ML11350A242
| ML11350A242 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pennsylvania State University |
| Issue date: | 12/09/2011 |
| From: | Unlu K Pennsylvania State Univ, University Park, PA |
| To: | Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| Download: ML11350A242 (7) | |
Text
PENNSTATE KENAN ONLLT, Ph.D.
Phone: (814) 865-6351 Director, Radiation Science and Engineering Center Fax:
(814) 863-4840 Professor, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering E-mail: k-unluIaIpsu.edu The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802-2304 RADATI'ON SCIENCE ENGINEERING CENTER Annual Operating Report, FY 10- 11 PSBR Technical Specifications 6.6.1 License R-2, Docket No. 50-5 December 9, 2011 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, D. C. 20555
Dear Sir or Madame:
Enclosed please find the Annual Operating Report for the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) located at the Radiation Science and Engineering Center. This report covers the period from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, as required by Facility Operating License R-2 Appendix A Section 6.6.1.
If you have any questions, please contact Mark Trump, Associate Director for Operations (814-865-6351).
Sincerely yours, Kenan Onll, Ph.D.
- Director, Radiation Science and Engineering Center
Enclosure:
Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 cc:
H. C. Foley D. N. Wormley A. A. Atchley J. S. Brenizer E. J. Boeldt G. Schoenebeck - NRC X. Yin - NRC
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PENN STATE BREAZEALE REACTOR Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 PSBR Technical Specifications 6.6.1 License R-2, Docket No. 50-5 Reactor Utilization The Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) is a TRIGA Mark III facility capable of 1 MW steady state operation, and 2000 MW peak power pulsing operation. Utilization of the reactor and its associated facilities falls into three major categories:
EDUCATION use is primarily in the form of laboratory classes conducted for graduate and undergraduate students and numerous high school science groups. These classes vary from neutron activation analysis of an unknown sample to the calibration of a reactor control rod. In addition, an average of 2500 visitors tour the PSBR facility each year.
RESEARCH accounts for a significant portion of reactor usage which involves Radionuclear Applications, Neutron Imaging, Neutron Beam Techniques, Detector development and testing and multiple research programs by faculty and graduate students throughout the University.
SERVICE use provides vital techniques for industries in support of the national economy. Some examples include: radio-isotopes produced at the facility enable the critical petro-chemical industry to run at full capacity; the facility neutron beam laboratory serves an critical need in quality control of materials used to store the nation's spent nuclear fuel; and fast-neutron irradiation fixtures support the Nation's defense infrastructure and industry semiconductor production.
The PSBR facility operates on an 8 AM - 5 PM shift, five days a week, with early morning, evening, and weekend shifts to accommodate laboratory courses, public education and research or service projects as needed.
Page lqf6.
Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 Summary of Reactor Operating Experience-Technical Specification 6.6.1.a.
Between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011, the PSBR was utilized while:
Mode of Operation Time [hours]
Time / Shift [hours /shift]
Critical 998 3.3 Sub-Critical 247 0.8 Shutdown 787 2.6 Unavailable for Use 0
0 Total Usage j 2032 6.6 The reactor was pulsed a total of 99 times with the following reactivities:
Reactivity Number of Pulses
< $2.00 11
$2.00 to $2.50 86
> $2.50 2
Total 99 The square wave mode of operation was used 59 times to operate the reactor at power levels between 100 and 500 KW.
Total energy produced during this report period was 604 MWh with a consumption (and absorption) of 31 grams of U-235.
Unscheduled Shutdowns - Technical Specification 6.6.1.b.
During the reporting period, there were two unscheduled reactor shutdowns and no SCRAMs.
On 7/28/2010, the reactor was secured after higher than normal radiation readings were observed by the reactor operator. The higher radiation readings were caused by the D20 sample recirculation pump being left on during the operation at the D20 tank. The D20 recirculation pump was secured and resumption of normal operations was authorized.
On 10/18/2010, the reactor was secured after AC power to the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) was momentarily lost. The loss of UPS AC power was caused by unexpected operation of the automatic transfer switch during testing of the life safety diesel generator. The reactor was shutdown to prevent the risk of an automatic SCRAM. All reactor systems were verified to function properly after power was restored and resumption of normal operations was authorized.
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Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 Major Corrective or Preventative Maintenance with Safety Significance -
Technical Specification 6.6.1.c.
Routine preventative maintenance required by Technical Specifications (T.S.) was completed within the T. S. required time frames. Some corrective maintenance items with impact on safety related systems included:
In April 2011, several components of the wide range drawer were replaced to fix an anomaly in the wide range signal. The problem was determined to be the wide range drawer potentiometer causing degradation in the wide range signal. The gain potentiometer and several other wide range components were replaced to troubleshoot and resolve the anomaly. Checks and Calibration tests conducted after the repair demonstrated the wide range drawer is functioning properly. The magnitude of degradation was not sufficient to challenge license limits or SAR analysis.
In April 2011, several components of the power range drawer were replaced to fix a problem with the pulse calibration signal. The problem was discovered during the post maintenance tests of the wide range anomaly (above). The pulse calibration signal problem was corrected when the power range operational amplifier was replaced. Checks and Calibration tests conducted after the repair proved that the power range drawer is functioning properly.
