ML20036C481
| ML20036C481 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000113 |
| Issue date: | 06/08/1993 |
| From: | NRC |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20036C479 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9306180170 | |
| Download: ML20036C481 (10) | |
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UNITED STATES E
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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WASHINGTON, D.C. 2055M001 JUN 8 E
- .s DOCKET:
70-113 LICENSEE:
Pennsylvania State University (PSU)
University Park, Pennsylvania
SUBJECT:
SAFETY EVALUATION REPORT, APPLICATION DATED MAY 7, 1992, AND SUPPLEMENT DATED MARCH 22, 1993 RE LICENSE RENEWAL
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BACKGROUND Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was. first issued Special Nuclear Material License No. SNM-95 on May 29, 1957. The current license was scheduled to expire on May 31, 1992; however, on May 7, 1992, PSV submitted an application for renewal. On March 22, 1993, additional information was provided.
Scope of Review The safety review of PSU's renewal application includes a review of the application dated May 7, 1992, and supplement dated March 22, 1993, as well as the licensee's compliance history during the past 6 years. The review included an evaluation of the applicant's organization, radiation safety, and nuclear criticality safety programs.
DISCUSSION The following sections contain a description of the possession limits, authorized activities, place of use, organization, etc.
P_ossession Limits PSU has requested the following nuclear material for its activities:
Material Form Ouantity A.
Uranium enriched in A.
Any A.
100 grams U-235 the U-235 isotope B.
Uranium enriched in B.
417 Pathfinder B.
1,100 kilograms U0,
2 the U-235 isotope Superheat Fuel 415 fuel elements Elements containing UO enriched to 6.z95 w/o U-235, and 2 fuel elements containing UOz enriched to 7.5 w/o U-235 6180170 93060s i"
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C.
Uranium 233 C.
Any C.
3 grams U-233 D.
Plutonium 239 D.
Encapsulated D.
180 grams Pu-239 Pu-Be sources E.
Plutonium 239 E.
Plated alpha E.
5 microcuries Pu-239 sources or fission foils F.
Natural uranium F.
Cylindrical F.
2,500 kilograms U metal slugs canned in aluminum G.
Source material G.
Any G.
10 Kilograms Authorized Activities and Place of Use A portion of the special nuclear material is to be used in fission counters and chambers for neutron detection in conjunction with the Penn State f
Breazeale Nuclear Reactor and other neutron sources, in fission foils for the l
fission fragment irradiation of various materials, for flux monitoring, and for various research experiments. The remainder of the special nuclear material, Pathfinder fuel elements, is in storage awaiting disposal.
Penn State also possesses a variety of plutonium neutron sources. The Pu-Be sources are used for neutron activation, neutron detector testing, and calibration. The Pu alpha sources and fission foils are used for calibration and testing of alpha detectors and for demonstrating the properties of alpha particles. The natural uranium is used in a subcritical pile located in the Academic Projects Building. Additional source material is used for experimental work throughout the University.
To authorize these activities and places of use, the following conditions are recommended:
Authorized use: The materials specified in Conditions 6.A through 6.G shall be used in accordance with the statements, representations, an6 conditions specified in the application dated May 7,1992, and supplement lated March 22, 1993, except as modified by other conditions in this license. The lice:se is authorized to possess, store, and transfer to another licensee, but not use, the materials specified in Condition 6.B.
Storage of the fuel elements shall be in accordance with statements, representations, and conditions specified in the application.
Up to two fuel elements may be removed at one time from the storage vault for physical measurements or for examination and testing as necessary for accountability purposes.
JUN P 1933 Pennsylvania State University 3
Authorized place of use: The materials specified in Conditions 6.A, 6.C, and 6.F shall be used in the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor Facility and the Academic Projects Building located at University Park, Pennsylvania.
The material specified in Condition 6.B shall be stored in accordance with the statements, representations, and conditions specified in the application. The authorized examinations and tests may be performed in the Academic Projects Building or the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor Facility. The materials specified in Conditions 6.D, 6.E, and 6.G shall be used in locations specified in the application.
Irradiation or experimental use of licensed material in the PSU reactor is authorized under PSU's Facility Operating License No. R-2.
