ML20054C672
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e L. Kornblith, Jr., Assistant Director April 28, 1965 for Reactors, Div. of Ccmpliacce, HQ J. R. Sears, Reactor Inspector TERU:
J.
P. O'Reilly, Reactor Inspector (Supervisory), Region I, Div. of Compliance INSPECTION CF U. S. AR14'l MATZ2I.M.S RESEARCH AJZ5C*f (WAT2RTCWU ARSZMAL)
Transmitted herewith is the report on the Watertown Arsenal reactor.
Cn cur last visit we had cu ceted upcn the ab--
sence of neutrcn nultiplication indication during a critical apprcach.
'lcu will note in the repcrt that this situation has been improved by a reshuf fling of some beryllium reflector elementa.
The meeting with the Safeguards Cer mittee was intaresting.
They appeared to be quite responsive to my cc:=r.ents.
The criticism, that they have not been doing folicwups on their rocccmendaticns, I thin % can be made at =any facilities.
The C lttee advisos - they do not audit or insccct.
It appears to be our job to educate them.
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.1y general impression of this whole operation is that it truly presents negligible risk of hazards to the health and safety of the public.
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U. 3. ATOMIC ENERGY CC;O1ISSICli R33ICli I DIVISICIT OF COMPLIAliC2 i)
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CO RE? ORT UO. 47/65-1
Title:
U. S. ARMY MATERIAL 3 R2SIARCH AGZMCY - WATIRTCWN ARSE 11AL LICENSE lic.
R-65 Date of Visit:
April 1, 1965 By John R. Sears, Reactor Inspector SU:C'ARY A visit was made to the Natertown Arsenal Reactor.
A change in beryllium reflec:cr cecmetry has resulted in a better in-dication of approaching criticality during startup.
A near mishap with a supplied air t;tnk during an emergency drill dictates the need for scre practice in donning this equip-ment.
A satisfactory centainment lea % rats test was made.
A leak of pool water thrcugh a make-up line resulted in the release of approx 6.ately 209 uc to a rostricted area.
An exit interview was held with =enbers o f the Safeguards Cecmittee.
Health ?hysics records were reviawed.
No 1 c=3 of ncncompliance were observed during the visi:.
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02 TAIL 3 i
i I.
Scote of Visit A visit was made to the ~ict:rtcun Arsenal reactor of the l
U. S. Army Matcrials Research Agency at Ifatertown, 2:assachu-l sects, en April 1, 196f, by Jchn R. 3 ears, Ber.ctor Insec:ter, l
Region I, Divisica of Cc=plicnce.
The visit included c tcur (c:ncinued) f i
K g
i r -
. Scoce of Visit (continued) of the facility, review of operating and health physics records, discussions with members of the operating staff, and a meeting with the Reactor Safeguards Ccnuaittee.
Persons centacted dur-ing the visit included the follcwing:
Mr. Jchn O'Connor, Chief, Peactor Operations Division Mr. Charles Dady, Health Physicist Mr. Lao Foley, Health Physicist Mr. Paul O'Cennor, Reactor Supervisor in Training Mr. Joseph Vella, Reactor Cperator Mr. Richard Stanton, Reactor 2ngineer Dr. Ecmer ?riest, Chairman, Reactor Safeguards Cw.dttee Dr. David Chipman, Reacter Safeguards ccamittee Mr. Jchn Antal, Reactor Safeguards Cc=.ittee Mr. Ken Tauer, Reactor Safeguards cc=mittee II.
Results of Visit A.
Tour of Facility The inspector teured the entire facility in ec=pany w ith nr. J. c ' Connor.
There are two more spectrometers set up at the reactor since the time of the last visit.
The slant tube facility for irradiating electronic ccm-ponents, sponscred by the Avco Corporation, has been re-moved.
In another experi=ent, samples are immersed in a well of liquid nitrogen in the shield.
The nitrogen is in a radiation field and the Safeguards Cc==ittee had originally stated that there may be a hazard due to noxious gas formed there.
1:ormally, this gas is vented to the stack.
In case of centainnent icolation, the stack exhaust is closed wculd off, and there the possibility exists that the 900 back up into the reacter roc =.
The Cc=1ttee had icft it up to the operating staff to devise a means of getting rid (continued)
3-Results of visit (centinued) of the gas in such a situation.
The operating staff had installed a relief on the system which discharged into a plastic bag.
At the time of the last Ccmpliance visit, the inspectors had questioned the integrity of the
- 1stic bag.
Cn the current visit, it was observed tha:
_, bag has been recoved.
Mr. J. O'Connor stated that the Safe-guards Cc:=aittee had decided that the a= cunt of noxicus gas formed would be so small that there is no need fer this protection.
