IR 05000170/1993001
| ML20056E330 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute |
| Issue date: | 08/13/1993 |
| From: | Bores R, Dragoun T NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20056E327 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-170-93-01, 50-170-93-1, NUDOCS 9308230184 | |
| Download: ML20056E330 (4) | |
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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i
REGION I
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Report No /93-01 ,
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Docket No License No R-84 !
Licensee: Defense Nuclear Acency i Bethesda. Maryland 20814-5145 i i
Facility Name: Armed Forces Radiobiolocy Research Institute (AFRRI)
Inspection At: Bethesda. Maryland i
Inspection Conducted: July 20-22.1993
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Inspector: N ~ oww f/3!9_]
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Thomas F. Dragoun, Prpj/ct Scientist date l Effluents Radiation Protection Section l (ERPS), Facilities Radiological Safety l and Safeguards Branch (FRS&SB)
Approved By: I / 93 Robert J. Bo[/s, Chief, ERPS, FRS&SB date Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards Areas Reviewed: Organization and staffing, status of the implementation of the revised 10 CFR 20 regulations, radiation monitoring and environmental monitorin !
Results: No safety concerns or violations wem observed. The radiation protection program adequately protected the workers and the publi !
9308230184 930817 I PDR ADOCK 05000170 G PDR C{$
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DETAILS 1.0 Individuals Contacted ,
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l R. Bumgarner, Captain USN, Director, AFRRI l K. McCarty, Chief, SHD-Dosimetry Division M. Moore, Reactor Facility Director S. Miller, Reactor Operations Manager T. O'Brien, Radiation Protection Officer D. Smith, Commander USN, Head, Safety and Health Department
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All above personnel attended the Exit Interview on July 22, 199 Additional personnel were contacted or interviewed during the inspectio .0 Organization and Staffine The Safety and Health Department (SHD), a group which is ir. dependent of the reactor operations group, has ovemll responsibility for implementation of radiation protection programs at AFRRI. In a November 1991 revision to the Technical Specifications (TS),
the position of Radiation Protection Officer (RPO) was introduced. The duties of the RPO were permanently assigned to the Division Manager of Operational Health Physics in SHD. The inspector reviewed the impact of this change on the program and found that both organizations involved have benefited from the clarification of responsibilities.
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The current arrangement is now consistent with the other NRC licenses at this facilit The TS revision also added a requirement for the Reactor Facility Director to approve HP procedures. The inspector reviewed the HP procedures and noted a significant improvement in quality had occurred for procedures issued or revised since the TS change was implemented in 1991. A few "old" procedures remain, dating back to 198 The RPO stated that these would be updated as time permit The Head-SHD was changed from a civilian to a rotational military assignment at the time of the departure of the previous incumben However, the Division Chiefs responsible for HP have remained categorized as " permanent and civilian". There has ,
been no change in the civilian staff since the last inspection in April 1991. Within the !
scope of this review, no safety concerns were identifie ;
3.0 Revised 10 CFR 20 Imolen entation The HP supervisors were aware of the major revision to the 10 CFR 20 regulations and had identified the program changes needed for timely implementation. No major difficulties were anticipated. The inspector determined that the efforts underway were appropriate except that additional attention to the development of a formal, comprehensive ALARA program was needed. Some progress was evident. For example, the reactor operations group separately issued an ALARA procedure in
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May 1993 that implements ANS-15.11 recommendations for certain activities. Status of these efforts will be reviewed in a future inspectio .0 Radiation Monitoring i Routine Surveys l
Beta-gamma survey meters and friskers were pre-positioned at several " stations" located throughout the facility. This equipment was used by HP technicians and the staff to l monitor radiological conditions daily in areas where changes were likely. The equipment l was also used by the HP technicians for routine weekly dose rate and smear survey !
These data were recorded on floor plan maps and reviewed by the supervisor prior to filing. Records were readily available and the data appeared to be complete. No equipment maintenance is performed onsite. Instruments were shipped to the U.S. Army facility in Aberdeen, MD, for repair and quarterly calibration. The Army procedure, I Technical Bulletin TB 9-6665-285-15, provided a generally accepted calibration !
technique. The supply of operational equipment on hand was goo A computer program is used to track the location and status of each instrument. The procedures used by the technicians for the smear and dose rate surveys were clear and adequately detailed. Within the scope of this review, the conduct of radiation surveys was goo .2 Permanent Monitors TS 3.5, " Radiation -Monitoring System and Effluents", specifies the requirements for location and monitoring capability of the permanently installed radiation monitoring systems. The licensee's equipment exceeds these requirements. In addition, the licensee has installed a new radiation area monitor fMM) that is collocated with the old syste l This was done to improve maintainability and reduce HP technician exposure as a result ;
of an improved calibration technique. Acceptance testing of the new system is underway 1 and, when complete, will allow relocating the old equipment to expand coverage into other areas. TS 4.5, " Radiation-Monitoring System", requires a daily channel check and annual calibration of the RAM and continuous air monitoring (CAM) systems. The RAMS were calibrated with a cesium-137 source positioned at set distances in air from the detector in accordance with HP Procedure (HPP) 7-2. The new RAM system will use a totally enclosed calibrator with attenuators that will result in reduced exposure to the technician. The exhaust stack gas CAM was calibrated annually with argon-41 l
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obtained from activated P-10 gas. The CAM was checked daily with a sodium-22 source in accordance with HPP 7- The alarm setpoint was determined using the EPA ,
computer code COMPLY at level 2 to ensure that the dose to the public is less than 10 l mrem per year. The air particulate CAM for the reactor pool area was calibrated l
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annually and checked daily using a cesium-137 source. The alarm setpoint was based on historical data from early TRIGA reactors that have experienced fuel failures. The inspector concluded that the licensee's monitoring program was excellent.
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. Imhorntory Analysis Smears taken during routine surveys were ant.lyzed using a gas flow proportional counter !'
in the HP laboratory. This unit was calibrated every few months with NIST traceable sources after the gas supply became depleted and was replaced. Response checks were performed daily and control charts maintained to detect equipment malfunctions. These are good practice , Environmental Monitorine TS 3.5.2 requires environmental dosimeter monitoring program to determine the effect of argon-41 discharges on the surrounding area. The licensee had 13 thermoluminescent ,
dosimeter '"'LD) monitoring stations at a radius of about 100 yards surrounding the discharge sack and 17 TLD stations out to several miles in the predominant downwind !
direction. The inspector selected 5 locations at random and toured each location >
accompanied by licensee personnel. The stations were found to consist of elevated ,
protective boxes covered by wire mesh. A recently dated packet of TLDs was found in
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each location. Licensee data indicated no elevated readings. Within the scope of this review, no safety concerns were note .0 Exit Interview The inspector met with the licensee representatives indicated in Section 1.0 on July 22, 1993 and summarized the scope and findings of this inspection. The licensee had acknowledged the inspection finding ;
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