ML16337A331
| ML16337A331 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pennsylvania State University |
| Issue date: | 12/01/2016 |
| From: | Unlu K Penn State College of Engineering |
| To: | Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| Download: ML16337A331 (8) | |
Text
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KENAN ONLO, PhD.
College of Engineering Director, Radiation Science and Engineering Center Professor of Nuclear Engineering RADIATION SCIENCE & The Pennsylvania State University Phone: 814-865-6351 ENGINEERING CENTER Breazeale Nuclear Reactor University Park, PA 16802-2301 Fax: 814-863-4840 BREAZEALE Email: kxu2@psu.edu Nuclear Reactor December 1, 2016 5D-DDS Attention Document Control Desk U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001
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, 2015 through June 30, 2016, as required by our Facility Operating License R-2 Appendix A Section 6.6.1.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. James Turso, Sr. Research Associate and Assistant Director for Irradiation Services and Operations, (814) 865-6351.
Sincerely yours, Kenan Unlii, Ph.D.
Director, Radiation Science and Engineering Center Professor of Nuclear Engineering
Enclosures:
Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 cc: N.A. Sharkey A. Elnashai A.A Atchley T.A. Litzinger M. Linsley X. Yin-NRC
- 0. Font-NRC D. Morrell - DOE College of Engineering An Equal Opportunity University
PENN STATE BREAZEALE REACTOR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 PSBR Technical Specifications 6.6.1 License R-2, Docket No. 50-5 Reactor Utilization The Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC) houses the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR), a TRIGA Mark Ill Reactor capable of 1 MW steady state operation and 2000 MW peak power pulsing (transient) operation. Utilization of the reactor and its associated facilities falls into three major categories:
EDUCATION:
The RSEC's several radiation laboratories allow for an interactive learning environment and supply the equipment necessary for several Nuclear Engineering courses. The RSEC hosts about 3000 visitors each year for public outreach and educational support. These visits vary from graduate level classes to middle school field trips. Our facility also strives to educate members of the public about the many benefits of nuclear power as well as the diverse applications of radiation across several fields of study. Some of the major topics covered in public outreach sessions are radiation basics, nuclear security, and reactor physics.
RESEARCH:
The research performed at the RSEC is associated with several different colleges at the University.
RSEC staff, professors, and graduate students all play a key role in maintaining a constant flow of research projects through the facility. The RSEC maintains flexibility with radiation laboratories and equipment to support research such as thermo-acoustics testing, reactor instrumentation testing, neutron and gamma ray detection, and radiation signatures from used fuel elements, neutron activation analysis and neutron imaging applications.
SERVICE:
The resources available at the RSEC paired with the diverse capabilities of the PSBR allow us to serve the nuclear industry and satisfy the unique needs of several domestic and international companies.
The RSEC is perpetually involved in neutron radiography for composition uniformity testing as well as providing fast-neutron irradiation fluxes to support the Nation's defense infrastructure. Also, the RSEC remains at the forefront of neutron transmission testing for spent fuel storage and equipment to be used at nuclear utilities.
The PSBR facility operates on an 8 AM - 5 PM shift, five days a week, with early morning, evening, and weekend shifts as-necessary to accommodate laboratory courses, public education, University Page 1 of7 J
PSBR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 Research, or Industrial service projects.
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PSBR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 Summary of Reactor Operating Experience - Technical Specification 6.6.1.a.
Between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016, the PSBR was utilized as follows:
Mode of Operation Time [hours] Time I Shift [hours I shift]
Critical 674 2.3 Su b-Critica I 191 0.65 Shutdown 983 3.35 Unavailable for Use 0 0 Total Usage 1848 6.31 The reactor was pulsed a total of 35 times with the following reactivities:
~eactivity Number of Pulses
< $2.00 10
$2.00 to $2.50 25
> $2.50 0 Total 35 The square wave mode of operation was used 24 times to operate the reactor at power levels between 100 and 500 KW.