Major Changes Reportable Under 10 CFR 50.59 - Technical Specification 6.6.1.d.
No facility or procedure changes were reportable under 10 CFR 50.59.
Facility Changes of Interest The following changes were completed during the 2010 to 2011 fiscal year:
The piping used for acid regeneration of the ion exchange resins was removed. The acid regeneration system was obsolete and abandoned in place. Removing the acid regeneration piping simplifies the recirculation system piping and reduces the number of potential leak points.
Fuel Temperature SCRAM set points were lowered as a precautionary measure when preliminary results from an under-development fuel management computer code was received.
It was later discovered that errors in the under-development code caused it to predict a different location for the hottest element in the reactor core.
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Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 Procedures Several single use procedures were developed as needed to support the core change, maintenance, and system modifications. Additionally, procedures are normally reviewed biennially, and on an as needed basis. Numerous minor changes and updates were made to maintain procedures during the year and they will not be listed.
New Tests and Experiments - None Radioactive Effluents Released - Technical Specification 6.6.1.e.
Liquid There were no planned or unplanned liquid effluent releases under the reactor license for the report period.
Liquid radioactive waste, from the radioisotope laboratories at the PSBR, is under the University byproduct materials license and is transferred to the Radiation Protection Office for disposal with the waste from other campus laboratories. Liquid waste disposal techniques include storage for decay, release to the sanitary sewer per 10 CFR 20, and solidification for shipment to licensed disposal sites.
Gaseous All releases were less than 20% of the allowed or recommended concentrations.
Argon-41 (Ar-41)
Correction of 2010 report - During preparation of the 2011 report a typographical error was identified in the 2010 report discussion of total Ar-41 release. The 2010 report stated 820 mCi (-3% of limit) of Ar-41 was released. The actual calculated release was 1820 which is -3% of limitand below required reportable levels.
Gaseous effluent Ar-41 is generated from dissolved air in the reactor pool water, air in dry irradiation tubes, air in neutron beam ports, and air leakage to and from the carbon-dioxide purged pneumatic sample transfer system.
The amount of Ar-41 released from the reactor pool is very dependent upon the operating power level and the length of time at power. The release per MWH is highest for extended high power runs and lowest for intermittent low power runs. The concentration of Ar-41 in the reactor bay and the bay exhaust was measured by the Radiation Protection staff during the summer of 1986. Measurements were made for conditions of low and high power runs simulating typical operating cycles.
In order to ease the burden of collecting and reporting release data while maintaining a conservative reporting philosophy, the RSEC altered the calculation of Ar-41 release for the 2009-2010 and later reporting periods. For calculation of the Ar-41 release, all power operations are assumed to take place at the location of greatest Ar-41 generation and release (Fast Neutron Irradiator (FNI) tube). The method calculates a release of 2460 mCi for 604 MWh of operation in 2010-2011. The method includes direct release from the pool as well as release from the FNI fixture.
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Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 Some of this Ar-41 would be trapped and decay in place. However, even if all of the 2460 mCi were treated as a separate release, the percent of the 10CFR20 Appendix B limit would be no more than 4 %.
The use of the pneumatic transfer system (rabbit) was minimal during this period and any additional Ar-41 release would be insignificant since the system operates with CO2as the fill gas. A small amount of Ar-41 is released from each rabbit capsule. A two minute irradiation @900 kW will produce.0026 mCi.
In the 2010-2011 reporting period 17 rabbit capsules were irradiated at a variety of power/time combinations (less than 900 kW). The maximum resulting 0.04 mCi of Ar-41 is not a significant contributor to the total release.
Tritium is released by evaporation of reactor pool water as a gaseous release. The total makeup to the reactor pool in 2010-2011 was approximately 11,000 gallons or 1.25 gallons per hour. For conservatism, 1.5 gallons per hour was used in the calculation. The evaporative loss rate is dependent on relative humidity, temperature of air and water, air movement, etc.
For a pool Tritium concentration of 21,688 pCi/I (average for July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011), the Tritium activity released from the ventilation system would be -1,079 ICi. A dilution factor of 2 x 10E8 ml /sec was used to calculate the unrestricted area concentration. This is from 200 m2 (cross-section of the building) times I m/sec (wind velocity). These are the values used for the safety analysis in the reactor license.
Parameter Value Units Tritium released 1,079 micro curies Average concentration, unrestricted area
<2x10-13 ItCi/ml Permissible concentration, unrestricted area lx10-7 ICi/mI Percentage of permissible concentration
<0.0002 Calculated effective dose, unrestricted area
<1x10-4 mRem Page 5 of 6
Annual Operating Report, FY 10-11 Environmental Surveys -Technical Specification 6.6.1.f.
The only environmental surveys performed were the routine TLD gamma-ray dose measurements at the facility fence line and at control points in one residential area several miles away. The net measurements (in millirems) tabulated below represent the July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 reporting period.
Location 3rd Qtr '10 4th Qtr '10 1st Qtr '11 2nd Qtr '11 Fence North 0
4 2
4 Fence South 6
3 3
5 Fence East 5
5 2
5 Fence West 6
4 3
4 Pleasant Gap 7
10 8
10 There is no meaningful increase in exposure at the facility fence-line due to licensed operations for the current fiscal year.
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