ML17202D078
| ML17202D078 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | University of Wisconsin |
| Issue date: | 07/17/2017 |
| From: | Agasie R Univ of Wisconsin - Madison |
| To: | Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| Download: ML17202D078 (18) | |
Text
Nuclear Reactor Laboratory UWNR University of Wisconsin-Madison 1513 University Avenue, Room 1215 ME, Madison, WI 53706-1687, Tel: .(608) 262-3392, FAX: (608) 262-8590 email: reactor@engr.wisc.edu, http://reactor.engr.wisc.edu License_R-74 Docket 50-156 July 17, 2017 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Washington, D. C. 205~5
Dear Sir:
Enclosed is a copy of the 2016-2017 Annual Report for the University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor Laboratory as required by Technical Specification 6.7.1(1).
Sincerely, R(};;
Reactor Director sie Enc. (Annual Report) cc: Compliance Inspector, Craig Bassett Facility Project Manager, Spyros Traiforos Reactor Safety Committee, RSC 1307
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017 ANNUAL OPERATING REPORT Prepared to meet reporting requirements of:*
- u. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License R-74 Docket 50-156 Technical Specification 6.7.1(1)
Prepared by:
Robert J. Agasie Department of Engineering Physics THE UNIVERSITY
---q/----
WISCONSIN MADISON
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 1 of 16 EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
OF REACTOR UTILIZATION Instruction: Instructional usage of the reactor during the year included:
82 Nuclear Engineering students in laboratory and lecture courses.
636 individuals from 18 organizations as part of the UW Nuclear Reactor Outreach and Community Service Program.
Research: Neutron irradiations during the year included:
275 samples irradiated for departments at UW-Madison.
12.21 MW-hr of irradiation time of ion chambers for nuclear heating measurements
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 2 of 16
- TABLE OF CONTENTS A.
SUMMARY
OF OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
- 1. INSTRUCTIONAL USE . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ .r . ....... 3
- 2. OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
- 3. SAMPLE IRRADIATIONS AND NEUTRON.ACTIVATION ANALYSIS SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *,
........................... 6
- 4. OTHER MAJOR EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, & OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ ** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
- 5. CHANGES IN PERSONNEL, FACILITY AND PROCEDURES ........ 8
- 6. RESULTS OF.SURVEILLANCE TESTS AND INSPECTIONS ........ 8 B. OPERATING STATISTICS AND FUEL EXPOSURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 C. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS AND INADVERTENT SCRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 D. MAINTENANCE .. -* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *' . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 E. CHANGES IN THE FACILITY OR PROCEDURES AND EXPERIMENTS REPORTABLE UNDER 10 CFR 5 0. 5 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
- F.
SUMMARY
OF RADIATION EXPOSURE OF PERSONNEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 I .
G. RESULTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS !' ************************ 12 H. RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 TABLE 1 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONI~ORING DOSE DATA ........... 13 TABLE 2 LIQUiq RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISCHARGED TO SEWER ........ 14 TABLE 3 EFFLUENT FROM STACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 TABLE 4 SOLI.D WASTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 3 of 16 A.
SUMMARY
OF OPERATIONS
- 1. INSTRUCTIONAL USE Four sections of NE 427 were offered during the academic calendar year with a total enrollment of 37 students.
Several NE 427 experiments use materials that are activated in the reactor. One experiment entitled "Radiation Survey" requires that students make measurements of radiation levels in and around the Reactor Laboratory.
Four sections of NE 428 were offered during the academic calendar year with a total enrollment of 45 students.
Three experiments in NE 428 require exclusive use of the reactor. These experiments ("Critical Experiment",
"Control Element Calibration", and "Pulsing") required a total of 36 hours4.166667e-4 days <br />0.01 hours <br />5.952381e-5 weeks <br />1.3698e-5 months <br /> of exclusive reactor use. Other NE 428 laboratory sessions use material that has been irradiated in the* reactor ("Fast Neutron Flux Measurements by Threshold Foil Techniques" and "Resonance Absorption").
The Reactor Laboratory's continued commitment to its educational outreach program and community service attracts large numbers of community organizations who visit the reactor. A listing of individual schools and educational programs that have visited or received services is provided below in section A.2 of this report.
