ML20106J332

Submits Addl Info Re Decommissioning of Facility,Per .Radiation Safety Officer,Deputy & Health Physicist Present During Defueling Process.Integral Neutron Exposures Obtained from Film Badges

ML20106J332
Person / Time
Site:	05000276
Issue date:	02/04/1985
From:	Karam R Neely Research Reactor, ATLANTA, GA
To:	Thomas C Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8502150588
Download: ML20106J332 (10)

Text

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Georgia institute of Technology Neely Nuclear Research Center _ _ _1 _

Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (404) 894-3600 GEoRGIATECM M1945 orsrcronTouonnowTocar February 4, 1985 Dr. Cecil 0. Thomas Standardization and Special Projects Branch Division of Licensing U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555

Reference:

Docket No. 50-276

Dear Dr. Thomas:

This letter is being sent to you in response to your letter of January 17, 1985 requesting additional information regarding the decommissioning of the Georgia Tech AGN 201. I will answer your questions in the same order as they appeared in your letter. But first, I wish to inform you that on December 20, 1984, we defueled the AGN 201 and the fuel is being temporarily stored at the GTRR vault. This action is in accordance with your letter of November 13, 1984 which stated that it is permissible under our license,.

and provided we have a licensed operator, to defuel the AGN 201 and relocate the fuel in the GTRR vault for temporary storage.

The Dismantling Plan which was submitted to you was by and large applied. The only exception was that a neutron monitor, which responds to both fast and thermal neutrons, was'used. A radiation work permit was obtained (copy enclosed). In view of the fact that the fuel has been removed from the core of the AGN 201, the answers given below are based, in some cases, on measured data.

The licansed operator in charge for the defueling of the AGN 201 was Dr. Narl Davioson. His license expires November 7, 1986.

The following are our answers to the questions you raised.

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[ PDR l An Equal Educaton and Employment Opportunity instituton A Unit of the University System of Georgia

D r .H Thomas' Page 2 February;4, 1985-

.I.1 'The measured' dose 1fromEthe RaBe source is 10 mrem /hr.

gammas at 3_ feet from the source. This dose. rate is

.obtained when the. sourceis inithe air outsidethe lead pig. The' corresponding, fast. neutron dose is_0.07 mrem /hr.

The thermal' neutron dose is negligibly.small.- The RaBe source will.be used in radiation detection courses and is now Llisted son our State .of LGeorgia license,. GA-147-1, of radioactive isotopes at Georgia Tech. The Georgia--

-Tech custodian for-this sourcelis the Radiation' Safety

' Officer, Mr. Robert Boyd. We have no_ plan to dispose of the RaBe source.

I.2 The neutron monitor used during defueling was Eberline PNC-4 thermal and/or fast neutron detector comprising a-BF probe which can be operated in either of two modes:

(lfinair; the response is due almost entirely to thermal neutrons-and (2) the probe is-inserted into a-paraffin containing chamber surrounded by a cadmium sheet. The chamber is an -integral part of . the monitor.

The monitor output is counts.per minute. A chart on the side of the instrument converts counts per minute to mrem /hr. The gonitor sensitivity to neutrons is:

f as t; 0.8 n/cm sec gr 0.1 mrem /hr.

thermal; 0.001 n/cm sec or 0.004 mrem /hr.

I.3 The Radiation Safety Officer and als deputy were.present-at the beginning of the process. ~One hour ~into the de-fueling process the RSO was replaced by another health physicist. The RSO, Mr. R. Boyd,-has more than 25 years of professional experience in health physics and his deputy,.Mr. Steven Millspaugh, has more than.15 years.

The function of the health physicists was'to. monitor all aspects of the defueling operation and make sure that Georgia Tech health physics procedures were obeyed.

I.4 The personnel dosimetry devices.used were: (a): film badges for betas, gammas and neutrons. These badges are processed for Georgia Tech -by R.S._ Landauer, Jr. and-Company.- This company'is accredited by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards . A copy of their accreditation is enclosed. -(b) TLD's and pocket dosimeters were also used.

Integral neutron exposures are obtained f' rom'the film badges and records on all personnel are kept by the RSO.

l The monitors'used,for frisking were Eberline E-120 with L a pancake probe, Eberline PS-1 with pancake probe, Geiger' l

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Dr. Tliomas - ' Page 3 - February 4, 1985 counters, and portable' scalers. The Radiation Work Permit for the defueling operation is appended.- Georgia Tech health physics procedures were adhered to.

I.Sf ;The actual exposures and doses received during defueling are attached to the appended Radiation Work Permit.- The

. totallman-mrem was 15 whole body.

S I .6 ' The contact dose rate on the surface of'the fuel was

- 37' mrem /hr. The total dose to hands was 70 mrem. This value was obtained by the Deputy RSO from dose rate measurement and stay time during defueling. No finger dosimeters were worn.

During defueling, continuous air monitoring for. gas and particulate contamination in the breathing zone was made.

Any releases would have.been detected immediately.

