclear Safety and Licensing
- Robert Tuttle, Manager Radiation and Nuclear Safety Vernon J. Schaubert, Manager Nuclear Materials Management James A. Rowles, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Specialist John Moore, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Specialist Jeff A Chapman, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Specialist State of California, Department of Health Services
- Larry R. Carter, Health Physicist
- Denotes those individuals present at the exit intervie . Release Criteria for Unrestricted Use The radiation levels for release of the reactor facility to unrestricted use were established in " Safety Evaluation by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Supporting Order Authorizing Dismantling of Facility and Disposition of Component Parts Rockwell International Corporation L-85 Reactor Docket No. 50-375," dated February 22, 1983. The safety
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evaluation states that surfaces must be decontaminated to levels consistent with Table 1 of Regulatory Guide 1.86, " Termination of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Reactors." Radioactive material (Co-60,
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EJ-152, and Cs-137) other than surface contamination that may exist in concrete, components, structures, and soil must be remove such that the
- radiation level from these nuclides is less than 5 pr/hr above natural l background, as measured at 1 meter from surface or that no person will receive more than 10 mrem / year. Natural background is defined in the l Safety Evaluation as " radiation from naturally occurring radioisotopes as l measured at a comparable uncontaminated structure or exterior soil l surface."
l Disposition of Material The reactor has been dismantled and the fuel has been transferred to Exxon Nuclear Idaho, a Department of Energy (doe) contractor. Records maintained by the licensee indicate that radioactively contaminated components have been transferred to U. S. Ecology, Richland an agreement state IIcensed radioactive material disposal site. TheRadIum-Beryllium neutron source was transferred to Rockwell Richland for disposal at the doe facilit This source was not licensed by the NR A review of doe /NRC Form 741 indicated that the fuel was transfered and shipped from NRC license SNM-21 to Exxon Nuclear Idaho on September 28, 1982, and acknowledgement was received from Exxon Nuclear Idaho on May 18, 1983. The inspector noted that the transfer was made from the I
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i special nuclear materials (SNM) license and not the reactor licens Discussions with the licensee and a review of the Form 741 originally transferring possession of the fuel to the licensee from the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), indicated that the fuel was originally transferred to the SNM license and, do to a administrative oversight, it was never transferred to the reactor license. Although, Rockwell is not licensed to utilized the fuel in the L-85 reactor under license SSN-21, ,
this error appears to be of a purely record keeping nature since Rockwell is licensed to posses and did utilize the fuel under the reactor license, R-118. This matter is being noted for the record and it is consider !
close r No violations or deviations of NRC requirements were identifie . Records of Personnel Exposure A review of a licensee log book titled "L-85 Reactor Clean-up" identified the individuals involved in the dismantling of the reactor components and the decontamination of building T093, the reactor facility. This log book covers the period of July 1, 1985 to September 26, 1985. A review of personnel external exposure reports and bioassay results for the same period indicates that personnel exposures were below the regulatory limits established by 10 CFR 20. External radiation dosimetry services were provided by R. S. Landauer, Jr. & Co.. The bioassay consisted of urine samples analysed for mixed fission products and collected for different individuals, selected at the discretion of the responsible Health Physicist. The urine samples were analysed by V. S. Testing Laboratories of Richland Washingto No violations or deviations of NRC requirements were identifie . Additional Information the Licensee's Termination Survey Report
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By a letter dated June 2, 19C6, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) requested additional information from the licensee beyond that included in Rockwell's " Radiation Survey for Release for Unrestricted Use
- L-85 Reactor Facility, Revision A." The licensee's response is dated June 13, 1986. Items B, C, E, and F in this response committed the licensee to additional measurement Item B noted that four locations showed surface activity exceeding the limit appropriate for Sr-90 (1000 dpm/100 cm2 from Table 1 of Regulatory Guide 1.86). The licensee stated that the four locations would be
! sampled and analyzed specifically for Sr-90 and other radionuclides.
l Further, if it was shown that greater than 5% of the total activity was
j The inspector reviewed a report of the analysis for Sr-90 conducted on l September 9, 1986, by U. S. Testing Laboratories. Four samples noted as ;
j being from four separate locations were reported. The samples ranged in 4 Sr-90 content from 0.044 pCl/g to 0.230 pC1/g. The licensee's analysis
! determined that the gross beta activity ranged from 12.8 to 20.5 pCi/g.
j Based on these results, the licensee reported that no more than 1.1% of i the beta activity was due to Sr-90.
