ML062920099

Mit Research Reactor, Annual Report, for Period July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006

ML062920099
Person / Time
Site:	MIT Nuclear Research Reactor
Issue date:	10/12/2006
From:	Bernard J, Lau E, Newton T Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML062920099 (33)

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NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL CENTER OF MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Edward S. Lau 138 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139-4296 Activation Analysis Reactor Superintendent Telefax No. (617) 253-7300 Coolant Chemistry Tel. No. (617) 253-4211 Nuclear Medicine Reactor Engineering October 12, 2006 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555 ATTN: Document Control Desk

Subject:

Annual Report, Docket No. 50-20, License R-37, Technical Specification 7.13.5 Gentlemen:

Forwarded herewith is the Annual Report for the MIT Research Reactor for the period July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006, in compliance with paragraph 7.13.5 of the Technical Specifications for Facility OperatingLicense R-37.

4Since 1,y,

& Thomas H. Newton, Jr., Ph.D., PE Edward S. Lau, NE Associate Director, Engineering Superintendent MIT Research Reactor MIT Research Reactor A.emrnard, Ph.D., , CHP Director of Reactor Oper tions MIT Research Reactor JAB/gw

Enclosure:

As stated cc: USNRC - Senior Project Manager, Research and Test Reactors Section New, Research and Test Reactors Program Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, ONRR USNRC - Senior Reactor Inspector, Research and Test Reactors Section New, Research and Test Reactors Program Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs, ONRR

MIT RESEARCH REACTOR NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ANNUAL REPORT to United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Period July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006 by REACTOR STAFF

Table of Contents Section Page Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 A. Sum mary of Operating Experience ................................................................ 3 B. Reactor Operation ........................................................................................ 14 C. Shutdowns and Scram s ................................................................................ 15 D. M ajor Maintenance ...................................................................................... 17 E. Section 50.59 Changes, Tests, and Experim ents ......................................... 23 F. Environm ental Surveys ................................................................................ 25 G. Radiation Exposures and Surveys Within the Facility .................................. 26 H. Radioactive Effluents .................................................................................... 27 I. Summary of Use of Medical Facility for Human Therapy ........................... 31

MIT RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT TO U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1, 2005 - JUNE 30, 2006 INTRODUCTION This report has been prepared by the staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor for submission to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in compliance with the requirements of the Technical Specifications to Facility Operating License No. R-37 (Docket No. 50-20), Paragraph 7.13.5, which requires an annual report following the 30th of June of each year.

The MIT Research Reactor (MITR), as originally constructed, consisted of a core of MTR-type fuel, enriched in uranium-235 and cooled and moderated by heavy water in a four-foot diameter core tank, surrounded by a graphite reflector. After initial criticality on July 21, 1958, the first year was devoted to startup experiments, calibration, and a gradual rise to one megawatt, the initially licensed maximum power.

Routine three-shift operation (Monday-Friday) commenced in July 1959. The authorized power level was increased to two megawatts in 1962 and to five megawatts (the design power level) in 1965.

Studies of an improved design were first undertaken in 1967. The concept which was finally adopted consisted of a more compact core, cooled by light water, and surrounded laterally and at the bottom by a heavy water reflector. It is under-moderated for the purpose of maximizing the peak of thermal neutrons in the heavy water at the ends of the beam port re-entrant thimbles and for enhancement of the neutron flux, particularly the fast component, at in-core irradiation facilities. The core is hexagonal in shape, 15 inches across, and utilizes fuel elements which are rhomboidal in cross section and which contain UALx intermetallic fuel in the form of plates clad in aluminum and fully enriched in uranium-235. Much of the original facility, e.g., graphite reflector, biological and thermal shields, secondary cooling systems, containment, etc., has been retained.

After Construction Permit No. CPRR-l 18 was issued by the former U.S.

Atomic Energy Commission in April 1973, major components for the modified reactor were procured and the MITR-I completed its mission on May 24, 1974, having logged 250,445 megawatt hours during nearly 16 years of operation.

The old core tank, associated piping, top shielding, control rods and drives, and some experimental facilities were disassembled, removed, and subsequently replaced with new equipment. After preoperational tests were conducted on all systems, the

2 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued Amendment No. 10 to Facility Operating License No. R-37 on July 23, 1975. After initial criticality for MITR-ll on August 14, 1975, and several months of startup testing, power was raised to 2.5 MW in December. Routine 5-MW operation was achieved in December 1976. Three shift operations, Monday through Friday, was continued through 1995 when a gradual transition to continuous operation (24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> per day, 7 days per week with a shutdown for maintenance every 4-5 weeks) was initiated. The current operating mode is continuous operation at full power.

In July 1999, an application to relicense the reactor for twenty years and to upgrade its power level to 6 MW was submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. That request is now being processed. In December 2000, a fission converter medical facility was commissioned. This facility generates the best epithermal beam in the world for use in the treatment of certain types of cancer.

This is the thirty-first annual report required by the Technical Specifications, and it covers the period July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. Previous reports, along with the "MITR-l Startup Report" (Report No. MITNE-198, February 14, 1977) have covered the startup testing period and the transition to routine reactor operation. This report covers the twenty-ninth full year of routine reactor operation at the 5-MW licensed power level. It was another year in which the safety and reliability of reactor operation met and exceeded requirements and expectations.

A summary of operating experience and other activities and related statistical data are provided in Sections A through I of this report.

4 Protective system surveillance tests are conducted whenever the reactor is scheduled to be shut down.

As in previous years, the reactor was operated throughout the period without the fixed hafnium absorbers, which were designed to achieve a maximum peaking of the thermal neutron flux in the heavy water reflector beneath the core. These had been removed in November 1976 in order to gain the reactivity necessary to support more in-core experiment facilities.

