ML19351C747

Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison - Transmittal of 2018-2019 Annual Report

ML19351C747
Person / Time
Site:	University of Wisconsin
Issue date:	12/06/2019
From:	Agasie R Univ of Wisconsin - Madison
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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Download: ML19351C747 (16)

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• UWNR Nuclear *Reactor Laboratory University of Wisconsin-Madison 1513 University Avenue, Room 1215 ME, Madison, WI 53706-1687, Tel: (608) 262-3392, FAX: (608) 262-8590 email: reactor@engr.wlsc.edu, http://reactor.engr.wisc.edu Lice*nse R-74 Docket 50-:-156 December 6, 2019 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Washington, D. C. 20555 Dea'r Sir:

Enclosed is a copy of the 2018-2019 Annual Report for the University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor Laboratory as required 1 .. _

by Technical Specification 6.7.1(1).

Sincerely, R(k Reactor Director sie Enc. (Annual Report) cc: Compliance Inspector, Craig Bassett Facility Project Manager, William Kennedy Reactor Safety Committee, RSC 1389

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN NUCLEAR REACTOR LABORATORY FISCAL YEAR 2018-2019 ANNUAL OPERATING REPORT Prepared to meet reporting requirements of:

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License R-74 Docket 50-156 Technical Specification 6.7.1(1)

Prepared by:

Robert J. Agasie Department of Engineering Physics THE UNIVERSITY

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WiscbNSIN MADISON

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 1 of 14 TABLE OF CONTENTS A.

SUMMARY

OF OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1. INSTRUCTIONAL USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2. OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3. SAMPLE IRRADIATIONS AND NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4. OTHER MAJOR EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, & OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

5. CHANGES IN PERSONNEL, FACILITY AND PROCEDURES ........ 7

6. RESULTS OF SURVEILLANCE TESTS AND INSPECTIONS ........ 7 B. OPERATING STATISTICS AND FUEL EXPOSURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 C. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS AND INADVERTENT SCRAMS ................ 8 D. MAINTENANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 E. CHANGES IN THE FACILITY OR PROCEDURES AND EXPERIMENTS REPORTABLE UNDER 10 CFR 50.59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 F.

SUMMARY

OF RADIATION EXPOSURE OF PERSONNEL ............... 10 G. RESULTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 H. RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 TABLE 1 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DOSE DATA ........... 12 TABLE 2 LIQUID RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISCHARGED TO SEWER ........ 13 TABLE 3 EFFLUENT FROM STACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 2 of 14 A.

SUMMARY

OF OPERATIONS In September 2018, the University of Wisconsin voluntarily chose to suspend experimental and teaching operations at the reactor to develop an action plan to resolve a reoccurring pool leak.

Because an operational reactor is required to maintain the qualifications of the licensed reactor operator staff, it was decided to allow minimum operation of the reactor each quarter for this purpose. This was required so that the facility remained within the licensing basis of the safety analysis report and so that the corrective actions, which requires fuel to be removed from the core, can be accomplished. A detailed description of the repair action plan is provided below in section A.4 of this report.

1. INSTRUCTIONAL USE As a result of the voluntary suspension of teaching operations, the reactor was not operated for the typical nuclear engineering courses this fiscal year.

Other instructional use at the laboratories associated with the reactor included a partnership with Madison College to conduct a radiation safety training program. This program was a hands-on laboratory experience where the 33 students in the Hazardous Materials Chemistry course used health physics instruments to investigate the nature of radiation and radioactivity. The program covered topics including use of radiological detection equipment; the nature of alpha, beta and gamma radiation, investigation of various shielding material, demonstration of the 1/r2 nature of radiation point sources, and how to conduct a contamination survey.

The Reactor Laboratory's continued commitment to its educational outreach program and community service continued with physical tours through August 2018 and in a limited capacity with virtual tours for the duration of the fiscal year. A listing of individual schools and educational programs that have visited or received services is provided below in section A.2 of this report.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 3 of 14

2. OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE Participating Institution Number of Participants Abundant Life Christian High School 16 Virtual reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.

Beloit College 0 Analyzed swipe tests to leak check radioactive sources and performed detector calibrations.

Davis-Bahca11 Scholars Black Hills State University 10 Virtual reactor tour with a discussion of the nuclear processes during fission. The Davis-Bahcall Scholars Program is a program for South Dakota high school seniors or college freshmen exploring the world of modern scientific research at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The program includes a road trip to the Soudan Underground Laboratory and NOVA facility in Minnesota, UW-Madison, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab in Illinois.

