ML052500400

University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor - Transmittal of the 2004-2005 Operating Report

ML052500400
Person / Time
Site:	University of Lowell
Issue date:	08/29/2005
From:	Bobek L Univ of Massachusetts - Lowell
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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Download: ML052500400 (13)

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Pinanski Building Leo M. Bobek One University Avenue Reactor Supervisor Lowell, Massachusetts 01854 U# JUniversity of Massachusetts tel:

fax.

978.934.3365 978.934.4067 e-mail: LeoBobek@uml.edu UMASS Lowell RADIATION LABORATORY August 29, 2005 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 Re: License No. R-125, Docket No. 50-223 Pursuant to Technical Specification NRC License No. R-125 we are submitting the Annual Report for the University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor.

Leo M. Bobek, Reactor Supervisor

University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Reactor (UMLRR) 2004-2005 OPERATING REPORT NRC Docket No. 50-223 NRC License No. R-125 rAUniversity of Massadluetts UMASSLowell One UniversityAvenue Lowell, Massachusetts 01854 978.934.3365 http://hvwu.umr.eduiradlab

CONTENTS A. Brief History B. Function C. Operating Experience

1. Experiments and Facility Use

2. Changes in Facility Design

3. Performance Characteristics

4. Changes in Operating Procedures Related to Reactor Safety

5. Results of Surveillance Tests and Inspections

6. Staff Changes

7. Operations Summary D. Energy Generated E. Inadvertent and Emergency Shutdowns F. Major Maintenance G. Facility Changes Related to 10 CFR 50.59 H. Environmental Surveys I. Radiation Exposures and Facility Surveys

1. Personnel Exposures

2. Radiation Surveys

3. Contamination Surveys J. Nature and Amount of Radioactive Effluents

1. Liquid Wastes

2. Gaseous Wastes

3. Solid Wastes 1

A. BRIEF HISTORY In the late 1950's, the decision was made to build a Nuclear Center at what was then Lowell Technological Institute. Its stated aim was to train and educate nuclear scientists, engineers and technicians, to serve as a multi-disciplinary research center for LTI and all New England academic institutes, to serve the Massachusetts business community, and to lead the way in the economic revitalization of the Merrimack Valley.

The decision was taken to supply a nuclear reactor and a Van-de-Graaff accelerator as the initial basic equipment.

Construction of the Center was started in the summer of 1966. Classrooms, offices, and the Van-de-Graaff accelerator were in use by 1970. Reactor License R-125 was issued by the Atomic Energy Commission on December 24, 1974, and initial criticality was achieved on January 1975.

The name of the Nuclear Center was officially changed to the "Pinanski Building" in the spring of 1980. The purpose was to reflect the change in emphasis of work at the center from strictly nuclear studies. At that time, the University of Lowell Reactor became part of a newly established Radiation Laboratory. The Laboratory occupies the first floor of the Pinanski Building and performs or coordinates research and educational studies in the fields of physics, radiological sciences, and nuclear engineering. The remaining two floors of the Pinanski Building are presently occupied by various other University departments.

On February 14, 1985, the University of Lowell submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for renewal of the facility operating license R-125 for a period of 30 years. On November 21, 1985, the license renewal was granted as Amendment No. 9 of License R-125 in accordance with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.

In 1991, the University of Lowell name was changed to University of Massachusetts Lowell. On August 4, 2000, the reactor was converted from high enrichment uranium fuel to low enrichment uranium fuel.

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B. FUNCTION The University of Massachusetts Lowell Radiation Laboratory (UMLRL) is one of 22 research centers at the University. The University departments utilizing the laboratory include Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Radiological Sciences, and Chemical/Nuclear Engineering. The University's Amherst campus and Medical Center have active research programs at the Radiation Laboratory. Much research is concerned with safety and efficiency in the nuclear and radiation industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical applications, health affects, public utilities, etc.; however, much research is also done by workers in other fields who use the unique facilities as analytical tools.

