ML20127B466
| ML20127B466 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dow Chemical Company |
| Issue date: | 12/31/1992 |
| From: | Kocher C DOW CHEMICAL CO. |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM), Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9301120287 | |
| Download: ML20127B466 (4) | |
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Dow U.S. A.
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8 January 1993 Director, Office of Nuclear Reac*or Regulation Document Control Desk US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington,DC 20555 DOW TRIG A RESEARCll REACTOR - DOCKET 50 264 Sir:
Enclosed is the Annual Report for the Dow TRIG A facility for the year 1992.
Very truly yours,
& f ebu '
C. W. Kocher Reactor Supervisor 1602 Building 120021 930112O287 921231 PDR ADOCK 05000264 f g R PDR f
. e y DOW TRIG A RESEARCil REACTOR
, ANNUAL REI ORT 1992 There were no major changes, maintenance problems, or down time involving the reactor during 1992.
Operation of the reactor continues to be plagued with an unacceptably large number of unimentional shutdowns (SCRAMS), most of w hich seem to tw causcd by the control system itself. A representative of Ocncral Atomics, the manufacturer of the control system, visited this laboratory in August 1992 and observed several examples of malfunctions. It is our understanding that an investigation at General Atomics' facility has led to a better understanding of the software and it is expected that changes will be made early in 1993 which will have the result of reducing the number of SCRAMS somewhat.
There were three announced US NRC inspections conducted by two Region !!! inspectors during 1992, with no violations or open items. The required annual audit was conducted by an outside consultant; recommendations were made and the Reactor Operations Committee has responded to these recommendations. The nonal in. house audits of the radiation protection program, safety and housekeeping,and records were also performed and the recommendations acted upon. During 1992 the Reactor Operations Committee has also directed actions taken in response to recommendations made following a De xmber 1991 audit by the carrier of the nuelcar liability insurance.
A. Staff, L.icenses, and Training The staff consists of five Senior Reactor Operators, no changes having taken place during 1992:
C. W. Kocher Reactor Supervisor W. L Rigot Assistant Reactor Supervisor T. J. Quinn Assist;mt Reactor Supervisor M. E. Iluchmann J. D. Romick Licenses are current. Rigot and Quinn will apply for renewals in 1993, Kocher's !icense will be up for renewal in 1995, while the 13uchmann and Romick licenses will be on fcc renewal in 1997.
All operators are scheduled for medical examinations during 1993.
The current two-yec requalification program started in the second quarter of 1992 and three sessions have been held. The SROs are current with operating experience and participation in hypothetical emergency drills, Reactor Operation Committee meetings, an annual operating examination, and the annual fuel inventory. Written examinations following each of the three quarterly training sessions were passed by all operators, with no indication of any deficiencies.
Operation of the reactor is an important part of the training program, since this reactor is operated on an as-needed basis, w hich results in numerou; operations each involving reactivity manipulations, use of the contml console, placement and retrieval of samples and handling of radioactive materials. The minimum experience of an operator during 1992 was 27.5 hours5.787037e-5 days <br />0.00139 hours <br />8.267196e-6 weeks <br />1.9025e-6 months <br /> of actual operating time, involving 186 reactivity manipulations, and the maximum experience was 102.5 hours5.787037e-5 days <br />0.00139 hours <br />8.267196e-6 weeks <br />1.9025e-6 months <br /> of actual operating time, involving 583 reactivity manipulations. Furthermore, each licensed person performed about 1/5 of the daily checkout procedures and at least two monthly checkout procedures; one of the monthly checkouts (an extensive combination of tasks involving the physical plant, the control system, and operating characteristics) was performed under the direction of another SRO as part of the annual onerating examination.
7 hnuary t%3
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i 7 DOW TRIG A RESEARCil REACTOR ANNUAL RI: PORT .1992 All licensed SROs took part in written and oral requalification examinations created and administered by a non-Dow consultant under observation of a NRC staff person. These were the examinations required during the six. year period of each license; each licensed SRO successfully passed these examinations.
E. M. Crim replaced S. W. Maxey as Radiation Safety Officer and mernber of the Reactor Operations Committee:
J.J.Itavel Facility Director; Chair C. W. Kocher Reactor Supervisor E. M. Crim Radiation Safety Officer W. L Rigot Assistant Reactor Supervisor T. D. Lickly B. Reactor Operating Experience The reactor was operated for 1.06 Megawatt days during 1992, for a total of 235 hours0.00272 days <br />0.0653 hours <br />3.885582e-4 weeks <br />8.94175e-5 months <br /> (an averags of 11.6% of the available nonnal working hours) and 1,505 reactivity manipulations, including checkouts and testing as well as the irradiation of samples.
C. Major Changes There were no major changes in the facility, and there wea no authorizations of new tests or experiments significantly difrerent than those performed pre 'iously, during 1992.
D. Unscheduled Shutdowns There were 59 unscheduled shutdowns (SCRAMS) during 1992, dovn from 72 during 1991, a probably insignificant change. During the almost ten years from 1 1-81 the yearly average was 6 SCRAMS, with a high of 9 (1983) and a low of 3 (1989), using the control instrumentation installed in 1971 and 1973. After installation of the new console there were 4 SCRAMS during ~
installation and startup in the last two weeks of December,1990,72 during 1991, and 59 during 1992. Some of these were related to hardware problems which have since been fixed, but a large majority seem to be due to two aspects of the control system: computer crashes and noise in the digital smoothing process which produces the period signal, About 80% of the GCRAMs were associated with three areas: the digital smoothing process (about 50%), computer cmshes (about 20%), and period scrams at the count rate / Campbell crossover (about 10%). i About 5% were associated with hardware: a sticking control rod drive switch. A lubrication program seems to be helping control this; a request has been made to General Atomics to specify a different kind of switch for this application.
About 10% were associated with operator errors, which will be the goal of a reduction-through-training program during 1993.
7 knuary 1993 l
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