ML19269C039
| ML19269C039 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000925, 07001193 |
| Issue date: | 12/13/1978 |
| From: | Fisher W, Hueter L, Peck C NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19269C026 | List: |
| References | |
| 70-0925-78-03, 70-1193-78-05, 70-1193-78-5, 70-925-78-3, NUDOCS 7901190231 | |
| Download: ML19269C039 (11) | |
Text
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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY C0FrilSSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT REGION Ill Report No. 70-925/78-03; 70-1193/78-05 Docket No.70-925; 70-1193 License Nos. SNM-928; SNM-1174 Licensee: Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corporation 1: err-McGee Center Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Facility Name:
Cimarron Facility Inspection At:
Cimarron Facility, Crescent, OK Inspection Conducted: Oc tober 30-November 3,1978 o
.s h h [h
__'_ /h 1 Inspectors:
C. C. Peu
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L. J. Hueter ([. ([..
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[2[3M Aiproved By:
W. L. Fisher, h'ie f Fuel Facility Projects and Radiation Support Section Summary I n sfe_c t i on_ on _0c_t o_be r _3_0_ _Npvembe r 3_,
19 7 8_,(Ref o c t No. 70-925/78-03:
70-1193/78-05)
A r e_a,s I n spec t ed :
Routine, unannounced safety inspection, including:
organization, facility ch.nges and modifications, internal audits, safety meetings, maintenance, conduct of operations, environmental programs, and emergency planning; radiation protection program, including: qualificat ions,
training, procedures, instruments and equipment, exposure control, posting-labeling controls, surveys, and notifications and reports; radioactive waste management, including: liquid ef fluents, airborne ef fluents, ef fluent control procedures, filter testing, and solid waste disposal.
The inspection involved 58 inspector-hours onsite by two NRC inspectors.
Results: No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified in the 21 areas inspected.
?S0119 0p3 I
D_ETAILS 1.
Persons contacted
- A. W. Norwood, Cimarron Facility Manager
- G. J. Sinke, Health and Safety Coordinator
- D. Majors, Health Physics Supervisor
- J. L. Kegin, Maintenance and Utilities Supervisor
- Denotes those present at exit intervi'sw.
2.
General The inspection began at 8:30 a.m. on October 30, 1978. One of the twe inspectors toured the uranium plant, plutenium plant, emergency building, and outside areas during the first two days of the inspection. The other inspecter subsequently toured portions of the f acility af ter his arrival en November 1,1978.
Representatives of NRC's Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards were at the Cimarron facility during the inspection for discussions with the licensee about the removal of the obsolete solvent extraction system from the plutenium plant. The licensee has submitted a request fer an amendment to the plutonium Ifcense, SNM-1174, to permit this removal. The inspectors were present during portions of these discussions.
3.
Organij_ation There have been no recent changes in the management organizetion of the Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corporation.
The Cimarren facility again has a total of twenty empicyees.
Since the inspection of October 1977 (Report No. 70-925/77-04), two erployees terminated. These positions were filled by the hiring of two fermer ecployees who had extensive experience in the plutonium plant when the facility was in operation.
4.
F_a c 1_1 i_ty_Ch a_nf,e_s__a n d, }f o_d_i f i c a_t_ic_n s Removal of the flocculation system from the plutonium facility was completed during the year. At the time of the inspection, all equipment had been shipped to a burial site except one auxiliary tank, which was packaged and ready for shipment. Completion of this work, which is Amendment 1 to License No. ',M-1174, was accomplished without any contamination contro) roblems. The licensee designed, built, tested, and used a steel-reinforced plywood container in accordance with DOT Specification 7A.
This was used for shipment of some of the auxiliary flocculation equipment.
An esgineering study of the 4000-pound steel flocculation tank was used,o determine that the vessel cet DOT requirecents for shipment withou; any outside container. The inspector reviewed the licensee's packaging certifications.
Burial of the five liquid effluent retention ponds was completed during the inspection. The backfilling of these pends was authorized as Amendment 2 to the plutonium plant license. The two uraniu ponds were backfilled and seeded in September and had a light grass cover at the time of the inspection. The three smaller pends (plutonium pond, plutonium emergency pond, and uraniu= emergency pond) were buried and seeded during the inspection.