The inspector observed an aluminum tube bundle which had been removed from the heat exchanger.
There were many holes in the tubes.
Mr. J. O'Connor stated that a new all aluminum bundle has been installed.
Ha said that there are already a few ler'es in the new exchanger.
He is proposing the installation of a stain-less steel heat exchanger.
Pieces of the discharged bundle have been sent to the Materials Laboratory at the Arsenal fer study.
Their analysis was stated to be qui:e 31=ple in that aluminum will cor:cde in centact with the water that is available for cooling on tha secondary side.
The inspector observed that thsre is a radiatica detecter en the discharge of the secondary side.
Further= ore, rcutine samples of this water are ta%en for analysis and as a double chec:t on the detector.
Mr. J. O' Conner said that there has been no dif-ficulty with control rod drives since the time of the last incpaction visit.
M (continucd)
Results of Visit (continued)
The inspector reviewed the preventive maintenance records.
The Arsenal has a comprehensive system of keeping records and scheduling tests, inspections and recalibrations.
There are records of t% inspection of the new stainless steel centrol rods after each 50 :Nd of operation, which is a license ccndition.
The recc ds also include red drop time measurements.
These were noted to be within design specifications.
The inrpector read the censole logbook from the time of the last inspection visit.
Nc unusual occu.rences were observed in this logbock.
The inspector also re-viewed the Supervisor's Manual which is kept in the cen-trol recm.
It was observed that the censole operator has no curves of xenen buildup and decay.
The only red l
calibration curves available to the operate are thsse which wera ta%en during the initial checkcut of this machine.
The inspector examined the chart from the count rate recorder for the startup on the =czning of the visit.
This indicates that at shutdcwn the ccun: rate was ap-prox 1=ntaly 75 counts per minute and at critical the count rats was approximately 7,500, an increase of a factor of about 100.
The increase was gradual, and commenced soon citer the start of rod withdrawal.
Mr. J: O'Connor stated that this was the result of shuffling of semo beryllium reflector elements so that the startup counter sees nore of the reflector-scurce through the core.
(continued)
. Results of Visit (continued) 3.
Fmergency Drill The inspector reviewed records of emergency drills.
t Three drills had been held during the past year.
Cne drill was held in the past month.
.1. J. O'Connor stated that he had censidered the last drill to be unsatisfactory.
He had shut down the reacter for cne whole day of training in drill procedures, and in a general hcusekeeping typ-of cleanup.
The problem in the emergency drill was in denning supplied at: masks.
These masks have a tant in which the at: pressure is appro:c1=ately 2,000 psig.
The tan % is equipped with a valve and a pressure gauge.
Mr. J. O'Cennor said that when one operator put en this equipment, the tank came very close to falling on the fico: upside de'.m.
The constg.ences could have been thac the stem might have snapped off.
With 2,000 psig behind it, it might have beceme a pro-J actile which could pic ca a man's body.
- . J. O' Connor said that, when he had asked the operators befora the drill whether or not they were familiar with the denning of this cqu.tpm2nt, they all replied very e=phatically that they were.
Ecwever, the drill indicated that there was a very real need fc: much more practice.
C.
Health F.wsics The inspector reviewed with far. Charles Dady the l
l health physics records.
Thors have been no perscnnel l
e:cposures over the limits of 10 073 20 since the time l
of the last visit.
The highest accu =ulated c:cpcsure over l
a period of a year is about i re=.
A majc portien of this c::posure was due to wo:% during a shutdcwn when a
- " e c:: tension was changed.
The procedure s.gicyed was, first, to unload the core and put the discharged
~
fuel into the water filled annulus.
~ hen the pool was drained and the working arca monitored.
A man descended into the pcol t0 change tha tubo manually.
- '.r. Dady said (continued) l
. Results of Visit (continued)
That this operation was always covered by health physics, and the job was broken up so that no cne =an got the whole expcaure.
The records of gasecus effluents were reviswed.
The max 12:ca concentraticn released since the ti=e of the last visit was 3.5 x 10-0 uc/ml.
21:. Dady said that this was practically all argen.
The maxi =um permissible cen-4 centration is 3.4 x 10 uc/s1 because of the dilutien factor th:cugh the 175 foot stack.
Records of licuid effluenta released to the Metropolitan District 3 ewer indicate that, in the past year, 793,000 gallons of liquid were released.
ne cen-centration of activity was always belcu the limits o: 10 CFR 20.
The large amcunt of liquid released cc=es princi-pally f:cm dilutien follcuing regeneration of the icn ex-change.colunn.
Approximately 200 gallens of wash liquid are released to tha 40,000 gallen retention tank.
ne Arsenal dilutes the wash water by filling up the retencien tank with fresh well water.
