ML19318B048
| ML19318B048 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Berkeley Research Reactor |
| Issue date: | 05/09/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Newport E BERKELEY, CA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8006240614 | |
| Download: ML19318B048 (1) | |
Text
{{#Wiki_filter:. 1 l l RIGlil.AT53 00 EAT BE COPY i MM g 1990 l Mr. Eugene Newport Mayor, City of Berteley 2180 M11via Street Berteley. California 94704
Dear Mr. Newport:
Thank you for your lettsr dated April 17, 1980 concerning the Status of the 2.206 petition by the Friends of the Earth on the TRIGA reactor at Etcheverry Hall. University of California, Berkeley. My dccision on that petition was issued April 14,1980 (Enclosure 1) and a copy was sent to Mr. Michael Lawson, Acting City Manager City of Berkeley. The bases for g der.1sion to deny the Friends of the Earth petition is also contained in Enclosure 1. As provided in 10 CFR 2.206(c), this decision will constitute the final action of the Comission twenty (20) days after the date of issuance, unless the Coerenission on its own motion institutes the review of this decision within that time. If upon reviewing g decision and the bases for that decision, you still have ' concerns that have not been resolved. I am willing to make g staff available to discuss this action with you. The Branch Chief responsible for licensing actions on this facility is Mr. James R. Miller. He can be reached on 301-492-7014. Thank ycu for you interest in' this matter. ~ t _ Sincerely. ~ Orld.r.15'm! hy ~" ~ H. R.C:n1:n Harold R. Denton, Director ~0ffice of Nuclear Reactor Regulation j
Enclosure:
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a.= c e c j uq . S('-{,,, ; pg UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIC - g g ,; a wash NcToN. D. C. 205S5 %; c4/ ~, April 14,-1980 Docke,t No. 50-224 W. Andrew Baldwin, Legal Director Ilene Martino, Legal Assistant Friends of the Earth 124 Spear San Francisco, California 94105
Dear Mr. Baldwin and Ms. Martino:
This letter is written in response to your petition, on behalf of the Friends of the Earth, dated December 11, 1979, requesting the' Nuclear Regulatory Comission to suspend all activities under Docket No. 50-224, revoke the operating license under Docket No. 50-224, order removal of all radioactive materials from the site and hold public hearings before any reactor operation is resumed. For the reasons set forth in the enclosed " Director's Decision Under 10 CFR 2.206" your request is hereby denied. A copy of this detennination will be placed in the Comission's Public Document Room at 1717 H Street, N.W., Washington,. D.C. 20555. A copy will also be filed with the Secretary of the Comission for its review in accordance with 10 CFR 2.206(c) of the Comission's regulations. Enclosed for your 'infonnation is a copy of the notice that is being filed with the Office of the Federal Register for publication. Sincerely, Afhk n Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
1. Director's Decision under 10 CFR 2.206 2. Faderal ~ Register Notice cc w/ enclosures: See next page l I l gc0 y 1
- 6-
- w/ enclosures
Prof Selig Kaplan
- eactor Administrator Ce:artment of Nuclear Engineering L'niversity of California at Berkeley College of Engineering Berkeley, California 94720 Mr. Michael Lawson Acting City Manager City of Berkeley City Manager's Office 2180 Milvia Street Berkeley, California 94704 Mr. Thomas H. Bates Member of the Assembly California Legislature Twelfth Assembly District District Office 3923 Grand Avenue Oakland, California 94610 Mr. John George Alameda County Board of Superc' sors-1221 Oak Street, Suite 536 Cakland, Cali~ornia 94612 h
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY C0%5510N o DD 80-15 In the Matter of U'tIVE?,SITY OF CALIF 0pfilA ) Docket No. s0-224 AT BERY.ELEY ) DIRECTOR'S DECISION UNDER 10 CFR 2.206 By petition dated December 11, 1979, the Friends of the Earth requested that an order be issued to the Regents of the University of California at Berkeley 'to suspend all activities of the TRIGA reactor at Etcheverry Hall, to remove all radioactive materials from the site, to revoke the operating license and to hold public hearings before any reactor. operation is resumed. This petition has been treated as a resuest for action under 10 CFR 2.206 of the Cocnission's regulations. After consideration of the infomation submitted in the request by Friends of the' Earth and evaluation of the issues raised, I have determined that the University ~ of California TRIGA. Mark III reactor does not pose any undue threat to the public health and safety. Consequently, the request by Friends of the Earth is denied. A copy of this decision will be placed in the Commission's Public Document Room at 1717 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 205$5 Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Bethesda, Maryland this 14th day of April,1980. ) tM I <r w e -ee-