The licensee has requested an atendment to the plutoniue license to permit the removal of the solvent extraction system frem the plutonium plant as centioned in Paragraph 2.
The licensee hopes to begin this work in December.
No items of noncocpliance were identified.
5.
Reviews and Audits
- ne Health and Safety Coordinator conducts quarterly audits at he Citarron facility. Records of the audits for 1978 to date were t'anined by the inspectors.
In addition, it was noted that there was a NEL-PIA inspection in February 1978 and a fire insurance inspection in July.
Ne items of noncompliance were identffied.
6.
Sa f e_ty_Me e r i_nf s Monthly safety meetings have been conducted as required. Meeting minutes indicated that attendance has included most of the Cimarron employees.
In addition to the monthly meeting, quarterly training in health physics subjects is provided.
No items of noncocpliance were identified.
7.
Maintenance The licensee prepares Special Work Pernits for those jobs requiring radiation protection or contamination control considerations.
Completed SWP's for 1978 were examined.
It was noted that in many instances the permits contained no signature indicating that the work had been completed and inspected. The Maintenance and Utilities group is responsible for numerous routine checks of safety related equipment and conditions in the plutonium plant. These include:
tests of the emergency generator, glovebox fire alarms, and standby ventilation fans; checks of airflows, glovebox negatives, and filter differential pressures. Records of all of these safety checks made in 1978 were inspected. Examination of records disc 1csed that all checks and tests were made on schedule without omissions.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
8.
Envirennen.t a lJf. nit orinz The licensee continues an environmental monitoring program. Air, surface water, well water, soil, and vegetation samples are collected at established locatiens within and cutside the facility.
The samples are analyzed at the licensee's Technical Center.
Sample frequencies have been reduced since 1976 when the Cimarron facility discontinued operations.
A review of 1977 data disclosed no significant differences or trends frem the preceding year.
9.
_Eme tre_n cy, P_1_a nn_i ny,_,_Fa_c_f_1 i t i e sn guip me_n t;_P_rf_c e d tgr e_s E
The Ifeensee has an emergency building a few yards from both the uranium and plutenium plants that centain a large supply of emergency equipment relative to the present standby work force.
The services of a physician located at a clinic in Guthrie, about eight miles from the plant, are available. An ambulance service is also available.
In addition, the licensee has a station wagen equipped for ambulance service at the Cimarron facility.
An Emergency Manual contains the facility emerg'ncy procedures, describes emergency equipment, and lists telephcne numbers of individ1-1s and services available for emergenctes. The manual was revised in 1976 to conform with the standby status of the facility. The inspector noted that some changes in the call list and perhaps in equipment and services availabic had occurred since 1976. Also, reactivation of the criticality alarms in the pluteniu=
plant is being considered during removal of the solvent extractien system from the plutonium plant. These alarms have been inactive since 1976. This change would require revisions to the Emergency Manual.
No items of noncompliance were identified..
10.
Emergency Planning - Fire Prevention and Protection Each employee is a member of the facility fire brigade. Duties of each brigade member are assigned in a memorandum from the Manager, dated August 25, 1977.
Quarterly training sessions are held for the fire brigade.
The service' of the Crescent and Guthrie Fire Departments are available f> the Cimarron facility. The brigade marshall, also a member of the Crescent Fire Department, conducted indoctrination and training sessions for department members in Novecber 1977.
The licensee has a fire truck on site. Fire extinguishers have been checked monthly. A professional fire equipment company checks extinguishers annually and makes five-year hydrostatic tests of extinguishers.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
11.
Instruments and E_quiym;en The licensee has generally adequate numbers of operable survey and monitoring instruments. Gamma survey meters are calibrated quarterly.
Daily function and calibration checks are perferred on the portable and doorway alpha survey meters. These latter meters are calibrated quarterly for 50% efficiency. A weekly calibration check is performed for the stack menitor end the continuous air monitors at
- "e plutonium plant. A review of records indicated that the calibration check of the continuous air monitors was missed for one week in mid-October. Health physics personnel continue to tour each plant at least once per shift to check air monitors for response and alarm setpoints.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
12.