Se recc:ds shew that the health physicist always take a representative sample of the retention tank c0ntents before Islaase into che seac:.
Dafore sampling, the retentien tank is re-circulated via a pump.
Pump suction is at the bottcm of the tank and the discharge is at the top.
Se in-spector questioned it. Foley and !!. Oady en hcw they are assured that liquid does not lea % f:cm the ccncrete retention tan';.
This subj ect has been discussed en pre-vicus inspection visits with : r. Dady and I'z. Folcy.
Se inspector pointed out that scmetimes regenc:stien is done on thc;four to twelve shift, and a crach might develcp (continued) 1 I
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l Results of Visit (continued) l l
during the night before the day shift would have an op-i portunity to dilute the tank.
- u. Dady stated thct their l
l present procedure is to exa 4ne visually the icvel of the liquid in the retention tank once-a-shift by ccunting the rungs on the access ladder abcVe the level of the liquid.
He agreed that it wculd be prudent for the Arsenal to con-sider the installation of a better system of =cnitoring this level.
He stated that, in preparation for 5 Mw operatica, he is planning en an autcmatic liquid level det ecter.
D.
Centainment Leak Rate Oost The inspector reviewed -a report frca the opera-tiens grcup to the Reacter 3afeguards Committee en a containment leak rate test which was held on March 4 -
7, 1965.
With the inner airlock decr closed and cuter open, the achieved leak rate at 2 psig was 0.17?; of the building volume per day.
With the cuter decr closed and the inner Open, the lenhage was 1.43?i par day.
The dif ference was due to the. pinching of a docr gas-kat, which was subsequently repaired.
2.
Unusual occurrence The inspector reviewed a report frcm 22. J.
C'Connor, through the Chief of the Nuclear Research Laboratory, to the Mechers of the Reacter Safeguards Cc=:nittee, on a release which occurred during the cen-tainment leak rate test mentioned in paragraph 22.0.
The folicwing infernatica was gathered frcm a review of this rsport and subsequent discussion with Mr. J.
O' Conner.
(continued)
_a-Results of Visit (continued) l i
l on March 3,1965, =ake-up water was added Icutinely to the pool.
This =ake-up water was added through the deminerali=e: in building 97, adj acent to the reacter build-ing.
When the =Cce-up was ccmplated, the demineraliser was secured but the make-up line was not valved off in the ecol-ant rocm in the reactor building, as is the normal p:ccedure.
The inspector incuired of Mr. J. O'Cennor whether there is a written precedure for this operatica.
- r. J. O'Connor said that the procedure specified which valves en the demineralizer shculd be opened or closed, tub the make-up valve in the ccolant recs was not centicned in the precedure.
The containment shell uns secured, and pres-l surized for che annual left rata test en March 4, 1965.
During the test, a leak was discovered in the make-up t
line at the flange jcint, in=ediately outside of the cen-tainment shell, in the piping accass pit, scuth of the west airl cck.
At that time, it was not known that the valve in the makewap line was not shut off.
- '.r. J.
f O'Cennor stated that they assumed that the lea % was simply demineralized wa:e: 3:Os the elevated pipes in building 97.
There was no way of stopping this leak during the containnent test frca cutside the ccatain-ment shell, since the flang2 joint whe;e the leak cccurred was bet-Acen the shell and the shut-off valve and check valve.
The water was leahing into the pit, the hottes of which is approximately ' sin feet below gra:nd 12 vel.
No tests fc: activity of this water were made since, as men-tiened before, it was assumed that the water was clean demineralized water.
The inspector cbserved that this pit is ccvered with the steci grating and an insulated covar.
22. J. O'Connor said that he censidc:s this to be part of the restricted area of the reacter because tha grating and cover previde centrol ever the pit and all wc h in the pit ree,uires a radiation warh pernic.
(continued)
. Results of Visit. (continued)
After the leak rate test was ccmpleted, access 1
was made to the centainment building.
Ouring a procedural i
checkcut prior to startup of the reactor, it was discovered that the ma';e-up valve in the ecolant recm had not been closed.
It was i=nediately apparent that radicactive water had been leaking frem the flange and analyses for radioactivity were made.
The report to the safeguards Ccanittee states that althcugh it is not possible to ar-rive at exact figures of the activity which was released, an estimate was made.
The activity of the pecl water at power was 1.77 x 10-4 uc/ml en March 3,1965, that is, prior to the release.
The leak rate was estimated to be 320 milliliters per minute, although it may have been slightly higher when the shell was pressurired.
- The, activity at 7:30 mm en March 3, 1965, was 3.75 x 10-*
uc/=1 just prior to startup.