2. Experiments The MITR-II was used for experiments and irradiations in support of research, training and education programs at MIT and elsewhere. Experiments and irradiations of the following types were conducted:

a) Use of the Thermal Neutron Beam (TNB) for several in-vivo and in-vitro experiments to test the efficacy of new boron compounds and drug administration methods to support BNCT research.

b) Use of the TNB and 3GV to irradiate samples for track-etch analyses to determine the micro-distribution of boron in various biological samples.

c) Use of the TNB to help evaluate the feasibility of hydrogen fuel cell imaging.

d) Use of the Fission Converter Beam (FCB) for animal and drug studies funded by the U.S. DOE Innovation in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education program as part of the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) research effort to treat cancer tumors.

e) Use of the FCB to study the role of the vascular endothelium in mediating the onset of radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome and to determine the dose response for vascular endothelial cell apoptosis using boronated liposomes and BPA as a control.

f) Use of the FCB to determine the histopathology following the whole-body irradiation of mice at doses above and below the onset of radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome.

g) Use of the Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) to study the pharmacokinetics of three different classes of boron compounds in various tumor models: boronated unnatural amino acids; boron-loaded and encapsulated liposomes; boronated porphyrins.

5 h) Use of the PGNAA to measure the boron content of graphitized boron carbide that is specially prepared for experiments being carried out by the Idaho National Laboratory i) Use of the TNB for irradiation of tumor-bearing animals for imaging study of tumor progression, characterization of mechanisms of vascular damage to the gastro-intestinal system as a result of radiation exposure, and evaluation of methods to characterize new boron delivery compounds in cells.

j) Activation of gold foils, iron wires, and gamma films for thermal neutron flux calibration for MITR's pneumatic tubes and 3GV beam ports.

k) Activation of yttrium foils for an on-going clinical trial at the Massachusetts General Hospital for spinal cord cancer removal therapy.

1) Production of gold-198 for brachytherapy.

m) Production of iodine-125 seeds in xenated silicon chips and vascular stents with activated iridium-192 for DOE clinical trials at the Massachusetts General Hospital for medical research.

n) Study of BPA drug uptake and distribution pattern in live animals using the reactor's 4DH1, 4DH3, Fission Converter, and Thermal Beam facilities. These analyses support neutron capture therapy and studies of radiation synovectomy for treatment of arthritis.

o) High sensitivity neutron activation analyses of liquid scintillator and cryogenic detection medium in support of U.S. and international projects on double-beta decay research (partially funded by DOE).

p) Activation of uranium foils for detector calibration at the Los Alamos National Laboratories, New Mexico, and other national DOE facilities.

q) Autism studies using neutron activation analysis to measure mercury and other trace elements in human hair and biopsy-derived brain tissues.

r) Neutron activation of thulium on nucleopore filters for marine biology and oceanic sediment studies at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

s) Measurements of leakage neutron energy spectrum to determine reactor temperature using a mechanical chopper in the 4DH1 radial beam port facility.

Measurement of neutron wavelength by Bragg reflection permits demonstration of the DeBroglie relationship for physics courses at MIT and other universities. Time-of-flight measurements are also performed by students from the MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering Department.

6 t) Neutron activation of aluminum and tin specimens to determine iron oxide contamination for geological studies at Harvard University.

u) Irradiation of germanium wafers to be used in low temperature germanium-resistance thermometers, which have high sensitivity down to 0.001K.

v) Neutron activation analysis to evaluate Kr-79 gas production for refinery tracer study.

w) Irradiation of red oak tree samples in a study of toxic trace elements in vegetation from Superfund sites.

x) Use of the reactor's 3GV facility to activate geological samples for earth, atmospheric and planetary studies.

y) Irradiation of filtration beads for pilot study of the environmental effects of these beads when used for fanning.

z) Neutron activation analysis of carbon nano-tubes, nanoparticles, and nanoparticle dispersions to determine impurities in the sample content.

aa) Use of the reactor facility for training of MIT student reactor operators and for nuclear engineering classes (22.09/22.104 - Principles of Nuclear Radiation Measurement and Protection, 22.06 - Engineering of Nuclear Systems, 22.921

- Nuclear Power Plant Dynamics and Control), and a Junior Physics lab course (8.13/8.14).

bb) Use of the Student Spectrometer (4DH1) Facility to test the next-generation of boron-doped solid state thermal neutron detectors.

cc) Neutron activation analysis to evaluate the connection of vanadium to the occurrence of ALS through biopsy-derived mouse brain tissues, animal models, and human scalp and genital hair samples.

dd) Neutron activation analysis to test the feasibility of arsenic-indium quantum dots as a radiotracer in animal experiments.

ee) Use of the reactor facility for an introduction to nuclear engineering outreach program associated with the Department of Energy's Harnessed Atom program for advanced secondary students.

ff) Use of the In-Core Sample Assembly to activate fusion material laminates in materials science studies.

gg) Neutron Activation Analysis of chat, welding fume, and fly ash samples for industrial health studies in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health.

7 hh) Activation of ytterbium and iridium pellets for dosimetry measurements in support of brachytherapy applications.

ii) Neutron activation analysis of ultra high purity enriched boron as a dopant material for semi-conductors.

jj) Activation of chromium-alloyed carbon steel diesel engine plungers in support of filtration testing of engines.

kk) Activation of brass bearings for wear testing in engines.

hh) Activation of thorium to produce protactinium sources for study of oceanographic samples.

jj) Activation of plastics, resins, acrylics, and epoxies for material science studies.

In addition to the above list, the MIT reactor has been used to provide neutron irradiation in the core for dose reduction studies for the light-water nuclear power industry. Beginning in 1989, after much planning and out-of-core evaluation, the MIT reactor has designed and operated 11 in-core experiments as shown in the table. These studies entail installing experimental loops in the reactor core to investigate the chemistry of corrosion, the transport of radioactive crud, and irradiation testing of new fuel cladding materials. Loops that replicate the operating conditions of both pressurized (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR) were built. The PWR loop has been operational since August 1989. The BWR loop became operational in October 1990. A third loop, one for the study of irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC), became operational in June 1994. A fourth one, also for the study of crack propagation (SENSOR), began operation in April 1995.

An experiment using the IASCC thimble was installed in-core in February 1999 to study cross-corrosion behaviors of various metal specimens placed in close proximity (shadowing). The first of these experiments was successfully completed in June 1999. Another in-core experiment re-using the IASCC thimble was conducted throughout September and October 2000, irradiating and investigating behavior of new materials (ceramic fiber composites) for cladding of PWR power reactor fuel, with post-irradiation study performed at the reactor facility during 2001. In early 2003, another shadow corrosion experiment operated in-core for a month using this thimble.