Total energy produced during this report period was 429 MWh with a consumption of approximately 22.1 grams of U-235.
Unscheduled Shutdowns - Technical Specification 6.6.1.b.
During the reporting period, there were zero unscheduled shutdowns resulting from reactor SCRAM. The Operations Team, as well as all RSEC Staff, continuously strive to maintain a safe and efficient operating, environment. They work to maintain a high-level of facility knowledge by reviewing previous events and holding routine training sessions that allow them to operate successfully and without incident.
Major Corrective or Preventative Maintenance with Safety Significance - Technical Specification 6.6.1.c.
Routine preventative maintenance required by Technical Specifications (TS) was completed within the TS required time frames. The following safety related maintenance actions affecting reactor control or safety equipment were also completed:
- 9/17/15 The Shim Rod bottom end of travel switch was replaced to correct an intermittent indication that the Shim Rod was not bottomed after the reactor was secured. The old switch had warped over time due to repeated actuation. The new switch was tested and all indications returned to normal (See AP-13 Change 2015-12).
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PSBR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16
- 11/12/15 The Transient Rod Drive Motor torque was tested after the rod periodically failed to move when requested. The test found that the motor torque had weakened overtime due to degradation. The drive was deaned, restored, and had its 'software settings updated. The Rod Drive was returned to service without issue. {See AP-12 2016-01}
- 6/27/16 The 2016 Fuel Inspection Procedure was initi~ted on Monday, June 27th, 2016. The fuel inspection was performed to satisfy the 4-year inspection requirement for all elements as per Technical Specification 4.1.3. The inspection entailed about 200 l
individual fuel movements, all performed without issue.* No elements failed inspection and the fuel inspection was concluded on July 151, 2016. (See 2016 Fuel Inspection Special Procedure)
Major Changes Reportable Under 10 CFR 50.59 - Technical Specification 6.6.1.d.
Two changes made at the facility in this year required a review and are reportable under 10 CFR 50.59:
- 9/3/15 Normal/Emergency Electrical Panel 5, located in the control room, was shut down for the relocation and upgrade of Reactor UPS and Electrical System panel CR-1, 2, and UPS Bypass Switch. The system line-up was not changed, only the location of the equipment and panels. (See AP-12 Change 2015-06)
- 9/18/15 AP-12 Change 2015-07 was reviewed and approved for the In-core placement of a new experimental apparatus on September 18th, 2015. The apparatus was a part of upcoming testing by a research team led by Idaho National Laboratory. The experiment is detailed below in the New Tests and Experiments section. ',
- 2/18/16 Due to the continued issue of restricted Transient Rod Motion, the Transient Rod Drive Motor was replaced with a newer, identical motor. During the investigation of the old motor, it was found that the motor torque had been set at 30% and subsequently increased to 40% in 2005 with limited documentation or reasoning. It is presumed that the increase was an attempt to compensate for the weakening motor.
The new motor's factory torque setting was set at 50%. An AP-12 (2016-01) Change Form was drafted and approved to test different torque settings in order to decide upon the most accurate setting. On 4/28/16, the torque settings were tested and it was decided that the new motor's torque would be set at 40%.
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PSBR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 Facility Changes of Interest Although the following modifications are not reportable under 50.59, they are notable and are provided for information:
- 8/20/15 The Westinghouse Experimental Rig, initially placed in the core on March 3rd,*2015 as per AP-12 2014-08 Westinghouse Long-Term Irradiation, was removed from the core after the desired MWh set-point was achieved. The rig was left -in the pool to radiologically decay until a safe level for removal was reached.
- 9/8/15 The shaft on the large air compressor was found sheared on the morning of Tuesday, September 8th, 2015. The cause of the failure is unknown. The building air supply was realigned to be carried by the smaller, backup air compressor. A replacement air compressor was installed and aligned to .supply building air on December 7th, 2015.
