ML11250A095
| ML11250A095 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Washington State University |
| Issue date: | 08/29/2011 |
| From: | Wall D Washington State Univ |
| To: | Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| Download: ML11250A095 (11) | |
Text
WASHINGTON STATE MUNIVERSITY Nuclear Radiation Center August 29, 2011 Document Control Desk U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington DC, 20555 Re: Docket No. 50-27; Facility License R-76 In accordance with Technical Specifications for Facility License R-76 the attached Annual Report prepared by C. Corey Hines, Reactor Supervisor of the WSU Facility, is hereby submitted. The report covers the operating period July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011.
Respectfully Submitted, 2onald Wall, Ph.D.
Wao~g Director Enclosure cc: C.C. Hines Aca C)
P.O. Box641 300, Pullman, WA 99164-1 300 509-335-8641 9 Fax: 509-335-4433
- www.wsu.edu/nrc OUý
.A.
ANNUAL REPORT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY NUCLEAR RADIATION CENTER TRIGA REACTOR Facility License R-76 for the Reporting Period of July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 Nuclear Radiation Center Washington State University Pullman, WA 99163-1300
Annual Report 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS
- 1. Narrative Summary of the Year's Operation ........................................................ 2
- 2. Energy and Cumulative Output ............................................................................ 2
- 3. Emergency Shutdowns and Inadvertent Scrams .................................................... 3
- 4. M ajor Maintenance ................................................................................................. 3
- 5. Changes, Tests, and Experiments Performed Under 10 CFR 50.59 Criteria ...... 4
- 6. Radioactive Effluent Discharges ........................................................................... 4
- 7. Personnel and Visitor Radiation Exposures ........................................................... 5
- 8. Reactor Facility Radiation and Contamination Levels .......................................... 6
- 9. Environmental Monitoring Program ...................................................................... 7 Washington State University Nuclear Radiation Center
Annual Report 2011 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE OPERATION OF THE WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY NUCLEAR RADIATION CENTER TRIGA REACTOR Facility License R-76 for the Reporting Period of July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011
- 1. Narrative Summary of the Year's Operation A. Operating Experience Core 35A has accumulated 2,480.2 MWH from beginning of life (BOL) through June 30, 2011. A total of 991 samples were irradiated, for a total of 41,790.3 user-hours. In addition, 21 pulses greater than $1.00 of reactivity addition were performed during this reporting period. The quarterly operations summaries are shown in Table I located in Section 2.
B. Changes In Facility Design, Performance Characteristics, and Operating Procedures Related to Reactor Safety.
No changes were performed during the reporting period.
C. Results of Surveillance Tests and Requirements All surveillance tests and requirements were performed and completed within the prescribed time period.
- 2. Energy and Cumulative Output The quarterly operations summaries are given in Table I. The cumulative energy output since criticality of the TRIGA core (1967) is 1291.3 Megawatt Days (MWD).
The mixed Standard Fuel and 30/20 LEU Fuel Core 35A installed in 2008 has accumulated a total of 103.3 MWD.
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Annual Report 2011 Table I Fiscal Year 2011 Summary of Reactor Operation Hours of Operation 287.4 296.4 295.4 261.7 1,140.9 Megawatt Hours 236.6 251.1 279.3 239.0 1,006.0 No of Sample Irradiations' 40 62 25 33 160 No. of Samples 115 432 61 278 886 No. of Iridium Cans Irradiated 39 22 20 24 105 User Hours 3,697.5 4,315.8 29,983.5 3,793.5 41,790.3 No. of Pulses > $1.00 3 10 2 6 21 Number of samples and sample irradiations do not include iridium data. User hours denotes the total user hours, including iridium.
- 3. Emergency Shutdowns and Inadvertent Scrams There were no emergency shutdowns that occurred during the reporting period. The dates and causes of the 3 inadvertent scrams are listed in Table II. No scrams were due to exceeding the Limiting Safety Systems Setting set point.
Table II Inadvertent SCRAMS 7/22/10 Operator inadvertently pressed auto range button causing the channel to SCRAM. Restart ok.
8/18/10 Operator bumped control rod #1 magnet with experiment support rotator hose weight causing the magnet to disengage while at Ipower. Restart ok.
1/6/10 Operator inadvertently depressed 100 kW scale switch on the linear channel causing a high power SCRAM. Restart ok.
- 4. Major Maintenance All routine planned maintenance items were completed within the reporting period.
The below listed items were performed, although they are not part of routine preventative maintenance.
12/22/2010: Cooling system: Cooling tower The cooling tower head was removed to identify the condition that was causing the cooling tower head (the water spray assembly) to bind. A set of ball bearings was replaced allowing the cooling tower head to rotate freely.