I.7 The radiation exposure was minimal (less than 1 mrem /hr; actual data). In the opinion of the RSO the whole pro-cedure was in accordance with ALARA.

I.8 All had lab coats, gloves and masks.

4 I.9 Air samples were counted on location. Background was

, low; no shielded counting room was deemed necessary.

As mentioned earlier, the air sampling was continuous,

, from beginning to end. ,

I.10 The Cadmium rod and the Glory Hole tube were surveyed immediately after removal with Eberline instruments.

The maximum exposure rate of the Cadmium rod and the Glory Hole tube was the same as background.  : (This reactor has not been operated since 1979.)

I.ll _Our RSO has made extensive, but not yet complete, sur-veys. He finds thag smearable contamination is.less than 100 dpm/100 cm . His tentative conclusion is that the AGN 201 is as clean as a whistle!

I.12 0.015 man-rem (see exposure data)~.

II.1 In the opinion of our RSO, i t is very low and not.

measurable.

t II.2 The total energy generated during the lifetime of this reactor is about 68.4. watt-hours.- This was done over a period of more than 15 years. Consequently, we feel that this question is not applicable to the Georgia Tech AGN 201.

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Dr.uThomas Page.4 February 4, 1985 t

II.3 All remaining components will be smear-surveye'd and-probed for alphas, betas and gammas.- The survey will;be conducted in accordance with Georgia Tech health physics procedures. - The Eberline 120 pancake probe,'the PSI pan-cake' probe and a low Beta _ gas proportional counter will be used. These instruments have the following lgwer limit sensitivity, respectively3 100 dpm/100 cm for-betas and gamgas; ~30 dpm/100 cm for alphas, and 50 dpm/100 cm for betas and gammas.

Audits are. routinely conducted by the Nuclear Safeguards Committee and by the Radiation Protection Committec.

II.4 We will comply with Regulatory Guide 1.86.

Sincerely,

< , m' W

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.A. Karam Interim Director Nuclear Research Center RAK/jlr Enclosures pc: R.M. Boyd J. Nelson Grace i '

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/ W RADIATION WORK PERMIT 1

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r Feet: Shoe Covers - Rubbers - Other C Q-Hands s ,' Ruberized Canvas . Surgeons - Rubber - Other Body: Lab Coat - Other l Dosimeters J Finger Ri Other d l .............................................................................

I EXPOSURE RATES AND TIME LIMITS: Indicate portion of body exposed, hands, f feet, etc.

Rate A: - M[k1 '

Rate B:

h M, MM, Rate C:

APPROVALS: #

Health Physics 4d ther 3

Reactor Operations kbv_Y Other l PERMIT TE'tMINATED:

l Signature Date Time (A A. k'h i b,/ao/fw , ,

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'l EXPOSURE DATA LOCATION AGN 201-Exposure Name Rate MREM Used MREM J.F. Hendricks* A 2 2

• • B 10 10 Millsnauch

• A '2 2

• • B~ 10 10 Davidson

• A 2 2

• • B 10 10 Simbrat .* A 2 2

• • B 10 10 Jay Poston

• A 2- 2

• • B 10 10

Chester

• A 2 2

• • B 10 10 Mercer A 2 2 B 10 10 B. Boyd A <1 <1  ;

R.A. Karam

• A <1 <1

'* Wi!0LE BODY EXPOSURE

• • HAND EXPOSURE

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v w ates Department of 6t ed G , , 31 Bureau of Stand r er#*

xvA't CertificateofAccreditation R. S. LANDAUER JR. & COMPANY Glenwood, Illinois is recognized under the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program I

for satisfactory compliance with criteria established in Title 15, Part 7a Code of Federal Regulations for:

providing specific Personnel Radiation Dosimetry Processing Services

t October 1, 1986 cd

'j Effective until v

\%.*,/ For the National Bureau of Standards

C. .

GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH REACTOR Chapter Procedure 9250 11 Approved 2/28/78 Bealth Physics Procedure for Making Floor Plan Radiation Latest Rev. 2/28/78 Operations Surveys Page 1 of I c

I. PURPOSE The purpose of this procedure is to describe basically how a floor plan radiation survey is to be made. Radiytiwn surveys are required by 10 CFR 20.

II. MATERIAL REQUIRED A. Floor Plan Map of the appropriate area i B. Appropriate radiation counting equipment (liquid scintillation for H-3 and C-14, Gas Proportional Flow Counter for alpha and beta, G. M. for beta gasma, Ionization Chambers for dose rates, etc.)

C. Smear disk, masslinn, cotton swabs, etc.

II

I. PROCEDURE

A. Use a floor plan map survey data sheet.

B. Number on the floor plan map the location'where the wipe or smear and/or dose rate was determined.

C. Record results in d/m/100 cm' and area /hr on the survey data sheet D. Inform the Radiological Safety Officer of the results of the survey so he can take corrective actions if necaseary. Action points for contamination control are listed in the Georgia Tech Radiation Safe,ty, Manus 1.

E.- File radiation survey for future inspections.

NOTE: 8EE ATTACHED FLOOR PLANS l

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