ML20148T709

Forwards Order Modifying Georgia Inst of Technology License R-97,for Info Only.No Response Solicited

ML20148T709
Person / Time
Site:	University of Michigan
Issue date:	01/29/1988
From:	Shafer W NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:	Kerr W MICHIGAN, UNIV. OF, ANN ARBOR, MI
References
NUDOCS 8802030374
Download: ML20148T709 (1)

Text

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JAN 291988

, Docket No. 50-2 4 s University of Michigan ATTN: Dr. William Kerr, Director Michigan Memorial - Phoonix Project Phoan:< Memori61 Laboratory

. Ann Arbor, MI 4C135

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j ", Gentlemen: t t m, f fe s,. Enclosed is an ore r to modify Georgia Institute of Technology Operation License No. R-97. The enclosure is sent for information only; no respense is i solicited.

Sincerely,

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l "Oriainni str ed by v.D. sh,ene n

W. D. Shafer. Chief l 'i ' Emergency Preparedness and j i ". . Radiological Protection Branch 4

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lM Georgia Institute of Technolegy f 900 Atlantic Drive N.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30332 Gentlemen:

Subject:

ORDER MODIFYING LICENSE, !FFFECTIVE IWtEDIATELY Enclosed herewith is an Order mortifying your license (effective irrnediately).

The Order requires you to imediately suspend certain activities under the subject NRC license until the requirements of the Order are satisfied.

You are requ' ired to respond to the enclosed Order, and in preparing your -

response, you should follow the instructions specified in the Order. ,

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," Fart 2

' Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations, a copy of this letter and the enclosed Order will be placed in the NRC's Public Docunent Reom. i t

A response to this letter or the accompanying Order is not subject to the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, PL 96-511. ,  ;

Sincerely, i

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%Mes M. Tay1 , Deputy Executive irector for Regional Operations

Enclosure:

Order Modifying License

. (Effective Imediately) cc: Dr. T. E. Stelson, Vice President ,

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1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REG'JLATORY COMMIS$10N in the Matter of l GEOFGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Docket No. 50-160 900 At1cntic Drive N.W. License No. R-97 Atlanta, GA 30332 EA 88-32 ORDER MODIFYING LICENSE, EFTECTIVE IMMEDIATELY I I The Georgia Irstitute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is the holder of Operating License No. R-97 issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or -

Commission) on December 29, 1964, and subsequently atended. The license, as amended, authorizes Ceorgia Tech to operate its modified research reactor located on its campus in Atlanta, Georgia, at power levels up to 5 megawatte (therral) for resecrrh and develogeent activities in accordance with the conditions specified therein.

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1 1 The Georgia Tech Research Reactor (GTRR) is utilized to cctduct irradiation  !

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czperiments including the irradiation of topa: and other gen-quality ninerals.

During the week of August 17, 1987, the irproper opening of an irraciated tcptz contairer resulted in contanination of the reactor building. An inspection cf l the licerste's operational and ht61th physics activities, including actions l pertaining to this contacination event, was conducted on Decerber 16, 1967, and ,

i January 4-5,19E.8 during which it was learned of the August contamination event. l The inspection revealed that the experirent conditions and manipulation of the i

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~2-experiment materials resulted in unexpected elevated radiation levels from the experiment container and also the unmonitored release of Cadmium-115 (Cd-115) in the reactor building. The exposure dose rate at one foot from the eyerinent material was approximately 3 rem per hour (R/hr) on August 18, 1987 and qualitative ressurements of radioactive contamination indicated levels on masolin wipes of approximately 20 mR/hr on August 19, 1987. The NRC staff also determined during the inspection that the licensee had not provided adecuate exposure assessments for personnel involved in the August 1987 incident, nor 3

had the licensee conducted adequate verification surveys to demonstrate that the contamination had ret been spread by personrel to areas cutside of the .

reactor building. Inspection firdings indicated that the licensee had not -

conducted its activities in full ecepliance with NRC requirements. A written Notice of Violation has not been issued at this time; additional inspection

! activities are being conducted. Nonetheless, the following safety concerns.

which could result in urnecessary personnel rediatien exposures and the potential spread of contamination away from the reactor building as a result of i

experiment manipulations, have already been identified:

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A. On llay 4,1987, an enforcement conference was held with the licensee l in which the licensee outlined steps to be implemented to improve the j management contrels over operations and health physics at the GTRR to

! assure safe operation. These 6ctions included steps to assure apprcpriate interaction between health physics and cperations components of the organization. A recent inspection has shown these actions have not been fully successful and indicatt that canagement l

l control problems contirue.

B, The licensee's health physics and operating procedures were inadequate in that they failed to address the precautions and equipment to prevent unnecessary exposure and contanination during handling and raripulation of materials irradiated during experiments at the GTRR.

C. The licensee failed to follow operating procedures as required by Technical Specifications as follows:  ;

I j 1. The August 1987 experiment involved irradiation of topaz

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gemstones for a total of 41.8 regawatt hours compared to .

