ML103270245

Letter Transmittal of Annual Facility Operating Report for 2009

ML103270245
Person / Time
Site:	Idaho State University
Issue date:	11/12/2010
From:	Mallicoat A Idaho State University
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML103270245 (8)

Text

November 12, 2010 Document Control Desk U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 STATE UNIVERSITY Copies for: Duane Hardesty Stop 012 D01 Greg Schoenebeck Stop 012 D03

Subject:

Transmittal of Annual Facility Operating Report for 2009

Dear Madam/Sir:

College of Enclosed please find a copy of the Annual Operating Report for the Idaho State Engineering University AGN-201M Reactor, License No. R-110, Docket No. 50-284, for calendar year 921 South 8th Avenue, 2009. Submission of this report satisfies the requirements of AGN Technical Stop 8060 Specification 6.9.1. Please transmit or deliver the copies to Mr. Hardesty and Mr.

Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8060 Shoenebeck.

If you have any questions concerning the report, please call me at (913) 780-1304.

Sincerely, Adam L. Mallicoat Reactor Manager/Supervisor malladam@isu.edu Phone: (208) 282-2902 Fax: (208) 282-4538 email: engineerng@isu.edu AcOD ISU Is An Equal Opportunity Employer

Idaho State University AGN-201M Reactor Facility License R-110, Docket No. 50-284 Annual Operating Report for 2009 Calendar Year

1. Narrative Summary A. Changes in Facility Design, Performance Characteristics, and Operating Procedures:

There were no changes in performance characteristics, or operating procedures.

There were two changes made to the facility under 10 CFR 50.59 Sample oscillation apparatuses were installed in the lower west beam port and in the glory hole.

Additional materials were included in the design to protect from possible damage to the reactor.

B. Results of Major Surveillance Tests and Inspections:

(1) Channel tests performed on all safety channels and scram interlocks were found to be satisfactory and within specifications.

(2) Power level and period check experiments were performed'with satisfactory results.

(3) The shield water tank was inspected (7/30/09) and no leaks or excessive corrosion were observed.

(4) The seismic displacement interlock was tested satisfactorily.

(5) (a) Control element capsules (cladding) were inspected (7/1/09) and found to be in good condition with no evidence of deterioration since the previous inspection.

(b) The control rod drive mechanisms were inspected (7/1/09) and tested with satisfactory results.

(c) Ejection times were measured for all scrammable rods and found to be less than I second.

(d) The reactivity worth of all safety and control rods were measured, as well as the time required to drive each rod to its fully inserted position. Reactivity insertion rates were determined to be less than 0.065%Ak/k s-' ($0.0878 s-') for all rods.

(e) The shutdown margin was determined to be 1.56%Ak/k ($2.11) with both the most reactive scramable rod and the fine control rod fully inserted. (i.e. the most reactive rod failing to scram.)

(f) All surveillances were within the appropriate Technical Specification requirements.

Idaho State University AGN-201 M Reactor 2009 Annual Report Page 2 of 7

2. Operating History and Energy Output.

The reactor was operated at power levels up to 4.1 watts for a total of 41.7 hours8.101852e-5 days <br />0.00194 hours <br />1.157407e-5 weeks <br />2.6635e-6 months <br /> generating 2.26 watt-days (36.8 watt-hours) of thermal energy during this reporting period. A summary of monthly operations for 2008 is given in Table I.

Table I. Summary of Monthly Reactor Operations (1 January 2009 through 31 December 2009)

Month Energy (W-hr)

January 0.24 February 4.26 March 6.70 April 1.52 May 0.00 June 4.72 July 8.52 August 2.36 September 1.14 October 5.60 November 0.00 December 1.66 Total 36.73

3. A. Unscheduled Shutdowns and Corrective Actions Taken.

Channel No. 2 Malfunction 11/2/09: During pre-start-up checkout procedure, Channel No. 2 was behaving erratically and was deemed unsafe for operation. Broken vacuum tubes were suspected. All vacuum tubes in Channel 2 were removed, tested, and replaced if necessary.

Performance was tested using Surveillance Procedure 2 and was found to be improved but unsatisfactory.

11/9/09: The resident vacuum electronics expert Royce Martin was asked to look at the device. Mr. Martin has dealt with this device frequently in the past. It was found that a sort of build up around the needle of the period meter was causing the erratic behavior.

12/1/09: After successfully performing Surveillance Procedure 2 as a test Channel 2 was deemed operable.

B. Inadvertent Scrams and Action Taken.

There were 32 inadvertent scrams during this reporting period. Table II summarizes the inadvertent scrams, known or suspected cause, and action taken. The majority of the scrams were from operator error in changing the channel range and power fluxuations from removing or inserting a sample. During October there were a number of channel 2 scrams associated old vacuum tubes.

