ML19289D917
| ML19289D917 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000984 |
| Issue date: | 01/25/1979 |
| From: | Book H, Cooley W NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19289D915 | List: |
| References | |
| 70-0984-78-04, 70-984-78-4, NUDOCS 7903190413 | |
| Download: ML19289D917 (6) | |
Text
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O U. S. iiUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF IllSPECTION Arid EilFORCEMEilT REGION V Report No.
70-984/78-04 Docket No.70-984 License flo.
SiiM-942 Safeguards Group V
Licensee:
Pacific florthwest Laboratories Battelle Boulevard Richland, Washington 99352 Facility I'ame:
Pacific Northwest Laboratories Inspection at:
Richland, Washington Inspection Conducted:
flovember 13-16, 1978 Inspectors:
. '/ b4,,..<. 9 /n[ -
//2//Jf' W. J. Coolly, Fue Facilities Inspector
' Date Signed Date Signed Approved By:
.[W
//26[77 H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Date Signed Safety Branch Summary:
Inspection on November 13-16,1978 (Report No. 70-984/78-04)
Areas Inspected: Organization; inventory; operations review; criticality studies; internal review and audit; personnel dosimetry experience; and environmental surveillance program for 1977. The inspection involved 26 man-hours onsite by one NRC inspector.
Results: No items of noncompliance or deviations were identified.
79031904(3 IE V 1
(2)
DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted
- H. V. Larson, Associate Manager, Occupational and Environmental Safety Department
- J. M. Selby, Manager, Radiation Standards and Engineering (RS & E)
- L. A. Carter, Senior Research Scientist, RS & E B. V. Andersen, Staff Scientist, RS & E J. R. Houston, Senior Development Engineer, Environmental Evaluations K. R. Price, Senior Research Scientist, Environmental Evaluations J. R. Berry, Senior Technical Specialist, Environmental Evaluations H. L. Henry, Manager, Safety and Nuclear Material Management (S&NMM)
C. R. Richey, Senior Research Engineer, S&NMM H. H. VanTuyl, Manager, Applied Chemistry J. D. Hudspeth, Acting Supervisor, 300 Area Facilities Monitoring, Radiation Monitoring R. C. Schrotke, Special Assignment, Radiation Monitoring G. R. Hoenes, Senior Research Scientist, Dosimetry Technology R. S. Kemper, Manager, Materials Development Section, Materials Department J. Allen, Senior Specialist, QA and Methods, Crafts and Operations R. Anthis, Senior Specialist, Methods and Procedures, Crafts and Operations
- Denotes those attending exit interview.
2.
Organization The organizational structure of the Occupational Environmental Safety Department remains as previously reported. Total employ-ment of the department stands at 151 as of November 1,1978.
3.
Inventory Inventory records current to October 31, 1978, indicated possession under the subject license of 58 grams plutonium and 1,461 grams of uranium enriched to 1.2S%. That inventory is precisely the same as the previous inventory record current to June 30, 1978. All that material is located in the Chemical Technology Department, Build-ing 325.
Licensee representatives indicated that no use had been made of the material and that it was presently in storage facilities at Building 325. The subsequent visit to Building 325 confirmed that the low enriched uranium was stored in an inactive hot cell in the form of spent fuel samples and the plutonium was in storage in Laboratories 410 and 515 in that building.
. 4.
Operations Review During this inspection visits were made to Buildings 3720, 306W, 325, 324, and 3708 in the 300 area of the Hanford Reservation.
During the visit to Building 3720, it was confirmed that the licensee has obtained and activated his recently purchased two DOP aerosol generators and one particulate detector. The procurement of those devices makes the licensee independent of the Hanford En-gineering Development Laboratory for the DOP testing of HEPA filters.
Discussions with licensee representatives and observations of records indicated that D0P tests were current in Buildings 324 and 325 and that the new aerosol generators were all fully functional and had been used since August,1978.
During the tour of Building 3720, it was found that Laboratory Room 156 was very crowded, Laboratory Room 105 exhibited fair housekeeping, and Laboratory Room 146 exhibited poor housekeeping. The laboratories visited exhibited adequate posting for the use of radioactive materials.
During the tour of Building 306W, it was noted that all fissile material formerly in storage at that facility had been removed.
It was also observed that a new Eberline Model HFM-4A hand and foot counter had been mounted at the entrance to the Metallurgical Laborato ry.
The visit to Building 325 included Laboratories 410 and 515 primarily for the purpose of verifying plutonium inventory.
The licensee's fluclear Waste Vitrification Project was in progress at Building 324.
That effort is performed by Pacific florthwest Laboratories on behalf of the Department of Energy.
Building 3708 is used for dosimetry calibration and development, and glove box type experimentation with uranium and curium. The labora-tory was unoccupied at the time of the visit. Those facilities gave evidence of the use of step-off type procedures and had a generally neat appearance.
