ML20202H147

USGS Triga Reactor Annual Rept for Jan-Dec 1997

ML20202H147
Person / Time
Site:	U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date:	12/31/1997
From:	Timothy Debey INTERIOR, DEPT. OF, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
References
NUDOCS 9802200304
Download: ML20202H147 (7)

Text

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February 2,1998 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Director, DRSS, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Dr, Suite 400 Arlington TX 76011

Dear Director:

The attached annual report of the U.S. Geological Survey TRIGA reactor facility is submitted in accordance with license conditions.

The facility docket number is 50-274.

Sincerely, Timothy M. DeBey Reactor Supervisor Enclosure Copy to: l; .;(, j ; 7 USNRC Headquarters, Al Adams

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7-U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TRIGA REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT 4

JANUARY 1,1997 - DECEMBER 31,1997 NRC LICENSE NO. R-113 - DOCKET NO. 50 274 a

1. Personnel Changes The Reactor Supervisor position was filled on March 31 with a permanent, full time employee. The facility staff continues to be 4 full time employees (three reactor operators and one health physicist).

II. Operating Experience The Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR) was in normal operation for the year 1997. No major facility changes were made during the year.

A synopsis of irradiations performed during the year is given below, listed by the organization submitting the samples to the reactor staff:

Orga_Dization Number of Samples Geologic Division - National Mapping 1555 Geologic Division - Mineral Resources 1673 Geologic Division - Volcanic Hazards 56 Non-USGS users 132 Total 3,416 A. Thermal power calibrations were performed in February and August, with minor adjustments required.

B. No now Class I or Class ll experiments were approved during this period.

C. During the report period,108 daily checklists and 12 monthly checklists were completed in compliance with technical specifications requirements for surveillance of the reactor facility.

D. Tours were provided to individuals and groups during the year for a total visitor count of approximately 110.

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E. Ten fuel movements were performed during the year for the purposes of maintenance, increasing core reactivity, and performing experiments. In December, all fuel elements were measured and control rods were inspected and found to be within the tolerances specified in the Technical Specifications.

Ill. Tabulation of Energy Generated Megawatt Time Reactor Number of m an.th Hours was Critical Pulses January 56.232 59 hours6.828704e-4 days <br />0.0164 hours <br />9.755291e-5 weeks <br />2.24495e-5 months <br /> 51 minutes 0 February 53.450 57 hours6.597222e-4 days <br />0.0158 hours <br />9.424603e-5 weeks <br />2.16885e-5 months <br /> 25 minutes O March 48.301 50 hours5.787037e-4 days <br />0.0139 hours <br />8.267196e-5 weeks <br />1.9025e-5 months <br /> 30 minutes O April 51.511 54 hours6.25e-4 days <br />0.015 hours <br />8.928571e-5 weeks <br />2.0547e-5 months <br /> 42 minutes O May 38.000 39 hours4.513889e-4 days <br />0.0108 hours <br />6.448413e-5 weeks <br />1.48395e-5 months <br /> 29 minutes 0 June 62.058 63 hours7.291667e-4 days <br />0.0175 hours <br />1.041667e-4 weeks <br />2.39715e-5 months <br /> 25 minutes 0 July 34.266 39 hours4.513889e-4 days <br />0.0108 hours <br />6.448413e-5 weeks <br />1.48395e-5 months <br /> 14 minutes 0 August 55.222 55 hours6.365741e-4 days <br />0.0153 hours <br />9.093915e-5 weeks <br />2.09275e-5 months <br /> 46 minutes O September 30.953 32 hours3.703704e-4 days <br />0.00889 hours <br />5.291005e-5 weeks <br />1.2176e-5 months <br /> 6 minutes 0 October 27.917 28 hours3.240741e-4 days <br />0.00778 hours <br />4.62963e-5 weeks <br />1.0654e-5 months <br /> 28 minutes 0 November 39.752 40 hours4.62963e-4 days <br />0.0111 hours <br />6.613757e-5 weeks <br />1.522e-5 months <br /> 46 minutes 0 December 2_4.000 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> 17 minutes 0 Totals 521.662 MWh 542 hours0.00627 days <br />0.151 hours <br />8.96164e-4 weeks <br />2.06231e-4 months <br /> 59 minutes 0 IV. Unscheduled Shutdowns Number Date Cause -

736 1/7 CSC Watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

737 1/7 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

738 1/8 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

739 1/8 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

740 1/10 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

741 1/15 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

742 1/17 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

743 1/29 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

744 2/3 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

745 2/12 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

746 3/5 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

747 3/12 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

748 3/12 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

749 3/19 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

l 750 3/19 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

l 751 3/19 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

752 3/28 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

753 3/28 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

754 4/16 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

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755 4/16 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

756 4/23 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

757 4/25 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

758 4/30 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

759 4/30 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

760 5/7 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

761 5/14 NP1000 hi power during rod adjustment.

762 5/14 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

763 5/14 NP1000 hi power due to channel fluctuation.

, 764 5/14 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

765 5/21 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

766 5/28 NP1000 hl power due to circuit noise.

767 5/28 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

768 6/6 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

769 6/6 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

770 6/9 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

771 6/11 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

772 6/18 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

773 6/18 CSC watchdog scram do to computer lockup.

7. , 6/20 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

775 6/25 GBC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

776 6/25 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

. 777 7/9 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

778 7/16 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

779 7/30 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

780 8/8 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

781 8/11 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

782 8/13 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

783 8/21 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

784 8/27 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

785 9/10 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

786 9/12 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

787 9/24 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

788 10/8 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

789 10/29 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

790 11/5 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

791 11/7 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

792 11/12 NP1000 hl power; cause not determinable.