Idaho State University AGN-201M Reactor 2009 Annual Report Page 3 of 7 Table II. Summary of Inadvertent Scrams (1 January 2009 through 31 December 2009)

Date SCRAM Type Cause Action Occurrences 1/28 Interlock Open Seismic Trip Restart 1 1/28 Channel 3 Operator Error Restart 1 1/28 Channel 1 Operator Error Restart I 2/11 Channel 3 Removing Source Quickly Restart I 3/4 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Restart 1 3/30 Channel 3 Electrical Fluctuation Restart 1 4/1 Channel 3 Electrical Intermittent Shutdown 1 4/3 Channel 1 Operator in Training Error Shutdown 1 4/8 Channel 3 Electrical Interference Restart I 4/8 Channel 3 Intermittent Restart I 4/8 Channel 2 Period Fast Sample Removal Shutdown 1 4/17 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Restart 1 4/17 Channel 3 Electrical Transient Restart 1 4/17 Channel 3 Electrical Transient Restart I 4/22 Channel 1 Operator in Training Error Restart 1 6/12 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Restart 1 6/12 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Restart I 6/12 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Shutdown 1 6/17 No Cause Indicated Electrical Transient Shutdown 1 6/22 No Cause Indicated Electrical Transient Restart 1 6/22 Channel 2 Operator in Training Error Restart 1 7/21 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Shutdown 1 7/27 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Shutdown 1 8/7 Channel 3 Operator in Training Error Restart 1 9/21 Channel ] Operator Error Restart I 10/5 Channel 3 Operator Error Restart I 10/5 Unknown Suspected Period SCRAM from Restart Quick Rod Insertion 10/5 No Cause Indicated Unknown Restart 1 10/5 No Cause Indicated Unknown Shut Down 1 10/12 Channel 2 Not Indicated Restart 1 10/26 Channel 2 Quick Removal of Sample Restart 1 12/7 Channel 1 Operator in Training Error Restart I Total: 32

• While testing new console in tandem

4. Safety-Related Corrective Maintenance Safety Rod I pin 7/2/09: While performing Maintenance Procedure I (MP-1) there were significant problems with Safety Rod I jamming within the drive chassis.

7/8/09: It was found that the roller pin for Safety Rod 1 was scratching against the inner collar of the drive chassis. At the recommendation of the engineering machinist Miles Whitey the protruding pin was sanded down and the inner collar re-honed by 2/1,000ths of an inch. The problem was no longer repeatable on the test rack.

7/8/09: Rod and drive chassis were re-installed into the reactor and preformed freely through the full range of motion.

Idaho State University AGN-201M Reactor 2009 Annual Report Page 4 of 7 K- 18 relay of down motor 7/17/09: During pre-start up checkout procedure the SR-I drive did not complete driving down, though the rod did eject completely. Upon mounting the drive chassis on the test stand and attempting to reproduce the problem it was found that the drive did move down but an extremely sluggish rate. After consulting the circuit diagrams a bad connection was found on the k-i 8 relay due to a failed solder joint. After repairing the connection the drive returned to normal functionality.

Reactor on light 10/2/09: While performing maintenance on the Reactor On light it was found that if electrical current was applied to the light socket located above the entrance door (outside the reactor bay) that the reactor console could be energized. However, when reproducing this problem it was found that the SCRAM bus could not be energized. Nevertheless, the console was disconnected from the light permanently for safety and security concerns.

FCR Position Display 10/21/09: During pre-start-up checkout procedure the Fine Control Rod position indicator was stuck at 14.73 cm. The device was removed cleaned and replaced. Initially the problem was not fixed. The device was left alone over the weekend and the following Monday (10/26/09) the problem could not be reproduced.

5. Modifications.

A. Changes in Facility Design.

See section 6 summary of changes that were analyzed under 10 CFR 50.59.

B. Changes to Procedures.

None.

C. Experiments.

None.

D. Reactor Safety Committee.

As of the end of the reporting period, membership of the Reactor Safety Committee (RSC) consisted of the following individuals:

Frank H. Just - Chair Jay F. Kunze - Reactor Administrator Adam Mallicoat - Reactor Supervisor Richard R. Brey - Radiation Safety Officer Thomas F. Gesell (Emeritus)

Robert Boston Richard E. McCracken Kermit Bunde

Idaho State University AGN-201M Reactor 2009 Annual Report Page 5 of 7

6. Summary of Changes that were analyzed under 10 CFR 50.59.

Glory Hole Oscillator- A small oscillator was installed on the west end of the glory hole to perform open loop reactivity measurements on small material samples. The device was installed with an aluminum guard sleeve to isolate the oscillator physically from rubbing against the interior surface of the glory hole.