- 2. OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
~articipating Institution Number of Participant~
Abundant Life Christian High School 18 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.
American Nuclear Society 23 UW-Madison Student Branch Reactor tour with a discussion on the capabilities and uses of the UW nuclear reactor (UWNR). A joint outreach effort between the UW-Madison Student Branch of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the UWNR to promote the UW Nuclear Engineering program to the State of Wisconsin Legislature.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 P~ge 4 of 16 Participating Institution Number of Participants Beloit College 0 Analyz~d swipe tests io leak check radioactive sources and performed detector calibrations.
Boy Scouts of America 301 Reactor tour with a discussiqn on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor. Progr~m included hands on demonstrations of radiation detection and shielding. Program co-sponsored by the UW Student Branch of the American Nuclear Society in support of the Scouts Atomic Energy Merit Badge program.
Davis-Bahcall Scholars Black Hills State University 11 Reactor tour with a discussion of the nuclear processes during fission. The Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program is a program for South Dakota high school seniors or college freshmen exploring the world of modern scientific research
-at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The program includes a road trip to the Soudan Underground Laboratory and NOVA facility in M1nnesota, UW-Madison, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab in Illinois.
Engineering Summer Program 65 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor. The Engineering Summer Program (ESP) is targeted to high school students from groups traditionally under-represented in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field.
International Atomic Energy Agency 9 Reactor tour and discussion of research capabilities of the UW nuclear reactor. Participants were representatives f~om 7 different member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) collaborating on supercritical water reactors research to advance nuclear energy generation in their respective countries.
Madison Fire Department 48 Radiation safety training program for the Madison Fire Department's Hazardous Incident Response Team. See section A .. 4 of this report for more information.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 5 of 16 Participating Institution Number of Participants McFarland Indian Mound Middle School .24 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.
Mount Horeb High School 31 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.
Outrider Foundation 9 Reactor tour with a discussion on the benefits of nuclear energy. Outrider is an educational media organization focused on increasing public understanding of global existential risks that threaten the health and safety of humankind.
UW College of Engineering Computer Aided Engineering Department 20 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.
UW Engineering Physics Department 4 Facility familiarization for building occupants including a reactor tour and a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.
UW Engineering Physics Department Graduate Student Recruitment Program 27 Reactor tour with a discussion on the capabilities and uses of the UW nuclear reactor in support of graduate research recruitment program.
UW PEOPLE 43 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor. The Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence, or PEOPLE, is a pre-college pipeline for students of color and low-income students. The program prepares the students to apply, be successfully admitted and enroll at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It.is the UW's most successful venture in creating such opportunities and thereby improving campus diversity.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 6 of 16 Participating Institution Number of Participants UW PoJ.ice Departmen*t . 3 Awareness training including ~ discussion on reactor emergency preparedness and response procedures.
UW Radiation Safety Department 0 Performed neutron detector calibrations.
UW-Whitewater Department of Physics 0 Analyzed swipe tests to leak check radioactive sources and performed detector calibrations.
OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE USER
SUMMARY
Organizations: 18
Participants:
636
- 3. SAMPLE IRRADIATIONS AND NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
- SERVICES There were 275 individual samples irradiated during the year. Samples accumulated 54.4 irradiation space hours and 176.4 sample.hours. Samples irradiated and then counted at the Reactor Laboratory as part of our neutron activation analysis program are iisting below with the notation (NAA).
Department of Anthropology, UW-Madison (NAA) 76 samples, 76.0 sample hours NAA to characterize fragments of steatite manufacturing debris excavated from the archaeological site of Harappa, Pakistan.
Department of Engineering Physics, UW--Madison.
27 samples, 17.5 sample hours ., .
Irradiation of fiber optic temperature sensors as part of the Advanced Instrumentation for Transient Reactor Testing program at the UW-Madison in support of the DOE TREAT transient reactor restart initiative.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 7 of 16 Department of Engineering Physics, UW-Madison NE 427 I 116 samples, 55.2 sample hours Irradiation
. of foil sources for radiation . detector
.experiments, including absolute counting for neutron flux measurements and activation of samples for neutron activation analysis experiment.
