ML20198N346

Insp Repts 50-344/97-04 & 72-0017/97-04 on 970929-1010.No Violations Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Fuel Debris Processing Preparation for Pouring Concrete for Portion of ISFSI Pad & Control & Release of Contaminated Matl

ML20198N346
Person / Time
Site:	Trojan  File:Portland General Electric icon.png
Issue date:	10/31/1997
From:	NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:
Shared Package
ML20198N343	List: ML20198N340 ML20198N346
References
50-344-97-04, 50-344-97-4, 72-0017-97-04, 72-17-97-4, NUDOCS 9711040046
Download: ML20198N346 (7)

See also: IR 05000344/1997004

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ENCLOSURE

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

- REGION IV .

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Docket No.: 50-344: 72-17

License No.: NFP-1

Report No.: 50-344/97-04;72-17/97-04

Licensee: Portland General Electric Company (PGE)

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Facility: Trojan Nuclear Plant

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l Location: 121 S.W. Salmon Stroet, TB-17

Portland, Oregon -

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! - Dates: September 29 - October 2,1997

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- Inspectors: Lee H. Thonus, Project Manager

Office of Nuc' ear Reactor Regulation

Approved By: D. Blair Spitzberg, Ph.D., Chief .

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Nuclear Materials inspection and Fuel Cycle Decommissioning

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9711040046 971031  !

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EXECUTIVE SUMMABY

Trojan Nuclear Plant -

NRC Inspection Report 50-344/97-04;72-17/97-04

Portland General Electric (PGE) is proceeding with several decommissioning activities at the

Trojan nuclear facility in parallel. Their goal is to move the spent fuel to a 10 CFR Part 72

licenseo Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) and to complete decommissioning

and terminate the 10 CFR part 50 license by calendar year 2001.

To accomplish this goal, Portland General Electric personnel are processing fuel debris in the

fuel building to reduce it to a form suitable for storage in the ISFSt. They are also constructing

the ISFSI pad and continuing with decontamination and dismantlement activities in the reactor

containment and auxiliary buildings. Material which PGE expects can be released for

unconditional use is prepared for free release in the demineralizer building. The preparation

includes any required decontamination and a preliminary survey. The materialis then sent to

the turbine building for final free release surveys.

Fuel Debris Processina

. The licensee processed 15 cans of fuel debris. The fuel debris consisted primarily of

fuel pellets, fuel pellet fragments, weld dross, and filter material which had been

vacuumed out of the reactor vessel and the spent fuel pool floor. The cans were placed

in 3 capsules which were filled with inert gas and welded closed. The fuel debris

processing observed by the inspector was performed in accordance with the licensee's

safety analysis and supporting documents (Section 1).

Dry Cask Storace

. Placement of rebar for the transfer station portion of the independent Spent Fuel

Storage Installation was found to be consistent with the licensee's drawings.

Preparations for the concrete pour of the transfer station were nearing completion

(Section 2).

Control of Radioactive Material

. The licensee's interim corrective actions following the discovery of several contaminated

articles outside of the radiologically controlled area were reasonable but had not been

completed. The licensee's evaluation of the extent of the release of contaminated items

is still underway. The NRC will continue to review the licensee's actions in this area as

an inspection followup item (50-344/97004-01) (Section 3). ,

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Rgoort Detalb

Summarv of Plant Status

Active decommissioning continued at Trojan, with the goal of placing the spent fuel in a

10 CFR Part 72 licensed ISFSI and terminating the Part 50 license by calendar year 2001.

Critical path / priority work included fuel debris processing, ISFSI construction and support

activities, and work in support of reactor vessel removal and shipment. Decontamination,

dismantlement, packaging and shipment of radioactive waste and release of non-radioactive

items continued.

Fuel debris processing had experienced several delays in startup, but once in operation, the

processing proceeded efficiently. PGE and their contractors, GTS Duratek had completed the

processing of 15 cans of fuel debris and had placed them into three capsules. The capsules

were overpacks which could hold as many as five fuel debris cans each. The capsults were

filled with helium gas and closed with a seat weld. The seal welds were inspected using dye

penetrant and found to be acceptable.

The ISFSI storage pad continues under construction. The cask storage portion had been

completed and the steel reinforcement (rebar) for the cask transfer station had been placed.

Two concrete pours remained to complete the facility. The rebar placement for the cask

transfer station was found to be consistent with specifications. Final shimming of the rebar at

the outer edge of transfer station portion of the ISFSI pad had not yet been completed.

1 Fuel Debris Processing (37801,71801)

1.1 Insoection Scooe

, The purpose of the fuel debris processing project was to seal fuel debris material into

canisters that could be stored at the ISFSI. The fuel debris consisted primarily of fuel

pellets, fuel pellet fragments, weld dress, and filter media. The activities associated with

the processing and sealing of the fuel debris material was observed to verify compliance

with the limits and conditions specified in the licensee's safety analysis

1.2 Observations and Findinas

The licensee had processed 15 cans of fuel debris which were placed in three capsules.

The capsules were overpack containers capable of holding five fuel debris cans each.

