ML20076J160
| ML20076J160 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000077 |
| Issue date: | 06/06/1983 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20076J147 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-077-83-02, 50-77-83-2, NUDOCS 8306200347 | |
| Download: ML20076J160 (1) | |
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APPENDIX A NOTICE OF VIOLATION Catholic University Docket No. 50-77 Washington, D. C.
20064 License No. R-31 As a result of the inspection conducted on May 11-13, 1983, and in accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy (10 CFR 2, Appendix C), the following violation was identified:
Technical Specification 16.6.4.1, Meetings and Quorum, requires, "The Reactor Safety Committee shall meet as necessary but at least twice each calendar year."
Contrary to the above, the Reactor Safety Committee did not meet at least twice during each of the calendar years 1981 and 1982.
This is a Severity Level V violation.
(Supplement I.E.)
Pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 2.201, The Catholic University of America is hereby required to submit to this office within thirty days of the date of the letter which transmitted this Notice, a written statement or explanation in reply, including: (1) the corrective steps which have been taken and the results achieved; (2) corrective steps which will be taken to avoid further violations; and (3) the date when full compliance will be achieved. Where good cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending this response time, i
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OFFICIAL RECORD COPY r3062OO347 830606 PDR ADOCK 05000077 0
PDR t.
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Region I Report No. 50-77/83-02 Docket No. 50-77 License No. R-31 Priority Category H
Licensee:
Catholic University of America s
620 Michigan Avenue Washington, D. C.
Facility Name:
AGN-201 Inspection At:
Washington, D. C.
Inspection Conducted:
May 11-13, 1983 Inspector:
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83 W.'W.' Kinpy, Proj(ct Engineer dite signed Approved By:
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6/4/fr3 T.VC. Elfssser, Chief," Reactor Projects date signed Section No. IB Inspection Summary:
Inspection on May 11-13, 1983 (Report No. 50-77/83-02)
Areas Inspected: Routine, unannounced inspection by a region-based inspector (16 hours1.851852e-4 days <br />0.00444 hours <br />2.645503e-5 weeks <br />6.088e-6 months <br />) of licensee action on previous inspection findings, organization, facility operation, logs and records, reviews and audits, procedures, and surveillance activities.
Results: One violation was identified (failure of Reactor Safety Committee to meet at least twice each year in 1981 and 1982 - Paragraph 7).
.e DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted
- Dr. E. D. Jordan - Reactor Administrator
- Dr. D. D. Ebert - Reactor Supervisor Mr. W. E. Keene - Radiation Safety Officer
- denotes those present at the exit interview.
2.
Licensee Action on Previous Inspection Findings (Closed) Deficiency (79-03-01): The licensee had not posted information as required by 10 CFR 19.11(a) and (b).
The inspector verified that there was a posted notice in the Reactor Room which described the required documents and stated where they were available for examination.
_ -(Closed) Deficiency (79-03-02): The licensee had not posted a Form NRC-3 in or near the Reactor Room.
The inspector verified that there was a Form NRC-3 posted in the Reactor Room.
(Closed) Inspector Followup Item (79-03-03):
The licensee was to notify the NRC of a change in their organization structure defined in Technical Specification 16.6.1.2.
The Technical Specification refers to a single position of Executive Vice President and Provost, and the licensee had separated this position into an Executive Vice President position and a Provost position.
In a letter dated November 15, 1979, the licensee informed the Division of Operating Reactors of this realignment in their organization.
Currently, the organization structure calls for the Provost position only.
In September 1983, the Provost position will be changed and become the Executive Vice President position.
In any event, there is an occupied organizational position providing the administrative controls called for by Technical Specification 16.6.1.2, Executive Vice President and Provost.
(Closed) Inspector Followup Item (79-03-04):
The licensee's implementation of the operator training and requalification program was to be examined during a subsequent routine inspection.
During this inspection, it was learned that Dr. D. D. Ebert continued to be the only licensed reactor operator available at the facility.
Further, Dr. Ebert is leaving Catholic University on May 31, 1983.
Since (1) the reactor has not been operated since December 4,1982,(2) the reactor will be placed in a temporary shutdown made effective May 31, 1983, and (3) Dr. Ebert is leaving Catholic University as of May 31, 1983, implementation of the operator training and requalification program will not be necessary as long as the reactor is maintained in the shutdown mode.