5/9/2011: Cooling System: Heat Exchanger Plate Change Washington State University Nuclear Radiation Center 3
Annual Report 2011 The heat exchanger plates were removed and replaced.
- 5. Changes, Tests, and Experiments Performed Under 10 CFR 50.59 Criteria No changes were performed during the reporting period.
- 6. Radioactive Effluent Discharges A. Radioactive Liquid Releases Approximately 9309 gallons of liquid waste was released; however, after analysis with gamma spectroscopy, no radioactivity above the limit of detection was found.
B. Radioactive Gaseous Release During the reporting period, no significant quantity of gaseous or particulate material with a half-life greater that eight days was released. At no time did the argon-41 release exceed 20% of the effluent release limit. A total of 0.55 curies of argon-41 was released, with an average argon-41 concentration of 8.22 x 10-9 tCi/mL of air, before dilution. The monthly releases are summarized in Table Ill.
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Annual Report 2011 Table Ill Monthly Argon-41 Releases July 2010 9.74E-09 0.39 0.00130 55 August 1.25E-08 0.50 0.00167 71 September 7.14E-09 0.29 0.00095 39 October 1.06E-08 0.42 0.00142 60 November 7.86E-09 0.31 0.00105 43 December 8.05E-09 0.32 0.00107 46 January 2011 4.65E-09 0.19 0.00062 26 February 8.87E-09 0.35 0.00118 46 March 7.74E-09 0.31 0.00103 44 April 1.14E-08 0.45 0.00151 63 May 6.56E-09 0.26 0.00087 37 June 3.57E-09 0.14 0.00048 20 Based on 10 CFR 20 effluent release limit of 1.0 x 10-" uCi/mL for Ar-4 1 (Table 2, Col. 1), and a dilution factor of 4.0 x 10-3 (S.A.R. 6.4.2) for a before dilution limit of 2.5 x 10-6 uCi/muL. (20% of limit is 5.0 x 10-7 uCi/mL).
2 Based on 10 CFR 20 DAC limit of 3.0 x 10-6 uCi/mL for Ar-41 (Table 1, Col. 3) and a dilution factor of 4.0 x 10-3 for a before dilution DAC limit of 7.5 x 104 uCi/mL.
3 Based on 4500 CFM effluent of ventilation system in AUTO mode of operation.
C. Radioactive Solid Waste Disposal During the reporting period, 2.67 mCi in 39.70 cubic feet of non-compacted solid waste was transferred to the WSU Radiation Safety Office for packaging and disposal.
- 7. Personnel and Visitor Radiation Exposures The quarterly exposures of the WSU Nuclear Radiation Center reactor staff and experimenters who routinely utilize the WSU Reactor are given in Table IV. The maximum quarterly exposure of a reactor staff member was 22 mrem, whole body.
A total of 1488 individual persons visited the Nuclear Radiation Center during the reporting period, of which 935 entered a controlled access area (CAA).1 All exposures as determined by digital pocket dosimeters were less than or equal to 1 mrem. A total of 61 group tours, consisting of 581 individuals, visited the center during the reporting period. As determined by digital pocket dosimeters, all exposures were less than 1 mrem.
A non-controlled access area is an area in the building where radioactive materials are used or stored but which isnot a part of the licensed reactor facility.
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Annual Report 2011 Table IV Quarterly Reactor and Experimenter Staff Exposure (in mrem)l 10012 M M M 7 07528 M 1 M 9 08025 -- 11 M 14 07463 -- 17 7 22 08141 7 13 4 18 07588 20 9 6 22 07805 8 11 M 13 08152 M 2 M 16 07748 2 3 M 11 10079 -- -- 4 --
10042 .... M 16 10224 ...... M 10232 ...... M 10225 ...... M 10231 ...... 2 * *° I ne "-" denotes data not available either due to departure trom the facility or new personnel starting at the facility. An 'M' denotes that the dosimeter reading was less than or equal to the background radiation level for that quarter.
- 8. Reactor Facility Radiation and Contamination Levels The method detection limit (MDL) for building survey samples (collected for removable contamination determination) by liquid scintillation assay is 6 x 10-8 jICi/cm 2. Routine building surveys showed average removable contamination levels less than the MDL for most CAAs and all non-CAAs. The only removable contamination level above the MDL was located on Room 201 Experimenter Platform (CAA, 6.71 x 10-8 jtCi/cm2 ); which falls under contamination thresholds for a CAA. Other areas in the facility where contamination is more likely, the sample drop tube in Room 201, Laboratory 120 and the radiochemistry hoods, showed averaged removable contamination levels below that of the MDL.