Material handling before or after use in the reactor will be in accordance with the conditions of this license. This license does not authorize insertion of fuel into a reactor.- In order to clarify this point, the staff recommends that the following condition be added:
Insertion of source or special nuclear material covered by this license into a nuclear reactor is not authorized.
The submittal of May 7,1992, contained information that does not apply to a specific licensee. Consequently, the staff recommends the following license condition:
Sections 19, 24, 25, and 26 of Supplement B of the application dated May 7,1992, shall not be incorporated into this license.
Oroanization Pennsylvania State University is a nonprofit educational institution incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
It is governed by a Board of Trustees, all of whom are citizens of the United States. The main offices and the main campus are located at University Park, Pennsylvania.
The Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies has been designated by the President of the University as the person responsible for licensing the radiation safety programs for radioactive material. The Vice' President appoints the University Isotopes Committee to control the use of radioactive material within federal, state, and university regulations and to perform those functions of a radiation safety committee required by the regulations.
The Committee has an active membership of at least five persons which meets at least semiannually.
The Committee has the authority and responsibility to review all proposals and to approve or disapprove such requests. The licensee has requested that authorizations be approved for a specific time period not to exceed 3 years.
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To ensure that the authorizations are periodically reviewed and reflect current usage and good practice, a condition to require annual reviews of authorizations is recommended as follows:
The authorizations to use the radioactive materials, issued by the University Isotopes Committee, shall be granted for a 1-year period.
For continuing work, a new request is to be approved by the University Isotopes Committee prior to the expiration of an existing authorization.
The Committee is also responsible for specifying the requirements for training radioisotope users, the requirements for radiation and contamination surveys, reviewing the radiation safety program, formulating the University rules and procedures for the use of radioactive materials, and approving the University's license applications for possession or transfer of radioactive material.
The Health Physics Office is under the Direction of the University Health Physicist and was established to provide radiation safety services for the University. The University Isotope Committee has delegated to the Health Physics Office the responsibility for reviewing all requests for authorization to use radioactive material and recommending approval, disapproval, or conditional approval; providing assistance and consultation to experimenters, as needed; conducting radiation and contamination surveys of radioisotope laboratories, as needed; providing training and instruction in radiation safety for radioisotope users; calibrating survey instruments; conducting or supervising leak tests; and providing other services of a Health Physics Office, such as personnel monitoring, waste disposal, material transfer, and recordkeeping.
The University Health Physicist also has the authority to require the immediate termination of activities and/or corrective actions in any situation which, in that person's judgement, could lead to the unnecessary personnel exposure to ionizing radiation, release of radioactive material, loss or damage of property, or noncompliance with a license or regulation.
The Radioisotope Laboratory Supervisor is the person (s) who applies for authorization from the University Isotopes Committee to use radioactive material. The Supervisor is responsible for all activities using radioactive material under the authorization.
The staff has concluded that PSU has provided sufficient management. oversight to provide an effective radiation safety program.
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Technical Oualifications At least two-thirds of the members of the University Isotopes Committee are from those colleges which are the main users of radioactive materials.
If possible, the Committee includes a physician or other person with medical training and a member from the University Administration. At least two-thirds of the members must have sufficient training and experience to evaluate the technical aspects of proposals to use radioactive materials. To specify the training and experience for the Committee members, the following condition is recommended:
The minimum technical qualifications for members of the University Isotopes Committee shall be a bachelor's degree in science or engineering and at least 3 years' experience with radioactive materials or possession of a medical degree. The minimum qualifications need not apply to the member from the University Administration.
Currently, the members of the Committee and the University Health Physicist have sufficient academic training and experience for the responsibilities they are assigned.
Personnel Trainina All persons using radioactive material under an authorization issued by the University Isotopes Committee are required to attend a radiation safety lecture. This includes faculty, staff, students, and any others who might be exposed to radioactive materials or ionizing radiation in a restricted area.
Instruction of personnel will normally be done by the Health Physics Office staff but may be performed by others, as approved by the Committee.
Instruction includes the regulations promulgated in 10 CFR Parts 19, 20, and s
21 and the rules and procedures in the document entitled " Rules and Procedures for the Use of Radioactive Material at the Pennsylvania State University by the University Isotope Committee."