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3 (Closed) Inspector Followup Item (79-03-05): As of October 30, 1979, the 4
licensee had not updated their Radiation Safety Manual, as committed in a May 8, 1979, letter to the Division of Fuel Cycle and Material Safety.
During this inspection, the inspector found that the licensee had updated this manual, and the Radiation Safety Manual currently in use is dated January 1980.
(Closed) Inspector Followup Item (79-03-06): The licensee had indicated a possible problem with failure of the paint inside the shield tank with resultant rusting of the tank. During this inspection, the licensee stated that the inside of the tank has been inspected on a semi-annual schedule and corrosion of the inside of the tank has subsided with no need for repainting in the immediate future. The licensee plans on keeping the snield tank filled with water, circulating the water through the demineralizer, and periodically inspecting the inside of the shield tank.
(Closed) Inspector Followup Item (79-03-07): The licensee had radioactive waste containing flammable toluene stored in the Reactor Room, and the licensee committed to finding a different storage for this waste.
During this inspection, the inspector learned that a different storage area for radioactive waste had been established. There was still radio-active waste stored in the Reactor Room; however, none of the 55 gallon drums contained toluene.
3.
Organization The incumbents of the organizational positions addressed in Technical Specification 16.6.1, Organization,as of May 13, 1983, are given below.
Position Incumbent President Father W. Byron Provost (position will change to Dr. J. J. Murphy Executive Vice President in September 1983)
Dean of Engineering and Architecture Dr. R. Gaggioli Chairman, Department of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Y. C. Whang Reactor Administrator Dr. E. D. Jordan Reactor Supervisor Dr. D. D. Ebert Reactor Operator Dr. D. D. Ebert
4 Position Incumbent Reactor Safety Committee Chairman Dr. E. D. Jordan Secretary Dr. D. D. Ebert Member (Physics Department)
Dr. Sober Member (Radiation Safety Officer)
Mr. Keene Member (Director of Public Safety)
Col. Cockran Radiation Safety Officer Mr. W. E. Keene As discussed previously, Dr. D. D. Ebert is leaving Catholic University, effective May 31, 1983.
The licensee is changing the reactor operation to a temporary shutdown mode effective May 31, 1983, as stated in an April 8, 1983 letter to Region I.
The reactor was last operated on December 4, 1982. The licensee has no firm plans concerning restaffing their Operating Staff.
As required by Technical Specification 16.6.1, Organization, the organization without the Operating Staff will provide adequate controls of the reactor facility in the shutdown mode. However, further reduction in the manning of the organization, especially in the positions of Reactor Administrator and Radiation Safety Officer, would not be acceptable.
No violations were identified.
4.
Facility Tour The inspector inspected the Reactor Room housing the AGN-201 nuclear reactor with the Reactor Supervisor immediately after the entrance interview.
The housekeeping was satisfactory.
No violations were identified.
5.
Facility Operation l
l The reactor was operated from May 9, 1979, until December 4, 1982, after being shutdown from February 22, 1975, until May 9, 1979. The reactor was used in a Nuclear Engineering Laboratory course.
As previously stated, the licensee is changing the reactor operation to a temporary shutdown mode effective May 31, 1983. The licensee plans on maintaining the reactor in a safe shutdown condition by performing the following:
a.
The fuel-bearing control rods will be removed from the reactor and stored in a locked safe.
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5 b.
The shield tank will be kept filled with water, and the water will be continuously circulated through the demineralizer.
c.
The radiation monitoring program administered by the Radiation Safety Officer will be continued as though the reactor was being operated.
d.
The physical security program for the facility will be maintained.
e.
Appropriate surveillance activities, such as assuring the reactor 4
shield tank is filled with water, will be carried out.
l No violations were identified.
l 6.
Logs and Records 1
The inspector reviewed the 1979, 1980, and 1981-to present Reactor Operations Logs. There were two different types of preprinted sheets used in thase I
logs. One type of sheet contained the operational-type information, and the other type contained information concerning activities performed. The sheet for operation-type information contained the names of the reactor operator and senior reactor operator, the prestartup checklist, operational data, ana the shutdown checklist. These sheets were filled out completely and properly signed.