A second phase of this shadow corrosion experiment began in early 2004 and was successfully completed in May 2004. A third phase was also successfully completed from May to August 2004, measuring electro-chemical potential difference between Zircaloy and Inconel specimens under neutron and gamma irradiation conditions, to evaluate effects that could reduce shadow corrosion.

In February 2004, a new type of in-core experiment was installed to test performance of an innovative annular fuel designs as a part of the Generation-IV

8 power reactor research effort by the MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering Department. This experiment continued into FY2005. It is the first irradiation of a fueled test capsule at the MIT reactor, and one of very few undertaken at any university reactor.

In November 2005, another new type of in-core experiment, the High Temperature Irradiation Facility (HTIF), was installed in the MITR core. This facility is an important test bed for irradiation testing of materials essential to the development of high temperature gas reactors. A demonstration test has been performed with temperatures up to 1600 'C. A variety of materials relevant to high temperature gas reactor design, including SiC, AGR matrix graphite and non-fueled coated particles, were irradiated.

Another experiment to evaluate the feasibility of using SiC as LWR cladding material has begun its Phase I irradiation in May 2006. This experiment is expected to last about 4 months.

In-Facility Serice Purpose of Experiments PWR Coolant Chemistry various Measure the effect of pH on corrosion product Loop (CCL) 2/89-7/94 transport and ex-core radionuclide deposition to Loop_(CCL)__/89-7/94_optimize PWR chemistry specifications.

BWR various Evaluate effect of chemical additives on N-16 CCL 10190-11/95 carryover.

Irradiation Irradition Assisted 10/90 -1/ Test the effects of coolant chemistry on IASCC Stress 10/90 -1/92 of BWR alloys.

Corrosion Cracking various Test in-vessel detectors related to 02 potential 12/94 - 7/95 in BWR primary coolant.

various Test clad samples and counter materials at 2/94 - 10/94 varying gaps under BWR conditions.

Test ceramic fiber composites as potential cladding materials under PWR conditions.

Evaluate annular fuel including the Annular Fuel 2/04- 9/04 mnfcuigpoes manufacturing process.

/6/04 Test clad samples and varying chemical condition effects on shadow corrosion.

Electro-Chemical Potential 5/26/04 - Evaluate the electrochemical environment in 7/20/04 the Shadow Corrosion test rig.

High Temperature 11/05 - 3/06 Irradiate SiC/SiC composites and surrogate fuel Irradiation Facility particles up to 1600 C.

Advanced Clad Irradiation 5/06 - Irradiate SiC cladding for LWR applications.

Loop I I

9 Another major research effort ongoing during FY2006 is the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) project. This project is making extensive use of the reactor's fission converter facility, the prompt gamma facility, and the thermal neutron beam facility for drug testing and characterization using cell culture, tissues, and lab mice.

Funding for these clinical trials is provided by the National Institute of Health.

Construction of the fission converter facility was funded by DOE and completed by NRL staff in autumn 2000. Major peripheral equipment installation was completed in FY2001. In FY2002 and FY2003, it was used primarily for beam and drug studies by national and international groups. Many of the beam and drug studies were performed as preparation for BNCT clinical trials. The clinical trials at MIT were a collaborative effort with the Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center which is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School. See Section I for more details on the BNCT clinical trial program.

As part of the BNCT project, the epithermal neutron beam at the reactor basement's original medical facility was converted into a thermal neutron beam during FY2002. In FY2003, Ricorad shielding was installed along the thermal beam room's inner wall adjacent to the reactor's equipment room, in order to minimize radiation interference in the thermal beam room during operation of the fission converter facility. Construction of a full-size control console away from the outer wall of the thermal beam facility was also completed in FY2003, replacing the original beam control panel. In FY2004 and FY2005, new lighting, wall surfaces and a new floor were installed inside the room. In FY2005, additional Ricorad shielding was installed at the thermal beam room's inner wall, and then the final inner wall surface was mounted in place. Extensive instrumentation rewiring for shutter operation from the new control console was also completed in FY2005.

The ten spent elements comprising the sub-critical neutron source for the fission converter were replaced with slightly burned MITR fuel in FY2006. An eleventh element was also accommodated within the existing grid by slight modifications to this element that were allowed within the fuel specifications.

Refueling the fission converter has increased the available epithermal neutron flux at the patient position by 20%. Shielding on the reactor top was also improved to facilitate better access to the fission converter's fuel tank and simplify maintenance of nearby reactor-related equipment.

Another area of research undergoing a renaissance is neutron scattering in large part due to the construction of the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The NRL is constructing a smaller-scale diffractometer consisting of beam conditioning equipment, a sample rotation stage, detector assembly and computerized control and data acquisition systems. It allows for a collimated variable-energy beam of neutrons to illuminate a sample from any orientation. The scattered beam is then detected and analyzed. This research emphasizes development of novel focusing, polarization, and imaging methodologies. The diffractometer in combination with novel neutron optics will enable construction of fundamentally new imaging instruments. There are plans to institute the following programs: 1) education and training for graduate and undergraduate students in basic concepts of neutron

10 scattering; 2) enhanced production of new materials and single crystals by allowing rapid evaluation by neutron scattering; 3) development of novel neutron optics components; and 4) conceptual development of a new imaging instrument.

The NRL is also beginning to venture into neutron radiography. In the Neutron Phase Contrast Imaging (NPCI) project at the MIT-NRL, a sample is subjected to a point source of thermal neutrons from a pin-hole sized beam aperture. These neutrons act as a spherical wave that undergoes a phase shift upon interaction with the sample nuclei. The phase-shifted wave in combination with an undeviated wave amplifies "edge effects". The Phase Contrast image is produced at some distance from the original sample. In addition to research possibilities in advanced materials, the NPCI facility is an excellent teaching tool for MIT students and faculty in imaging.

The NRL is also designing and constructing a web-enabled neutron spectrometer experimental facility. Currently, the neutron spectrometer is a non-automated facility installed in the MITR's 4DH1 beam port. While this facility has been enhancing MIT undergraduate curriculums for the last twenty years, it is limited because it is only accessible on-site. In collaboration with MIT's iCampus program, the NRL plans to debut the first online, interactive, real-time neutron-based experiment this winter. Using a combination of LabVIEW software and a prototype iCampus-developed architecture, the MIT-NRL can provide educational opportunities to students nationwide and internationally that do not have the benefit of an on-site nuclear reactor or other neutron source.

