ML20066K582

Corrected Annual Rept of USGS Triga Reactor Facility 1990

ML20066K582
Person / Time
Site:	U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date:	12/31/1990
From:	INTERIOR, DEPT. OF, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
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ML20066K565	List: ML20066K563 ML20066K582
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NUDOCS 9102060056
Download: ML20066K582 (5)

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. 1 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TRIGA REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT JANUARY 1,1990 - DECD(BER 31, 1990 NRC LICENSE NO. R-113 - DOCKET NO. 50-274 I. Administrative Chances .

Lorraine filipek assumed the position of Reactor Administrator on 2/1/90, replacing Hugh Hillard. David Smith assumed the position of Reactor

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Administrator on 7/7/90, replacing Lorraine Filipek.

II. Operatina Experience-The Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR) was in normal operations for the year .1990. Pulsing operations were performed for the first time in many years and preinstallation checks continued on the neu-control console.

A total of 262 1rradiation requests were processed during the year, with the average request representing. 49 samples and 8.0. full-pouer. hours of reactor operation. A syncpsis of irradiations performed- during the 1990. year is given belou, listed by the organi:'ation sunmitting the samples to the' reactor statti Orcanization Number of Samples Geologic Division - BGC 10,919 Geologic Division - BIG 991 Geologic Division-- CHR '646 Geologic Division - WhR 0-Geologic Division - SSP 9 Non-USGS users 213 Total 12.778 4

A. Thermal power calibrations at.about 800 kW uere performed in .

February and August, with only very minor ad1ustments required.

B. Ecur new Class I experiments and one new Class II experiment were approved during this period. The Class II experiment involved the installation of a vertical beam tube in the reactor tank to allow the irradiation of electronic components.

C. During the report period, 192.da11y checklists and 12 monthly checklists were completed in compliance with technical specifications requirements for surveillance of the reactor racility.

D. Tours were provided to individuals and groups in 1990 for a total visitor count of approximately 200.

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• l E. Nine standard fuel elements from the !!ichigan State reactor were-installed in the core.- One of the elements was placed in a void position in the.G ring while the other eight were installed in.

place of original elements with high burnup. A total reactivity gain of about S.85 was achieved.

III. Tabulation of Enercy Generated 1legawatt Time Reactor Number of Month Hours Was Critical Pulses January 1990 132.632 ~135 hours 10 minute e February 1990 99.223 103 hours0.00119 days <br />0.0286 hours <br />1.703042e-4 weeks <br />3.91915e-5 months <br /> 56 minutes 0.

liarch 1990 75.568 79 hours9.143519e-4 days <br />0.0219 hours <br />1.306217e-4 weeks <br />3.00595e-5 months <br /> 31 minutes O ~

April 1990 97.655 104 hours0.0012 days <br />0.0289 hours <br />1.719577e-4 weeks <br />3.9572e-5 months <br /> 29 minutes 0-

!!ay 1990 120.269 121 hour0.0014 days <br />0.0336 hours <br />2.000661e-4 weeks <br />4.60405e-5 months <br />s- 5 minutes 0 June 1990 105.080 107 hours0.00124 days <br />0.0297 hours <br />1.76918e-4 weeks <br />4.07135e-5 months <br /> 13 minutes 0 July'1990 108.020 110 hours0.00127 days <br />0.0306 hours <br />1.818783e-4 weeks <br />4.1855e-5 months <br /> 29 minutes 6 August 1990 122,043 126 hours0.00146 days <br />0.035 hours <br />2.083333e-4 weeks <br />4.7943e-5 months <br /> 1 minutes- 12 September 1990 87.369 92 hours0.00106 days <br />0.0256 hours <br />1.521164e-4 weeks <br />3.5006e-5 months <br /> 37 minutes 0 October 1990 76.917 79 hours9.143519e-4 days <br />0.0219 hours <br />1.306217e-4 weeks <br />3.00595e-5 months <br /> 23 minute O November 1990 85.157 87 hours0.00101 days <br />0.0242 hours <br />1.438492e-4 weeks <br />3.31035e-5 months <br /> 31 minutes 0 December 1990 118.000 119 hours0.00138 days <br />0.0331 hours <br />1.967593e-4 weeks <br />4.52795e-5 months <br /> 15 minutes 0 Totals 1227.933 1265 hours0.0146 days <br />0.351 hours <br />0.00209 weeks <br />4.813325e-4 months <br /> 40 minutes 18 IV. Unscheduled Shutdowns Serial No. Date cause 438 2/20/90 Linear scram due to AC transient when-moving T.R.