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Item C stated that " natural background" would be determined by measurements made in a nearby, uncontaminated building of similar construction and age. Records reviewed by the inspector indicate that the licensee used the nearby building T453 to determined a background level of 11.9 pr/hr. This measurement was made using a Reuters-Stokes high pressure ion chamber (Model RSS-111).
Item E stated that the licensee would resurveyed the reactor room using a Reuters-Stokes RSS-11 Records maintained by the licensee indicate that in the reactor room 990 separate measurements were made using the RSS-11 The measurements were made on a 1 meter by 1 meter square grid with the detector set 1 meter from the local floor surface. The highest recorded reading was 18.9 pr/hr. Based on the background maasured in building T483 the maximum exposure rate above background was 7 pr/h These ion chamber values are lower than those determined with a Sodium Iodide detector and reported earlier by the licensee. Therefore the licensee's conclusion, reported in " Radiation Survey for Release for Unrestricted Use - L-85 Reactor Facility, Revision A," that it would be unlikely for any individual to receive more than 10 mrem / year above background appears to be reasonable on On page 33.8 of Rockwell's " Radiation Survey for Release for Unrestricted Use - L-85 Reactor Facility, Revision A." the licensee proposed to cover those areas that exhibit exposure rates above 5 pr/hr with concrete to further reduce the dose rate. In their response to NRR's request for additional information the licensee agreed to make dose rates measurements after these areas are cover with concrete, and report the results to the Commissio With the exception of the pending measurements on the areas to be filled with concrete, the licensee has completed the items committed to in their response for additional information. No violations or deviations of NRC requirements were identifie .- Independent Confirmatory Measurements Oak Ridge Associated Universities (0RAU), the NRC contractor, performed a verification survey of Building T093 and surrounding area. This survey was performed to independently verify that the release criteria for unrestricted use, described in Paragraph 2 above, was fulfilled. ORAU is also reviewing all the documentation provided by the licensee in support of the licensee's surveys. Rockwell's " Radiation Survey for Release for Unrestricted Use - L-85 Reactor Facility, Revision A" presents summary data onl ORAU has requested from the licensee copies of the actual fleid survey results to re-construct and verify the licensee's summarie The ORAU survey included:
Direct measurements of total alpha, total beta, and gamma exposure rate Measurements of removable (transferable) and non-removable alpha and beta contaminatio , _ ____ _ _ _ _ __ ____ _ _____ ________ - ____ __ ___ _- __ _ _________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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Collection of miscellaneous samples of dirt, residue, paint, and concrete chips from throughout the facility, to be returned to ORAU laboratories for gamma spectroscopy analyse Collection of surface soils from around the facility and at four locations offsite for gamma and alpha spectroscopy analyse Measurements of gamma exposure rates using a Reuter-Stokes, model RSS-111, high pressure ionization chamber, and collection of insitu gamma spectrums to determine the nuclides generating the gamma exposure rate The preliminary evaluation of these measurements indicate; that with the exception of a small isolated area of the scabbled reactor floor the release criteria for unrestricted use has been met. This scabbled area exceeds the gamma exposure rate of 5 pr/hr at a meter from the local surface, and it is consistent with the licensee findings. The licensee projects that the exposure rate will meet the 5 pr/hr criteria af ter the scabbled area is filled with concret ORAU projects that their final report on this verification survey will be issued in January 198 No violation or deviations of NRC requirements were identifie .- Exit Interview At the conclusion of the October 2, 1986 site visit, the inspector and the ORAU Field Team Leader met with the individuals denoted in Paragraph 1. The preliminary findings of the inspection were presente It was agreed that the inspector would inform the licensee when all analysis of samples collected by the NRC's contractor were successfully completed and ,
no further samples would be required. At that time, the licensee could proceed with the filling of the scabbled area of the reactor room floo The licensee was informed that no violations or deviations of NRC requirements had been identifie On November 13, 1986 the licensee submitted a letter to USNRC Region V roviding for the record results of the measurements committed to in '
p' Response to ' Request for Additional Information on the Termination Survey of the Rockwell International Research Reactor L-85,' Docket N ." On November 19, 1986, the inspector informed the licensee that they may proceed with the filling of the scabbled area in the reactor room and the subsequent measurement .
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