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3. Changes to Facility Design Except for minor changes reported in Section E, no changes in the facility design were made during this fiscal year. As indicated in past reports the uranium loading of MITR-ll fuel was increased from 29.7 grams of U-235 per plate and 445 grams per element (as made by Gulf United Nuclear Fuels, Inc., Connecticut) to a nominal 34 and 510 grams respectively (made originally by the Atomics International Division of Rockwell International, California, now by BWX Technologies, Inc.,

Virginia). With the exception of seven elements (one Gulf, six AI) that were found to be out-gassing excessively, performance of these fuel elements has been good. (Please see Reportable Occurrence Reports Nos. 50-20/79-4, 50-20/83-2, 50-20/85-2, 50-20/86-1, 50-20/86-2, 50-20/88-1, and 50-20/91-1.) The heavier loading results in 41.2 w/o U in the core, based on 7% voids, and corresponds to the maximum loading in Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) fuel. Atomics International completed the production of forty-one of the more highly loaded elements in 1982. Of the forty elements that were used to some degree, thirty-two with about 40% burnup have been discharged because they have attained the fission density limit. Of the other eight, six were, as previously reported to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, removed from service because of excess out-gassing and two were removed because of suspected excess out-gassing. One hundred thirty-two elements fabricated by BWXT have been received, sixty of which remain in use. One has been removed because of suspected excess out-gassing and seventy-one have been discharged because they have attained the fission density limit.

The MITR staff has been following with interest the work of the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) Program at Argonne National Laboratory, particularly the development of advanced fuels that will permit uranium loadings up to several times the recent upper limit of 1.6 grams total uranium/cubic centimeter. Consideration of the thermal-hydraulics and reactor physics of the MITR-Id core design show that conversion of MITR-II fuel to lower enrichment must await the successful demonstration of the proposed advanced fuels.

4. Changes in Performance Characteristics Performance characteristics of the MITR-II were reported in the "MITR-ll Startup Report." Minor changes have been described in previous reports.

Performance characteristics of the Fission Converter Facility were reported in the "Fission Converter Facility Startup Report". In FY2006, ten spent fuel elements used in the fission converter were replaced with eleven fuel elements of lesser use, increasing the unfiltered beam intensity by about 20%

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5. Changes in Operating Procedures With respect to operating procedures subject only to MITR internal review and approval, a summary is given below of changes implemented during the past year.

Those changes related to safety and subject to additional review and approval are discussed in Section E of this report.

a) PM 1.22, "Procedure for Compliance with 10 CFR 21", updated the administrative procedure on procurement from vendors to reflect legislative updates to 10 CFR 21. This included the definitions for "basic component" and "commercial grade item", and various cross-reference numbers to other parts of 10 CFR. (SR#-0-05-5) b) PM 3.3.3, "General Conduct of Transfer of Spent Fuel to Fission Converter",

and PM 3.3.3.1, "Fuel Element Transfers: Storage Ring to Fission Converter",

were updated, and PM 3.3.3.2, "Fuel Element Transfers: Fission Converter to Spent Fuel Pool", was created, to reflect current practices and to cover transfer of fuel both to and from the Fission Converter (FC) tank. Also in conjunction with the FC refueling, polyethylene shielding was added to the top of the FC shield to reduce neutron doses and allow more efficient disassembly of the FC.

(SR#-0-05-15, and #-M-05-3) c) "Containment Building Pressure Test Measurements, Calculation, and New Wall Penetrations" modified the instruments and the corresponding computer calculation methods used for the annual pressure test of the containment building. The equipment was updated from dry bulb / wet bulb psychrometers to stations using a solid state measurement of temperature and relative humidity. The method of analysis for leakage calculation was changed from a FORTRAN program to an Excel worksheet, and was updated to reflect the use of relative humidity in calculating the partial pressure of air in the building.

This year's test also covered the pressure test requirement for a set of new penetrations through the containment wall. (SR#-0-06-3)

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6. Surveillance Tests and Inspections There are many written procedures in use for surveillance tests and inspections required by the Technical Specifications. These procedures provide a detailed method for conducting each test or inspection and specify an acceptance criterion which must be met in order for the equipment or system to comply with the requirements of the Technical Specifications. The tests and inspections are scheduled throughout the year with a frequency at least equal to that required by the Technical Specifications. Thirty such tests and calibrations are conducted on an annual, semi-annual, or quarterly basis.

Other surveillance tests are done each time before startup of the reactor if shut down for more than 16 hours1.851852e-4 days <br />0.00444 hours <br />2.645503e-5 weeks <br />6.088e-6 months <br />, before startup if a channel has been repaired or de-energized, and at least monthly; a few are on different schedules. Procedures for such surveillance are incorporated into daily or monthly startup, shutdown, or other checklists.

During this reporting period, the surveillance frequency has been at least equal to that required by the Technical Specification, and the results of tests and inspections were satisfactory throughout the year for Facility Operating License No. R-37.

7. Status of Spent Fuel Shipment In FY2006, two shipments were completed, temporarily reducing the inventory of spent fuel at MIT to zero. The U.S. Department of Energy has indicated that further shipments may be feasible in FY2007 for future fuel discharges.

14 B. REACTOR OPERATION Information on energy generated and on reactor operating hours is tabulated below:

Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total

1. Energy Generated (MWD):

a) MITR-lI 190.9 268.4 315.0 249.3 1023.6 (MIT FY2006)

(normally at 4.9 MW) b) MITR-1I 25,817.9 (MIT FY1976-2005) c) MITR-I 10,435.2 (MIT FY1959-1974) d) Cumulative, 37,276.7 MITR-I & MITR-lI

2. MITR-ll Operation (hours):

(MIT FY2006) a) At Power

(>0.5-MW) for 1349.1 1622.8 1757.9 1408.1 6137.9 Research b) Low Power

(<0.5-MW) for 86.8 88.5 51.1 60.9 287.3 Training(1 ) and Test c) Total Critical 1435.9 1711.3 1809.0 1469.0 6425.2 (1) These hours do not include reactor operator and other training conducted while the reactor is at full power for research purposes (spectrometer, etc.) or for isotope production. Such hours are included in the previous line.