439 4/26/90 Linear scram due to AC transient from pool temp alarm 440 5/16/90 Linear scram due to AC transient when moving T.R.

441 7/3/90 Linear scram due to AC transient uhen moving T.R.

442 '8/1/90- Linear scram due to physical shock to console 443 8/16/90 Linear scram due to physical shock.to console-444 10/23/90 Linear scram due to physical shock to console V. fla1or !!aintenance Ocerations

!!aintenance items in CY'90 were relatively minor. A new uater conductivity system uas installed as part of the new digital console. This conductivity system has a readout at the instrument in room 149 and on the neu _ console status screen. In-itay, the cooling tower no::les wereLonce again removed, inspected, cleaned, and reinstalled. Rust particles were found to be clogging a number of the no::les. After the maintenance, a hole was cut in the end of i the cooling touer header pipe to allow flushing of the accumulated rust. A stub tube was attached to allow future flushing of the header pipe. This cleaning resulted in a significant decrease.in cooling teuer_ header pressure was noted. Overall performance of the cooling tower continues to be satisfactory. Ion exchange resin was replaced once during the year, in June.

VI. Summary of 10 CFR 50.59 chances There were no 50.59 changes at the facility during-this report period. The pending installation of a new control console will not be performed as a.50.59 change,.but will be installed after receiving the appropriate approval and j technical specificatior.s changes from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The current schedule calls for the console to be installed in the spring of 1991.

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e VII. Radioactivity Releases A. Listed below are the total amounts of radioactive gaseous effluents released to the environs beyond the effective control of the reactor

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License (R-113) 10 CFR 20 Argon-41 Allowable Tritium (HTO) Allowable Month (Curies) (Curies) -(ucuries) . ._,,,("u ri e s )

January 1990 1.12 5.8 126.3 0.25- '

February 1990 0.72 5.8 187.0 .0.25 tiarch 1990 0.80 5.8 205.9 0.25 April 1990 0.99 5.8 140.0 0.25 llay.1990 1.18 5.8- 193.0- 0.25 June 1990 1.02 5.8 238.0 0.25 July 1990 1.14 5.8 174.0 0.25 August 1990 1.02 5.8 151.0 0.25 September 1990 0.64 d.B 132.0 0.25 October 1990 0.69 5.8 181.0 0.25 November 1990 0.92 5.8 144.0 0.25 December 1990 1.18 528 233.0 0.25 Total 11.42 70.0 2105.2-uC1 3.00

% of allowable 16.3% 0.11 Note #1: The argon activities reported are integrated values obtained from the facility's gaseous stack = monitor. Calculated values have been substituted for measured values in the few' instances uhen the monitoring system was down for maintenance or repair.

Note #2: The tritium concentrations are estimates based on the amount of vater lost by evaporation from the reactor multiplied by the concentration of tritium as HTO. Tritium sample analyses are being performed by Colorado State University.

B. About 132 liters of contaminated reactor water containing a total =

l of 0.325 uCi of 60Co were released into the Federal Center sewage system-over a twelve month time period. This water uas diluted by 3.4 x los gallons of sewage water.

