ML100330319

U. S. Geological Survey Triga Non-Power Reactor Annual Report - January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009

ML100330319
Person / Time
Site:	U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date:	01/25/2010
From:	Timothy Debey US Dept of Interior, Geological Survey (USGS)
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML100330319 (7)

Text

U USGS science for a changing world Department of the Interior US Geological Survey Box 25046 MS-974 Denver CO, 80225 January 25, 2010 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington DC 20555

Dear NRC staff,

The 2009 annual report is herein submitted for the U.S. Geological Survey TRIGA non-power reactor facility. This report is generated in compliance with our license conditions.

The facility docket number is 50-274.

Sincerely, Timothy M. DeBey*

Reactor Supervisor Enclosure Copy to:

Linh Tran, MS OWFN 12H15

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TRIGA REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT JANUARY 1, 2009 - DECEMBER 31, 2009 NRC LICENSE NO. R-113 - DOCKET NO. 50-274 I. Personnel Changes:

Greg Lightner (Reactor HP Tech) retired from the facility in March 2009.

Darrell Liles (Reactor HP) left the facility in June 2009.

Benjamin Boyle was hired as a student employee and began working on May 11, 2009.

Karl Frank was hired as a student employee and began working on November 9, 2009.

II. Operating Experience The Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR) was in normal operation for the year 2009. No major facility changes were made during the year.

A synopsis of irradiations performed during the year is given below, listed by the organization submitting the samples to the reactor staff:

Orqanization Number of Samples Geologic Discipline - INAA 1084 Geologic Discipline - Geochronology 779 Non-USGS 2249 Total 4112 A. Thermal power calibrations were performed in January and July, with minor adjustments made to the instrumentation.

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B. During the report period, 185 daily checklists and 12 monthly checklists were completed in compliance with technical specifications requirements for surveillance of the reactor facility.

C. Tours were provided to individuals and groups during the year for a total visitor count of approximately 400.

Ill. Tabulation of Energy Generated MWH operated Critical hours Pulses Jan 31.010 49h 4m 0 Feb 40.767 45h 15m 1 Mar 47.783 51h 1m 0 Apr 25.563 28h 9m 0 May 16.655 20h 35m 0 June 37.866 40h 39m 0 July 52.159 60h 17m 0 23.101 28h 4m 0 Sept 67.742 71h 28m 0 Oct 51.948 56h 13m 2 Nov 61.820 74h 49m 11 Dec 37.225 46h 6m 0 Totals 493.639 571h 40m 14 IV. Unscheduled Shutdowns Number Date Cause 1044 01/12/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1045 02/05/09 NP1000 hi power due to trainee error 1046 03/19/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1047 05/14/09 NP1000 hi power 1048 05/14/09 NP1000 hi power 1049 05/14/09 NP1000 hi power due to sample unloading 1050 06/15/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1051 06/22/09 NPP1000 hi power 1052 07/01/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1053 07/02/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1054 07/02/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1055 07/06/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1056 07/06/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1057 07/07/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1058 08/04/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1059 08/04/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1060 08/24/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 2

1061 09/17/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1062 09/21/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1063 09/23/09 DAC DIS064 timeout 1064 12/15/09 NET Fault 1065 12/30/09 NET Fault V. Significant Maintenance Operations 01/09 Replaced select potentiometers & capacitors and resoldered several connections in NPP1000, NM1000 & DAC 04/09 Replaced ISS transmitter board on weather station 07/09 Replaced fan pulleys and belts on main exhaust 07/09 Repaired and refurbished secondary tank and associated piping 07/09 Replaced hi & lo end adjust potentiometers (R102 & R103) in NM1000 Campbelling module 07/09 Replaced DIS064 board in DAC 08/09 Replaced Mylar window on G5000 swipe counter detector 09/09 Replaced pre-filters & HEPA filters and performed DOP test on 151 fume hoods 10/09 Replaced purification system skimmer 11/09 Replaced bulb in NE tank light 12/09 Replaced purification system pre-filter and resealed conductivity probes 12/09 Performed routine biennial control rod inspections VI. Summary of 10 CFR 50.59 changes There were no 50.59 changes in 2009.

VII. Radioactivity Releases A. Listed below are the total amounts of radioactive gaseous effluent released to the environment beyond the effective control of the reactor facility.

