ML20059E806

Annual Rept for License R-52 for Jul 1989 - June 1990

ML20059E806
Person / Time
Site:	05000113
Issue date:	08/29/1990
From:	Doane H ARIZONA, UNIV. OF, TUCSON, AZ
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V)
References
NUDOCS 9009100330
Download: ML20059E806 (6)

Text

' - i; THE UNIVERSITY -OF A RIZON A pp

' T U C S O N, A RIZOll A 85721 l

as cot.l.EGE OF ENGINEERING AND MINES DrPARTMENT oF Nt> CLEAR AND ENrRoY ENolNEERINo August 29,1990 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region V Office of Inspection and Enforcement 1450 Maria Lane, Suite 210 Walnut ~. reek, California 945%

RE: - Annual Report for License R-52, Docket 50-113 Gentlemen-This is the Annual Report covering the period July L, niQ % rough June 30, 1990, for the activities of the TRIGA Mark i Reactor at the University W Arizon Tucson, Arizona. This report is submitted in compliance with Section 6.7e of the Fuldty Tednical Specifications and Paragraph 50.59(b) of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations.

1. During the reporting period, the reactor was operated for research and education, it was used -

for reactor operator training of replacement operators at this facility. The reactor was used for graduate thesis research and undergraduate' Nuclear Engineering course experiments, including-approaches to critical, control rod calibrations, measurements of the dynamic response of the reactor to step and periodic changes in reactivity, and flux mapping. =The reactor was also used for neutron activation analysis and production cf short-lived radioisotope < ' for teaching' and research.

Approximately 15 percent of total reactor operating time wa* used for. non-university-related -

purposes.

Reactor upgrading and modification included replacin; a motor-driven timer for moving samples into the pneumatic transfer system with a digital tLner. The digital timer provides preset irradiation times with a much improved accuracy.

Routine surveillance tests of the power channels, including recalibration, showed only' minor changes in zero adjustment and full scale trip setting. The total worth of the regulating, shim, and transient rods were measured to be $3.81, $3.02, $2.41 respectively. The largest change in worth was.1% on the regulating rod which is consistent with the small changes in rod worth due to rotational changes of position of individual fuel elements from fuel movement during approach to critical experiments.

No fuel elements were measured for length or bend during the reporting period because the number of pulses since the last measurement is below the surveillance requirements in the facility technical specifications.

The transient rod drive assembly was inspected twice during the reporting period. Both piston seals were found to be in satisfactory condition and no wear or rust accumulation was present in the air cylinder.

Rod drop times from full eut to full insertion were measured to be 0.32,0.34 and 0.90 seconds for the regulating, shim, and transient rods, respectively. There were no appreciable changes in the drop times of the regulating and shim rods since the last rod drop measurements. The drop time of the transient rod increased slightly from the previous measurements. All three drop times were less

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. August 30, 1990 than the time required by the facility technical specifications.

The regulating shim, and transient rods were visually inspected during the reporting period. The rods showed normal signs of wear and no deterioration.

2. The reactor was critical for a total of 148 hours0.00171 days <br />0.0411 hours <br />2.44709e-4 weeks <br />5.6314e-5 months <br />, producing 4273 kw-hours (0.178 Mw-day) of thermal energy. The cumulative energy output since the facility was commissioned is 8.256 Mw-days. During the reporting period 112 pulses with input reactivity greater than 51.00 were performed. The cumulative number of pulses greater than 51.00 since the time pulsing was initiated is 1679.

The reactor was in operation 132 days during the reporting period, with approximately 476 hours0.00551 days <br />0.132 hours <br />7.87037e-4 weeks <br />1.81118e-4 months <br /> of operating time.

3. There were no inadvertent reactor scrams during the reporting period.

4.