Refresher training is not mentioned in the application. Because there may be students who are present for a number of years, as well as staff members who need refresher training, the staff recommends the following condition:
Refresher training which covers radiation safety procedures shall be conducted on an annual basis (maximum interval 15 months) for all employees and/or students who use radioactive material.
The requirement for retraining is consistent with NRC NUREG-1127.
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Radiation Safety Control of Personnel Exposure PSU uses a variety of personnel monitoring equipment including film badges,.
thermoluminescent dosimeters, and pocket dosimeters, designed to be carried or worn by an individual to measure the dose received. The Health Physics Office determines and supplies the type of personnel monitoring equipment that is required. The University requires personnel monitoring to any adult who receives or might receive a dose equivalent in excess of 25 percent of the limits in 10 CFR 20.101 or for any individual who enters'a high~ radiation area (in excess of 100 mrem /hr). Thermoluminescent dosimeters are used for most of the personnel monitoring. The change frequency is monthly and is consistent with Regulatory Guide 8.24. The Health Physics Officer may require bioassays based on the type of experiment and the results of surveys for contamination and airborne radioactivity.
In general, bioassays are ' required if the surveys indicate that a person may have been exposed to a concentration of radioactive material greater than 25 percent of the permissible limit. This is consistent with Regulatory Guide 8.11.
To ensure that minors are not exposed to higher levels than allowed, the following condition is recommended:
Notwithstanding the statements contained in Section 10.1 of Supplement B of the application dated May-7, 1992, the licensee shall comply with 10 CFR 20.104.
To ensure suitable protective clothing is used and that personnel do not exit an area when contaminated, the following condition is recommended:
Suitable clothing (lab coats, gloves, etc., specific-to the job) shall be required for work with unencapsulated SNM. Hands, feet, and clothing shall be monitored when leaving an area where the material is used.. Except by approval of the University Health Physicist, persons shall not exit an area if personal clothing and/or skin are contaminated above background levels..
Eating and drinking is prohibited in laboratories; smoking should also be
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prohibited in areas where unencapsulated material is used; therefore, the following condition is recommended:
Smoking shall be prohibited in laboratories where unencapsulated SNM is used.
In order to limit potential exposures near the subcritical assembly, the following license condition is recommended:
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The maximum " start-up" or " driving force" used in conjunction with the subcritical assembly shall nr.t exceed that of a 5 curie Pu-Be neutron source.
The licensee's program in conjunction with the imposed license conditions should be sufficient to ensure that personnel radiation exposures are minimized.
Control of Contamination Under the licensee's established Rules and Procedures, persons using radioactive material are responsible for routine surveys to detect excessive contamination or radiation. The schedule of surveys is not specified in the Rules and Procedures but would depend upon the specified activities performed.
The Health Physics Officer also makes periodic surveys of radioisotope laboratories as a check on the surveys made by the persons using the radioactive materials. The Health Physics Officer also conducts surveys if users find higher than permissible levels or in case of accidents or spills.
Air sampling, when necessary, will be performed by the Health Physics Officer.
To ensure surveys are performed on a regular basis, the following condition is recommended:
Surface contamination surveys in laboratories shall be conducted daily when unencapsulated SNM is used. Routine radiation surveys shall be conducted monthly in areas where radioactive materials are used and/or stored.
The staff is also adding a condition which specifies criteria for the release of equipment, facilities, and packages from restricted areas to unrestricted areas.
The application specifies inappropriate criteria for release of solid waste to the County solid waste authority. To ensure appropriate criteria are used, the condition shall also apply to disposal of solid waste. The condition shall read:
Release of equipment, facilities or packages to the unrestricted area or to uncontrolled areas onsite shall be in accordance with the attached " Guidelines for Decontamination of Facilities'and Equipment Prior to Release for Unrestricted Use or Termination of Licenses for Byproduct, Source, or Special Nuclear Material" dated April 1993. Notwithstanding the statement contained in Supplement D, page 4, item 5, of the application, these guidelines shall be used for release of solid waste under this license to the County solid waste authority.
The applicant has requested authorization to possess and use plutonium sources.