Department of Engineering Physics, UW-Madison NE 428.
24 samples, 14.47 sample hours Irradiation of foils for resonance absorption measurements and fast neutron flux measurements.
- Department of Engineering Physics, UW-Madison UW Nuclear Reactor Laboratory 2 sa'mples, 2. 0 sample hours Production of calibration sources for required reactor measurements and development of methods for instrumental neutron activation analysis.
Department of Medical Physics, UW-Madison 30 samples, 11.2 sample hours Irradiation of flux foils in support of the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) project to measure energy deposition in various materials. See .section A.4 for more detail.
- 4. OTHER MAJOR EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, & OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES The University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor (UWNR) continues to partner with Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) to measure energy deposition in various materials important in the design of reactor systems to validate their MC21 Mont~_Carlo (MC) modeling cbde. Previous work used dif ferentiai calorimeters to ~ea~ure the total heating rate in the various materials. This year, custom manufactured ion chambers of the various material measured kerma rates directly* and measured the neutron to gamma ratio. From J~ly 2016 through May 2017 the reactor dedicated1 12. 21 MW-hr to the experiment.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 8 of 16 This year, the UWNR partnered with the Madison Fire Department's (MFD) ~azardous Incident Response Team (HIT) to conduct a radiation safety trai~ing program. This progiam was a hands-on laboratoiy experience where MFD participants used their own equipment to ip.crease familiarity. The ~rogram covered topics including: use of radiological detection equipment, the nature of alpha, beta and gamma radiation,* :Lnvestigation of activity versus dose, demonstration of the 1/r 2 nature of radiation point sources, how to conduct a contamination survey, and general awareness of the hazard communicated by regulatory signs and placards.
- 5. CHANGES IN ! PERSONNEL, FACILITY AND PROCEDURES Any changes reportable under 10 CFR 50.59 are indicated in section E of this report.
All procedures were reviewed with propo~ed revision approved by the Reactor Safety Committee. No changes to operating procedures related to reactor safety occurred during the year.
Other changes to the facility included a modification to the UWNR designed and built period amplifier.
Personnel changes during the year were as follows:
The following individuals were appointed as Reactor Operators effective July 25, 2016:
Kenneth R. Zander OP-500510 Jake R. Quincey OP-500511 Zachary D. Fiscus OP-500512 Ryan A. Deyoe OP-500513
- 6. RESULTS OF SURVEILLANCE TESTS AND INSPECTIONS The program of inspection and testing of reactor components continues, satisfact6rily m~eting procedural ~cceptance criteria. Inspection of underwater components during the annual maintenance showed no deterioration or abnormal I
wear.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 9 of 16 The pool leak surveillance program continues to monitor the pool evaporation rate, the pool make-up volume, and pool water radioactivity. The pool leak surveillance program indicated that no water effluent has been released to the environment.
B. OPERATING STATISTICS AND FUEL EXPOSURE.
Operating Period Critical MW-Hours Runs Pulses Hours Fiscal Year 2016-2017 202.37 143.48 . 70 22 Cumulative '
TRIGA 30/20 LEU 2,449.38 1,561.00 1103 287.
Core K21-R6 was operated throughout the year~ The excess reactivity of this core was determined to be 4.035%p.
C. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS AND INADVERTENT SCRAMS There was only one automatic SCRAM during the year.
On May 11,' 2017 a SCRAM from a loss of alternating current occurred. While performing a normal reactor startup_the Mechanical Engineering Building suffered a buildihg wide power failure. As a result the. SCRAM relays de-energized.
D. MAINTENANCE The Preventive Maintenance Program continues to maintain equipment and systems in good condition. Routine regeneration of demineralizer resins occurred on November 9, 2016 and June 23, 2017.
Corrective maintenance performed as a follow up action necessary for reactor restart following an automatic SCRAM is co~ered in section C of this report. Additional corrective mainten~nce was performed on the following installed systems, structures and components (SSC) as described in the Safety Analysis Report (S~R):
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 10 of 16 In July 2016 the mechanical shaft seal on the chilled water cooling system pump was.replaced.after the existing seal failed and began to leak chilled water.
