ML19260B993
| ML19260B993 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000754 |
| Issue date: | 11/09/1979 |
| From: | Book H, Cooley W NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III), NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19260B991 | List: |
| References | |
| 70-0754-79-09, 70-754-79-9, NUDOCS 7912180092 | |
| Download: ML19260B993 (5) | |
Text
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COM!!ISSIO:1 0FFICE OF INSPECTION Afl0 ENFORCE!!EtiT Report tio.
70-754/79-09 Docket flo.70-754 Licensee flo. SNM-960 Safeguards Group l'
Licensee:
General Electric Company Vallecitos Nuclear Center P. O. Box 460 Pleasanton. California 94566 Facility flame:
Vallecitos fluclear Center Inspection at:
Vallecitos fluclear Center. Pleasanton California Inspection Conducted:.Septenber 18-21, 1979 Inspectors:
/((K.; J Mf.
ggy W. J. Cooley, Fue#1sFachityInspector Date Signed iccompanied by:
Date Signed R. T. Kratzke, fluclear flaterials Safety and Safeguards, flRC Headquarters Date Signed Date Signed Approved by:
M
//!9!79 H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials 06te' Signed Safety Branch Summary:
Insoection on Seotember 18-21, 1979 (Report No. 70-754/79-09 Areas Inspected:
Oroanization; facility changes and modifications; internal review and audit; safety committee activities; operations review; criticality safety; environmental programs; transportation program; and follow-up on noncompliance recorded in report no. 70-754/79-04. The inspection involved twenty six inspector-hours onsite by one inspector.
Results: No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified in the subject areas inspected.
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DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted
- R. W. Darmitzel, Manager, Radiation Processing Operation
- R. A. Moschner, Manager, Nuclear Safety and Ouality Assurance E. F. Kurtz, Manager, Advance Fuels Laboratory R. C. Gebhart, Manager, Advance Fuels Laboratory Operations R. E. Butler, Manager, Radioactive Products and Services T. C. Hall, Radiation Products and Services Engineering
- G. E. Cunningham, Senior Licensing Engineer D. L. Zimmerman, Manager, Radioactive Materials and Waste Handling
- P. S. Webb, Manager, Radiological and Environmental Protection D. C. Bowden, Nuclear Safety Compliance Engineer, Nuclear Safety W. C. Lloyd, Senior Engineer, Nuclear Safety H. C. Mohr, Specialist, Environmental Protection, Radiological and Environnental Protection C. A. Hooker, Specialist, Radiological and Environmental Protection
- Denotes those attending exit interview.
2.
Organization Organization and personnel of the Quality Assurance and Nuclear Safety Section remain as described in previous inspection reports.
3.
Facility Changes and Modifications During this inspection it was observed that glove boxes had been and were being removed from the Advanced Fuels Laboratory. Dis-cussion with licensee representatives indicated that at least two clove boxes will remain in the fuel fabrication portion of the laboratory along with the nitrate conversion and scrap recovery lines in the chemistry section of the laboratory.
Plans are to close out the fuel fabrication portion of the laboratory completely by September, 1981. Further plans ir.:lude decontaminating and perhaps decommissioning the Plutonium Analytical Laboratory.
Al', fissile material has been removed from the building 105 critical asswbly facility and vault.
The changes described above permit continuation of fissile material chemistry studies but preclude fuel fabrication.
4.
Internal Review and Audit This inspection included a review of reports of the investigations conducted by the licensee dating from January 1979. The review included five such investigations.
p
\\ ()Y A spill occurred in the Advanced Fuels Laboratory during the disassembly of fuel fabrication glove boxes #41 and #42. The cause of the spill was a split plastic seal which was used to cover the tunnel connecting the two boxes. A maximum of two hundred thousand dpm alpha activity was measured on the floor beneath the boxes, protective clothing contamination indicated a maximum of five thousand counts per minuta.
flasal smears obtained from operators in the area were negative. Two constant air monitors located approximately twenty feet away from the box did not indicate any airborne activity. Air samples routinely maximum of 1.4 x 10-yghe glove boxes at the breathing zone indicated a obtained adjacent to uCi/cc alpha activity for the period August 29 to Septenber 5 thru September 6,1979 all indicated less than 2.7 x 10 g from September S.
The spill occurred on September 4 Air samples obtain uCi/cc alpha.
At the time of this inspection an investigation was being made by the licensee into high radiation levels at the surface of shipping containers of xenon-133 gas. That matter was pursued separately from this presently reported inspection and was reported in flRC, IE Inspection Report tio. 99990005/79-11.