Therefore, the following conditions are recommended:
JUN g 1993 Pennsylvania State University 8
Sealed plutonium sources shall be subject to the leak testing and actions specified in the attached " License Condition for Leak Testing Sealed Plutonium Sources," dated April 1993.
Plutonium alpha sources shall be subject to the actions specified in the attached " License Condition for Plutonium Alpha Sources,"
dated April 1993.
To ensure compliance with the appropriate regulations for receiving and shipping radioactive material, the following condition is recommended:
Notwithstanding the statements in Sections 16 and 17 of Supplement B of the application, the licensee shall comply with 10 CFR Part 71 and 10 CFR 20.205.
The staff has concluded that the licensee's program for controlling contamination, in conjunction with the imposed license conditions, should be sufficient to ensure safe operations.
Calibration of Instruments The licensee has a wide range of radiation monitoring and measuring instruments. The calibration frequency is annual for instruments used for e
routine radiation measurements by the Health Physics Staff. This calibration frequency is consistent with Regulatory Guide 8.23, Radiation Safety at Medical Institutions.
Effluent Control Solid waste is collected in the laboratories in fiber drums, fiber boxes, or steel drums. Waste shipped to a commercial disposal site is compacted into steel drums.
Liquid waste is collected in the laboratories and transferred to the Health Physics Office for disposal.
Liquid waste to be shipped offsite is combined-in steel drums and solidified. Liquid waste is also discharged to the sewer in accordance with 10 CFR 20.303. Release to the sewer from individual laboratories requires approval of the Health Physics Office.
Nuclear Criticality Safety The Pathfinder fuel assemblies are stored.in a locked 12-foot square room in the basement of the Academic Projects Building. The storage rack is described in Supplement A-2 of the April 21, 1978, renewal application for Materials License No. SNM-95. The rack was designed and approved for use at the Northern States Power Company Reactor, License No. DPR-11. The calculated
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k-effective under flooded conditions has been calculated to be 0.8.
Therefore, the staff concludes that the Pathfinder fuel assembly storage configuration should remain subcritical under both normal and postulated accident conditions.
The only authorized activities involving the Pathfinder fuel assemblies are storage and packaging for transport. Accordingly, the licensee has requested an exemption from the criticality monitoring requirements of 10 CFR 70.24.
Accordingly, the staff recommends following condition:
The licensee is hereby exempted from the requirements of 10 CFR 70.24 to the extent that this section applies to the storage of Pathfinder Superheat Fuel Elements.
Environmental Protection The licensing of the PSU activities is in accordance with 10 CFR 51.22(c)
(14)(v), and therefore, neither an Environmental Impact Statement nor an Environmental Assessment is warranted for this action.
Emeroency Plannina PSU neither possesses any uranium hexafluoride nor is required to possess a criticality alarm. Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 70.22(1)1, PSU is not required to have an emergency plan. However, the licensee does have emergency procedures in place that outline the steps to be taken in the event of accidents involving radioactive contamination or exposure of personnel.
Decommissionina On July 26, 1990, PSU submitted a consolidated decommissioning plan. On March 27, 1991, a Standby Trust Agreement, a Letter of Credit, and a Certificate of Incumbency were submitted. On October 28, 1991, NRC concluded that the submitted plan met the requirements of 10 CFR 70.25 and, therefore approved the plan.
Compliance History The licensee's inspection and enforcement record since the last renewal was reviewed and discussed with Region I.
Region I did not express concerns from an inspection and enforcement perspective and, therefore, has no objection to the issuance of the renewal.
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Pennsylvania State University 10 CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATION i
Upon completion of the safety review of the licensee's application and t
discussion with the Region I Inspector regarding the licensee's compliance history, the staff has concluded that the licensee'has the necessary technical staff to administer an effective radiological _ safety program. Conformance by the licensee to their proposed conditions, as well as those developed by the-
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-c' staff, should ensure that licensed activities will not constitute an undue risk to the health and safety of the public or the. environment.
Based on the discussion above, it is recommended that the license lue renewed for a 5-year period in accordance with the application and subject to the-recommended conditions.
Principal Contributors:
Marc Klasky Mike Lamastra Mary Adams J
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