Major maimenance includes annual calibration of control console instrumentation, replacing a compression elbow in the oil return line of the reactor water cooling system, cleaning the reactor pool walls and floor using an underwater vacuum cleaning system, changing the resins in the water purification system, and replacing a window pane in the outside glass of the reactor room that had been broken by an orange thrown by a person from the sidewalk on the north side of the building.

The orange did not penetrate the inner lexan shield and the university police could find no evidence of the incident having been directed specifically toward the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. Minor maintenance items include replacement of the calibration potentiometer in the water conductivity meter, electrically insulating the thermocouple leads in the instrumented fuel element, cleaning the control rod drive positioning switches as per the memo from Gulf General Atomics dated 2/15/89, greasing of reactor room exhaust fan bearings, changing filter cartridges in the water purification system, adding pool water lost by evaporation, replacing burned out light bulbs in the reactor pool, replacing burned out annunciator bulbs in the reactor control console, and making periodic adjustments to the reactor control console circuitry.

5. The Reactor Committee met four times during the reporting period. (9/15/89,12/20/89,2/9/90, 5/9/90). The following items of business were covered:

The Committee reviewed and approved changes to UARR124, " Procedure For Responding to the l

Theft or Threat of Theft of Special Nuclear Material". These changes identify required responses that were added to the Physical Security Plan during facility relicensing.

The Committee approved changing a revised Emergency Procedures draft into an appendix for the existing UARR101, " Emergency Procedures".

The Committee reviewed and approved revisions to UARRil8, " Procedures for the Installation and Use of the Rod Oscillator System". The title of this revised procedure will now be " Procedures for the Installation and Use of the Reactivity Oscillator System". The reactivity of the system has been limited to 51.00.

i The Committee reviewed and approved revisions to UARR132 " Procedures for Maintenance of the Emergency Kit and for Opentor Training". The title of this revised procedure is now " Procedure for Maintenance of the Emergency Kit".

The Committee reviewed and approved new procedure UARR141, " Procedure for Use of Non-Fixed Electronic Detectors in the Reactor". This procedure will allow a self-powered detector to be used to measure peak power during pulse mode operation.

i U.S.: Nucisar Reguletory Conuniesion.

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, August 30, 1990 The Committee reviewed and endorsed letters to the NRC requesting reinstatement of SRO licenses for both the Reactor Laboratory Director and the Reactor Str?rvisor, who suffered illnesses that required them being removed from active operator status. Botu dcenses were reinstated, one with a restriction.

The Committee reviewed and approved several changes in the facility documents that were required to complete the licensing paperwork for the facility. Among these were the Physical Security Plan, the Emergency Plan, and the Operator Requalification Program. Changes previously noted in UARR procedures reflect the changes in these documents.

The Committee reviewed an inspection report by the University Department of Risk Management of non-reactor-related equipment in the NRL. The inspection was performed at the sequest of the i

Director of the NRL to insure that all non-reactor-related equipment was in compliance with OSilA standards. The' report suggested making minor changes that might improve traffic flow in the facility.

The Committee reviewed a report on the repair of a freon leak in the TRIGA pool. This leak has been repaired twice in the past twelve _ years and the procedures were updated and approved by the

'i Committee prior to the repair, The Committee reviewed the Annual Review of Health Physics Prsctices by the University Health Physicist. No abnormal health physics practices at the NRL were reported.

The Committee discussed the requirements for developing a fitness-for-duty program for the NRL I

reactor operators. As the University has an already-in-place policy of a drug-free environment, it was suggested that a memorandum signed by reactor operators, stating that they will not operate the' reactor following consumption of alcohol or drugs, be identified as an implementation of this policy.

The Committee received and discussed a report on the annual emergency drill. The Committee noted that the scenario for the drill was developed using comments and suggestions that were offered following completion of the previous year's drill.

The Committee reviewed and approved an upgrade in the automatic timer mechanism for moving samples into the pneumatic transfer system. They concluded that a 10CFR50.59 safety review was not required as no safety circuits were involved and the wiring to the blower and valves is already in place.