Beam Port Oscillator- A small oscillator identical to the glory hole oscillator was installed in the lower west beam port to perform closed loop reactivity measurements on small material samples. The device was installed with polyethylene guard collars to isolate the oscillator physically from the interior surface of the beam port.

7. Radioactive Effluents.

A. Liquid Waste - Total Activity Released: None.

B. Gaseous Waste - Total Estimated Activity Released: 3.01 ltCi ofAr-41.

The AGN-201 Reactor was operated for 41.7 hours8.101852e-5 days <br />0.00194 hours <br />1.157407e-5 weeks <br />2.6635e-6 months <br /> at power levels up to approximately 4.5 watts. At this power level Ar-41 production is negligible and substantially below the effluent concentration limit given in 10 CFR 20 Appendix B, Table 2. The total activity of Ar-41 released to the environment was conservatively estimated at 3.01 llCi. This activity corresponds to the total activity of all gaseous radioactive effluent from the facility. A monthly summary of gaseous releases is given in Table IV.

Table IV. Summary of Monthly Gaseous Radioactive Effluent Releases (1 January 2009 through 31 December 2009)

Month Ar-41 (lQCi)

January 0.1164 February 0.2616 March 0.306 April 0.8388 May 0.0 June 0.3024 July 0.2172 August 0.3348 September 0.1116 October 0.3636 November 0.0 December 0.1524 Total 3.0048 C. Solid Waste - Total Activity: None.

Idaho State University AGN-20 IM Reactor 2006 Annual Report Page 6 of 7

8. The latest environmental radiation surveys, performed at the facility boundary while the reactor was operating at 80% of full licensed power (i.e. at 4.0 watt), measured a maximum combined neutron and gamma dose equivalent rate of less than 0.45 mrem hre at the outside walls of the building proximal to the reactor. The total equivalent dose rate at 100% power at these locations was less than 0.6 mrem hW.

9. Radiation Exposures.

The Radiation Safety Officer reviews personnel radiation exposures quarterly. Annual reports of ionizing radiation doses are provided by the Radiation Safety Officer to all monitored personnel as required under the provisions of 10 CFR 19.

Personnel with duties in the reactor laboratory on either a regular or occasional basis have been issued radiation dosimeters by the Idaho State University Technical Safety. Office.

The duty category and whole body exposure for the 2009 monitoring period of personnel are summarized in Table V:

Table V. Personnel Radiation Monitored for 1/1/2009-12/31/2009 Exposure by Type (mrem)

Name Duty Category Whole Body/ Eye Lens Shallow Deep Robert W Carlsen Occasional <1 <1 <1 Kenyon Hart Occasional <1 <1 2 Ryan Loveland Occasional 3 3 7 Micheal A Haddox Occasional <1 <1 <1 Surendera Prajapati Occasional <1 <1 6 Abhishek Jaiswal Occasional <1 <1 <1 Clinton Wilson Occasional 1 1 I Ben Baker Regular 1 2 7 Marcus K Junod Regular 2 2 1 Jay F Kunze Regular <1 <1 <1 Eric G Pope Occasional < I <I < I George Imel Occasional < I <1 2 Adam Mallicoat Regular 3 3 2 Alex Sunby Occasional <I <1 <1 James Turnbull Regular 2 2 1 Andrew Nilson Regular 45 46 51 Dayton Syme Occasional <1 <1 <1 Amanda Finkes Occasional 35 35 35 Mark Gaines Regular 1 2 9 The 10 CFR 20.1201 occupational dose limits to adults are: total dose equivalent 5 rem, lens of eye 15 rem, shallow 50 rem, and whole body 50 rem. The doses received for all reactor laboratory personnel during 2009 are well below the dose limits of 10 CFR 20.1201.

Idaho State University AGN-201 M Reactor 2006 Annual Report Page 7 of 7 Anytime a member of the public visits the reactor pin dosimeters are issued for the tour. A minimum of 1 dosimeter to every 5 people is issued for a representative group dose. During the 2009 calendar year there were 418 recorded visitors to the facility. A summary of the public dose exposure is presented in Table VI.

Table VI. Summary Whole-Body Exposures to the Public (1 January 2009 through 31 December 2009)

Estimated whole-body Number of individuals exposure range (mrem): in each range:

No Observable Dose 418 1.0 mrem* recorded 30 Greater than 1.0 mrem 0 Total number of individuals reported 448

• Below 1.0 mrem is considered nominally un-measureable and the reported 1 mrem changes are believed to not be relevant, but merely the result of difference in interpolation on the scale.

None of the 448 visitors to the facility during 2009 received a measurable dose that would exceed the annual 0.5 rem dose limit of 10 CFR 20.1301.

Therefore, the average and maximum doses received by personnel and the public are well within NRC guidelines.

Report prepared by: Adam Mallicoat, Reactor Manager/Supervisor October 15, 2010