On November 1, 2016 during a normal reactor shutdown the regulating blade was found to be in a non-moving state.
Troubleshooting had revealed the clutch,was worn out. A ne~ clutch was machined based 6n the regulating blade drive drawings.* The motor was reattached to the drive and tested through its full motion.
On December 1, 2016 while recovering from a reactor pulse, control. blade drive number 2 appeared to stick during rod withdrawal. During troubleshooting it was impossible to recreate the symptoms. Subsequently on February 9, 2017 the ~od drive again appeared to stick. This time troubleshooting revealed that the slip clutch had disengaged. rt*was concluded that the ball plunger needed to be replaced.
During weekly checks of the stack air monitor (SAM) on December 6, 2016, it was observed that the gaseous channel DAC-hours was reading zero. Troubleshooting revealed that the detector window was torn. The detector was replaced and the system recalibrated before being returned to service.
During annual calibration of the Area Radiation Monitoring (ARM) system, the demin:eralizer ARM was acting erratic and
\
would not calibrate. The GM tube Jas replaced and was subsequently able to be calibrated.
On May 17, 2017 during a normal reactor shutdown, control blade drive number l would not drive in._ Troubleshooting 1
revealed the drive motor was binding at the right angle gear reducer. The gear reducer was opened and the old greas~ was cleaned otit and tepacked with.fresh grease. The motor was verified to freely turn and reinstalled on the.
drive mechanism~ Since this appeared to be a possible common mode failure for all the shim safety blade drive mechanisms, it was decided to preemptively clean and repack the right angle gear re~ucers on the remaining shim safety blade drive mechanisms during annual maintenance activities in June 2017.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 11 of 16 E. CHANGES IN THE FACILITY OR PROCEDURES AND EXPERIMENTS REPORTABLE UNDER 10 CFR 50.59 There were no changes to the facility reportable pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59 completed during the year.
There were no changes to procedures reportable pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59 completed duri!lg the year.
There were two experiments approved pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59 during the year. The safety evaluation of each experiment concluded a license amendment pursuant to 10 CFR. 50.90 was not required. Each experiment is summarized below.
One experiment consists of several digital/optical camera systems mounted in a modified watertight aluminum housing~
The watertight aluminum housing is of similar coristruction and design as previously approved. This experim~nt is designed to irradiate and test the survivability of a new generatiort of still and video digital cameras for use in ultra~high radiation dose and dose rate environments.
The second experiment consists of four temperature sensors mounted in a modified watertight aluminum housing. The watertight aluminum housing is of similar construction and design as previously approved. The temperature sensors reside in*an alumina rod surrounded by a silicon carbide (SiC) heater which itself is surrounded with zirconia insulation. The sensors will be subjected to various steady
~tate power conditions for the ultimate goal of determining suitability for insertion into the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) as part of the Department of Energy (DOE) advanced light water reactor (LWR) nuclear fuel initiative.
F.
SUMMARY
OF RADIATION EXPOSURE OF PERSONNEL (01/01/16 - 12/31/16)
The personnel .radiation monitoring program at the University of Wisconsin for the past calendar year used Landauer Luxel brand monitors for whole body and extremity exposure. No personnel received any significant radiation.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016~2017 Page 12 of 16 exposure for the above period. The highest annual whole body doses recorded were 40 mrem deep dose*equivalebt (DDE) and 89 mrem shallow dose equivalent (SDE). The hig~est
- annual extremity dose was 70 mrem and the highest ahnual dose to the lens of the eye was 57 mr~m.
The highest dose received by a member of the public visiting the reactor lab was 0.214 mrem, as measured by Siemens brand Electronic Personal Dosimeters.
Monthly radiation surveys continue to demonstrate acceptable radiation dose rates within the reactor laboratory and no contamination.
G. RESULTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS (01/01/16 - 12/31/16)
The environmental monitoring program at the University uses Landauer Luxel brand area monitors located in areas surrounding the reactor laboratory. Table 1 indicates the dose a person would have received if continuously present in the indicated area for the entire 2016 calendar year.