Table 1. Gaseous Effluents Released to the Environment Month Argon-41 R-113 License Tritium (HTO IOCFR20 Allowable (mCi)

• Allowable (Ci) (Ci) (mCi)

January 0.308 5.833 0.0 124 February 0.314 5.833 0.132 124 March 0.285 5.833 0.0 124 April 0.121 5.833 0.0 124 May 0.044 5.833 0.0 124 June 0.157 5.833 0.133 124 July 0.534 5.833 0.0 124 August 0.088 5.833 0.132 124 September 0.533 5.833 0.0 124

Month Argon-41 R-113 License Tritium (HTO 10CFR20 Allowable (mCi)

• Allowable (Ci) (Ci) (mCi)

October** 0.517 5.833 0.0 124 November 0.535 5.833 0.0 124 December 0.175 5.833 0.0 124 Total 3.60 70.00 0.490 1488

% of Allowable 5.1% -------------------- 0.033%

• Note: The tritium concentrations are estimates based on the amount of water lost by evaporation from the reactor multiplied by the concentration of tritium as HTO.

Tritium sample analyses were performed by Test America Laboratories.

• • Note: Minor contamination event in October resulted in a release of 1.43 pCi of Co-60 through the normal air exhaust on the roof, resulting in an annual average airborne release of 9.61x10-14 pCi/ml. This annual average airborne effluent release is 0.19% of the 10 CFR Appendix B limit of 5x10-11 pCi/ml for Co-60.

B. Two solid low-level waste shipments, totaling 15 cu.ft., part of which was reactor generated, were made this calendar year.

VIII. Radiation Monitoring Our program to monitor and control radiation exposures included the four major elements below during the operating year.

1. Fifteen gamma-sensitive area monitors are located throughout the Nuclear Science Building. A remote readout panel is located in the reactor health physics office. High alarm set points range from 2 mR/hr to 50 mR/hr. High level alarms are very infrequent and due to sample movements.

2. One Continuous Air Monitor (CAM) samples the air in the reactor bay. An equilibrium concentration of about 1 x 10-8 ptCi/ml present for two minutes will result in an increase of about 400 cpm above background. The alarm setpoints are a low-level alarm set at 3000 cpm and the high level alarm set at 10000 cpm. Reactor bay air is sampled during all reactor operations. The fixed particulate air filter is changed each week and counted on a HPGE gamma spectrometer counting system. The charcoal filter, fitted behind the air filter, is also changed and counted weekly. In all instances, sample data were less than airborne concentration values in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B, Table 2 for all particulate radioisotopes produced by the reactor.

3. Contamination wipe surveys and radiation surveys with portable survey instruments are performed at least once a month. All portable instruments are calibrated with a 3-Curie (initial activity) Cs-137 source traceable to NBS, and wipes are counted on a Gamma Products G5000 low level counting system. Other than the contamination event of 10/22/09, the highest removable contamination found was equal to 94 pCi/1 00 cm 2 beta, near the back door of the storage building (Bldg 10). No 4

areas were greater than 15 pCi/1 00 cm 2 alpha contamination. The contamination event of 10/22/09 is detailed in another report, but it resulted in a maximum beta activity of 2812 pCi/100 cm 2 in the reactor room near the reactor tank. This contamination was quickly identified and cleaned.

The roof area over the reactor tank is roped off and posted as a radiation area (averaging 2.5 mR/hr) during 1 MW operations.

4. LiF TLD dosimeters were used at four outdoor environmental stations. Reactor facility visitors are issued self-reading dosimeters. Reactor staff personnel are issued beta, gamma, albedo neutron badges.

Table 2. Personnel Monitoring Results (12/1/08- 11/30/09)

Name Whole Body (Rem) Whole Body (Rem) Extremity (Rem)

Deep Dose Equiv. Shallow Dose Equiv.

DeBey, T 0.064 0.066 0.244 Lightner, G 0 0 0 Liles, D 0.034 0.034 0 Buehrle, A 0.187 0.188 0.336 Roy, B 0.017 0.017 0.079 Farwell, C 0.022 0.022 0.085 Boyle, B 0.010 0.011 0 Frank, K 0 0 0 Reactor visitors and occasional experimenters wore pocket dosimeters that resulted in no individual's reading that was greater than 5.3 mrem.

Table 3. Environmental Dose Results Location Dose Dose Dose Dose Total Jan-Mar Apr-June July-Sept. Oct.- Dec.

(RAD) (RAD) (RAD) (RAD) (RAD)

Exhaust 0.045 0.015 0.023 0.047 0.140 Stack Cooling 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.007 0.018 Tower Fence West Vehicle 0.009 0.002 0.007 0.023 0.068 Gate West Room 0.022 0.017 0.011 0.021 0.080 151 Gate Southwest 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.007 0.023 Light Pole Control 0.047 0.038 0.051 0.037 0.148 (background)

Southeast 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.006 0.007 Light Pole I I I 5

Note: Above totals have the background subtracted (see control). Environmental TLDs were supplied and analyzed by Global Dosimetry Solutions.

X. Environmental Monitoring There was a minor contamination event in October that resulted in a release of 1.43 pCi of Co-60 through the normal air exhaust on the roof. Routine biennial environmental soil and water samples will be taken in the summer of 2010.

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