Madison College 22 Radiation safety training program for Madison College's Hazardous Materials Chemistry course. See section A.l of this report for more information.

Outrider Foundation 5 Reactor tour with a discussion on the benefits of nuclear energy. Outrider is an educational media organization focused on increasing public understanding of global existential risks that threaten the health and safety of humankind.

PROCSI: Promoting Computational. Science Initiative 21 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor. ProCSI introduces high-school students to the computational science discipline where participants are shown how the fundamental building blocks they are currently learning in high-school math, physics, and science classes are connected to advanced concepts in computer science and engineering.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 4 of 14 Participating Institution Number of Participants UW College of Engineering Diversity Affairs Office 10 Virtual reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor as part of the Admitted Student Welcome program. The Admitted Student Welcome is a College of Engineering preview day specifically for admitted students from underrepresented backgrounds.

UW College of Engineering Student Services Tour 8 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor.

UW Materials Research Science and Engineering Center Interdisciplinary Education Group 4 Reactor tour with a discussion on nuclear materials research at the UW nuclear reactor.

UW Nuclear Materials Laboratory 4 Reactor tour with a discussion on nuclear materials research at the UW nuclear reactor.

UW Office of Talent Management 4 Reactor tour with a discussion on applications of nuclear energy and uses of the UW nuclear reactor. The Office of Talent Management (OTM) is dedicated to recruiting, retaining and advancing a diverse workforce at UW-Madison.

OTM provides employees and supervisors with a wide range of resources, including professional development, leadership training and educational opportunities to cultivate individual and organizational excellence.

OW-Whitewater Department of Physics 0 Analyzed swipe tests to leak check radioactive sources and performed detector calibrations.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE USER

SUMMARY

Organizations: 12

Participants:

104

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 5 of 14

3. SAMPLE IRRADIATIONS AND NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS SERVICES There were 36 individual samples irradiated prior to the voluntary suspension of operations. Samples accumulated 3.6 irradiation space hours and 3.6 sample hours. Samples irradiated and then counted at the Reactor Laboratory as part of our neutron activation analysis program are listed below with the notation (NAA).

Department of Anthropo1ogy, UW-Madison (NAA) 36 samples, 3.6 sample hours NAA to characterize fragments of steatite manufacturing debris excavated from the archaeological site of Harappa, Pakistan.

4. OTHER MAJOR EDUCATIONAL, RESEARCH, & OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES In July 2018 the University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reqctor (UWNR) partnered with Kansas State University (KSU) to conduct high fidelity neutron measurements utilizing Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors tMPFDs). The experiment consisted of seven arrays with 4 MPFDs in each array. The MPFDs are small, robust neutron sensor capable of real-time, in-core neutron-flux measurement. The MPFDs utilize a multi-wire design where a thin (< lµm-thick) fissile layer is situated within an ionization chamber, bordered by two parallel wires. The parallel wires act as anode and cathode for the ionization chamber. An applied bias between the anode and cathode wires causes charge motion within the ionization chamber which is measured using a charge-sensitive pre-amplifier. The sensors were subjected to various steady state power conditions with the goal of benchmarking neutronic computational codes. The reactor dedicated 28.46 hours5.324074e-4 days <br />0.0128 hours <br />7.60582e-5 weeks <br />1.7503e-5 months <br /> to the experiment.

In September 2018, the University of Wisconsin voluntarily chose to suspend experimental and teaching operations at the reactor to develop an action plan to resolve a reoccurring pool leak. Ever since 1986, the facility has experienced a small but recurring reactor pool leak. It is thought that the leak is likely a fatigue failure in the heat affected zone of the welds around the pool liner and the thermal column. Significant swings in pool water

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 6 of 14 temperature resulted in the recurrence of this leak from the pool. Pool water temperature fluctuations have resulted from variations in environmental temperatures and frequency of reactor operations. In the past, in-house testing identified the location of cracks in various welds around the thermal column. These were subsequently repaired in-house following partial draining of the pool on two occasions. Besides the repairs, various actions have been taken to mitigate the leak. These actions have included the installation of a new cooling system in 2003 that was capable of maintaining the pool water temperature constant during reactor operations at full power. Other measures have included the addition of pool temperature alarms (for both high and low temperatures), reducing the operating time required to perform the required annual calorimetric measurements for reactor power, and electrically heating the pool during periods of inactivity.