15 C. SHUTDOWNS AND SCRAMS During the period of this report there were 6 inadvertent scrams and 4 unscheduled shutdowns.

The term "scram" refers to shutting down of the reactor through protective system action when the reactor is at power or at least critical, while the term "shutdown" refers to an unscheduled power reduction to subcritical by the reactor operator in response to an abnormal condition indication. Rod drops and electric power loss without protective system action are included in unscheduled shutdowns.

The following summary of scrams and shutdowns is provided in approximately the same format as for previous years in order to facilitate a comparison.

1. Nuclear Safety System Scrams Total a) Trip on Channel #1 as result of spurious electronic noise while in ion chamber range. 2 Subtotal 2

2. Process System Scrams a) High temperature trip on MTS-1 as result of capillary tube failing. 1 b) High temperature trip on MT-5A as result of noise spike on recorder. 1 c) High temperature trip as result of operator error with cooling tower fans. 1 d) Low flow primary coolant trip as result of operator error with primary flow recorder. 1 Subtotal 4

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3. Unscheduled Shutdowns a) Shutdown due to loss of offsite electricity. 3 b) Shutdown due to inadvertent vibration near instruments. 1 Subtotal 4 Total 10

4. Experience during recent years has been as follows:

Fiscal Year Scrams 2006 6 2005 6 2004 9 2003 17 2002 8

17 D. MAJOR MAINTENANCE Major maintenance projects performed during FY2006 are described in this Section. Much maintenance was performed to continue the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the MIT Research Reactor, to systematically replace and upgrade key components of reactor instrumentation and equipment system to ensure reactor safety, reliability and, hence, a predictable reactor operating schedule. With increasing research and experiment use of the reactor, reactor staff are fulfilling an expanded role in the support of these activities:

(a) In-Core Sample Assembly (ICSA) - Reactor staff supported its safety reviews, alarm panel installation, pre-operational tests, experiment installation, operation of the experiment, repair, removal, and underwater dose measurement of the irradiated specimens of fusion material laminates for dose assessment and transfer to special storage. A series of experiment / sample irradiations for various reactor power levels ranging from 1.5 MW to 2 MW were conducted within a period of three months.

(b) High Temperature Irradiation Facility (HTIF) - Reactor staff supported its pre-installation reactivity assessment by measuring reactivity worth of its proposed tungsten in-core experiment holder at low power. Four special low power startups were performed for the measurement. New procedures were initiated and safety reviewed for these measurements. Additionally, reactor staff installed the experiment in the core at the end of November 2005 and coordinated with the experimenters throughout its operation at various gas mixtures (helium vs. neon).

The experiment was successfully concluded in early April 2006 and was removed from the in-core position.

(c) Advanced Clad Irradiation (ACI) Experiment - Reactor staff supported the installation and pre-operational tests of the experiment. Additionally, new alarms and remote monitoring capability were installed at the reactor top area and in the Control Room. The experiment and its new Abnormal Operating Procedures were safety reviewed. The reactor floor Hot Cell was refurbished and its manipulators were serviced in preparation for post-irradiation work on the SiC cladding specimens in the experiment.

(d) Fission Converter Refueling to Upgrade Beam Intensity and Quality for Boron-Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Studies - All ten fuel elements used in the Fission Converter were replaced with ones that had less bumup. An eleventh element was installed in the fuel array as per original design. This strengthens the epithermal neutron beam flux for further studies of BNCT. Reactor staff supported review of new procedures and implemented the refueling operations.

Also new shielding was safety reviewed and installed above the Fission Converter fuel tank. The new design not only simplifies stacking configuration but also improves radiation shielding for the Reactor Top area during operation of the Fission Converter. Radiological impact to reactor instrumentation and radiation monitors during use of the fission converter was carefully characterized afterward.

18 (e) 4DH4 Diffractometer - Reactor staff received shipment of the diffractometer, from NIST. One of the two support pillars of the Reactor Top CCL platform was modified in order to provide room for its future installation. The NTD Silicon work and corral area had to be relocated as well. The old 4DH4 port plug was replaced with a solid dummy plug to facilitate up-close port box modification work while the reactor was at power.

(f) Post-Irradiation Examination of Advanced Fuel Test Rig (AFTR) Fuel Capsules -

Reactor staff supported the AFTR fuel capsule unloading, storage, and several transfers to and from the Reactor Floor Hot Box for post-irradiation analyses.

(g) Neutron Phase Contrast Imaging Project (NPCI) - In this fiscal year, reactor staff assisted in the shielding improvement of this new beam facility. The new shielding reduces background radiation for neighboring beam facilities. Reactor staff also supported modification of the beam's pin-hole subsequent to characterization of the neutron beam.

Maintenance of machinery and computer control and monitoring software and hardware for neutron transmutation doping of silicon (NTD Si) continues to require reactor staff support. This machinery, installed in two of the reactor through-ports, includes two twenty-foot tubes for each port, rotating and pushing mechanisms, billet handling and storage conveyors, electronic sensors, and associated microprocessor-based controllers and computer tracking systems. It operates constantly whenever the reactor is at power. For this fiscal year, additional effort was put into surveillance and audit procedures for the NTD Si production for upkeep of the ISO 9001 Certification for the program.

Major maintenance items performed in FY2006 were summarized as follows:

1) The reactor's center annunciator panel was replaced. This is the main alarm panel in the control room. This panel is made by the same manufacturer used for the left and right alarm panels which were installed about two years ago. This panel now carries a total of 73 alarms and will accommodate another 40 future alarms if needed. It uses easily accessible solid-state components and 24V electrical power, versus 120V before, resulting in a more stable and quiet operation. The panel's new layout aims to improve user-friendliness and recognition of relative levels of alarm importance.

2) With the replacement of the center alarm panel, the reactor's Weekend Alarm panel was also upgraded to maintain compatibility for remote notification of alarm conditions during weekend and other holiday shutdowns.

3) The reactor CO 2 cover gas supply system was replaced and relocated. The previous four-tank system was replaced with an outdoor, two-tank, high volume (1000 liters each) liquid storage system which is equipped with solar-powered transmitters for remote read-outs in the utility room and in the headquarters office

19 of the CO 2 supplier. Major benefits to this upgrade include system reliability, reduction of the need for frequent refill and removal of the refilling noise and other potential refilling hazards from a busy pedestrian walkway. The new location was agreed upon by Reactor Operations, RRPO and EHS Safety Office.