External Expo _s_ure Control Review of quarterly film badge data showed that who~e body dose from gamma radiation did not exceeded 200 millirems in the first six months of 1978 for any individual. Third quarter results had been received by the licensee but were not available.
These results will be reviewed during a future inspection.
No items of noncompliance or deviarie.s oere identified.
k-
i
- 13. Internal Exposure Control a.
Bioassay Program (1) Uranium Plant Urinalysis continues twice monthly for those working at the uranium plant.
A review of bioassay data from mid-June 1978 to September 1978 shows that the concentration of alpha activity in samples has generally been below the detection limit of 10 dpm/l. The highest concentration observed was 39 dpm/1, well below the action level of 160 dpm/l. A followup sample, taken after the initial data became available, had a concentration below the detection limit.
(2) Plutonium Plant The licensee continues to collect and analyze urine samples quarterly for those routinely involved in work activities at the plutonium plant and annually for guards and administrative employees.
Bioassay data were reviewed for the second and third quarters of 1978.
All samples analyzed were below the detection limit of 0.1 dpm per sample except for the 0.133 dpm per sample of one employee for the third quarter.
However, this was still below the action level of 0.20 dpm per sample for which licensee procedures require that review, resample, and followup be conducted.
b.
Uranium and Plutonium k'orker In-Vivo (Lung) Counts In-vivo counts by Helgeson Nuclear Service were conducted October 16-18, 1978, for lung depositions of uraniun-235 it uranium plant workers and for lung deposition of plutonium-239 and americium-241 in plutonium plant workers. Official results of the in-vivo counts had not been received at the time of the inspection.
These data will be reviewed during a future inspe< tion.
c.
In-P)
- Air Sampling and Airborne Exposure Evaluation (1)
.nium Plant The inspector reviewed the records of in-plant air sampling conducted on either an 8-hour basis or a 24-hour basis from July 6, 1978 to October 24, 1978.
The licensee continues using about half of the 40 original air sample locations.
However, the other samplers are still in place and are used when work is performed in nearby areas.
Air concentrations in general ranged from about 1/100 to 1/1000 MPC.
The highest in-plant air sample observed was about 25% of MPC.
Lapel air samplers, worn about 50% of the time when work involves potential for airborne activity, showed a maximum airborne concentration of about 1/3 MPC.
(2) Plutonium Plant The inspector reviewed the records of in-plant air sampling conducted from July 6, 1978 to October 24, 1978.
Air concentrations in general ranFed from about 1/100 to 1/1000 MPC, based most conservatively on soluble plutonium. An occasional sample was higher.
The two highest samples included a seven-hour special sample on August 29, 1978 and a two-day sample on September 6 and 7, 1978.
Both indicated concentrations of about one MPC. A lapel air sampler worn by an individual in the area of the seven-hour sample showed no detectable activity. No explanation could be found for the concentration indicated by the two-day sample. No work was being done in the area and no contamination was found.
Lapel air sampler records showed no indication of individuals approaching 40 MPC-hours of exposure per week.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified in the areas of internal exposure control.
- 14. Posting, Labelin_g_, and Control Posting of radiation and contamination areas in both plants was found to be adequate.
The posting requirements of 10 CFR 19.11 were met by the licensee.
Work permits are used for nonroutine work for which a specific procedure has not been written. As another means of control, the standby plant manager continues morning meetings with the health physics supervisor and the maintenance and utilities supervisor to discuss the planned activities of the day.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
- 15. Surveys In-plant air sample surveys were described in Paragraph 13.
Wipe surveys continue to be conducted routinely at both plants.
Survey data were reviewed for the period from mid-July to October 28, 1978. At the plutonium plant, wipe surveys are performed each shif t in the air locks, hallways, and process rooms. Monitoring of shoe covers at process room exits continues to aid in detection of any contamination spread.
r outine smear surveys of the nonproduction areas of both the uranium ad the plutonium plant showed no significant removable activity.
In process areas the highest removable activity in the uranium plant 2
was about 3000 dpm per 100 cm.
In the production areas of the plutonium plant removable activity was less than 100 dpm per 100 cm2, except on the upper level of the solvent extraction facility, where 2
activities did not exceed 500 dpm per 100 cm,
No items of noncompliance were identified.