The activity information sheets provided a good record of the activities performed.
No violations were identified.
7.
Reviews and Audits The inspector examined the minutes of the Reactor Safety Committee from April 11, 1979 through December 14, 1982. The Committee met three times i
in 1979, two times in 1980, one time in 1981, and one time in 1982.
Meeting only once during both 1981 and 1982 was a violation of Technical j
Specification 16.6.4.1, " Meetings and Quorums, which requires the Reactor Safety Committee meet at least twice each calendar year (83-02-01). A quorum was present at each of the meetings.
The Committee reviewed the Reactor Restart Procedure, which was used to i
checkout the reactor and restart the reactor on May 9, 1979, after the shutdown of February 22, 1975. The Committee also reviewed the Reactor Operating Procedures and the Security Plan.
During their 1981 and 1982 meetings, the Reactor Safety Committee audited the Reactor Operations Logs and the Maintenance Log for conformance of facility operation to Technical Specifications as required by Technical l
Specification 16.6.4.4, Audits.
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8.
Procedures The inspector reviewed the licensee's "AGN-201 Operating Procedures" and "AGN-201 Emergency Procedures".
The Operating Procedures had procedures for prestartup checkout, reactor startup, critical operation, reactor shutdown, and logs and records.
These procedures were reviewed by the Reactor Safety Committee and approved by the Reactor Administrator prior to the reactor restart on May 9, 1979, according to the Reactor Safety Committee meeting minutes and the licensee's 1979 Annual Report.
(The procedures were not dated and not signed to indicate this review and approval.) The procedures appeared to provide for safe operation of the reactor.
The Emergency Procedures addressed reactor scram, instrument failure, loss of electrical power, control rod system malfunction, and reactivity excursions and/or high radiation. The procedures appeared to provide for safety of personnel during these emergencies.
The inspector also reviewed the procedures used by the licensee for surveillance activities. These procedures had many handwritten changes in them. According to the licensee, these procedures were originally prepared for a different AGN-201 reactor and the handwritten changes were necessary revisions for the licensee's reactor. The inspector told the licensee that these procedures should be formally revised for their reactor and formally approved prior to the reactor being returned to operation after the temporary shutdown of May 31, 1983. The licensee agreed. These procedures will be inspected upon restart of the AGN-201 reactor (83-02-02).
No violations were identified.
9.
Surveillance Activities The inspector reviewed the performance of the following surveillance requirements.
Time Tech Spec Description Frequency Period 16.4.1.a Measure safety and control annually 7/79 - 11/82 rod reactivity worths 16.4.1.b Determine total excess annually 7/79 - 11/82 reactivity and shutdown margin 16.4.2.a Measure safety and annually 3/79 - 10/82 control rod scram time and insertion rates
7 Time Tech Spec Description Frequency Period 16.4.2.b Inspect safety and control biennially 3/79 - 10/81 rods and drives for deter-ioration 16.4.2.c Perform a channel test of:
Prior to 5/9/79 - 12/4/82 Nuclear Safety #1, #2, and each operation
- 3; Manual Scram; Area Radiation Monitoring 16.4.2.d Perform a channel test of:
quarterly 4/79 - 10/82 shield water temperature; shield water level; seismic displacement 16.4.2.e P'rform a channel check of:
- daily, 5/9/79 - 12/4/82 Nuclear Safety #1, #2, and whenever
- 3; operating Area Radiation Monitor 16.4.2.f Insert each safety rod prior to 5/9/79 - 12/4/82 and scram to verify each operation operability 16.4.2.g Calibrate and verify annually 4/79 - 6/82 setpoints of period, count rate, and power level measuring channels 16.4.2.h Calibrate shield water annually 4/79 - 6/82 level, shield water temperature, and seismic displacement l
safety channels i
j 16.4.2.1 Calibrate radiation annually 5/79 - 11/82 l
monitoring instrumentation l
Occasionally, the surveillance activities were not performed at the l
scheduled time. This was due to the reactor not being operated because of class schedules. On those occasions, the surveillance activities were performed prior to resumption of reactor operations.
No violations were identified.
10.
Exit Interview The inspector met with the licensee representatives (listed in Paragraph
- 1) at the conclusion of the inspection on May 13, 1983. The inspector presented the scope and findings of the inspection.
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