The fuel debris material consisted primarily of fuel pellets, fuel pellet fragments, weld

dross, and filter material which had been vacuumed out of the reactor vessel and the

spent fuel pool (SFP) floor. The inspector observed several activities associated with

the fuel debris processing project. This included the processing of a fuel debris can,

transfer of the can to the fuel transfer canal, and the insp ; tion of the seal weld on a

capsule using dye penetrant testing.

The fuel debris cans were filled with fuel debris material and heated to 1100 F to drive

off organic material such that the remaining H2 would result in less than 0.250 moles per

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Action Request (CAR) 97-0024 to investigate and identify corrective actions. The

inspector reviewed the status of the licensee's findings and interim corrective actions.

3.2 Observations and Fin. dings

in April,1997, the licensee informed the NRC that contaminated material had been

improperly released from Trojan's radiologically controlled area. Subsequent to that

finding, in September,1997, the licensee informed the NRC that additional

contaminated material had been found outside the radiologically controlled area, but

within the site fenced area. The licensee was in the process of determining the root

cause(s) and developing corrective actions to address the problem. The licensee had

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conducted surveys of storage areas outside the radiologically controlled area and

identified several contaminated items, including wrenches, shackles, a lifting cable ; a

lifting eye, a screwdriver arid scaffold tubing. A bucket surveyed was found to have

fixed beta-gamma contamination of 200,000 dpm/20 cm 2

The licensee's free release

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limit for fixed contamination was 1,000 dpm/20 cm . The bucket was being used to

transport material to the survey / release facility. The bucket had come from a North

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American (licensee contractor) tool room. A survey of the ISFSI pad found two scaffold

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tubes with fixed contamination. Additional site surveys were still underway by the

licensee.

Interim actions taken by the licensee included instituting a two man rule at the

survey / release facility, stationing a radiation protection technician at the exit from the

radiologically controlled area to survey items being removed and to observe personnel

exiting, and performing surveys of storage area which might contain items which had

been released from the radiologically controlled area.

The inspector observed the survey and release facility and found that the two man rule i

was being implemented. Tiie technicians were observed to be thorough and methodical l

in their surveys. The technicians were using thin window G-M " pancake" type probes

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with 20 cm area. The technicians were allowed to take breaks when they felt fatigued.

After the technicians released a bin of material, a sample of severalitems was selected

by a radiation protection supervisor and resurveyed.

The licensee had also stationed a radiation protection technician at the radiologically

controlled area exit to survey hard hats and hand carried items being removed from the

radiologically controlled area. Previous practice had allowed the owner of the items to

survey his/her own hard hat and hand carried items. The technician also responded to

alarms from the automated personnel monitors. Trojan had not completed a

determination of the extent to which contaminated materia!s existed outside the

radiologically controlled area, or the extent that radioactive materials may have been

transported offsite. Troian's quality assurance organization had responded aggressively

to the discoveries. Their involvement lead to the discovery of the contaminated scaffold

tubes at the ISFSI pad. The quality assurance organization was planning to have an

independent assessment performed by an independent offsite group. The licensee's

interim corrective actions appeared reasonable. The NRC will continue to follow the

licensee's actions in this area as an inspection follow item (!FI) (50-344/97004-01).

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. 3.1 Conclusions

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The licensee's interim corrective actions following the diccovery of several contaminated -

articles outside of the radiologically controlled arv. were reasonable but had not been.-

completed. The licensee's evaluation of the extent of the release of contaminated items-

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is still underway. The NRC will continue to review the licensee's actions in this area as

an inspection followup item (50-344/97004-01) -

4- Exit Meeting

The inspector presented the inspection results to members of licensee management at

the conclusion of the inspection on October 2,1997. The licensee acknowledged the

findings presented. Portions of a GTS Duratek procedure reviewed but not retained b'

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the inspector were identified as proprietary and are not discussed in the inspection

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ATTACHMENT

PARTIAL LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED -

Licensee

D. Gilonw, ISFSI Project

T. Meek, Radiation Protection

J D. Nordstrom, Nuclear Oversight -

H. Pate, Licensing --

S. Quennoz, Trojan Site Executive

S, Schnieder, Plant Operations

i. M. Tursa, ISFSI Engineer

C. Yundt. Plant Support /Techr.ical Functions

GTS Duratek

l R. Roberts, Engineer

f State of OreaQD

A.- Bless, Resident inspector, Oregon Office of Energy

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INSPECTION PROCEDURES USED

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- 37801 Safety Reviews, Design Changes, and Modifications at Permanently Shutdown

Reactors

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46053 Structural Concrete Work Cbservation

71801 Decommissioning Performance and Status Review at Permanently Shutdown

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Recctors

92701 Follow up

ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

Opened

50-344/97004-01 IFl Follow corrective actions re: surveys

Closed

None

Discussed ,

None

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UST OF ACRONYMS

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-CW ' ' corrective action request -

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- cm centimeter :j

l -- CFR Code of Federal Regulations

- dom- disintegrations per minute

_G-M- _ Geiger-Mueller- _ _.._

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l lSFSI Independent Spent Fuel Installation

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mrem ~ milli-Roentgen equivalent man.

mSv > milli Sievert

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NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1

I ppm- parts per million

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PGE  : PortJand General Electric

Rem- Roentgen equivalent man

Sv Sievert

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