mw NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION ~ HAROLD R. DENTON, DIRECTOR In the Matter of THE. UNIVERSITY OF CALIF 0P.';IA ) Docket No. 50-224 AT BERKELEY ) DIRECTOR'S DECISION UNDER 10 CFR 2.206 By petition dated December 11, 1979, the Friends of the Earth (F0E) requested. pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the Comission's regulat' ons, that the Nuclear Regula-i tory Commission: (1) suspend all activities under Docket No. 50-224 at Etcheverry Hall, 6.71versity of hiifornia at Berkeley (UCB), (2) order the removal of all radioactive ma+erials from the site, (3) permanently revoke the operating license under Docket No. 50-224, and (4) hold public hearings before any reactor operation is resumed. Receipt of the petition was acknowledged by letter dated January 10, 1980. The bases for the F0E's requested action were contentions that the se,ismic design of the reactor at UCB was inadequate based on current seismological data and analysis, the potential threat to public health and safety is greater,than pre-viously analyzed and that current evacuation plans are inadequate. After consideration of the information presented by F0E, I have detemined, for the reasons set forth below and in the attached documents, that the requests for action should be denied. j In 'the January 13, 1965 original Hazards Analysis (Enclosure 1) under Site Evaluation (page 3), the staff documented its evaluation of the affects of the loss 'of core cooling by a rupture of the reactor pool along with the rupture of a large number of fuel elements by mechanical damage and also the failure of the walls and ~ A b (60 i
ceiling of the reactor rocm. Tu staff concluded that the exposure to the public is within 10 CFR part 100 guidelines and theretare acceptable. More recently, on September 28, 1979, the NRC issued a Safety Evaluation and Environmental Impact . Appraisal supporting Amen 6:ent No. 2 (Enclosure 2). This amendment authorizes continuing operation of the UCB TRIGA Mark III. nuclear research reactor. This Safety Evaluation documents the staff's analysis of the design basis accident; a major seismic. event. leading to a complete loss of cooling water, core disruption and breach of the building walls (see pages 3 and 4 of Enclosure 2). The staff concluded that the radiological consequences in the near vicinity of the reactor building are of the order of the limits of 10 CFR Part 20 (Normal Operational Limits) and are only a small fraction of the limits of 10 CFR Part 100 (Accident Analysis Limits for Siting Reactors). In the Emergency Planning section of the Safety Evaluation (see pages 5 and 6 of Enclosure 2), the review and acceptance of the UCB plan currently in effect is documented. However, the Comission it currently upgrading the requirement's for Emergency Planning.by amending 10 CFR Part 50, Sections 50.33, 50.47, and 50.54 and Appendix E as a result of our review of the Three Mile Island accident. yhenthis rulemaking process is completed, the licensees of all reactors will be required to revise their Emergency Plans accordingly. In conclusion, my review of the allegations contained in your petition dated December 11, 1979, finds that since (1) the current design basis accident for UCS assumes a complete loss of cooling water, core disruption and breach of the building i walls, and results in acceptable radiological consequences and (2) the current approved Emergency Plan for UC3 meets our requirements, the University of California TRIGA s .m.e.--.~.g-e+. - ~ e.
3. . ark !!! reactor does not ;cse any undue threat to the public health and safety. Therefcre, I find under 10 CFR Part 2. Section 2.206.that no proceeding on the issues raised in your petition will be instituted in whole or in part. A copy of this decision will be placed in the Comission's Public Document Roomat1717HStreet,N.W.,b!hISiton,D.C.20555. A copy of this decision ~ will also be filed with the Secretary for review by the Comission in accordance with 10 CFR 2.206(c) of the regulations of the Comission. As provided in 10 CFR 2.206(c), th: 4 decision will constitute the final action of the Commission twenty (20) days after the date of issuance, unless the Comission on its own cc: ion institutes the review of this decision within that time. FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Harold R. Denton, Director i Office of Nuclear Reactor Regula. tion Dated at Bethesda, Maryland this 14th day of April,1980
Enclosures:
1. Hazards Analysis 2. Safety Evaluation and Environmental Impact Appraisal e O I e' 4
?>2).RDS ANALYSIS SY 23 EST & p0WER REACTOR SAIETY ERANCE DIVISION OF REACIOR LICENSD'G E IEu ins OF "SZ UNIVIRSITY OF cam 0RNIA, 3ERKELEY, CALIFORNIA DOCKET NO. 50-224 D'"RO E CIION By application dated May 2(,1%4 and supplements thereto dated August 7,1964, Augut 23,1964, August 25, 1964, September 23, 1964, october 2, 1964 and ' October 5,1964, the applicant requested authorization to construct and operate
- a. TRIGA Mark III reactor on its 3erkeley campus.