The routine area radiation surveys of the building in CAAs and non-CAAs are given in Table V. The highest average dose rate level in a CAA was 8.85 mrem/hr which occurred in Room 2 East behind a shielded storage area. The lowest average dose rate in a CAA was 0.04 mrem/hr, which occurred in Rooms 201 A and B, Room 101 doorway, and Room 120. The average dose rate in the radiochemistry sample hoods (a non-CAA) was 0.79 mrem/hr. The highest onsite dose rate was 40 mrem/hr, which occurred in 201 East, but is still below limits for a CAA. This area is accessible only through a locked room, and is not accessible to the public.
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Annual Report 2011 Table V Average Radiation Dose Rates (in mrem/h) for Weekly Monitoring in CAAs and Non-CAAs (bold)
Room 201A 0.04 Room 201 Bridge 0.71 Room 201 Benches 0.08 Room 201 South 0.20 Room 201 East 3.20 Room 201C Heat Exchanger 0.06 Room 201 Floor North 0.82 Room 106 Ion Exchanger Pit 0.96 Room 101A Purification Pit 0.47 Sample Storage 0.22 Rom 101 Door Way 0.04 Room 101 Shipment Bench 0.07 Room 101 Sample Drop Hood 0.79 Room 101 Hood 1 0.87 Room 116 0.15 Room 120 0.04 Room B21 Panoramic Irradiatior 0.05 Room 2 South 0.05 Room 2 Thermal Column 2.19 Room 2 North 0.26 Room 2 West Cave 0.42 Room 2 East Cave 8.85
- 9. Environmental Monitoring Program The environmental monitoring program uses thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD's) at locations both near and farther away from the reactor facility building. The quarterly exposures in the vicinity of the Nuclear Radiation Center are listed in Table VI. The average ambient gamma radiation dose rates for this area (80 mile radius) are 0.243 mrem/day as reported in the 3 0 th Annual Report of the Environmental Radiation Program, Washington State Department of Health, Environmental Health Program, Table A- 12, page 131.
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Annual Report 2011 A large decorative granite structure, located in the center of the WSU campus, has been monitored for comparison to the dose rate values obtained in the environmental surveys for the areas that are in the vicinity of the Nuclear Radiation Center. The dose rate level values for the areas located greater than 25 meters from the WSUNRC, when compared to the central campus dose rate values, show no appreciable increase in ambient dose rate levels due to reactor operation.
Table VI Environmental Radiation Levels in the Vicinity of the Nuclear Radiation Center (Dose Rate in mrem/day)
> 25 meters' 0.355 0.367 0.364 0.355 0.390 Granite Rock2 0.811 0.841 0.901 --* 0.851 For sampling stations located 25 meters or greater from the Nuclear Radiation Center.
2 TLD attached to decorative granite display on Compton Union Building Mall approximately 1300 meters from the Nuclear Radiation Center.
3 The "--" denotes data not available due to missing TLD.
B. Locations Adjacent to Reactor Facility Quarterly measured dose rates at locations adjacent to the reactor facility are listed in Table VII. No significant effect on the environmental radiation levels by reactor operation was noted.
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I .
Annual Report 2011 Table VII Environmental Radiation Levels Adjacent to the Nuclear Radiation Center' (Exposure in mrem/day)
VJ.0J I U.398 0.352 0.357 I1
.J I.I 0.432 0.420 0.429 0.476 0.439 0.358 0.364 0.407 0.405 0.384 0.358 0.364 0.374 0.357 0.363 0.337 0.352 0.396 0.405 0.373 0.326 0.364 0.330 0.369 0.347 0.326 0.364 0.352 0.381 0.356 0.305 0.330 0.319 0.345 0.325 0.716 0.739 0.747 0.714 0.729 0.526 0.693 0.703 0.619 0.635 0.295 0.352 0.341 0.357 0.336 0.379 0.455 0.429 0.464 0.432 2I For Boldsampling stationsindicate print locations locatedareas less than 25 meters that are readily from the Nuclear accessible by the Radiation public. Center.
3 Pool Room West Vent. TLD on roof, directly above the reactor core.
C. ALARA Release Limits Technical Specifications describing ALARA effluent releases in 3.12(2) specify annual radiation exposure due to reactor operation, at the closest off-site extended occupancy, shall not, on an annual basis, exceed the average local off-site background radiation by more than 20%. For the reporting period, the average background radiation dose rate for sampling points 25 meters or greater from the facility was 0.360 mrem/day, while the average radiation dose rate at the closest extended occupied area 600 meters away was 0.325 mrem/day, indicating no measureable exposure level above natural background radiation.
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