4) The control room air conditioner was upgraded with a new unit. The new unit's compressor is air-cooled and is mounted outside the containment building. This eliminates its dependence on reactor secondary cooling for the compressor. The compressor noise is also completely eliminated from the control room area. The unit is dedicated to provide cooled and dehumidified air to the Control Room. Its reliable operation is desirable since it provides the only means of cooling for control room electronics and instrumentation.

5) An auxiliary air-conditioner was installed to provide back-up A/C to the control room. This new unit is about the size of a medium-sized refrigerator and is installed outside the Control Room. This is the first setup to provide the Control Room with A/C back up. This improves reliability and availability of reactor instrumentation.

6) The blower for pneumatic irradiation tubes 1PH and 2PH was replaced.

Associated piping and filter box were also replaced. The new blower was installed with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) controller and was tested capable of producing up to 70"H 20 of vacuum, compared to 50" for the old unit.

If the VFD needs maintenance, it can be bypassed via a new circuit breaker setup while allowing uninterrupted operation of the blower. (The new blower takes up more space. So reactor staff relocated and rebuilt a new tritium sampling station.)

7) Twenty-eight lead-acid battery cells were replaced in the reactor's emergency battery bank (totaling 60 cells) in the utility room. Their performance was tested satisfactory afterward per standard reactor (and manufacturer's) procedures.

8) The reactor's helium gas supply manifold in the NW12 Receiving Room was completely upgraded with a new, up-to-code unit. Flexible pigtail hoses were used to allow connection of various size helium bottles.

9) The reactor Primary Coolant system main pump MM-lA was replaced with a new unit when the old one failed. Core tank primary coolant observed to be murky during routine shutdown inspection. Problem identified as failed pump shaft bearing assembly on MM-IA, resulting in significant rotational contact between the pump's impeller and casing. The resulting stainless steel fines were dispersed throughout the primary coolant. The failure was traced to a factory assembly problem, allowing the pump shaft bearing assembly lock nut to loosen which allowed the entire shaft assembly to move beyond the normal range. The pump was replaced during the same outage period, and the primary coolant was purified. The primary cleanup system's filters and ion column proved to be effective in removing the particles.

20

10) A total of six additional self-contained emergency lights were added to the containment building and the reactor Equipment Room to improve lighting in essential areas during electrical outages.

11) OSHA-compliant safety hand-rails were installed on top of the NTD Silicon load and unload cell platforms for fall protection. Similar railing but designed for easy disassembly was also obtained for the reactor floor for use when reactor floor plugs are open for basement access.

12) The reactor staff assisted with upgrade of the ICP (Inductively-Coupled Plasma) lab by refurbishing the room, installing the ICP machine and its chiller unit, mounting an argon gas cylinder station, and constructing a shield to protect the machine from potential water damage.

14) D20 auxiliary pump DM-2 was upgraded with a VFD controller. This enables flow-rate adjustment of the D20 cleanup system when the reactor is shut down.

15) A prototype control rod position indicator was installed in the control room console for testing and observation. The unit allows data transfer to a central computer. It gives both digital and graphic display of the control rod position in the reactor core. If its performance is satisfactory, all existing rod position indicators will be replaced with the new design.

16) The NTD Si 6" load-side pusher mechanism was replaced as preventive maintenance and as upgrade. The original pusher was installed in 1995 and it was found to be slightly under-rated to handle full-load conditions in which the tube is filled with 6" Si ingots.

17) The original in-core reactor temperature sensor MTS-1 failed and was replaced with three thermocouples. The original unit was installed in 1975 and was a capillary-tube type sensor filled with an oily silicone fluid. However, from time-to-time its liquid-fill stability to radiation was questioned and the potential leakage of the oily liquid into the reactor primary coolant had always been a concern. Reactor staff replaced it with three field-proven thermocouples.

18) A mass-flow sensor for CO 2 cover-gas supply to the reactor was installed in the Utility Room just before the supply piping enters the containment building there.

New piping was installed there to accommodate a new flow sensor-indicator unit.

This installation was made in anticipation of a new high-volume (two 1000 liters) liquid CO 2 supply tank system and the eventual dismantling of the CO 2 gasholder in the Equipment Room.

19) The two main reactor heat exchangers were chemically cleaned (continuous flushing for 32 hours3.703704e-4 days <br />0.00889 hours <br />5.291005e-5 weeks <br />1.2176e-5 months <br />) with inhibited phosphoric acid (10% strength) mixed with anti-foaming agents and corrosion inhibitors. The cleaning of the heat exchangers improved the reactor cooling capability significantly.

21

20) The main intake and exhaust ventilation dampers were cleaned, lubricated and vacuum-tested satisfactory. This is a scheduled preventive maintenance item to ensure reliable operation for containment isolation when needed.

21) The reactor Containment Building annual pressure test sensor instrumentation including the museum-quality barometer were completely retired and replaced with up-to-date solid-state devices that transmit digital data to a processing computer. Real-time sampling and high sampling rate greatly enhance accuracy and therefore have the potential to shorten the test. One test was performed with old and new instrumentation used simultaneously so that results could be compared side-by-side. Reactor staff then completed a Safety Review and approved sole use of the new setup for future tests.

22) The reactor Shield Coolant system ion column was replaced this fiscal year. Last time it was repacked and replaced was on June 9, 2003.

23) The reactor Primary Coolant system ion column was replaced three times during the fiscal year in normal frequency. Its inlet filter was also replaced three times, ion column screen cleaned and the outlet filter ultrasonically cleaned.

24) The reactor D2 0 Reflector Coolant system ion column was replaced.

Additionally, about 45 gallons of fresh D2 0 was added to compensate for evaporative lost. The ion column was last installed in September 2004 when the Reflector D2 0 was replaced. Since then, there had been identified helium cover gas leak and transfer pump shaft leak. Both were repaired. These contributed to the depletion of the D 2 0 ion column and inventory.

25) Reactor staff coordinated with a contractor to inspect the polar crane in the containment building. Repair and maintenance were performed on the main drive gear and the tethered controller box.