/
H. RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS l~ LIQUID EFFLUENTS Liquid waste discharges to the sanitary sewer from the facility during the year are detailed in Table 2.
No liquid effluents were released to the environment during the year.
- 2. EXHAUST EFFLUENTS Table 3 presents information on stack discharges during the year.
- 3. SOLID WASTE Solid waste transferred from the facility during the year are detailed in Table 4.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016.:..2017 Page' 13 of 16 TABLE 1 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DOSE DATA (01/01/16 - "12/31/16)
Location Annual Dose (mrem)
Dose Inside Reactor Laboratory Stack <1 Highest Dose in Non-restricted Area 23 Highest Dose in Occupied** Non-restricted 19 Area Average Dose in all Non-restricted Areas 5.57 (26 Monitor Points)
I
- Occupied areas include classrooms, offices, and
'lobbies/meeting areas where an individual might reasonably spend in excess of 2 hours2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br /> per day
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 14 of 16 TABLE 2 LIQUID RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISCHARGED TO SEWER Release Date: 12/05/2016 Gallons Released: 1490 Total µCi: 72.71 Sum of Fraction of MPC
- 0. 1412 w/o dilution:
Sum of Fraction of MPC 0.0089 w/ daily dilution:
MPC Isoto:ee (]:!Ci/ml) Released Co-58 2.00E-04 30.54 µCi 5.43E-06 µCi/ml 0.0272 Fraction of MPC Co-60 3.00E-05 16.77 µCi 2.97E-06 µCi/ml 0.0991 Fraction of MPC Mn-54 3.00E-4 25.30 µCi 4.49E-06 µCi/ml 0.0150 Fraction of MPC Annual total volume of water reieased to the sanitary sewer (gallons) = 1490 Annual total activity released to the sanitary sewer (µCi) = 72.71 Average daily sewage flow for dilution (gallons)* = 2.37E+4 Annual sum of fraction of MONTHLY release limit with DAILY dilution = 0.0089 Annual sum of fraction of MONTHLY release limit with MONTHLY dilution 2.91E-4
.. I
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 15 of 16 TABLE 3 EFFLUENT FROM STACK
- 1. Particulate Activity There was no discharge of particulate activity above backgroun~ l~vels.
- 2. Gaseous Activity - All Argon-41 Activity Maximum Average Month Discharged Concentration Concentration (Curies) (µCi/ml) (µCi/ml)
July 2016 0.012 2.320E-07 7.089E-10 August 0.006 1.245E-07 3.674E-10 September 0.026 4.220E:-07 1.611E-09 October 0.177 8.410E-06 l.080E-08 November 0.037 8.810E-07 2.349E-09 December 0.002 1.330E-07 1.337E-10 Janµary 2017 0.061 3.270E-07 3.783E-09 February 0.093 4.320E-07 6.251E-09 March 0.128 6.680E-07 7.629E-09 April 0.024 2.370E-07 1.473E-09 May 0.035 2.940E-08 2.082E-09 June 0.018 3.~30E-07 1.079E-09 Total , Maximum Average 0.618 8.410E-6 3.189E-9 Using the Gaussian Plume model, as described in section 13.1.7.2 of the "Safety Analysis Report for the untversity of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor", ~ concentrati6n of 6E-5
µCi/ml at the stack dlscharge would result .in a maximum air concentration of lE-8 µCi/ml at any point downwind.
UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Page 16 of 16 TABLE 4 SOLID WASTE Date: 10/21/16 02/27/2017 TOTAL VOLUME Volume: 14 ft 3 4 ft 3 18 ft 3 Constituents: Routine Resins Consumables Activity Activity Total Activity by Isotope Isotope (mCi) (mCi) (mCi)
Be-7 0.31000 0.31000 Co-58 0.00007 0.00007 Co-60 0.01470 0.00543 0.02013 Eu-152 0.00022 0.00022 Mn-54 0.00047 0.00006 0.00053 Sb-124 0.00082 0.00082 Zn-65 0.00100 0.00100 Total Activity TOTAL ACTIVITY per Transfer 0.32706 mCi 0.00571 mCi 0.33277 mCi All activity transferred from the facility to the University of Wisconsin Broadscope License, license number WI-1323-1.