ML19228A082

University of Utah, Annual Operating Report for July 2018 to June 2019

ML19228A082
Person / Time
Site:	University of Utah
Issue date:	07/30/2019
From:	Lund M Univ of Utah
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML19228A082 (9)

Text

-*

U Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH July 30th, 2019 U S Nuclear Regulatory Comm1ss1on Document Control Desk Washmgton, DC 20555 To whom 1t may concern Enclosed please fmd the Annual Operatmg Report for the Umvers1ty of Utah TRI GA Nuclear Reactor, License No R-126~ Docket number 50-407, for the penod of 1 July 2018 through 30 June 2019 This report fulfills the reqmrements of the TRI GA Techmcal Spec1f1cat1ons 6 7 1 If there are any further questions or concerns regardmg this report, please contact me at (801) 581-4188 Respectfully, Matthew Lund Reactor Supervisor, Umversity ofUtah,Nuclear Engmeermg Program 50 South Central Dnve, Room 1206 The Umversity of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Phone 801 581 4188 E-mail matthewl lund@utah edu URL http //www nuclear utah edu Cc X1aosong Y m, USNRC Craig Bassett, USNRC

Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH UUTR Annual Report 1 July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019

('

1 The University of Utah TRI GA Reactor (UUTR)

J Annual Operating Report for the period 1 July 2018 through 30 June 2019 Matthew Lund, UUTR Reactor Supervisor

)

Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP)

U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH I July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019 A NARRATIVE 1 Operating Experience The Umversity of Utah TRIGA Reactor (UUTR), License No R-126, Docket No 50-407, was critical for 57 212 hours0.00245 days <br />0.0589 hours <br />3.505291e-4 weeks <br />8.0666e-5 months <br /> and generated 2,622 591 kilowatt-hours of thermal energy durmg this reportmg year The reactor was used for educational demonstrations and trammg, laboratory experiments, reactor systems tests, reactor power measurements, and sample irradiations 2 Changes m Facility Design None 3 Surveillance Tests Documentation of all surveillance activities is retamed and stored by the facility a Control Rod Worth Table 1 Summary ofcontrol rod worth, SDM, and ER Core Configuration #24-B #24-B Date 9/24/18 2/27/19 Worth($) '

Worth($)

Safetv Rod 2 270 2 257 Shim Rod 1 597 149 Regulatmg Rod 287 283 Excess Reactiv1tv 628 0 639 Shutdown Margm 1 186 1 134 J

b Control Rod Inspection The last bienmal control rod mspectlon was performed durmg May of 2018, so no further mspections are reqmred until May 2019 Drop time for control rods were tested and verified to be< 2s, durmg each semi-annual control rod calibrations c Reactor Power Level Instrumentation Calorimetric power calibrations were performed on 10/9/18, 2/27/19, and 3/15/19 with the results shown m Table 2 The cahbratlon on 2/27/19 showed a 7 9% higher power level than normal, so the thermal power calibration was redone before any other reactor runs on 3/15/19 with a value of only 4 1% higher Smee the calibrations on 10/9/18 and 3/15/19 for the power channels were < 5% from the calculated power, no power channel adjustments were reqmred Table 2 Summary ofcalonmetnc power calzbratwns Date Percent Power lnd1cat1on Lmear Power lnd1catlon Thermal Calculated Power Level 10/9/18 93 1 90 0 92 507 2/27/19 922 90 0 97 911 3/15/19 922 90 3 94 102, d Fuel Inspection No fuel mspectlon was completed durmg thislyear, as the last biannual fuel mspect10n was performed durmg May and June of2018 Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 2

U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH l July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019 e Fuel Temperature Calibration Fuel temperature channels were calibrated on 9/19/18 and 2/13/19 The channels were calibrated to less than or equal to 2°C error over the range from 20 °C to 400 °C f Reactor Safety Committee (RSC) Audits Three RSC audits were completed durmg this reportmg period The data are shown m Table 3 These audits identified no sigmficant deviations from standard operatmg practices Tiable 3 Audt 1 summarv Audit Period Auditor Ooeratlon and Mamtenance 1 Jan 2018 to 30 Jun 2018 JamesM Byrne Rad1at1on Safety and ALARA 1 Jan 2017 to 28 Aug 2018 Mary J Handy Operation and Mamtenance l1Jul 2018 to 31 Dec 2018 JamesM Byrne g Environmental Surveys Eight environmental momtors are located m the areas surroundmg the UUTR Maximum exposure of 45 mrem m a quarter to an environmental dosimeter situated m Bmldmg 80 was measured Table 4 shows the average dose recorded m the last five year Table 4 Summarv of environmental momtorm!< around the UUTR Year Avera2:e auarterly readmgs for the e12:ht environmental momtors (mrem) 2018 34 56 2017 31 78 2016 31 18 2015 32 06 2014 r 33 81 2013 I 33 88 2012 - 35 56 2011 35 13 B ENERGY OUTPUT The UUTR reactor was critical for 57 212 hours0.00245 days <br />0.0589 hours <br />3.505291e-4 weeks <br />8.0666e-5 months <br /> and produced O 109 megawatt days (2,622 591 kilowatt hours) of energy durmg this reportmg penod Smee mitial criticality, the reactor has been operated for a total of 4,089 793 hours0.00918 days <br />0.22 hours <br />0.00131 weeks <br />3.017365e-4 months <br /> with an accumulated total energy output of9 627 megawatt days (231,052 673 kilowatt hours)

C EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS AND INADVERTENT SCRAMS Three madvertent SCRAMs occurred durmg this penod 10/17/18, 3/20/19, and 3/21/19 Summary of the madvertent scrams and unplanned shutdowns is given m Table 5 Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 3

U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH l July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019 Table 5 Summarv qfInadvertent SCRAMS and Unplanned Shutdowns Date Run Number Tvue Cause Action 10/17/18 1987 Lmear Lmear power md1cat1on Reactor power selector switch Power oscillated when operatmg the exammed reactor power selector switch 3/20/19 2009 External The tank arm detector's The connector and rad1at1on alarm connector was bumped durmg were venfied for correct operation, sample removal, causmg a and staff retramed to av01d false high radiation alarm ag1tatmg the connector dunng operations 3/21/19 2010 Lmear Electncal signal n01se I The lmear channel was tested and Power appeared on the lmear venfied for correct operat10n

/ channel, resultmg m a false durmg the next run The n01se was SCRAM The percent power, not reproducible The new lmear I

log power, and fuel channel bemg mstalled will temperature md1cated a power permanently fix the signal noise of - 76kW, durmg the SCRAM -

D MAJOR MAINTENANCE

• The m1crosw1tch for the shim rod down was replaced, and the hm1t switches were adjusted to verify the shim rod dnves m after the rod has dropped m a SCRAM

• The temporary fission counter mstrumentat10n was updated by addmg a pre-amplifier to the system and redomg connections and cable routmg to reduce n01se

• The Pneumatic Irradiator (PI) was not functionmg due to a failed power supply and a broken rubber bumper at the bottom of the PI The power supply was replaced and the bumper removed

• The regulatmg rod's reverse motor bias potentiometer was adjusted to venfy rod does not dnft downwards after movement

• The Contmuous Air Momtor (CAM) noble gas detector signal cable failed The cable and connectors were replaced

• The facihty is m the process of rep lac mg the neutron power momtormg channels through the 10CFR50 59 process The 50 59 process is bemg finahzed as documentation is completed over the next few months for submiss10n The eqmpment has amved and is bemg mstalled for testmg separately from the existmg systems, allowmg facihty staff to verify funct10nahty '

• The new Area Radiation Momtors (ARMs) are bemg mtegrated mto the console,Jthrough the 10CFR50 59 process, which will be finahzed m the next few months

• The facihty received the Department of Energy Research Reactor Infrastructure grant for 2018 to replace the reactor console, which is currently m the design phase with the manufacturer E. CHANGES, TESTS AND EXPERIMENTS PURSUANT TO 10 CFR 50 59

\ None Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 4

U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNlVERSlTY OF UTAH 1 July 2018 -30 Jun 2019 F. REACTOR SAFETY COMMITTEE As of the end of the reportmg penod, the current members of the RSC as designated by the Licensee are as follows James M Byrne, Chair Matthew Lund, Reactor Supervisor Fred Monette, RSO of University of Utah Michael Barber, Department Chair of C1v1l Engmeermg Donald Wall BenJamm Huffman Ryan Schow Greg Moffitt The UNEP staff contmues to review and update fac1hty documentation to assure compliance with all applicable regulations G RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS 1 Liquid Waste - Total activity released none 2 Solid Waste - Total activity 95 3 mC1 Sohd waste material was sent to the Radiation Safety Office (RSO) on campus for disposal durmg the penod of 1 July 2017 through 30 June 2018 The waste mcludes mostly activated material (p1pmg, plates, alummum, gloves, etc ) collected over the hfe of the reactor with a total weight of 48 167 kg and a total act1v1ty of 95 3 mC1 The RSO office has sent several drums already for disposal with the rest stored m their fac1hty, awa1tmg disposal m the next shipment 3 Gaseous Waste - Total estimated actlVlty released 32 651 µCi The UUTR was operated for 57 212 hours0.00245 days <br />0.0589 hours <br />3.505291e-4 weeks <br />8.0666e-5 months <br /> at power levels up to approximately 90 kW At this power level, Ar-41 production 1s substantially below MPC values for unrestricted areas The mm1mum detectable concentration of Ar-41 from the CAM system for the stack momtor has been found to be less than two-third of IO CFR 20 appendix B hm1ts for release to unrestricted areas The average annual calculated concentration of Ar-41 generated durmg operation 1s estimated to be 1 45xI0* 10