26) The reactor core purge solenoid valve MV-64 diaphragm was replaced. A small crack developed in the diaphragm, causing the valve not sufficiently open fully by compressed air. Core purge flow eventually drifted down to the low flow trip set-point. Valve would have to be cycled from the Control Room to recover flow and clear the alarm, as evident in multiple alarm entries in the console log book. Once the valve diaphragm was replaced during a scheduled outage, there was no further flow restriction. The associated valve operator and compressed air supply regulator were also replaced as preventive maintenance.

27) The Containment Building vacuum breakers were inspected and serviced. Their military-grade rubber gasket replaced. They were both tested satisfactory during a subsequent building pressure test.

28) The reactor core-outlet temperature sensor MT-5A signal conditioner was replaced. The old unit was subjected to EMF interference and spiked spuriously.

MT-5A is now returned to service for high temperature warning and scrams.

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29) The Boral shutter actuator and shaft for the Thermal Neutron Beam Facility were serviced. The shutter operation was becoming sluggish over time and occasionally stuck in the close position. The shaft was found to have side-to-side instabilities in its movement. Reactor staff designed, machined and installed a new shaft stabilizer. The five-way controller valves for the Boral and lead shutter actuators were rebuilt to minimize compressed air leaks.

30) All eight reactor floor flood lights (300 W) and the four building polar crane lights (500 W) were replaced with energy efficient ones. These lights are on 24/7 whenever the reactor building is open.

31) A total of 16 tons of concrete shield blocks (ten pieces) of various sizes and shapes but non-reusable were disposed as non-radioactive waste. This is the first step of an effort to dispose on-site low level waste. A total of 109 items of that category at the reactor back yard has been carefully inventoried. The 16 tons of concrete were determined to be free of contamination and activation, and therefore were disposed first.

32) One of the two lightning rods at the reactor stack was replaced. It had been removed during excavation a year ago by MIT Facilities for construction of below-ground steam piping.

Many other routine maintenance and preventive maintenance items were also scheduled and completed throughout the fiscal year.

23 E. SECTION 50.59 CHANGES, TESTS, AND EXPERIMENTS This section contains a description of each change to the facility or procedures and of the conduct of tests and experiments carried out under the conditions of Section 50.59 of 10 CFR 50, together with a summary of the safety evaluation in each case.

The review and approval of changes in the facility and in the procedures as described in the SAR are documented in the MITR records by means of "Safety Review Forms." These have been paraphrased for this report and are identified on the following pages for ready reference if further information should be required with regard to any item. Pertinent pages in the SAR have been or are being revised to reflect these changes, and they either have or will be forwarded to the Document Control Desk, USNRC.

The conduct of tests and experiments on the reactor are normally documented in the experiments and irradiation files. For experiments carried out under the provisions of 10 CFR 50.59, the review and approval is documented by means of the Safety Review Form. All other experiments have been done in accordance with the descriptions provided in Section 10 of the SAR, "Experimental Facilities."

24 High Temperature Irradiation Facility SR #0-04-18 (12/06/04), #0-05-6 (04/07/05), #0-05-11 (07/22/05),

1. 0-05-12 (11/08/05)

A high temperature irradiation facility was designed and fabricated under the U.S. DOE Innovation in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education program to allow testing of candidate materials for Generation-IV reactor research and development.

Accomplishments through FY2005 include design and construction of the loop, as well as reactivity measurements on a tungsten prototype of the experiment's heating element. This loop operated in core from late November 2005 to mid-April 2006.

Cooled In-Core Sample Assembly Experiment SR #0-04-19 (12/01/04), #M-04-2 (12/30/04), #M-05-2 (07/01/2005),

1. 0-05-10 (07/05/05), #0-05-14 (09/09/05)

A water-cooled 1-cm think Pb annulus was inserted into the 2" ICSA tube to surround a 1" ICSA can and provide cooling to the specimens within. The materials and configuration fell within the envelope of previous 2" ICSA safety reviews. This experiment assembly was used for several in-core irradiations runs from early July to mid-September 2005.

Advance Cladding Irradiation Facility SR #0-06-4 (04/03/06), #0-06-6 (05/18/06)

An in-core experiment loop was installed on May 22, 2006, to investigate the effects at various stages of irradiation on specimens of silicon carbide intended for use in advanced fuel cladding designs. Its envelope of operating conditions is very similar to that of previous in-core experiments such as the Zircaloy Corrosion Loop and the Electro-Chemical Potential Loop. No new safety issues were raised. Operation continues in the summer of 2006.

Control Room Annunciator Center Panel SR #E-05-1 (09/22/05)

The existing center SCAM panel was replaced with a Ronan Engineering solid-state annunciator panel of similar function but greater reliability and energy efficiency.

The new panel accommodates up to 110 individual alarms (10 high x 11 wide),

compared to 66 alarm spaces on the SCAM system. All alarms from the SCAM system were either retained on the new panel or transferred to one of the two side panels, except for three defunct alarms which were removed - Containment Vault, High Temperature HX-1A Primary Outlet, and SCAM Flasher Deactivated.

25 F. ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS Environmental monitoring is performed using continuous radiation monitors and dosimetry devices. The radiation monitoring system consists of G-M detectors and associated electronics at each remote site with data transmitted continuously to the Reactor Radiation Protection Office and recorded on strip chart recorders. The remote sites are located within a quarter mile radius of the facility. The detectable radiation levels per sector, due primarily to Ar-41, are presented below. Units located at east and south sector were inoperable periodically during the reporting period due to site renovations. These values are adjusted for the period(s) the sites were not operational.