Following the most recent leak in early 2018 an underwater camera was used to conduct a visual inspection of the weld areas and the liner plate near the thermal column. A potential crack was located in this area. This suspected crack is approximately one-half inch in length and is similar in appearance to cracks found on previous occasions.

Subsequently the university created a committee composed of the College of Engineering Associate Dean for Research, the Assistant Director of Environmental Health and Safety (who is also the UW-Madison Radiation Safety Officer), the College of Engineering Director for Safety, and the UWNR Reactor Director. The committee has developed an action plan to resolve the pool leak problem. The plan calls for the application of epoxy coating by commercial diving services to the welds surrounding the thermal column penetration through the plates comprising the reactor pool liner wall. Additionally, the university is conducting an engineering analysis to determine if any other welds in the pool liner are likely subject to similar stresses that would possibly lead to future failures. The initial sealing around the thermal column is expected to be completed in September 2019.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 7 of 14

5. CHANGES IN PERSONNEL, FACILITY AND PROCEDURES Personnel changes during the year were as follows:

The following Reactor Operator Licenses were terminated:

Name License Effective Date Zachary D. Fiscus OP-500512 January 7, 2019 Jake R. Quincey OP-500511 May 20, 2019 Thomas G. DeGuire OP-502595 May 20, 2019 Facility changes reportable under 10 CFR 50.59 are detailed in section E of this report. No other changes occurred to the facility this year.

All procedures were reviewed with proposed revision approved by the Reactor Safety Committee. No changes to operating procedures related to reactor safety occurred during the year.

6. RESULTS OF SURVEILLANCE TESTS AND INSPECTIONS The program of inspection and testing of reactor components continues, satisfactorily meeting procedural acceptance criteria. Inspection of underwater components during the annual maintenance showed no deterioration or abnormal wear.

The pool leak surveillance program continues to monitor the pool make-up volume and pool water radioactivity. The pool leak surveillance program indicated that no water effluent had been released to the environment this year.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 8 of 14 B. OPERATING STATISTICS AND FUEL EXPOSURE Operating Period Critical MW-Hours Runs Pulses Hours Fiscal Year 2018-2019 102.34 30.03 43 14 Cumulative TRIGA 30/20 LEU 2,845.87 1,762. 62 1354 340 Core K21-R6 was operated throughout the year. The excess reactivity of this core was determined to be 4.004%p.

C. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS AND INADVERTENT SCRAMS There were two automatic SCRAMS or manual emergency shutdowns during the year. Each is described below in chronological sequence.

July 16, 2018; manual emergency shutdown. During a reactor start-up to low power, before the reactor achieved criticality, the ventilation system exhaust fan failed.

The on-duty reactor operator observed decreasing exhaust flow and immediately initiated corrective actions by inserting all control elements to shut down the reactor.

Troubleshooting of the fan revealed the wire lugs in the motor starter had become loose resulting in arcing and an eventual current overload trip. The contactor and overloads were replaced, and the fan returned to service.

August 23, 2018; manual emergency shutdown. During a reactor start-up to low power, the on-duty reactor operator observed the procedurally required instrumentation overlap did not occur prior to exceeding 0.5W. The operator initiated a manual SCRAM to investigate the suspicious instrument response.

D. MAINTENANCE The Preventive Maintenance Program continues to maintain equipment and systems in good condition. Routine demineralizer regeneration occurred on May 21, 2019.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 9 of 14 Corrective maintenance performed as a follow up action necessary for reactor restart following an emergency shutdown or automatic SCRAM is covered in section C of this report. Additi~nal corrective maintenance was performed on the following installed systems, structures and components (SSC) as described in the Safety Analysis Report (SAR):

In February 2019 the hydraulic irradiation experimental facility (Whale Tube) pump discharge manifold piping was replaced after the discharge tubing was discovered to have a crack.

In March 2019 the pneumatic sample transfer system experimental facility (Pn Tube) failed to complete a CO2 purge. The CO2 monitor was found to have failed. An identical replacement was installed, and the system was returned to service.

On March 20, 2019 during a normal reactor startup, control blade drive number 2 exhibited symptoms of being stuck.