Procedures 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 do not require a report under 10 CFR 50.59.
New Tests and Experiments
- 1) Beginning in September of 2015, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in conjunction with other experimenters, utilized several PSBR Fuel Elements for a study to characterize fission product inventory. A spent fuel cask was used to house fuel elements of varying burn-up, both in and out of the pool, where dose rates, x-ray and gamma signatures were measured. The testing continued intermittently until February of 2016.
- 2) On September 24th, 2015, a team of researchers, lead by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), began thermo-acoustic testing as per Experimental Procedure SOP-5 2015-025. The study utilized a Thermo-Acoustic Power Sensor (TAPS) sensor to collect data at varying neutron fluxes and fuel temperatures. The TAPS sensor was placed at specified reactor core l.ocations as required by the research team with SRO approval. The research team concluded reactor usage on September 30th, 2015. (See AP-12 2015-07 and Experimental Procedure SOP-5 2015-025)
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PSBR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 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 reporting 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 gaseous releases were less than 10% of the allowed concentrations and do not require specific report.
Argon-41 (41Ar) 41 Gaseous effluent Ar 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 41 Ar released from the reactor pool is 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 41 lowest for intermittent low power runs. The concentration of Ar 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.
41 For a conservative calculation of the Ar release, all power operations were assumed to take place 41 at the Fast Neutron lrradiator (FNI) Tube, the location of greatest Ar generation and release. The calculation method includes direct release from the pool as well as release from the FNI fixture and estimates a production of ~1743 mCi for 429 MWh of operation during the 2015-2016 fiscal year. A 41 41 portion of this Ar will decay in place, however, if all the Ar were released, it represents less than 3% of the release limit.
Parameter Value Units Argon-41 Produced 1743 mCi Average concentration, unrestricted area < 2.00 E-10 µCi/ml Permissible concentration, unrestricted area 1.00 E-08 µCi/ml Percentage of permissible concentration < 3.00 %
Calculated effective dose, unrestricted area < 2.00 mRem/yr Page 6 of 6 J
PSBR Annual Operating Report, FY 15-16 Tritium (3H)
All Tritium release occurs as a gaseous relea$e due to evaporation of reactor pool water. The total makeup to the reactor pool in 2015-2016 was approximately 10,340 gallons or 1.18 gallons per hour. The evaporative loss rate is dependent on relative humidity, temperature of air and water, air movement, etc.
For an average pool tritium concentration of ~32,800 pCi/liter (averaged between July 1, 2015 and Jun-e 30, 2016), the Tritium activity released from the ventilation system would be ~1,290 µCi. A dilution factor of 2.0 x 108 ml /sec was used to calculate the unrestricted area conc~ntration. This is from 200 m2 (cross-section of the building) times 1 m/sec (wind velocity). These are the same values used in the Safety Analysis Report section of the reactor license.
' Parameter Value Units Tritium released 1283 µCi Average concentration, unrestricted area <3.00E-13 µCi/ml Permissible concentration, unrestricted area 1.00E-7 µCi/ml Percentage of permissible concentration <3.00E-4 %
Calculated effective dose, unrestricted area <2.00E-4 mRem-Environmental Surveys - Technical Specification 6.6.1.f.
The only environmental surveys performed were the routine environmental dosimeter measurements at the facility fence line and two off-site control points, one approximately 100 yards from the fence line and the other at a residential area several miles away. The net measurements (in millirems) tabulated below represent the July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 reporting period.
Location 3rdQtr '15 4th Qtr-'is 1st Q_tr '16 2ndQtr '16 Total Fence North 5 2 3 2 12 Fence South 8 3 5 4 20 Fence East 6 5 5 2 18 Fence West 7 6 3 3 19 Pleasant Gap 0 0 0 0 0 Child Care UP 0 0 0 0 0 The exposures measured at all points on the facility fence-line were well within historical norms,
+/-10%. Licensed operations remain well within the limits for the current fiscal year.
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