Site Exposure (07/01/05 - 06/30/06)

North 0.28 mrem East 0.22 mrem South 0.47 mrem West 0.12 mrem Green (east) 0.15 mrem Fiscal Year Averages 2006 0.2 mrem 2005 0.2 mrem 2004 0.2 mrem 2003 0.2 mrem 2002 0.3 mrem 2001 0.4 mrem_

26 G. RADIATION EXPOSURE AND SURVEYS WITHIN THE FACILITY A summary of radiation exposures received by facility personnel and experimenters is given below:

July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006 Whole Body Exposure Range (rems) Number of Personnel N o m easurable ......................................................................................... 79 M easurable - < 0.1 ................................................................................. 55 0.1 - 0.25 .......................................................................................... 9 0.25 - 0.5 .......................................................................................... 6 0.5 - 0.75 .......................................................................................... 1 0.75 - 1.00 .......................................................................................... 0 1.00 - 1.25 .......................................................................................... 0 Total Person Rem = 5.49 Total Number of Personnel = 150 From July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006, the Reactor Radiation Protection Office provided radiation protection services for the facility which included power and non-power operational surveillance (performed on daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and other frequencies as required), maintenance activities, and experimental project support. Specific examples of these activities included, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Collection and analysis of air samples taken within the containment building and in the exhaust/ventilation systems.

2. Collection and analysis of water samples taken from the secondary, D2 0, primary, shield coolant, liquid waste, and experimental systems, and fuel storage pool.

3. Performance of radiation and contamination surveys, radioactive waste collection and shipping, calibration of area radiation monitors, calibration of effluent and process radiation monitors, calibration of radiation protection/survey instrumentation, and establishing/posting radiological control areas.

4. Provision of radiation protection services during fuel movements, in-core experiments, sample irradiations, beam port use, ion column removal, and fission converter beam installation and testing, etc.

The results of all surveys and surveillances conducted have been within the guidelines established for the facility.

27 H. RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS This section summarizes the nature and amount of liquid, gaseous, and solid radioactive wastes released or discharged from the facility.

1. Liquid Waste Liquid radioactive wastes generated at the facility are discharged only to the sanitary sewer serving the facility. The possible sources of such wastes during the year include cooling tower blowdown, the liquid waste storage tanks, and various sinks.

All of the liquid volumes are measured, by far the largest being the 13,311,901 liters discharged during FY2006 from the cooling towers. (Other large quantities of non-radioactive waste water are discharged to the sanitary sewer system by other parts of MIT, but no credit for such dilution is taken because the volume is not routinely measured.)

Total activity less tritium in the liquid effluents (cooling tower blowdown, waste storage tank discharges, and engineering lab sink discharges) amounted to 7.95 E-6 Ci for FY2006. The total tritium was 166.45 mCi. The total effluent water volume was 13,321,520 liters, giving an average tritium concentration of 12.5 E-6 pCi/mil.

The above liquid waste discharges are provided on a monthly basis in the following Table H-3.

All releases were in accordance with Technical Specification 3.8-1, including Part 20, Title 20, Code of Federal Regulations. All activities were substantially below the limits specified in 10 CFR 20.2003. Nevertheless, the monthly tritium releases are reported in Table H-3.

2. Gaseous Waste Gaseous radioactivity is discharged to the atmosphere from the containment building exhaust stack. All gaseous releases likewise were in accordance with the Technical Specifications and 10 CFR 20.1302, and all nuclides were substantially below the limits after the authorized dilution factor of 3000 with the exception of Ar-41, which is reported in the following Table H-1. The 565.33 Ci of Ar-41 was released at an average concentration of 1.52 E-9 pCi/ml. This represents 15.2% of EC (Effluent Concentration (lx 0-8 pCi/ml)).

3. Solid Waste No shipments of solid waste were made during the year. The information pertaining to these shipments is provided in Table H-2.

28 TABLE H-1 ARGON-41 STACK RELEASES FISCAL YEAR 2006 Ar-41 Average Discharged Concentration(l)

(Curies) (4iCi/ml)

July 2005 40.70 1.42 E-9 August 58.73 1.64 E-9 September 34.39 1.20 E-9 October 21.50 7.50 E-10 November 73.01 2.04 E-9 December 83.34 2.91 E-9 January 2006 22.13 7.72 E-10 February 25.82 9.01 E-10 March 59.81 1.67 E-9 April 31.89 1.11 E-9 May 10.50 2.93 E-10 June 4.04 1.41 E-10 Totals (12 Months) 465.86 1.26 E-9 EC (Table II, Column I) I x 10"8

% EC 12.6%

(Note: Average concentrations do not vary linearly with curies discharged because of differing monthly dilution volumes.)

29 TABLE H-2

SUMMARY

OF MITR-fI RADIOACTIVE SOLID WASTE SHIPMENTS FISCAL YEAR 2006 Description Volume 0 Weight 0 Activity 0 Date of shipment No Shipment FY2006 Disposition to licensee for burial Waste broker N/A

30 TABLE H-3 LIQUID EFFLUENT DISCHARGES FISCAL YEAR 2006 Total Total Volume Average Activity Tritium of Effluent Tritium Less Tritium Activity Water(l) Concentration (x 10-6 Ci) (mCi) (x10 4 liters) (XIO-6 [,Ci/ml)

July 2005 NDA 0.26 34.1 0.76 Aug. 2.28 2.03 64.7 3.14 Sept. NDA 0.45 40.9 1.10 Oct. NDA 48.9 220.7 22.2 Nov. NDA 50.3 138.5 36.3 Dec. NDA 10.7 107.1 10.0 Jan. 2006 NDA 8.19 130.2 6.29 Feb. NDA 5.03 106.2 4.74 Mar. 1.75 12.2 134.1 9.12 Apr. NDA 13.6 126.9 10.7 May 3.92 9.69 98.2 9.86 June NDA 5.10 130.6 3.90 12 months 7.95 166.45 1332.2 12.5 (1) Volume of effluent from cooling towers, waste tanks, and NW12-139 Engineering Lab sink. Does not include other diluent from MIT estimated at 2.7 million gallons/day.

(2) No Detectable Activity (NDA); less than 1.26x10- 6 pCi/ml beta for each sample.

31 I.

SUMMARY

OF USE OF MEDICAL FACILITY FOR HUMAN THERAPY The use of the medical therapy facility for human therapy is summarized here pursuant to Technical Specification No. 7.13.5(i).

1. Investigative Studies Investigative studies remain as summarized in the annual report for FY2005.

2. Human Therapy None.

3. Status of Clinical Trials The Phase I glioblastoma and melanoma trials with BIDMC have been closed because they used the original epithermal beam in the basement medical therapy room.

A new beam that is superior in both flux and quality is now available from the Fission Converter Facility. New Phase I / Phase II trials (melanoma and glioblastoma) began with that beam in October 2002.