Troubleshooting revealed the set screw on the coupler of the reduction gear had become loose and no longer was contacting the drive shaft. The set screw was tightened with thread lock to prevent recurrence.

E. CHANGES IN THE FACILITY OR PROCEDURES AND EXPERIMENTS REPORTABLE UNDER 10 CFR 50.59 There were no changes to the facility reportable pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59 completed during the year.

There were no changes to procedures reportable pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59 completed during the year.

There were no experiments approved pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59 during the year.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 10 of 14 F.

SUMMARY

OF RADIATION EXPOSURE OF PERSONNEL (01/01/18 - 12/31/18)

The personnel radiation monitoring program at the University of Wisconsin for the past calendar year used Landauer Luxel brand monitors for whole body and extremity exposure. No personnel received any significant radiation exposure for the above period. The highest annual whole-body doses recorded were 23 mrem deep dose equivalent (DDE) and 23 mrem shallow dose equivalent (SDE). The highest annual extremity dose was 55 mrem and the highest annual dose to the lens of the eye was 22 mrem.

The highest dose received by a member of the public visiting the reactor lab was 3.91 mrem, as measured by Mirian brand, model DMC 3000 electronic personal dosimeters.

Monthly radiation surveys continue to demonstrate acceptable radiation dose rates within the reactor laboratory and no contamination.

G. RESULTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS (01/01/18 - 12/31/18)

The environmental monitoring program at the University uses Landauer Luxel brand area monitors located in areas surrounding the reactor laboratory. Table 1 indicates the dose a person would have received if continuously present in the indicated area for the entire 2018 calendar year.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 11 of 14 H. RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS

1. LIQUID EFFLUENTS Liquid waste discharged to the sanitary sewer from the facility during the year are detailed in Table 2.

No liquid effluents were released to the environment during the year.

2. EXHAUST EFFLUENTS Table 3 presents information on stack discharges during the year.

3. SOLID WASTE No solid waste transferred from the facility during the year.

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 12 of 14 TABLE 1 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL :t<<>NITORING DOSE DATA (01/01/18 - 12/31/18)

Location Annual Dose (mrem)

Dose Inside Reactor Laboratory Stack <1 Highest Dose in Non-restricted Area 29 Highest Dose in Occupied* Non-restricted 29 Area Average Dose in all Non-restricted Areas 6.52 (26 Monitor Points)

• Occupied areas include classrooms, offices, and lobbies/meeting areas where an individual might reasonably spend in excess of 2 hours2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br /> per day*

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 13 of 14 TABLE 2 LIQUID RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISCHARGED TO SEWER Release Date: 05/17/2019 Gallons Released: 1154 Total µCi: 1.771E-04 Sum of Fraction of MPC 1.351E-06 w/o dilution:

Sum of Fraction of MPC 6.559E-08 w/ daily dilution:

MPC IsotoEe (~Ci/ml) Released Co-60 3.00E-05 1.771E-04 µCi 4.054E-11 µCi/ml 1.351E-06 Fraction of MPC Annual total volume of water released to the sanitary sewer (gallons) = 1154 Annual total activity released to the sanitary sewer (µCi) = 1.771E-04 Average daily sewage flow for dilution (gallons) 2.370E+04 Annual sum of fraction of MONTHLY release limit with DAILY dilution 6.559E-08 Annual sum of fraction of MONTHLY release limit with MONTHLY dilution 2.155E-09

UWNR ANNUAL REPORT- Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Page 14 of 14 TABLE 3 EFFLUENT FROM STACK

1. Particulate Activity There was no discharge of particulate activity above background levels.

2. Gaseous Activity - All Argon-41 Activity Maximum Average Month Discharged Concentration Concentration (Curies) (µCi/ml) (µCi/ml)

July 2018 0.006 1.570E-07 3.703E-10 August 0.069 5.070E-07 4.166E-09 September 0.006 2.720E-07 3.492E-10 October 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO November 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO December 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO January 2019 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO February 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO March 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO April 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO May 0.016 2.540E-07 1.096E-09 June 0.000 O.OOOE+OO O.OOOE+OO Total Maximum Average 0.097 5.070E-7 4.985E-10 Using the Gaussian Plume model, as described in section 13.1.7.2 of the "Safety Analysis Report for the University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor", a concentration of 6E-5

µCi/ml at the stack discharge would result in a maximum air concentration of lE-8 µCi/ml at any point downwind.