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U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION REGION I DIVISION OF COMPLIANCE February 10, 1967 CO REPORT NO. 47/67-1
Title:
U. S. ARMY MATERIALS RESEARCH AGENCY - WATERTOWN ARSENAL LICENSE NO.
R-65 Date of Visit:
January 19, 1967
.b 7 By J.
R. Sears, Reactor Inspector f.o P=
SUMMARY
A new neutron spectrometer experiment is being installed.
It will be equipped with a device to warn against an open shutter.
A spill during discharge of a vial containing radicactive liquid resulted in a 100 mr exposure to an operator's eye.
The efficiency of absolute filters in the ventilation system has never been demonstrated by test.
No violations of the Federal Regulations nor of the terms of the license were observed during the visit, or during the review of the records.
DETAILS I.
Scoce of Visit An unannounced visit was made to the Watertown Arsenal reactor of the U. S. Army Materials Research Agency at Watertown, Massachusetts, by Mr. John R. Sears, Reactor Inspector, Region I, Divisien of Compliance, on January 19, 1967.
The visit included (continued) 8204210348 811005 PDR FOIA PDR KABAT-Z81-311
A
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Scoce of Visit (continued)
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a tour of the facility, review of operating, health physics and maintenance records, and discussions with experimentalists,
members of the Safety Committee and members of the operating staff.
During the visit, discussions were-held with the folicwing:
Mr. John O'Ccnnor, Director, Reactor Facility Mr. Charles Dady, Health Physicist Mr. Leo Foley, Health Physicist Mr. John Antal, Nuclear Physicist, Member of Safety Ccmmittee Mr. Joseph Vella, Engineer II.
Results of Visit A.
Seam Exceriment Equipment is being installed for solid state studies in a beam experiment at a horizontal beam hole.
The facility will be housed in a small concrete block hcuse with an open labyrinth entrance.
The beam hole will be equipped with a manual shutter which will be operated by the experimenter from outside the block house.
No radiation warning device was ob-served to be installed, as yet, at this facility.
B.
Soill
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The inspector examined written reports of a recent spill.
3 + NH I were irradiated Six ml of Cu (NO ) 2 + NH H SO 4
3 42 in four heat sealed polyethylene vials in a rabbit tube in a slant hole.
Total activity at discharge was calculated to be 12 uc.
(continued)
m Results of Visit (continued)
The vials are reported to have become slightly wedged in the rabbit.
In attempting to remove the first vial, the operator squeezed the tongs too hard.
The cap popped off, and approximately ml of solution was lost.
Some splashed on to the operator's coveralls, and one drop struck him on the eye.
He ran immediately to a sink about 10 yards away and washed the eye.
He reported to the health physicist, who wipe smeared the affected area, with no indication of residual contamination.
The health physicist directed the operator to shower and then to report to the Arsenal first-aid clinic.
The operator 's eye was repo rted to be, by now, quite bloodshot from soap and water washings.
A medical doctor examined the operator and declared that there appeared to be no damage to the eye.
As a precaution, he directed the operator to walk about the Arsenal grounds in the open air "in order to allcw the radioactivity to evaporate".
The reactor hea'.th physicists reported to the inspector that, fortunately, the operator had been warmly dressed and so had suffered no ill eifects before he was found and returned to the safety of a warm build'.ng.
The inspector reviewed calculations which were stated to have been based upon conservative assumptions including a one minute total exposure time.
These calculations indicate that the maximum total exposure to the operator's eye was 100 mr.
The inspector also reviewed records which show that a written r eport o f this incident was presented to the Safety Committee on January 16, 1967.
As a result, a Retraining Bulletin was issued to all operators which specifies pro-tective equipment, including goggles, which must be worn during discharge of such samples.
The Bulletin also states that a maximum of three vials of the specified diameter shall be placed in one rabbit tube.
(continued)
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. Results of Visit (continued)
C.
Absolute Filters The present ventilation system includes a fan, an absolute filter and an automatic isolation damper in ductwork discharging to the stack.
Mr. O'Connor stated that, for 5 Mw operation, the fan will be relecated downstream of the filter and damper to insure that any. leakage on the exhaust side of the filter will be into the duct and not vice versa.
The absolute filter is not preceded by a roughing filter.
The absolute filter is changed about every six months on the basis of a pressure drop across it.
Mr. O'Connor stated that ef-ficiency tests of the filter, as installed, have never been made.
He stated that the change of gaseous and particula te continuous radiation monitor readings on the outlet versus the inlet side o f the filter gives him an indication of its removal efficiency.
D.
Records The inspector reviewed operating logbooks, minutes of meetings of the Safety Committee and health physic s r ecords.