Two investigations reviewed during this inspection involved an onsite vehicular accident in which no injuries occurred and no radioactive material was involved. The second investigation concerned a waste container fire in Building 300 involving depleted uranium contamination.
fio airborne activity was detected. A fifth investigation concerned a cobalt 58 spill in a building 103 laboratory. Contamination was cleaned and during the decontamination some low level of protective clothing contamination occurred. flo personnel exposures were involved.
This inspection included a review of internal audits conducted by the licensee dating from April,1979 to the presently reported inspection, fline internal audits of that type were reviewed by the inspector. A summary of the licensee's audit findings is as follows.
A review was made of the air sample counting methodology in the building 103 counting lab. That review included primary and secondary calibration frequencies, calibration sources used, and calculations performed.
A review of all change authorizations issued to the Advanced Fuels Laboratory and for operations in building 102 was made to bring the records up to date and to close out change authorizations which were no longer needed. That review process was continuing for buildings 103 and 300.
A radiation safety inspection was made of the Radioactive Products and Services facilities in building 102 and no discrepancies were found.
An industrial safety type inspection was made in building 401 offices and laboratories.
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. A radiation safety inspection was made of the Hillside Storage Facility.
As a result of that inspection reconnendations were made concerning the weathering of radioactive waste boxes; deterioration of plastic wrappings; and sandblast facility housekeeping (cluttered with waste).
The inspection included contamination and radiation level surveys.
A posting review was made throughout the Vallecitos Nuclear Center Site.
Fif ty HEPA filters were visually insoected for damage.
The Advanced Fuels Laboratory was audited for criticality limit posting.
Both the investigations and the internal audits and reviews listed above were conducted by personnel of the Nuclear Safety Technology group at the laboratory.
5.
Safety Committee Activities A quarterly meeting of the Vallecitos Technological Safety Council was conducted on flay 3 and another was scheduled for September 27, 1979.
6.
Operations Review This inspection included visits to the Advanced Fuels Laboratory and Advanced Fuels Laboratory vault, and the hot cell areas of building 102.
flost of the fissile material in the Advanced Fuels Laboratory had been placed in a vault.
Some glove boxes had been removed. Metallurgical studies on scent fuel was continuing in building 102.
7.
Criticality Safety A backlog of work reviewing and establishing the basis for all criticality limits used at the Vallecitos Nuclear Center had been completed. The actual possession of fissile material had been reduced to less than one effective kilogram in September of 193. A criticality analysis is planned for the use of that one effective kilogran in the Advanced Fuels Laboratory.
8.
Environmental Programs All radiometric analyses for the environnental samples are presently done by vendors. Tritium water samples and plutonium soil samples are done by Teledyne. All other analytical work is performed by U.S. Testing.
A series of tritium samples obtained during the second quarter,1979 indicated unexpected positive results. Those samples were rerun by Teledyne and were found to contain less than two thousand pCi/l tritium.
O
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4 The California Water and Quality Control Board has indicated to the licensee that additional samples for tritium in the environmental program would be desirable.
At the time of this inspection the decision to include additional tritium samples had not been nade.
9.
IE Circular Nos. 79-09 and 79-15/IE Bulletin No. 79-19 The contents of the subject circulars and bulletin were discussed with licensee representatives. With respect to the circulars, the licensee uses only SurvivAir self-contained breathing apparatus. The licensee stated that he had no SurvivAir Mark I Scba equiprent onsite.
A licensee representative indicated that the information requested by NRC in IE Bulletin No. 79-19 had been assembled and no difficulty would be experienced in meeting the report requirement in a timely matter.
- 10. Transportation Proaram During an inspection conducted on March 22, 1979 the licensee was found in noncompliance with 10CFR71.12 in that he had failed to keep the Transportation Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle and Materials Safety inforred of changes in drawings for the models 1600 and 8500 shipping containers.
The licensee has furnished the Transportation Branch with all updated drawings of the 8500 series cask and will have updated drawings of the 1600 cask completed and submitted in October,1979.
In addition to the 8500 series cask the licensee plans to study and submit updated drawings for the Models 100, 200, 600, and 1500 shipping containers. Plans are to submit along with updated drawings a safety evaluation for each drawing change.
Present work on the Model 1600 Cask includes incorporation of a special lid gasket in an effort to qualify the Model 1600 as a primary container.
- 11. Mananenent Interview The scope and findings of this inspection were discussed with licensee representatives on September 21, 1979.
At that time the inspector indicated that no items of noncompliance or deviations were observed.
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