ML20042C393
| ML20042C393 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000077 |
| Issue date: | 03/31/1982 |
| From: | Ebert D, Jordan E, Keene W CATHOLIC UNIV. OF AMERICA, WASHINGTON, DC |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20042C388 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8203310338 | |
| Download: ML20042C393 (7) | |
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THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & ARCHITECh RE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTHENT 1981 ANNUAL REPORT OF NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATIONS AGN-201 Nuclear Reactor, Serial 101 Facility Operating License R-31 Docket 50-77 March, 1982 Prepared by:
David D. Ebert e+b b * )'
Reactor Supervisor Reviewed by:
Warren Keene k MLu (4 44 Radiation Safety Officer Edward D. Jordan 1%.hds Reactor Administrator g
Y.C. Whang M
(_.
Ch~ airman, Mecha icalEngineeringgept.
8203310338 820322 PDR ADOCK 05000077 p
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ABSTRACT The 1981 Annual Report of Nuclear Operations provides a summary of reactor operating experience, facility maintenance and design changes, survelliance tests, summary of radioactive effluents released to the environment, surveys conducted in and outside the reactor facility, and a summary of radiation exposures received by facility personnel and visitors for the time period January 1, 1981 to December 31, 1981.
This report is prepared in accordance with the Technical Specifications of Appendix A, The Catholic University of America Facility Operating License R-31, Docket 50-77, Amendment No.7 issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on March 12, 1979 s
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A. ' Reactor Operating Experience Reactor operation was routine throughout the year. The reactor was operated for student training, public demonstrations and periodic main-tenance.
No changes to the facility design or performance characteristics which relate to reactor safety were undertaken during the reporting period.
No changes to the operation procedures have been made since last reporting period.
Routine surveillance tests and inspections have been carried out at intervals specified in the maintenance procedures.
Results of these surveillance tests and inspections are contained in the facility Maintenance Log and the Reactor Operations Log.
k There were a total of 19 meaningful startups carried out during the reporting period, for a total of 1663 minutes of operation.* A daily tabulation of reactor operation is presented in Table 1.
Also contained in Table I is a listing of scrams, both scheduled and unscheduled.
Details are covered in the next section.
B.
Unscheduled Reactor Shutdowns and Scrams 1.
Manual Scrams: There were a total of 11 manual scrams, all intentional.
.[
2.
Period Scrams: There were 18 period scrams; all but 3 were unscheduled.
Eight of the 15 unscheduled scrams were due to operator error. The re-a maining 7 due to instrument malfunction. The period instrumentation is a-differentiating circuit connected to the channel two ionization chamber
- Operation is defined as the r w oetween approach to critical and securing
.the reactor at the end-of the ay.
~
h detector.
In the power range of 1-10 m watt, channel two becomes more-noisey than in the other ranges and is more likely to cause period scrams. The reason for the increased noise in this rnage is not known at the present time, even after searching for the cause.
This condition does not affect the safe operation of the reactor.
3 Earthquake Scrams: There were a total of 2 earthquake scrams, both intentional, for demonstration purposes.
4.
Channel I Low Level Trip: There were no low level trips on channel 1 during this reporting period.
5.-
Channel I High Level Trip: There were a total of 14 high level scrams on channel one; 10 came about through operator error, 2 were intentional and 2 were due to trying to operate at a power level higher than channel one can go and still be active (about 40 mw). These two scrams may be called quasi-operator error.
6.
Channel 2 Low Level Trip: There was one low level trip on channel 2.
This was due to instrument malfunction.
It is found under certain conditions that control rod drive mechanism switching transients are introduced into channel 2 circuit.
The transients cause channel 2 to be temporarily grounded which, in turn, initiates a low level trip. This condition does not affect the safe operation of the.
reactor.
7 Channel 2 High Level Trip: There was one high level trip on channel 2
_and it was done intentionally to verify the high level scram setting independently from the startup procedures.
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8.
Channel 3 Low Level Trip: There were a total of 14 low level trips-on channel 3,12 of them due to operato. error. The remaining two were undertaken intentionally.
9 Channel 3 High Level Trip: There were 6 high level trips on channel 3, all due to operator error.
C.
Preventive and Corrective Maintenance No major safety related corrective or preventive maintenance were performed since the last Annual Report which would have an effect on the safe operation of the reactor.
A Reportable Occurrance Event was observed on June 4,1981. The reactor thermo-switch became decalibrated due to faulty calibration procedures.
These procedures have been corrected.
Details of the occurrance are given in Appendix A.
D.
Changes Which Affect the Facilities Description None E.
Changes to Procedures as Described in the Technical Specifications None F.
