ML102350066

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute - Request for Additional Information Regarding the Application for License Renewal

ML102350066
Person / Time
Site:	Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Issue date:	09/13/2010
From:	Alexander Adams Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch
To:	Melanson M US Dept of Defense, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Meyer W, NRR/DPR/PRLB, 301-415-0897
References
TAC ME1587
Download: ML102350066 (4)

Text

September 13, 2010 Colonel Mark A. Melanson, Ph.D.

Director Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 8901 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20889-5603

SUBJECT:

ARMED FORCES RADIOBIOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE APPLICATION FOR LICENSE RENEWAL (TAC NO. ME1587)

Dear Colonel Melanson:

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing its review of your application for the renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-84 for the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) TRIGA reactor, dated June 24, 2004, and supplemented by letter dated March 4, 2010. Our review conformed to the Interim Staff Guidance for the Streamlined Review Process for Research Reactors.

We require additional information and clarification on questions that have arisen during our review. Please provide responses to the enclosed request for additional information within 45 days of the date of this letter. In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Section 50.30(b), you must execute your response in a signed original document under oath or affirmation.

If you have any questions about this review or if you need additional time to respond to this request please contact Walter Meyer by telephone at 301-415-0897 or by electronic mail at Walter.Meyer@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Alexander Adams, Senior Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-170

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encl: See next page

Docket No. 50-170 Armed Forces Radiobiology Research cc:

Director, Maryland Office of Planning 301 West Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Montgomery County Executive 101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor Rockville, MD 20850 Mr. Stephen I. Miller Reactor Facility Director Armed Force Radiobiology Research Institute 8901 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD 20889-5603 Environmental Program Manager III Radiological Health Program Air & Radiation Management Adm.

Maryland Dept of the Environment 1800 Washington Blvd.,Suite 750 Baltimore, MD 21230-1724 Rich McLean, Manager Nuclear Programs Maryland Department of Natural Resources Tawes B-3 Annapolis, MD 21401 Director Air & Radiation Management Adm.

Maryland Dept of the Environment 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 710 Baltimore, MD 21230 Test, Research, and Training Reactor Newsletter University of Florida 202 Nuclear Sciences Center Gainesville, FL 32611

ML102350066 NRR-088 Office PRLB:PM PRLB:PM PRLB:LA PRLB-BC PRLB:PM Name WMeyer wm AAdams aa GLappert gkl JQuichocho jq AAdams aa Date 9/3/2010 9/13/10 9/7/2010 9/13/10 9/13/10

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LICENSE RENEWAL FOR ARMED FORCES RADIOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE LICENSE NO. R-84 DOCKET NO. 50-170 The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing its review of your application for the renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-84 for the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) TRIGA reactor, dated June 24, 2004, and supplemented by letter dated March 4, 2010.

We require additional information and clarification on questions that have arisen during our review. Please provide responses to the following requests for additional information within 45 days of the date of this letter.

1.

During a recent review of your June 24, 2004, letter applying to renew the operating license for the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor we have noted what we believe to be a typographical error referring to the reactor as a 1 MW(t) TRIGA reactor when this reactor is licensed at 1.1 MW(t) as per License Amendment No. 22 dated October 8, 1991.

Please confirm your desire to renew your Facility Operating License R-84 for the current steady state limit of up to 1.1 MW(t).

2.

Your June 24, 2004, license renewal application had attachments for the Reactor Emergency Plan, the Reactor Security Plan and the Reactor Operator Requalification Program. The Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) on Streamlined Review Process for License Renewal for Research Reactors dated October 28, 2009, does not require review of the Reactor Emergency Plan, the Reactor Physical Security Plan or the Reactor Operator Requalification Program if there are NRC-approved plans and programs in place and no significant changes to these approved documents are requested by licensee. Please confirm that these documents attached to your June 24, 2004, letter contain no significant changes that would require NRC review as part of the recent ISG on Streamlined Review Process for the AFRRI license renewal review.

3.

The regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 20.1301(a)(1) state that the total effective dose equivalent to individual members of the public likely to receive the highest dose from licensed operation may not exceed 0.1 rem (1 mSv) in a year.

Section 3.4.1.2 of the 2004 SAR estimates that in a typical operation year the total argon 41 (Ar-41) release would be 20 curies (Ci). The estimated maximum integrated air radiation dose in an unrestricted area 91 meters from the release point due to the Ar-41 discharge was calculated to be 1.9 mrads using a safety factor of two (40 Ci total release).

Operating data in 2009 indicates that the total energy generation was 65 MW-hrs with a total Ar-41 discharge of 49.9 Ci. Using the COMPLY code the calculated annual dose in the unrestricted area 91 meters from the release point was 1.6 mrem.

Section 6.2.4 of the 2004 SAR estimates a total Ar-41 production rate at 5.1Ci/sec in deriving an estimate of occupational radiation dose for facility workers, which would correspond to about 160 Ci of yearly discharge assuming continuous reactor operations.

a.

What is the annual dose to the maximum exposed member of the public from Ar-41 releases from the AFFRI research reactor facility?

b.

Where is this person located? If this dose is from immersion in the Ar-41 plume when it reaches ground level, confirm that a higher dose is not possible from radiation shine from the plume passing over a person closer to the facility than the point at which the plume reaches ground level or from a person exposed to direct radiation shine from the Ar-41 source before release from the AFRRI research reactor facility.

c.

Assume that the reactor is in continuous operation or propose a technical specification constraint if a shorter period of reactor operation is used as the basis of the source term. What is the annual dose at the closest permanent residence and what is the location of this residence? Please provide the details of your calculations. If a code such as COMPLY is used to determine doses, please provide a copy of the COMPLY code run and explain the code inputs used. Discuss how your calculated doses compare with the requirements of the regulations.