The Committee received a report from an unannounced NRC security inspection performed December 7-8, 1989. Several items of concern from the inspector's report were discussed. These items addressed an improved system of key inventory for the controlled access area and a change in the frequency of visual and lock checks of the NRL by the University Police. These items were resolved with the NRC and no Notice of Violation was issued.

The Committee received a report from an unannounced NRC surveillance inspection performed January 9-11,1990. No violations were identified during the inspection.

The Committee received a report from an unannounced NRC accountability inspection performed March I-2,1990. Two items of concern were discussed by the Committee; failure to submit a timely NRC form 741 to the DOE for S.N.M. accountability and a ciiscrepancy in the inventory audit of depleted UO, pellets. Both items were resolved with the NRC and no Notice of Violation was issued.

The Committee reviewed the Reactor Supervisor's 1988 and 1989 annual reviews of the Emergency u

U.S., Nucloer R:gulatory Commission page 4..

'. August 30, 1990 l

Plan..The Committee accepted these annual reviews as meeting the Emergency Plan requirements for their annual audits.

The Committee reviewed and accepted the biennial review of the Physical Security Plan by the NRL Director. The Security Supervisor for the University Police Department was present during this review to answer ny Committee questions concerning police responsibilities committed to the Plan.

Committee members observed reactor operation, reactor pulsing operation and fuel movement by_ the NRL staff. At its meetings and in individual reviews by Committee members, the Committee reviewed operations and operational records of the facility as specified by the Committee charter, This included audit of preliminary check sheets, pulsing check sheets, approach to critical and termination check sheets, operations and maintenance logbooks, monthly and annual checksheets, irradiation records, and experiments performed with the reactor. The Committee received reports about new operator trainees, laboratory class enrollment, and reviewed the 1989 annual report to the NRC.

6. No liquid waste was discharged from the facility during the reporting period, 7.1 cubic feet of solid waste (floor sweepings, tissues, plastic gloves, decayed activation. samples and standards) containing trace quantities of mixed irradiation products and depleted uranium was collected by the University Radiation Control Office to be held in storage for pickup by Thomas Gray and.

Associates. Thomas Gray collects the stored radioactive waste with their own vehicles and transports it to a holding area in Orange, CA. From there it is shipped for burial to either the U.S. Ecology Site at Richland, WA or Beatty, NV, The collections from the Reactor Laboratory by the Radiation Control Office were made in November of 1989 and March and May of 1990.

Measurements of the Argon-41 concentration in the reactor pool water have demonstrated that the rate of decrease of Argon-41 from the surface layer of water is the same as the radioactive decay L

rate, and thus there is no appreciable release of Argon-41 from the pool surface into the reactor room air. Using the 3-sigma lower limit for these concentration measurements, the maximum rate l

of release of Argon-41 from reactor pool water is less than 0.32 pCi per kilowatt-hr of reactor l

operation, and certainly much less. The Argon-41 release from the pneumatic transfer system for this reporting period is based on a production rate from measured activity of small vials of air that have been irradiated in the system. Resident air in the pneumatic transfer system produces approximately 0.05 pCi of Argon-41 per kw-min of reactor operation prior to inserting a sample in the system. Presented below are the monthly releases of Argon-41 from the reactor pool surface, the pneumatic transfer system and the totals.