"he reactor is intended for use by faculty members and graduate students as ~ an educational tool and as a source of neutron and ga=ma radiation for research 2hree = odes of reactor operation have been proposed by the applicant. purposes. Mcde I provides for steady-state operation at power levels up to 1 MW (ther=al). Mode II ;rovides for square-vate operation (transient reactivity insertions to reach a desired steady-state power level essentially instantaneously) at power levels between 300 and 1000 KV. Mode III provides for pulsing operations with step increases of reactivity up to a -ndmn of 2.1% ($3.00). DESCR-K 05 \\ 2he proposed TRIGA Mark III reactor is a design developed by Ceneral Dynamics Corporation. It is a heter:geneous pool-type reactor with fuel-moderator elese :s =ade up of a he=ogeneous mixture of 20% ecriched uranium (8 5 veight i percent) and zirconium hydride clad in stainless steel, and designed to operate at steady state power levels up to 1 Mv. This type of fuel element has demon-stratei a prc=pt negative te=perature coefficient of reactivity which inherently limits the reactor power to a safe level during the large power pulses'for which it is designed. '5he core is suspended on a shroude from a bridge which rides on tracks that span the top of the tank. 2he reactor can be moved while the reactor is shut-dovn and operated at any position on the track. Surrounding the pool is a concrete shielding structure with openings for various irradiation facilities, an exposure room, two thernal columns and several beam ports. Other irradia-tien facilities in the pool include a rotary specimen rack above the core and a high speed pneunatic trsesfer vill permit short. term irradiations in the core. The ateve irradiation facilities are similar to those installed in other resear. ". ~ 'T ' W ?,SMWE \\ w reactivity of 4 9% above DUPLICATE DOCUMENT
- ished by three rack 3% and a transient rod s
Entire document previously ty rod during steady l v staN entered into system under: III operation to pulse mo %ooCogol67 \\ =** =' No. of pages: l
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%; <*A %,= SAFETY EVALUATION AND ENVIRONMEtCAL IMPACT APPRAISAL BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION Supp0RTING AMEEMENT NO. 2 TO FACILITY LICE.'ISE NO. R-101_ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY DOCXET NO. 50-224_.. Introduction By letter dated Decemb~er 30, 1974, the University of California.at Berkeley requested . that the Facility License No. R-101 for their TRIGA Mark III research reactor be renewed for a period of 30 years, extending the expiration date of the license to February 3, 2005. In response to our requests, the licensee provided additional .information in support of this renewal application by letters dated February 18 and December 21, 1976; August 15, 1977; and February 26, April 3 and May 14, 1979. The revised Technical Specifications (TS) submitted April 3,1979, which completely update the existing specifications, are designed to me'et regulatory requirements. The modificatiens have been discussed with and accepted by the ifcensee. Discussion The TRIGA Park III reactor at the University of California is of a design developed The reactor was first licensed to cperate in August 1966 by Gulf General Atomic, Inc. for a period of ten years, as measured from the genstruction permit issuance date (February 3,1965). The reactor is currently licensed to operate up to a steady state power level of 1 MWt with a maximum reactivity insertion for pulsed experiments of 2.1% delta k/k. A number of other TRIGA Mark III reactors have beenlicensed to operate at' this power level and with this reactivity insertion. Moreover, considerable operating experience to date indicates that the TRIGA reactor parameters can be No unusual problems have arisen or are anticipated from oper- ' accurately predicted. ation of the University of California TRIGA reactor in the manner currently authorized by the 1icense. Gescriotion The TRIGA Mark III reactor is a heterogeneous pool-type reactor with fuel-moderator, elements made up of a homogeneous mixture of 20% enriched uranium (8.5 weight percent) and zirconium hydride clad in stainless steel, and designed to operate at steady state power levels up to 1 MWt. This type of fuel element has demonstrated a qqpE' "TrKa $f"?MEF2jQgy~Wtivity which inherently limits the ower pulses for which it is designed. W which rides on tracks-that span DUPLICATE DOCUMENT <hile the reactor is shutdcwn and Entire document previously entered into system under: ANO 1 [Oh O hb No. of pages: '-= ,_}}