The folicwing table is l
the Arsanal's estimate of the release:
)
Activity Total Time Volune COncentrstien
.ictivity March 3, 1965 2:00 pm to 11:C0 pm 171 liters 1.77 :: 10~' uc/mi 30.3 uc March 3, 1965 11:00 pm to March 8, 1365 9:00 cm 1575 liters 9.3 x 10~* uc/b.1 154 uc March 3, 1955 9:00 am to 4:00 pm 135 liters 1.77 :: 10~* ue/ml 24 cc l
(centinucd)
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(
l
- Results of Visit (continued)
The total activity released was estimated to be 209 uc.
The transit ti=e frem the pool to the lea'c is 145 minutes; therefore, short-lives activities wculd have died cut.
The activity laaking was stated to be primarily sodium-24.
A sa=ple of rain water in the pit was, collected en F. arch 8, 1965, and the activity was 3 x 10~** uc/=1.
Mr. J.
O'Cennor stated that in his opinien, this release was to a restricted area and censequently dcas not require a repcrt to t he ACC under 10 CFR 20.
He said that some members of the 3afoguards Cw...J.ttee felt that it shculd be reported.
He also stated that the corrective acticus taken were, first, to repair the lei < and, secondly, he verbally instructed the operator to be ture that valves in the make-up line inside the containment shell are always closed when not in use.
He also requested Arsenal plant angineers to relocate the check valve to a pcsition on the inside of the containment shell.
The inspector suggested to Mr. O'Connor that it might be prudent to write a written precedure to the operators en the ccrrect valving during this operatica.
Mr. J. O'Cenner agreed that this wculd be done.
F.
Tit InterviW l
The inspector held an exit interview with the following personnel of the Reactor Safeguards Cc=mittee:
Messrs. Dady, O'Connor, Taucr, Priest, and Chip = tan.
The Ccamittee had requested that the inspecter brief them en the results of his visit.
~ hey also inquired as to his position en whether or not the release of activity =entiened in the previous section of this repcrt was a reportabic in-cident or not.
The inspector pointed cut that since accces to the pit requires a radiation werh permit and since the l
(centinued)
.... Results of Visit. (continued) probability of unauthori:cd persennel getting down into the pit is e::tremely remoto, the inspector's position is that this release was to a restricted area, and a written report is not required.
The inspector discussed with the C6.iittee the =anner in which folicw-up action is ta. ten en its recens:endations.
For example, the Cen:mittee had suggested at one time thm some means be established of containing possibly nenicus gas from the liquid nit:cgen coolad e:< peri =ent.
Ividan:17, the cc=nittee had not fo11cwed up to see what hind of device was installed.
- . Priast stated that they may have been remiss and that he wculd see that the Cc=:aittee does a physical inspection on hcw thei: recem=endations are carried cut.
A sccend ' item tha inspector discussed with the Cc:=aittee was the fact that the reacter operator has no means availabla at the censola 20: predicting criticalicy.
He has no xenen curves.
His rod calibratica curyc3 are 5:cs the initial check-cut runs.
rne operators had infor=ed the inspector that they de nahe a " seat of tha pants ' cati. ate of where criticality shenid occur en the basis of p cvicus e::perience.
These estinates are act based en any hind of ' addition er subtraction of the reactivity effects of poisens.
The Chair an of the Safeguards Oc::::lttee stated that they wculd lech into this further in that the cady availability of such in-formation might p cve to be cf value in enabling the operate: to evaluate or to chech proper performance of the reactor.
The inspectc also discussed with the Cv....itt3e tha subject of recip:ccal audits by other cactor po::enn_
who aro unde: Arny surveill: nce.
An extensien of this ucul; (centinued)
.... Results of visit _ (continued) be for agreements to be made fo: reciprocal audits with such places as Massachusetts Instituta of Technology, Rhode Island.uc, Lcwell Technological Institute, and other reactors in the New I:ngland area.
Dr. ?:lest stated that this also wculd bear 1cching into.
?inally, the inspecter discussed with the Cv. Attee a pending plan for the raorganizatien of the Arsenal reactor staff in which the pcsit;ien of Health Physicist wccid be a G3-9 pcsition.
The inspector stated that this pcsitien appears to be ::uch too capensibis to be manned by an in-es:perienced nan in that one cannot hire competent pecpla for such an impc tant job at such a low rata.
It was noted that the present Health Physicist dces not intend staying at such a salary.
The members of the safeguards Cc=mittco indicated to the inspector that they felt the pcsition of *dealth Physicist shculd not be de-emphasized.
Mr. J. O'Connor stated that the Army intends na%ing a ten-man, three day inspection of this facility at the end of April.
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