New or Untried Experiments None
-G.
Radioactive Effluents
<l.
Liquid:
None 2.
Airborne:
'None
_3 Solid:
None
r.
H.
Environmental Radiological Surveys Performed Outside the Facility No radiation surveys we.re performed outside the facility during operation.
However, the gamma field at the reactor console during 25 mw operation was 0 3 mr/hr. The gamma field at the nearest outside wall is reduced by a factor of 10 compared to the reactor console. Therefore, it can be concluded that the maximum gamma field at an outside wa;l would be about 0.03 mr/hr. No neutron radiation would be detected outside the facility.
Random wipes of surfaces, both inside and outside the Reactor Room, have not detected any loose surface activity above background.
1.
Radiation Exposure for Staff and Visitors Greater than 100 m REM None
16bLL i S.
-REACTOR OPERATIONS DATA, 1981 MONTH NUMBER OF MINUTES MAX POWER and RUN' NUMBER OF SCRAMS +
OF LEVEL DAY NUMBER STARTUPS TYPE OPERATION (mW) 4 -
Jan.22-569 I
IM 28 15 Jan. 29 570 1
IM, I HL 1*
35 51
. Fab. 5 571 1
2HL1, ILL3*, IM 85 100 March 3 572-1 IP*, IM 85 13
. March 17 573 2
IHL1, lHLl*, 3LL3*, IE 145 28 March 24 574 1
ILL3*,l.HL3*, lHLl*, 2P*
120 28 March 31 575 1
3HLl*, 2PA, 3LL3*
142 28-l April 7 576 1
lHL3*,l.LL3*, IM 90 25 April 14 577 1
2M, 2HLl*
167 29 April 21 578 1
IP*,.lM, 2HL3*, lHLl*
125 28 May.14 579 1
ILL3*,=lHL3*, lHLl*, ILL3 147 75 Oct. 19 580 1
2P*
27 15 Oct. 26
-581 1
3P 81 17-Nov. 9 582 1
ILL3*, 1HL2 47 95 Nov. 23 583 1
ILL2, IM 87 11 Nov. 30 584 l1 IM, 3P, lHL) 82 46 Dzc. 7 585 1
ILL3, IM, ILL3*, IP 103
- 46 Dsc. 10
-586 I
lHL3*, 3P, IE 67.
10
+ Key:
=
P Period Scram
=
=
HL# =
.High Level Scram on Channel #
- LL# ' =
Low Level Scram on Channel #~
- J
='
Operator Error'
'For example: 2LL3* - means'two low' level scrams;on channel 3,.both of which were
. operator errors.
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APPENDIX;A CATHOUC UNIVEBSITY OFAMERICA WASHINGTON D.C. 20064 OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND Pl.ANNING 202 635 5212 June 5, 1981 Mr. Boyce 11. Grier, Director US Nuclear negulatory Commission Region I 631 Park Avenue King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406
Subject:
Catholic University of America AGN-201 Reactor (License No. R-31, Docket No. 50-77), Reportable Occurrence Event of June 4,1981
Dear Mr. Grier:
In accordance with our approved NRC technical specifications, I informed your office via telephone on June 5,1981 of an occurrence which was observed on June 4, 1981.
During the performance of a routine surveil-lance check on June 4, 1981 it was observed that the shield tank water temperature automatic interlock system was set to trip at a temperature lower than 10*C, It had apparently been in this condition since the last surveillance check performed on January 15, 19S1.
During this time interval, the reactor was operated a total of 11 times. Ilowever, during this time interval, the shield tank water temperature was never lower than 21.5*C as measured by the reactor thermometer.
There fore, the reactor was never operated in violation of any Limiting Conditions for Operation.
The reason for the thermo-switch being in the decalibrated condition appears to be a result of a faulty calibration procedure.
In the ANG-201 Reactor thermo-switch, there are two set screws.
One screw serves the purpose of calibration, and the other is a locking set scret On January 15,-1981, the trip point temperature was changed from 18.2*C to 15.5'C.
After calibra-tion to this lower temperature, the calibration set screw was locked into place, and the thermo-switch placed back into its holder.
It appears that in the process of locking the calibration set screw, it became decalibrated due to a small amount of rotation.
This decalibration motion can be casily prevented by holding the calibration set screw as the locking set screw is turned.
Steps have been taken to prevent the recurrence of this particular prob 1cm.
The calibration procedurc will be modified in two ways:
1.
The calibration set screw will be held in place when being locked, and-2.
The. calibration will be tested again after the calibration. set screw has been locked.
Sincerely,-
(......O Q l
..j..q s
w Edward D. Jordan /
Reactor Administrator cc: To attached list yg F