C. Four 55-gal, drums of low level solid waste and solidified resin were shipped for burial in Nevada in 1990.

The total amount of radioactive waste released.from the reactor facility-during 1990 is estimated to be approximately 9.0 mC1.

Note: The principal radioactive paste generated at the reactor facility is the demineralizer resin -used resin with small quantities of rinse water is solidified with Portland cement' prior to release in 55-gallon drums.

c m VIII. Radiation Honitorino A. Our program to monitor and control radiation exposures included the four major elements below during the operating year 1990.

1. Eighteen area monitors (17 gammas, 1 neutron) located throughout the Nuclear Science Building. To provide a background signal, a small check  ;

source is attached to the scintillation detector. High alarm _ set points range from 2 mR/hr to 50 mR/hr. High level alarms have been infrequent and are documented in appropriate Log Books.

2. One Continuous Air !!onitor (CNI) sampling the. air in the reactor bay. An equilibrium concentration of 3.0 x 10-8 uC1/ml present for tuo minutes will result in an increase of 400 cpm above background. There are two alarm set points. A lou-level alarm is set at 3,000 cpm, and the high level alarm is set at 10,000 cpm.

Reactor bay air-is sampled during-all reactor operations. 'The fixed particulate air filter is changed and counted daily on a Gamma Products G4020 Lou Level counting system. The charcoal filter, fitted behind the air filter, f is changed and counted weekly. In all-instances, final sample calculations t shou less than IWC (10 CTR Part 20, Appendix B, Table-11) concentrations for all isotopes in question in the reactor bay.

3. Contamination wipe surveys and radiation surveys uith portable survey instruments are performed at. least once - a month. All portable instruments are calibrated uitn a certified 3-Curie Cs-137 source and wipes are counted on a Gamma _ Products G4020 Lou Level counting system.

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!!onthly wipe tests in the Reactor Day indicated tuo areas of centamination in 1990. The first uns located on a work tehle top and the second on the tool box table. The recorded activities vete .19 and 24 pC1/100 cm; beta, respectively. Neither area uas greater than tuo square feet. The roof hatch over the reactor bay centinues to be roped off and posted as a radiation area (averaging 2.5 mR/hr) during routine 1 Inf operations.

4. Personnel, X and gamma, beta and neutron film badges are assigned to all permanent occupants of the Huclear Science Building. Cacoa :Dy dosimeters have been used at four outdoor environmental stations. Reactor facility visitors are issued L-49 self-reading' dosimeters.

Personnel monitoring results are categorized belous Rem-1990 Gamma Beta Heutron Reactor Staf f Whole Body Cumulative Dose for Calendar Year (thru 10-19-90)

Highest 0.190 0.190 0.000 Hands Cumulative Shallou Dose for Calendar Year Highest 0.000 0.000 0.000

. Reactor Experimenters Whole Body Cumulative Dose for Calendar Year -

Highest 0.000 0.000 0.000 Hands Cumulative Dose for Calendar Year Highest -0.000 0.150 0.000 Reactor Visitors and Occasional Experimenters No individual reading was greater.than 6 mrem.

Environmental stations- _,

Rem 1990 Exhaust Stack O.1520 West 0.0048 Southwest 0.0000 Southeast 0.0000 IX. Environmental Honitoring Pursuant to reactor procedures, soil and water samples are collected every second year. Environmental soil and water samples were collected.in 1990.

Thirteen (13) off-site soil samples encompassing a 4 mile _ radius of the Denver Federal Center and thirteen (13) on site samples _from a grid layout of the-Federal Center grounds were taken. _All soil samples were analyzed tar Colorado State University (CSU) using the gamma spectroscopy method.

Six (6) v '.er samples were collected from lakes,-pondsawnd streams  !

surrounding and within the Federal Center. These-samples were analyzed by Barringer Labs-for gross alpha and beta activity. t There have been no uncontrolled radioactivity releases from the reactor to the present date. Thus, the data on file from past_ years to the:present are:

considered to be background information.

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