ML20137G410

Responds to Request for Addl Info Re Insp of New Reactor Facility Prior to Loading Fuel & Issuance of Ol.Mechanical Component of Reactor Will Be Installed by 670602

ML20137G410
Person / Time
Site:	Dow Chemical Company, 05000000
Issue date:	05/29/1967
From:	Beamer W DOW CHEMICAL CO.
To:	Condellos J, Condelos J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
Shared Package
ML20136D183	List: IA-85-256, Requests That Encl Form Be Completed & Submitted by 760915 & Facility Emergency Plan & Implementing Procedures by 761007 in Order for NRC to Prepare Info Packets for Use in Responding to Incidents or Emergencies IA-85-258, Amend 3 Renewing License R-108 & Incorporating Security Plan as License Condition IA-85-261, Documents That Appropriate Corrective Actions Taken by Dow Chemical Co in Response to 780113 Immediate Action Ltr,Per 780207 Enforcement Conference at Facility IR 05000264/1973001 IR 05000264/1975001 IR 05000264/1977002 IR 05000264/1979003 ML20137G383 ML20137G390 ML20137G402 ML20137G410 ML20137G417 ML20137G432 ML20137G437 ML20137G446 ML20137G450 ML20137G460 ML20137G467 ML20137G472 ML20137G478 ML20137G487 ML20137G507 ML20137G524 ML20137G586 ML20137G600 ML20137G614 ML20137G637 ML20137G653 ML20137G750 ML20137G793 ML20137G816 ML20137G854 ML20137G875 ML20137G888 ML20137G896 ML20137G903 ML20137G908 ML20137G916 ML20137G921 ML20137G926 ML20137G931 ML20137G940 ML20137G951 ML20137G972 ML20137G976 ML20137G983 ML20137G990 ML20137G997 ML20137H003 ML20137H022 ... further results
References
FOIA-85-256, FOIA-85-258, FOIA-85-259, FOIA-85-261 NUDOCS 8508270292
Download: ML20137G410 (3)

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~.' ,. _i n THE DOW CHEMICAL CO M PANY MIDULN D. MICHIGAN 48440 AIRMAIL May 29, 1967 l Mr. John Conde11os Reactor Inspector AEC Division of Compliance Region III Suite 410 Professional Building Oak Brook, Illinois

Dear Mr. Conde11os:

This letter is to supply some additional information to that we have discussed on the telephone concerning your visit here for inspection of our new reactor facility prior to loading of the fuel and prior to issuance of the operating license by the Division of Reactor Licensing.

The installation of the mechanical components of the reactor will be completed by the end of this week (June 2). The electronic installation will be the next step and if it goes on the proposed schedule should be completed by June 16. The testing of all the operations and facilities should be com-pleted by June 19 or 20. We would thus be prepared for your inspection by June 19 or 20. I plan to call you an June 12 to report progress as of that date.

The following is information on the fuel loading procedure furnished by General Atomic in a recent letter.

"We will be prepared to review with the inspector our fuel loading and startup procedures which are briefly outlined in your safety analysis report. The fuel loading will start from the center of the core and proceed outward in such a manner to assure that all inner ring grid plate holes will be filled with fuel elements, control rods, and the central thimble.

Since the reactor will be operating under Dow*s facility license and operated by Dow's licensed reactor operators, 8508270292 850712 PDR FOIA .P KOHN85-256 PDR si - /

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36 )NO Mr. John.Conde11os May 29, 1967 Dou" Chemical Company necessarily must have the ultimate re-sponsibility'for the reactor operations. General Atomic, however,.has had considerable experience in starting up the 30 TRIGAireactors now in operation and has developed a stand-ard set of startup and calibration procedures that have been used at each. These procedures are outlined in our Technical Bulletin No. 116, Rev. A (attached). Our representative, who will provide technical. supervision during these startup cali-brations, will be experienced with these. procedures and able

'to effectively direct the operations. To maintain the actual operational responsibility with Dow and also provide valuable on-the-job training for your operators and other personnel, our plans call for Dow's personnel to perform the actual manipulations of the reactor controls, fuel elements and associated. components in_accordance with the well-established General Atomic procedures. In this regard we assume .that Dr. Anders'.AEC operator's license will have been transferred

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to your facility prior to reactor..startup since none'~of' Dene~ral Atomid'h^peFs6nne1~will hold an operator's license

.for your reactor.

Because your reactor will be loaded with " hot" fuel elements from four 19-element lead shipping casks, our standard load- ,

ing procedures have to be modified somewhat. We now under- ,

• stand that your reactor room monorail does not have the C" 3' '

capacity.for lifting the fuel storage casks; it will there 5 fore be .necessary to use a motor crane with access into th building through the. roof hatch. We will temporarily install r L one additional fuel storage. rack in your reactor tank (making le[ 9 *

a total of four). The first two casks, one at a time, will be lowered through the roof hatch and into the reactor tank.

Fuel elements will be unloaded from each. cask directly into i the storage racks while the cask is suspended from the crane (the casks are too large in diameter to fit between the reflector and tank wall and rest on the tank bottom). The crane will then suspend the third cask in the reactor tank where the fuel elements will be removed from the cask and loaded directly into the reactor core. The console and

,c instrumentation will be operating and multiplication data will be taken before and after the third cask has been emptied.

The fourth cask will then be lowered into the reactor tank and

unloaded directly into the reactor core, with multiplication data'taken when the cask is emptied. After all casks have been unloaded (two to the core and two to the storage racks), the

1. roof- hatch will be closed and the critical loading continued.

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I Mr. John Condellos May 29, 1967 The above sequence varies slightly from our standard loading procedures which call for the first loading step to be com-prised of 24 fuel elemence and a second loading step of 12 elements. Additionally, the hot fuel elements will be loaded into the middle of the core during the critical loading with-out regard to the slight differences in uranium content; they may, however, be rearranged at a later date. We suggest that you review this procedure, and the operating conditions that surround it, with your inspector prior to the final inspection to assure that there are no unexpected last minute objections."

On the inspection itself, General Atomic also states:

" Final facility inspections on TRIGA reactors have almost always been completed in less than one day. Should your final facility inspection be scheduled for more than one day, we would expect to be on hand only the last day in that schedule.

At the conclusion of all other TRIGA facility inspections, the inspector has then telephoned his report to Washington and requested immediate license issuance with telegraph or telephone confirmation thereof. To assure that the unproductive time of our personnel while at Dow is kept to a minimum, we request that you ask your inspector to agree to telephoning his final report and requesting telegraphic confirmation of license issuance. Please let us know what arrangements are made in this regard."

Please let me know if these proposed procedures meet with your approval.

Very truly yours, fik/n! h M W William H. Beamer, Chairman Radiation Hazards Committee Building 1602

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