Folicwing are records of gaseous and liquid releases for January - November 1966.
GASEOUS RELEASE Average
- Fraction Maximum
- Fraction Activity Release of Release of Released Rate Limit Rate Limit Month
_, c )
(uc/seci
(%
(uc /sec)
(%)
(
Jan.
2.8 1.1 0.3
- 1. 9 (1) 4.8 Feb.
1.9 0.72 0.2
- 1. l (1) 2.8 Mar.
2.9 1.1 0.3 2.l(1) 5.2 (continued)
.m
, Results of Visit (continued)
Average
- Fraction Maximum
- Fraction Activity Release of Release of Released Rate Limit Rate Limit Month (c)
(uc/s ec )
(%)
(uc/sec)
(%)
Apr.
2.1 0.78 0.2
- 1. 3 (1) 3.3 May 2.1 0.81 0.2 1.1(1) 2.8 June 4.8 1.8 0.5
- 2. 6 (1) 6.6 July 4.5 1.7 0.4
- 2. 6 (1) 6.5 Aug.
5.8 2.2 0.5 2.6 (1) 6.5 Sept.
6.6 2.5 0.6
- 2. 6 (1) 6.4 cct.
6.3 2.4 0.6 2.8 (1) 7.0 Nov.
5.3 2.0 0.5 3.l(1) 7.7
- Facility is allowed to release A-4L at average rate of 400 uc/sec.
- Note:
(1) A -41 is the only gaseous nuclide measured.
I (2) Maximum release rate not recorded as such maximum release rate was obtained by using the highest daily average release and assuming all activity was re-leased in a three hour period, i.e.,
highest daily average release rate.x 8 = maximum release rate.
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, Results of Visit (continued)
LIQUID RELEASE MONTH Feb.
Julv Oct.
Nov.
Activity Released (c)
- 1. 94 (-4 )
1.5(-3)
- 1. 9 (-5) 9.9(-4)
Volume prior to dilution (gal.)
- 2. 7 (4) 3.7 (4) 3.l(4) 4.l(3)
Average concentration prior to dilution (uc/ml) 1.9(-6) 1.l(-5)
- 9. 7 (-7) 6.4(-5) volume of dilucion
- 1. 0 (+5 )
- 1. 4 (-5 )
(gal. )
Average concentration after dilution (uc/ml) 1.9(-6) 2.3(-6) 9.7(-7) 2.5(-6)
Fraction of limit
(%) - (3 x 10-6) 63 77 32 83 Maximum concentration after dilution 2.3(-6)
(uc/ml)
Number of discharges 1
2 1
1 No releases for months not noted.
(continued) r w--
p.r w
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m, Results of Visit (continued)
SOLID WASTE MORTH Sectember Activity shipped (c) 2.0(-2) 3 Total volume shipped (ft )
2.9 (-2)
Average concentration of radioactive material (uc/cc) 2.4 (-3)
The integrated power in Mwd's for January - November was:
Month Mwd Month Mwd
- Jan, 11.1 July 11.1 Feb.
7.8 Aug.
15.3 Mar.
13.0 Sept.
12.2 Apr.
8.2 Oct.
13.8 May 5.9 Nov.
12.5 June 12.9 The inspector reviewed records of shield surveys, area smears, and personnel exposures.
There were no over-exposures of personnel'from January - November 1966, the time period reviewed.
(continued)
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Results of Visit (continued)
E.
Exit Interview The inspector discussed with Messrs. O'Connor, Dady, Foley, and Dr. Antal the possibL lity of hazard resulting : rom an experimenter working for an extended period within the con-crete block house around the spectrometer after he had in-advertently left the shutter open.
Dr. Antal stated dnat he would install a visual radiation warning device to remind himself to close the shutter.
Both Messrs. Dady and Foley agreed that there was a need to educate the medical doctor at the industrial clinic in the philosophy and the techniques for treating patients who may l
be contaminated with radiation.
Mr. Dady stated that the daxcr had been with the Arsenal for only one month and that the health physicists have planned a definite program for training him in the proper pr'ocedures.
The inspector's review of the minutes of the Safety Committee showed that the Committee was in favor of an in-place test of die removal efficiency of the absolute filters.
Mr.
O'Connor stated that he did not intend making such a test unless it was legally required since no credit is taken for the filters in calculating the consequences of the maximum credible accident.
In reply to the question of how he would cope with clean-up after the >K2, he stated that the MCA was incredible in the first place.
i Owing to the unannounced nature of this visit, Col.
Kellogg, the new Commanding Officer of the Arsenal, was not available for interview.
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