µC1/ml that 1s approximately O0048 % 'of the DAC The total amount of Ar-41 released was estimated to be 32 651 µCt No phosphorus-32 was released from the UUTR and associated fac1hties durmg this penod A monthly summary of gaseous releases 1s given m Table 6 The total amount of all gaseous rad1oact1v1ty released was estimated to be 32 651 µC1 Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 5

U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH l July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019 Table 6 Summarv ofMonthlv Gaseous Radzoacllve Effluent Month Power(kWh) Ar-41 (µC1) Ar-41 (µCl/ml) Estimated Release %ofDAC P-32 and all others Jul 17 0 0 000 0 0 00000%

Aug 17 0 0 000 0 0 00000%

Sep 17 0 39 0 005 2 1596x10 14 0 00000%

Oct 17 40 741 0 507 2 256 xlO 12 0 0 0001%

Nov 17 183 434 2 284 1 0157 xlO 11 0 0 0003%

Dec 17 32 998 0 411 1 8272 xl0- 12 0 00001%

Jan 18 215 248 2 680 1 1919 xlO 11 0 00004%

Feb 18 547 466 6 816 3 0315 xlO 11 0 00010%

Mar 18 330 827 4119 18319x10- 11 0 00006%

Apr 18 409 547 5 099 2 2678 xlO 11 0 00008%

Mav 18 368 644 4 590 2 0413 xlO 11 0 00007%

Jun 18 493 296 6 142 2 7316 xl0- 11 0 00009%

Total 2622 591 32 651 14522 xlO 10 0 0 0048%

H PERSONNEL RADIATION EXPOSURES UNEP Personnel The Umvers1ty of Utah Rad1at1on Safety has issued to all personnel with duties m the reactor laboratory on either a regular or occasional basis an OSL dosimeter The umversity began usmg Mmon Instadose dosimeters as of January 2019 The duty category and momtormg penod of personnel are summarized m Table 7 A summary of the whole-body exposures to the UNEP personnel 1s presented m Table 8 Measured Doses 7/1/18-6/30/19 Doses 32 mrem average, 270 mrem highest measured Dose Equivalent Limit Maximum Permissible Dose Eqmvalent = 5000 mrem/year (1250/quarter)

Mmimum Detectable_Dose per Monthly Badge= 1 mrem Visitors 524 mdiv1duals visited the reactor facility durmg the penod 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019 None of the v1s1tors received a measurable dose Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 6

U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 1 July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019 Table 7 Summary ofMonitored Personnel Name Momtorm2 Period Duty Category Albright, Lucas 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Bohanon, Reid 11/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Cazales, Edward 11/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Cole, Marv 10/01/18-12/31/18 Regular/Terminated Chu,David 07/0l/18:Cl2/3 l/18 Regular/Terminated Craynor, Elhott 07/01/18 Tennmated Faure, Quentin 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Feist, Donovan 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular I Fitzhu_gh, Richard 02/01/19-6/30/19 Regular Folev, Amanda 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Galbraith, Craig 10/01/18-12/31/18 Horvath, David 07/01/18 Termmated Kim, Donghoon 07/01/18 Regular/Terminated Lund, Matthew 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Mastren, Tara l 1/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Okabe, Parker 07/01/18 Termmated Ohver, Corrv 10/01/18-12/31/18 Regular/Terminated Pappas, Steven 07/01/ 18-6/3 0/19 Regular Porter, Aaron 07/01/18 Termmated Omst, Teancum 10/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Reifsnvder, Alexander 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Saenz, Brittney 07/01/17-6/30/18 Regular Stoddard, Michael 02/01/19-4/01/19 - Regular/Terminated Taylor, Bryan 07/01/18 Termmated T1bbet, Bailey 10/01/18-12/31/18 Regular/Terminated Ulloa, Carlos 07/01/18-6/30/19 Regular Table 8 Summary ofwhole-body exposures to the UNEP personnel Estimated whole-bodv exposure ran2:e (rem) Number of md1v1duals m each ran2:e Less than O 1 24 0 10 to O 25 I 1 0 25 to O 50 1 0 50 to O 75 0 0 75 to 1 00 0 100to200 0 200to300 0 300to400 0 4 00 to 5 00 0 Greater than 5 rem 0 Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 7

('

I

• U UUTR Annual Report Nuclear Engineering COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING I THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 1 July 2018 - 30 Jun 2019 I. LABORATORYSURVEYS The University of Utah Radiation Safety Office conducted monthly surveys of the ,

facility durmg the reportmg period The studies have not mdicated any unusual radiation levels over previous years The facility retams records df surveys J ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Environmental momtormg conducted by the University of Utah Radiation Safety mdicated no unusual dose rates m the areas surroundmg the Memll Engmeermg Bmldmg, which houses the UUTR reactor facility Prepared by Matthew Lund Date 7/29/2019 Reactor Supervisor Submitted by Matthew Lund Date 7/29/2019 Reactor Supervisor Utah Nuclear Engmeermg Program (UNEP) 8