- 16. Notifications and Reports Licensee statements and records indicated there has been no theft or loss of licensed material, overexposure of personnel, or releases of radioactive material requiring a special report by the licensee.
Employee termination reports are maintained at the corporate office.
The inspector did not go to the corporate office during this inspection.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
- 17. Radiation Protection Procedures The licensee met a commitment made during a previous inspection (Report No. 78-02) to update by September 1, 1978, certain uranium plant radiation protection procedures regarding frequency of both general in-plan t air sampling and lapel air sampling and reFarding limits of surface contamination levels for release of equipment and materials.
The following uranium plant procedures were revised:
Procedure Designation Revision Date Title KM-NU-10-2 8/3/78 Exposure and Release Limits KM-NU-10-4 8/3/78 Internal Exposure Protection KM-NU-10-6 8/1/78 In-Plant Air Sampling EM-NU-10-12 8/1/78 Equipment and Material Release Surveys No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
18.
,Ra_d_ioa c t iv e 1.i qu i_d_E f flu en t There has been no liquid release offsite since the sanitary lagoons stopped flowing on January 20, 1976, following termination of plant processing.
Sources of water to the sanitary lagoon f rom both the uranium and the plutonium plants are unchanged from that noted in a previous inspection report (Inspection Report No. 78-03).
Eight batched releases from the plutonium plant to the sanitary lagoon have been made in 1978 as of November 2, 1978. These batches totaled about 54,000 gallons of water containing about 40 microcuries (pC1) of gross aplha activity resulting in an average concentration of about 1.8 E-7 pCi/ml.
j No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
19.
Radioactive Airborne Effluents The only stack at the uranium plant that has remained in contin-uous operation since early 1976 has been the nonfiltered laundry stack, which exhausts at about 1040 cfm.
In the first ten months of 1978 records stated that about 0.31 pCi of gross alpha activity was 1eleased at an average concentration of 2.7 E-14 pCi/ml from the uranium plant.
Sampling and analysis of the filtered effluent from the plutonium building stack shows that in the first ten months of 1978 about 1.4 pCi of gross alpha activity was released at an average concentration of about 4.1 E-15 pCi/ml.
No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
20.
Records and Re_ ports of Radioactive Effluents The licensee's records and reports of radioactive effluents were reviewed in general for the first ten months of 1978.
A nonconservative calculational error was identified in the uranium plant effluent data for the month of July. The monthly total activity was low by a f actor of about nine.
Releases during the month did not approach any limits.
The licensee stated that the error would be corrected.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
21.
Liguid_ and Airborne Effluent Moni,toring Instruments As previously noted, there have been no liquid releases offsite since January 1976, when the sanitary lagoons stopped flowing.
Liquid releases from the plutonium plant to the sanitary lagoons are on a batch basis. Each batch is sampled and analyzed before release. There are no on-line liquid monitors at either plant for releases to the sanitary lagoon.
A continuous monitor is still used on the plutonium building stack to monitor airborne ef fluent. The licensee continues to calibrate the monitor and check for proper trip setting and alarm. There is continuous sampling but not continuous monitoring of the uranium plant airborne effluents.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
22.
Procedura for ContrcIling Effluents Releases No recent procedure changes have been put into effect for control-ling effluent releases. The licensee has a procedure system for controlling changes, which involves review and approval by management.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
23.
Filter Tests Review of licensee records shows that all final HEPA filters at the plutonium plant are being cold DOP tested annually and at time of new filter installations and are meeting the 99.95%
removal efficiency for 0.8 micron size particles as required by the license.
In addition to the required tests, the licensee tests many intermediate HEPA filters, using an acceptance criterion of 99% ef ficiency.
No items of noncompliance were identified.
24.
_Ex it_In t e rview The inspectors described the scope of the inspection to the individuals identified in Paragraph 1.
I i
In discussions during the meeting, the licensee representatives:
1.
Stated that the Emergency Manual would be reviewed and updated.
(Paragraph 9) 2.
Said that special work permits would be signed in the future to indicate completion of work.
(Paragraph 7) 3.
Agreed to improve housekeeping in the uranium plant by atranging and covering with plastic sheeting some materials which were in disarray.