In addition, the Laboratory's reactor and Cobalt-60 facilities are used in the course work of various departments of the University. It also provides these services to other campuses of the Massachusetts system, other universities in the New England area, government agencies and to a limited extent, industrial organizations in Massachusetts and the New England area, as well as numerous school science programs in the Merrimack Valley.

UMLRR Cutaway View 3

C. OPERATING EXPERIENCE

1. Experiments and Facility Use The major uses of the reactor during this fiscal year were activation analysis, neutron radiography, specialized isotope production, neutron irradiation of electronics, teaching, and personnel training.

Research Konarka Technologies The Radiation Laboratory (J. White PI, G. Kegel co-PI) along with Konarka Technologies received funding from the DOE NEER program and DOE STTR program to develop various aspects of a radiation hardened photovoltaic based energy converter.

The products developed under these programs will convert nuclear into useful electric power. A primary application of this novel technology will be to operate a secure GPS class transmitter to provide in-situ status of location and integrity for radioactive materials storage and shipments. Both research programs will use the Co-60 facilities and the reactor.

MIT-UML-URI Consortium Under the DOE INIE program, Asst. Prof. M. Tries (Physics) has been awarded a multi-year contract totaling $275,000 to develop a digital imaging system using neutrons (neutron radiography). The present neutron imaging system at UMLRR provides users with industrial neutron radiographic service meeting ASTM standards using film technology. Asst. Prof. Tries is in the process of building and developing a digital neutron radiography system capable of imaging for neutron radiography of materials and components having a wide range of areal dimensions. The digital imaging will shorten exposure times to provide almost immediate viewing of the radiographic image (near real-time), provide the flexibility to scan large areas with ease, provide accurate recording of a variety of radiographic details, and permit remote imaging via the internet.

Remote Education As part of our DOE Reactor Sharing Program, Prof. White (Chem. Eng.) is developing a system for making real-time and archived research reactor data available to educational 4

users via a standard web browser. Virtually any classroom or individual throughout the world will not only be able to access archived UMLRR experimental data, but also observe most of the UMLRR control room instrument readings, in real-time, in a graphical interface for use in classroom lectures, demonstrations, and experiments.

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA)

Professor Eby (Geological Sciences) continues to do research associated with instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and fission track dating. Fission-track geochronology, utilizing the minerals apatite and titanite, has been used to determine the both the age of igneous intrusion and the time of unroofing for a number of volcanic and plutonic provinces around the world. The most recent work has been the dating of alkaline igneous activity in northern New Jersey and the time of unroofing for this province. INAA has been used to determine the trace element compositions of rocks, minerals, soils, coal, atmospheric aerosols, human hair, film negative, and process sludge.

During the past year this technique has been used to determine the trace element chemistry of tree rings (a collaborative project with Lehigh University, the data are used to monitor environmental changes), the trace element composition of volcanic rocks from Antarctica (a collaborative project with the University of Otago, NZ), and trace element compositions of volcanic rocks from central Europe (a collaborative project with the Geological Institute of Hungary).

Isomer Production P. Chowdury in a collaborative project with Argonne National Laboratory, is investigating quantum phenomena in rapidly spinning atomic nuclei. When heavy nuclei with stored energy in a high-spin "isomer" slow down, energy is lost by emitting bursts of gamma-ray photons. The collaborative research by the physics team focuses on isolating, characterizing, and understanding high-spin isomers through detection of the gamma bursts. The UMLRR is being used to produce a known isomer in Lutetium-177 (160-day half-life) via neutron activation of stable lutetium foils. The research may find eventual applications in diverse arenas, from the development of gamma-ray lasers to theories of star formation.

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Education Reactor operating time used for teaching purposes included a reactor operations course emphasizing control rod calibrations, critical approaches, period measurement, prompt drops and calorimetric measurement of power and preparation of students and staff members for NRC licensing examinations. Freshman laboratories for reactor principles and activation analysis were conducted for chemical/nuclear engineering students.

Radiological science students utilized the facility for performance of radiation and contamination surveys. Senior students participated in a laboratory that required locating and identifying an unknown isotope of low activity in a mockup power plant environment. The isotope was provided for the students in an isolated area in the reactor pump room during non-operating hours. During the practicum, the students are supervised by faculty and staff.