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U.S. Nuc1cor Rmgulatory Connaission -

pagn 5 =

August 30, 1990 l

Argon-41(pCi)

Argon-41(pCi)

Argon-41(pCi) i Month Pool Surface Pneumatic Transfer System Total (using upper limit)

{

l July 1989 01123 0

123 August 1989 0i 18 0

18 September 1989 01 2 0

2 October 1989 01177 183 360 November 1989 0 i-93 2

95 December 1989 01 2 0

2 January 1990 0 i 102 115 217 February 1990 01 42 182 224 March 1990 01228 1280 1508 April 1990 01372 1686 2058 May 1990 0 t 107 380-487 June 1990 0 t 186 0

186 i

The calculations for Argon-41 release from the pneumatic transfer system did not include decay of the isotope prior to inserting a sample in the system, and therefore, represents a very conservative -

estimate of Argon-41 release. The maximum total estinated Argon-41 release from the facility during the reporting period using the 3-sigma upper limit for release from the pool surface, is 5.28 i

millicuries. This is less at 0.75 percent of Argon-41 release allowed under 10CFR20. There were no other gaseous effluents from the facility during the reporting period.

7. Seventy-one (71) persons were issued film badges on a monthly basis for all or part of the reporting period in the Department of Nuclear and Energy Engineering. The persons receiving badges included all reactor operators, faculty and staff members using the reactor laboratory, researchers, and all students in laboratory courses.

The film badge reports for the months of July, September, and October,1989, indicated personnel exposures that were not consistent with reported use by the badged individuals. In all,24 badged individuals were reported as having received from 15 mrem to 85 mrem during these three months. A large majority of these reported exposures.were for personnel who had not worn the 4

badge at all during the time interval for which the exposure was reported. The University of Arizona Radiation Control Office was able to confirm that its film badge supplier was using film emulsion that was undergoing manufacturing processing irregularities due to personnel turnover of the emulsion supplier, The film badge reports for the remaining months of the reporting period (November 1989 through June 1990), showed no whole body exposures and three non-penetrating ring badge exposures of 80,60, and 40 mrem. Of these three reported ring badge exposures, one individual could not identify any contact with radiation and the other two were handling irradiated samples from the reactor in each case of reported valid exposure, the individual was interviewed by the Director of the NRL and methods of reducing or eliminating further exposure were discussed and implemented.

Five hundred forty-seven (547) non-badged persons were admitted to the Reactor Laboratory in classes, tours, or on official business during the reporting period. All groups were issued pocket dosimeters or were admitted only after completion of a radiation survey which showed all dose rates to be less than that in an unrestricted area as required by the facility procedures. No radiation exposure was received by any visitors, as measured by the pocket dosimeters.

8.

Radiation surveys of the reactor room, control room, and experiment set-up room were conducted monthly during the reporting period by members of the University of Arizona Radiation Control Office using direct measurement and wipe tests. The results show little detectable activity except where expected (i.e., irradiated samples in storage areas and internal wall surfaces of the l

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Conunission page 6 August 30, 1990 l

s irradiation facilities). Other radiatioa surveys were performed by members of the reactor laboratory staff when necessary. No radiation exposure which can be attributed to reactor operations has been detected outside the reactor laboratory.

9. Environmental TLD monitors at 3 locations on the buildir..,

ing the reactor out at 10 other locations on the University campus were replaced and read monthly for the first seven inonths of the reporting period. Beginning with the eighth month of the reporting period the TLD monitors were replaced ar.d read on a quarterly basis. For the 12-month period from July 1,1989 through June 30,1990, the average reading of the 3 TLD's located en the reactor building, was 19.3 mrem and the average of the 10 other TLD's was 29.4 mrem, relative to two control TLD's which were kept in a shielded container in a non-radiation area. This is consistent with similar measurements for these locations in previous years. Thus, there is no evidence that radiation exposures in the vicinity of the reactor are higher than normal, but rather, as indicated by the TLD's, are slightly lower than the average for the University.

In writing this report, I have tried to be both complete and as brief as is reasonable, and still satisfy the requirements of 10 CFR 50.59, the Facility Technical Specifications, and the needs of the Commission, if other or more detailed information is needed, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

./

Harry Doane Reactor Supervisor and Acting Director Nuclear Reactor Laboratory GWN/sh cc: Document Control Desk USNRC Washington D.C.

205555 Ernest T. Smerdon, Dean College of Engineering and Mines ANRPLIC.52 file l

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