793 11/12 Momentary AC power outage.

794 11/12 Momentary AC power outage.

795 11/19 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

796 11/19 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

797 11/21 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

798 11/24 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

799 12/10 CSC watchdog scram due to computer lockup.

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V. Major Maintenance Operations The primary coolant ion exchange resin was replaced once during the year, in March.

VI. Summary of 10 CFR 50.59 changes There were no 50.59 changes at the facility during this report period.

Vll. Radioactivity Releases  !

1 A. Listed below is the total amounts of radioactive gaseous effluent released to the l environment beyond the effective control of the reactor facility.

Table 1. Gaseous Effluents Released to the Environment Month Argon 41 License Tritium (HTO) 10CFR20 Allowable (mCl)

• Allowable (curies) (Ci) (R-113) (mCl) ,

January 0.297 5.833 0.151 124 l February 0.09 5.833 ,

0.119 124 March 0.129 5.833 0.065 124 April 0.099 5.833 0.070 124 May 0.059 5.833 0.133 124 June 0.096 5.833 0.055 124 July 0.099 5.833 0.101 124 August 0.388 5.833 0.111 124 September 0.178 5.833 0.159 124 October 0.117 5.833 0.171 124 November 0.111 5.833 0.101 124 December 0.69 5.833 0.096 124 Total 2.353 70.00 1.332 1488

% of Allowable 3.36 % -- -- - - 0.09 %

• Note: The tritium concentrations are estimates based on the amount of water lost by evaporation from the reactor multiplied by the concentration of tritium as HTO. Tritium sample analyses are being performed by Barringer Labs.

B. Two 55-gallon drums of low-level radioactive solid waste were shipped for burial in Washington during the year.

Note: The principal radioactive waste generated at the reactor facility is the demineralizer resin - used resin with small quantities of rinse water was de-watered by evaporation and placed in 55-gallon drums, b 4

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Vill. Radiation Monitoring A. Our program to monitor and control radiation exposures included the four major elements below during the operating year.

1. Fifteen gamn.e-sensitive area monitors are located throughout the Nuclear Sulence Building. A remote readout panelis located in the reactor health physics office. High alarm set points range from 2 mr/hr to 50 mr/hr. High level alarms are very infrequent and due to sample movements.

2. One Continuous Air Monitor (CAM) sampling the air in the reactor bay. An equilibrium concentration of about 1 x 10* pCi/ml present for two minutes will result in an increase of 400 cpm above background. There are two alarms setpoints. A low-level alarm is set at 3000 cpm and the high level alarm is set at 10000 cpm. Reactor bay air is sampled during ali reactor operations. The fixed particulate air filter is changed each week and counted on a HPGE gamma spectrometer counting system. The charcoal fiher, fitted behind the air filter, is also changad and counted weekly. In all instances, semple data were less than airborne concentration value (10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B, Table 2) for all particulate radioisotopes produced by the reactor.

3. Contamination wipe surveys and radiation surveys with portable survey instruments are performed at least once a month. All portable instruments are calibrated whh a 3-Curie (initial activity) Cs 137 source traceable to NBS, and wipes are counted on a Gamma Products G4020 low level counting system.

One contaminated area was noted during routine wipe surveys with a beta activity of 66 pCi/100 cmr . Soap and water were used to remove this contamination. All other areas were less than 30 pCi/100 cm' beta and 15 pCi/100 cm' alpha. The roof area over the reactor tank is roped off and posted as a radiation area (averaging 2.5 mr/hr) during 1 MW operations.

4. Personnel, X and gamma, beta and neutron film badges are assigned to all permanent occupants of the Nuclear Science Building. LiF TLD dosimeters have been used at four outdoor environmental stations. Reactor facility visitors are issued self-reading dosimeters. Reactor staff personnel are issued albedo neutron badges.

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Table 2. Personnel Monitoring Results Deep Dose Snallow Dose Equivalent Equivalent Name Whole Body (Rem) Whole Body (Rem) Extremity (Rem)

( DaBey, T *

• 0.000 0.000 0.000 Helfer, P 0.020 0.020 0.120 l-Liles, D 0.090 0.090 0.230 Perryman, R 0.030 0.030 0.090

• • DeBoy monitoring period 4/1/97 to 12/31/97.

i Reactor Visitors and Occasional Expefimenters No individual reading was greater than eight (8) mrem.

$ Table 3. Environmental Dose Results Location Dose Dose Dose Dose Total Jan Mar Apr-June July-Sept. Oct.- Dec.

(REM) (REM) (REM) (REM) (REM) 3 Exhaust 0.0503 0.0660 0.0342 0.0597 0.2102 Stack l

Cooling 0.0113 0.0168 0.0119 0.0214 0.0614 Tower Fence Wast Vehicle 0.0209 0.0436 0.0305 0.0586 0.1536 Gate West Room 0.0172 0.0473 0.0180 0.0376 0.1201 151 Gate Southwest 0.0029 0.0224 0.0064 0.0058 0.0375 Light Pole Southeast 0.0061 0.013 0.0046 0.0064 0.0301 Light Pole Control 0.0329 0.0335 0.0283 0.0285 0.1232 (background)

Note: Above totals have the background subtracted (see control).

IX. Environmental _ Monitoring There have been no uncontrolled radioactivity releases from the reactor to the present date. Thus, the data on 'ile from past years to the present are considered to be background infoni,3 tion.

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