ML20078N359
| ML20078N359 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Reed College |
| Issue date: | 11/22/1994 |
| From: | Frantz S REED COLLEGE, PORTLAND, OR |
| To: | Mendonca M NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9412060190 | |
| Download: ML20078N359 (1) | |
Text
.
REED COLLEG E
'\\
Ponland, Oregon 97202 i
REACIOR TACIUrY November 22,1994 To:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington DC 2055 Marvin Mendonca, Senior Project Manager, NRC From:
Stephen Frantz, Director, Reed Reactor Facility Re:
Decision Not to Operate at IIigh Temperature to Search for a Iraking Fuel Element Reed College Reactor's oversight committees have decided not to operate the reactor at elevatri temperatures for the sole purpose of searching for a fuel element which experienced a transient leak in January 1994. The issue was discussed independently by the Reactor Operations Committee on 10/3/94 and by the Radiation Safety Committee on 10/26/94. Each committee unanimously agreed that radiation concerns and ALARA policy precluded performing a high temperature run without cooling simply to look for a leaking fuel assembly. Thus the extensive but unsuccessful attempts to locate a leaking fuel element earlier in 1994 completed the recovery from the fuel element leak.
During the committee meetings it was noted that to heat the reactor water to an appropriate temperature for the sniffing, the reactor must be run at full power for many hours with the cooling system secured. The committees thoroughly discussed conducting a high temperature, high power run to sniff for a leaking fuel assembly. The disadvantages included: increased radiation dose to the students from operating at high power with the cooling system secured for several hours (or days) producing higherlevels of 81Ar and 16N, mcreased radiation dose to the students frcm the sniffing operation drawing pool water directly from the core region up to the floor level without time for decay of 16N, increased humidity in the reactor bay, and the high probability that the leak would not reoccur during the sniffing (based on experience at other TRIGA facilities). They authorized the director to look for a leak in the future, following discussion with the committees.
The committees agreed that a formal procedure should be approved for future sniffing operations and that the apparatus should remain set up as far as possible. The procedure is in draft form for approval at the next meeting. The sniffing apparatus is set up and will be improved as additiona!
equipment becomes available.
If there are any questions, please contact us.
Sincerely,
/-
' s -7
/
MOA j
Stephe G. Frantz Director, Reed Reactor Facility 9412060190 941122 PDR ADOCK 05000288 mg P
PDR p.
b Q 3203 SE Wooduod.Rlud., Portland. OR 97202-3199 Tel:(503) 777-7222 Fax:(503) 777-7274 cmail:sgf(a' reed.edu l
l