ML20204J084

Notifies of 870325-27 Site Meetings W/Licensee & Inel to Discuss Application to Renew License R-108 & Info Indicated by Encl Preliminary Questions

ML20204J084
Person / Time
Site:	Dow Chemical Company
Issue date:	03/19/1987
From:	Alexander Adams Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Kocher C DOW CHEMICAL CO.
References
NUDOCS 8703270169
Download: ML20204J084 (9)

Text

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March 19, 1987 Docket No. 50-264 Dr. Charles W. Kocher Reactor Manager H & E.S/I.H 1602 Building Dow Chemical Company Midland, Michigan 48674

SUBJECT:

REVIEW 0F LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION g The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and its contractor, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), are continuing the review of the documentation submitted in support of your application for renewal of the operating license for the Dow Chemical Company TRIGA Research Reactor. We have planned a visit to your reactor facility for March 25-27, 1987, to i discuss your application and to increase our familiarity with your facility. L It is anticipated that a total of four people from NRC/INEL will participate in the visit.

During the visit we plan to discuss the information indicated by the enclosed set of Preliminary Questions. Responses to these questions should not be submitted fonnally at this time. Instead, the information should be made-available in draft form at the site visit for discussions. Following the site visit meeting, a formal set of questions, based upon the meeting discussions, will be sent to you for a formal response.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 492-8207.

Sincerely, Original signed by Alexander Adams, Jr., Project Manager Standardization and Special Projects Directorate Division of PWR Licensing-B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

DISTRIBUTION:

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Dr. Charles k'. Kccher ,

Reactor Manager H & E.S/I.H 1602 Building J' '

Dow Chemical Company ,, ,

Midland, Michigan 48674 ,

SUBJECT:

REVIEW OF LICENSE RENEWAL AOPLICATION -

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and its contracttr, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL),'are continuing the review of t'ae documentation submitted in support of your application for renewal ot the operating license for the Dow Chemical Company TRIGA Research Reactor.' We ,

have planned a visit to your reactor' facility for Mars 25-27, 1987, tt '

discuss your application and to increase our familiarity with your facility.

It is anticipated that a total of four people from NRC//hEL will participate in the visit. i During the visit we plan to discuss the information indicaled by cle enclosed set of Preliminary Questions. Respon:.es to these questions should not be ,

submitted formally at' this time. Instead, the information should ht: Tidde s, available in draft form at the site visit for discussions. Folbwing the s, site visit meeting, a formal set of questions, based upon the me2t99 ,

discussions, will be sent to you for a fo,nal response.

If you have any questions, please contact ne at (101) 492-0207. ,

Sincerely, f()4&c$ h$bA' i,/

Alexander Adams, Jr. <r, ject Manager Standardization and Special Projects Directorate Division of PWR Licensing-R Office of Nuclear F3actc.r Regulation

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:  ?

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s DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY TRIGA-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS FOR RENEWAL s

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1. Please furnish a schematic plan view of the reactor core showing the position of the aluminum-and stainless-steel-clad fuel elem'ents, the control rods, the source, the neutron detectors, and the experimental facilities. < S

2. What are the controls and procedures available to assure safe and proper handling of the source? What geometry is maintained between the source and i

the neutron detectors? From what material is the source holder fabricated?

Is the source located in the source holder in the core during reactor operation?

3. Are the aluminum-and stainless-steel fuel elements of " standard" TRIGA design? If not, please indentify the differences from the standard TRIGA design. Do all of the ' fuel elements contain the same amount of U-2357

4. What is the length of the poison section of the control rods? What are the consequences of the control rods inserting positive reactivity into the reactor at a rate that exceeds the Technical Specifications limit of 0.20$ per second? Could an over-voltage condition to the control rod drive motors result in drive speeds that exceed 20 inches per minute?

5. What procedures are used to calibrate the nuclear instrumentation? How often is a nuclear power calibration performed and what procedure is used?

6. Is there an alarm installed to warn of a loss of coolant condition in the l reactor tank? What is the rate and source of water loss from the primary coolant system during reactor operation? What is the source of the primary coolant makeup water and is the makeup water passed through the filtration system before entering the primary system? Is there a credible method by which primary coolant can be introduced into the city water supply? If not,

! what design features prevent this event from occurring? Is your demineralizer the type that requires regeneration of the resin bed or do you replace the resins when they are spent?

DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY TRIGA-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS FOR RENEWAL

7. Is there an alarm installed to warn of approach to the Technical Specifications limit on primary coolant temperature or conductivity?

8. What are the pressures on the primary and secondary sides of the heat exchanger? Is there an alarm to warn personnel if the pressure on the primary side of the heat exchanger exceeds the pressure on the secondary side? Is there a means to check the secondary discharge from the heat exchanger. for radioactivity before it enters the sewer? Discuss the implications of a water leak between the primary and secondary sides of the heat exchanger.

9. Please' provide a schematic of the ventilation system for the reactor room and the 1602 Building. Is the exhaust air filtered for normal or emergency situations? If filtration is provided, what is the efficiency of the-filter for particulates?

10. What provisions are there for fire protection at the reactor facility?

11. What provisions are there for emergency power at the reactor facility? In -

light of your request to increase reactor power to 300KW, discuss the implications of loss of power on the facility while the reactor is in operation.