30 megawatt-hours authorized on the Request for Minor Experiment Approval regarding tnpaz irradiations dated April 3, 1987.

l F. Procedure 3102, Quality Assurance for Experiments, Octeber 28,

, 1982, requires that the approval for'n for Categcry 4 experiments, such as the topaz irradiation, address quentitative i controls of reactivity, activation, shielding, cooling and 1 materials. Fecuest for liinor Experiment Approval, dated Apell 3, 1987, regarding the topaz frradiction lists the

! estimated isotepic activities to be ' nil." However, following

., an initial irradiation in April 1987, activation of the l experiment materials, including the container, resulted in I i j radiation levels of approximately 3 R/hr at a distance of i

) cre foot from the container. These elevated expesure levels l

l were not evaluated or included in experiment plans for the l t

i August 1987 topaz irradiation, t .

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4 D. Assessments of internal and external personnel exposures for personnel involved in the August 1967 incident and decontamination event were not adequate in that they did not determine and document intakes of radioactive material, extremity dose or skin dose.

E. Surveys conducted were inadequate as follows:

1. Continuous air samples collected from within the reactor building during the August 1987 ircident were not adequate to determine intakes in that they were not representative of concentrations, of radioactive material in the work area. -

2. Subsequent to the August 1987 incident, surveys were inadequate to define the extent and amount of radioactive contamination in the reactor building, on personnel,'and in personal property offsite which could have been potentially contaminated.

F. At the time of the inspection the licensee had failed to coeplete a thorough review of the August 1987 contamination event regarding its cause or causes, nor had any cor rective measures been implemented as of January 5, 1988 to prevent recurrence during future experiments.

G. Licensee managerent has indicated that there are other events similar to the August 1987 event that also have not yet been fully evaluated by the licensee. These safety concerns were the subject of discussions

j between Region 11 and the licensee on January 7, 1988. Upon the conclusien of these discussions, Region !! verbally requested, and the licensee agreed

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that irradiation experinents would be suspended until further notice.

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I After consideration of the apparent violations and safety hazards posed by the licensee's conduct of experiment activities, as exhibited during the August 19e7 4

event, and the subsequent lack of aggressive review and corrective actions by ,

the licensee, I have determined that certain actions by the licensee are requ. ired, '

and an Order modifying the Georgia Institute of Technology license is necessary, I to protect the health and safety of the public and licensee's employees.

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Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 2.204, I find that the public health, safety, and  !

interest require that that this Order be effective inmediately.

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t i Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 104, 161b, 161c, 1611, 1610, 182 and 186 cf l

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the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2011 el seq., and 10 CFR 2.204, IT IS HEREEY ORDERED, EFFECTIVE It?:EDIATELY, THAT: j i

1 1 A. The licensee shall cease utilization of the reactor facility for l 3

irradiation experirents until the following conditions are e.et i i

and the NRC approves, in writing, the resurpticn of irradiation l 1  ;

experirrents. [

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1. tianagement controls over facility operation, including i irradiation experiments, are assessed to identify weaknesses, t i

2. A formal review is conducted, including record reviews and j f

in-depth personnel interviews, to determine (a) if other f i

occurrences similar to the August 1987 incident have occurred. l and (b) the principal reot causes of the August 1987 incident f and any other similar incidents. l t

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3. An assessment of interral expesure, external whole body, . l l

. extremity, and skin doses to personnel involved in the August

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1987 incident (any cther identified incidents) and/or  ;

f j decontamination activities is cenducted. l l,

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4 TheGTRRhealthphysicsandoperatinyproceduresarereviewedto I I

i identify inadequacies which centributed to the August 1987 [

contamination event (and any other identified events). f I

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l i 5. Corrective actions are identified and a schedule established for  ;

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implementing the corrective acticns, including necessary changes j 1

in maragement controls, operations, and proceogn s.

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6. A training prcgram addressing all changes to management controls, j cperations, and procedures is developed and implemented.  !

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7. The licensee's reviews and assessments of the above matters are 1

documented and a sumary of these reviews and assessrents, including corrective actions and appropriate schedules, are t f

subnitted in writing to the NRC for review and approval. l t

B. Results of the licensee's survey of the heuse of the individual  :

' I involved in the August 1987 contamination event shall be provided t

in writing to the NRC within 10 days of the issuance of this order,

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The Regional Administrator, Region II, ray in writing relax or rescind any of.

> l the above conditions upon written request and demonstration of good cause by *

, the licensee. l i

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l l The licensee or any person other than the licensee adversely affected by this i Order may request a hearing on this Order within twenty days of its issuance.

Any recuest for hearing shall be sent to the Director, Office of Enforcement. I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Connission Washington, DC 20555. Copies shall also be l

sent to the Assistant General Counsel for Enfercement at the same address and ,

i the Regional Administrater, NRC Region !!, 101 Marietta St., NW, Suite 2900 L

Atlanta, GA 30323. If a person other than the licensee requests a hearing,  !

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that person shall set forth with particularity the ranner in which the l t

! petitioner's interest is adversely affected by this Order and shall address the I 1

i criteria set forth in 10 CFR 2.714(d). A REQUEST FOR HEARING SHALL NOT STAY l I THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ORDER.

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If a hearing is requested by the licensee or any person who has an interest adversely affected by the Order, the Coenission will issue an Crder designating the time and place of any such hearing. If the Licensee fails to request a hearing within 20 days of the date of this Order, the provisions of this Order shall be final without further proceedings. If a hearing is held, the issue to be considered at such hearing shall be whether this Order should be sustainea.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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]Nftr J s M. Tay1 , Deputy Executive Director'

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for Regional Operations -

Dated at Bethesda, Maryland thisjedayofJanuary1968

Georgia Institute of Technology Distribution POR SECY JTaylor DEDR0 JNGrace, RI!

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