Discussions with licensee representatives and observations of by the inspector confirmed that the licensee had not made use of licensed material since the last inspection.
The licensee indicated that some privately financed fuel development studies might be pursued in Building 231Z toward the end of calendar year 1978.
. J 5.
Criticality Studies A licensee representative indicated that 40% of his time over the past two years has been devoted to criticality studies and the development of criticality safety specifications with respect to the fluclear Waste Vitrification Project which is a Department ui Energy funded effort. He stated that no new criticality studies had been performed for flRC licensed material since the last in-spection.
6.
Internal Review and Audit Although there has been no licensed material activity at these facilities, criticality audits continue to be made in all facilities.
One reason for the continued criticality audits is that, although the licensee may be inactive with respect to privately financed work, he may be quite active as a Department of Energy contractor in a given building along with other DOE contractors.
Criticality audits were made in Building 308 laboratories on July 25 and September 27, 1978.
A criticality audit was made in Building 306W on July 26,1978, at which time it was recorded that no fissile material was stored or used in that building.
Audits were made at Building 231Z on June 29 and October 17, 1978.
The visit on October 17, 1978, was the annual appraisal for that building. Records indicate that no licensed material is stored at that facility.
A single criticality safety specification limiting each work station to 45% of a minimum critical mass is in effect for the entire building. A second criticality safety specification has been issued for the use of electro-chemical decontamination equipment.
It is in Building 231Z that possible licensed develop-ment work will be conducted in the future.
7.
Personnel Dosimetry Experience This inspection included a review of personnel dosimetry records for the year 1978 through the third quarter. Records include employee identification, assigned dosimeter frequency, in vivo count schedule, bioassay schedule, training courses accomplished, and location of work. Records of that type are reviewed by the licensee in ilovember of each year to determine that the dosimetry and bioassay schedules are correct and is also reviewed for each change in job assignment
_4_
to determine if a change in frequency is required. The records are printed out monthly, organized by section and reported to each section manager. One "section" of dummy employees' badges are ex-posed each month in the calibration laboratory as a control. Recorded data includes doses for the period of the report, year to date dose, and extrapolation of dose to year end. Data is differentiated by neutron, penetrating, skin, extremity, and whole body doses.
That data indicated maximum whole body exposure to single individuals on the monthly exchange schedule ranging from 390 mrem to 680 mrem for one quarter. The range of whole body exposures for individuals on the badge quarterly exchange system was from 480 mrem to 600 mrem per quarter.
Personnel dosimeters are the thermoluminescence type and are analysed by an independent laboratory. Dosimeters are the four and one chip type. The four chip dosimeter is capable of measuring fast and slow neutrons and beta and gama doses. The gamma sensitive chip is used also to compensate for the fast and slow chip gamma sensitivity.
The one chip dosimeter furnishes basic beta gamma dose infomation. All radiation workers are furnished with a four chip type dosimeter which is exchanged either monthly or quarterly dependent on potential ex-posure. All other employees are furnished one chip dosineter which is exchanged annually.
8.
Environmental Surveillance program This inspection included the review of the results of the licensee's environmental surveillance program for the calendar year 1977. Those results have been published in document PNL-2614/UC-41, dated April, 1978.
The licensee as a contractor to the Department of Energy conducts an environmental surveillance program to collect data and provide an historical record on the level of radionuclides and radiation attri-butable to natural causes, world wide fallout, and Hanford operations.
Any measurable effects of operations under the subject license would be detectable under that program.
The program includes all air, Columbia River water, foodstuffs, wild life, soil and vegatation, and external radiation. Air samples are collected both onsite and at distances from the Hanford Reserva-tion; Columbia River water samples are collected both upstream and downstream of the Hanford operation; foodstuffs are collected from farming areas irrigated with Columbia River water which has passed
the Hanford site and collected from local farms and commerical out-lets; wildlife (deer, game birds, fish, and oysters) are collected both on and off the Hanford site; soil and vegetation samples are collected both on and off the site; and external radiation is meas-ured by thermoluminescent dosimetry at air sampling locations and at locations along the Columbia River, as well as by emerging in the Columbia River water at four locations.
Airborne activity measurements indicate no distinguishable impact due to Hanford operations. Maximum concentrations of airborne activity detected are attributed to atmospheric nuclear detonations.
Foodstuff (iodine 131 in milk) activity correlates with nuclear atmospheric testing. Radionuclides found in foodstuffs, wildlife, and soil samples are attributed to either world wide fallout or natural sources.
Low level activity found along the shore line and at islands in the Columbia River near the Hanford site and-in the Columbia River water are attributed to past and present reactor operations.
River water concentrations are far less than 1% of the most restrictive radiation guides for unrestricted areas.
9.
Management Interview The scope and results of the inspection were discussed with Messrs. H. V. Larson, J. M. Selby, and L. A Carter at the conclusion of the inspection on flovember 16, 1978.
Those persons were informed that no items of noncompliance or devia-tions were found as the result of the inspection.