The following UML courses use the reactor facilities as a major or partial component of the curriculum:

96.443 Radiochemistry Laboratory 96.393 Advanced Experimental Physics 96.306 Nuclear Instrumentation 96.201/96.301 Health Physics Internship 99.102 Radiation and Life Laboratory 98.666 Reactor Health Physics 10/24.431 Nuclear Reactor Systems and Operation 10/24.432 Nuclear Systems Design and Analysis 24.507 Reactor Engineering Analysis 87.111 Environmental Science 84.113 General Chemistry 19.518 Engineering Controls and PPE 19.517 Physical Agents In addition, a summer Reactor Operations and Systems Experience (ROSE) program is provided for undergraduate engineering students of all disciplines to participate in operator licensing training.

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A number of activation and decay experiments were performed for both university and non-university students alike. A very successful program at the UMLRR is the Reactor Sharing Program sponsored by the Department of Energy. This program, which started at the University in 1985, has become extremely popular with area schools, grades 7 through 12. The goal of this program is two-fold: to motivate pre-college students into developing an interest in the sciences, and to promote an understanding of nuclear energy issues while expanding learning opportunities. The program is comprehensive in that it includes lectures, hands-on experiments and tours of the UMLRR. Students and teachers may also participate via interactive two-way cable and satellite television. The lectures cover topics on environmental radiation, the uses of radiation in medicine, and the potential of nuclear energy. Activation and decay experiments are often provided for local school science classes who observe the experiment at the reactor or in their classrooms via interactive cable T.V.

Service The major outside uses for the reactor facility is neutron and gamma damage studies of electronic components.

2. Facility Changes Additional Co-60 pencils were purchased and received from Nordion in January of 2004. The new Co-60 source activity, in addition to the existing Co-60 source activity, is well within the permissible inventory (<10%) under the reactor license technical specifications. This change did not require a 10CFR 50.59 review.

3. Performance Characteristics Performance of the reactor and related equipment has been normal during the reporting period.

4. Changes in Operating Procedures Related to Reactor Safety The following procedure was revised with substantive changes that required the approval by the Reactor Safety Sub-Committee (RSSC): SP-5 Particulate Penetration of Absolute Filter System. This procedure was changed to specify only those absolute filters used in facilities where there is a potential for a release airborne radioactive materials. An 7

additional change modified the specified test equipment to equivalent test equipment available through rental agencies. Several other procedures had minor revisions or updates un-substantive in nature. Such changes are kept on file and summarized for the RSSC at each meeting.

5. Results of Surveillance Test and Inspections All surveillance test results were found to be within specified limits and surveillance inspections revealed no abnormalities which would jeopardize the safe operation of the reactor. Each required calibration was also performed.

6. Staff Changes As of June 30, the reactor staff consists of four full-time SROs, and two part-time undergraduate student SROs, one part-time SRO, and one part-time mechanical technician. Remaining part-time staff consists of student trainees assistants.

7. Operations Summary Critical hours 154.48 Megawatt hours 109.51 D. ENERGY GENERATED Energy generated this period (MWD) 4.56 Cumulative energy to date (MWD) 22.57 E. INADVERTENT AND EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS There were 16 inadvertent shutdowns, none of which were emergency related.

This number is lower than the previous year. Eight of the 16 were due to an electronic noise issue generated by opening and closing the airlock doors. This noise issue is being traced to determine the cause. None of the scrams had any safety significance, and were more a nuisance to the educational and research uses of the facility. Descriptions of each scram are noted in operator logs and are analyzed by an SRO for any safety significance.

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F. MAJOR MAINTENANCE No major maintenance was performed during the reporting period.

G. FACILITY CHANGES RELATED TO 10CFR50.59 Revised or new procedures (section C-4 of this report) were reviewed and approved in accordance with the UMLRR technical specifications and administrative procedures.

H. ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS Members of the Radiation Safety Office performed an ALARA review for the 2004 calendar year with the results summarized below. Included is a summary of the environmental release pathways (sewer and stack) and the maximum environmental and occupational dosimetric exposures documented through the Global Dosimetry film badge service.

Thermoluminescent dosimeters, provided by Global Dosimetry, were used to monitor unrestricted areas outside of the Reactor and indicated that doses in these areas were indistinguishable from background radiation levels for the 2004 calendar year.

Surveys of the environs external to the reactor building also show no increase in levels or concentrations of radioactivity as a result of continued reactor operations.

As expected, all environmental releases were below the goals set by the Radiation Safety Office (10 mrem per year). All releases were well within federal, state, city, and university release limits. The reactor stack release during the 2004 was conservatively estimated to be less than 3.9 Ci and resulted in a estimated annual dose at the site boundary of less than 0.1 mrem in 2004. The dose estimate was obtained using the EPA Comply Code at a level 4 screening. This estimated did not take into account the removal of three reactor beamports, which would have further lowered the total estimated Argon-41 production.

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1. RADIATION EXPOSURES AND FACILITY SURVEYS 2004 ALARA Data OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES GROUP NUMBER MAXIMUM MAXIMUM l Wole Bodv Extremity BADGED DOSE (<500) DOSE (<5000)

Reactor 21 M* 462 NOTE: 'M' indicates no detectable exposure. ALARA limits were 500 mrem/year whole body and 5,000 mrem/year Extremity.

1. Personnel Exposures Personnel exposures were maintained at the lowest reasonable levels. Doses received by individuals concerned either directly or indirectly with operation of the reactor were within allowed limits. . The annual ALARA goal established by the Radiation Safety Committee is less than 500 mrem per employee whole body and 5,000 mrem per employee Shallow Dose. Of the 21 badged individuals, no whole body exposures were measured in 2004 and only three individuals obtained shallow doses greater than 100 mrem in 2004. The highest shallow dose in the 2004 calendar year was 462 mrem measured to the hands of a scientist involved with the neutron radiography project.

2. Radiation Surveys Radiation levels measured in the reactor building have been typically less than 0.1 mremlhr in general areas. Experiments have been conducted in which transient levels at specific locations have been in excess of 100 mrenvhr. Doses in these instances have been controlled by use of shielding and/or personnel access control. The pump room remains designated as a high radiation area during reactor operation and access is controlled.

3. Contamination Surveys General area contamination has not been a problem in the reactor building.

Contamination has occurred at specific locations where samples are handled and particular experiments have been in progress. Contamination in these areas is controlled by the use of easily replaced plastic-backed absorbent paper on work surfaces, contamination protection for workers, and restricted access.

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K. NATURE AND AMOUNT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES 2004 ALARA Data ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASES SOURCE ACTIVITY DOSE GOAL mCi mrem mrem Sewer Releases M* 0 - 10 Stack Releases 3.9 E3 <0.1 S10

1. Liquid Wastes Liquid wastes are stored for decay of the short lived isotopes and then released to the sanitary sewer in accordance with 20 CFR 2003. A total less than 0.1 mCi was released over the 12 month period consisting of small amounts campus produced laboratory waste (<0.1 pCi of Co-60, and Cs-137, <1 pCi of H-3, and <1 pCi of C-14) which was incorporated into the Reactor waste water tanks for purposes of better waste release control.

2. Gaseous Wastes Argon-41 continues to be the only significant reactor produced radioactivity identifiable in the gaseous effluent. This release represents a 12 month dose of 0.1 mrem to the nearest member of the public using the EPA Comply code at the highest screening level (level 4).

3. Solid Wastes Solid wastes, primarily paper, disposable clothing, and gloves, along with other miscellaneous items have been disposed of in appropriate containers. Most of the activity from these wastes consisted of short lived induced radioactivity. These wastes were held for decay and then released if no activity remained. The remaining long lived wasted

(<10 cubic feet) is stored in a designated long lived waste storage area awaiting ultimate disposal at low-level radioactive waste disposal site.

End of Report 11