12. Describe your ALARA program and how it is implemented. How is your personnel monitoring program implemented to assure ALARA?

13. At what frequency are your portable radiation monitors calibrated? What

! is the minimum frequency of your radiation surveys? What are the action levels and responses associated with these surveys?

14. Please describe the administrative organization of your radiation

. protection program. Include details on the health physics training provided for reactor operations personnel and reactor users.

1 DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY TRIGA-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS FOR RENEWAL 4

15. Please provide a summary of the annual personnel exposures at the facility for the last five years. In light of your request to increase reactor power to 300KW, do you anticipate any changes in personnel exposure?

16. Please describe your liquid and solid radioactive waste programs. In light of your request to increase reactor power to 300KW, do you anticipate any changes in your programs? What is the volume of the spent ion exchange resins generated at the facility and what radioactivity levels have been observed in the spent resins?

17. What is the alarm setpoint for the CAM 7 Page 22 of the SAR indicates a setpoint of three times maximum background, while page 4 of the Environmental Report indicates eight times typical background level. What is the relationship between the CAM setpoint and airborne radioactivity concentrations?

18. Please provide the estimated efficiencies and operating ranges for the ,

fixed position radiation and effluent monitors. What are the method and frequency of calibration and routine operational checks for these instruments?

19. Please provide figures for the the annual release of Ar-41 from your facility for_ the last five years. What is the estimated release rate of Ar-41 at 300KW and what potential maximum exposure rate does this represent to people in unrestricted areas?

i 20. What is the accuracy of the control rod position indicators? What signal starts and stops the timer when performing rod drop time measurements?

21. During reactor operation, is pool temperature or heat exchanger temperature monitored?

22. Is the reactor always started up in the MANUAL mode?

23. Please discuss the effect that increasing reactor power will have on the facility instrumentation. Page 18 of the SAR shows the top of the range for

DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY TRIGA-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS FOR RENEWAL 6

all power detectors to be 300KW. However, the proposed LSSS for the reactor at the increased power is 330KW. Please explain this inconsistency.

24. If high voltage is lost to the power channels, does the reactor scram?

What is the relationship between the safety limit and the scram setpoints on the power channels?

25. What are the anticipated average operating power and total yearly integrated energy for the reactor at the increased power level?

26. Please provide a drawing that shows the relationship between the reactor room and areas of unrestricted access.

27. Are there any other storage locations for fuel in addition to the three eleven-foot deep storage wells?

28. Please describe the methods for and restrictions to irradiating experiments in the water volume near the core.

29. Please provide your plan for pre-operational testing, and the list of initial measurements you anticipate performing at 300KW prior to commencement of normal operations.

30. Does a crane exist that allows movement of heavy objects over the reactor core? If so, how often does this type of operation occur and what kind of procedural controls are in place to gt.vern operation, maintenance, and qualification of the crane?

l 31. What procedures are in place to assure that experiments do not stay in the reactor for periods of time greater than those authorized? What assurances are there that the radioactivity released in a misplaced experiment accident will be less than the maximum hypothetical accident (MHA)?

32. Is it possible to replace the water by air in the core secuon of the I

central thimble? If so, what are the consequences of this event?

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DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY TRIGA-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS FOR RENEWAL o

33. The SAR quotes a fission product inventory of 4200 curies for the fuel element considered in the MHA. If this number does not represent the fuel element with the maximum fission product inventory, please estimate the maximum fission product inventory that will occur after maximum expected operation.

34. What are the maximum and average fuel temperature at 300KW7

35. For the calculation of the restricted (occupational) area dose that occurs during the MHA, what assumptions are made for the status of the ventilation system, the number of fuel elements in the core, the maximum local-to-core average peaking factor for the failed element, and the time required to evacuate the building? Was a finite cloud assumption used in the reactor room calculations?

36. For the calculation of the unrestricted area done that occurs during the MHA, is the ventilation system operating through a HEPA filter, at what location is the dose calculated, and is a semi-infinite cloud assumption used?

37. Please provide numbers for the table below considering the MHA.

Whole-body Thyroid Exposure and Location Immersion Dose Committed Dose

-min. (occupational) mrem rem exposure in reactor room

-hour (public) exposure mrem mrem immediately outside the restricted area l

+ , DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY TRIGA-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS FOR RENEWAL

38. Is the SAR based on the use of the aluminum clad fuel element in the reactor core? If not, please address this issue explicitly at 300KW. When the aluminum clad element is in the reactor core, it is the limiting fuel element and must be addressed by the SAR.

39. Considering a core containing the aluminum clad fuel element, please provide the assumptions made and calculations, or the specific reference, for the reactor power transient analysis (SAR page 43), and the instantaneous LOCA analysis (SAR page 46). Please provide the assumptions made and calculations, or the specific reference, for the loss of shielding water analysis (SAR page 44), and the dose at the fume hood from the production of Ar-41 (SAR page 49).

40. Please provide a reference that supports a 1 MW TRIGA peak fuel temperature of 400 degrees C (Technical Specifications page 6). This reference should also support " safe and reliable operations using aluminum clad fuel with a H/Zr ratio of 1.0 at power levels of 330KW or greater".

41. What are your procedures for measuring core K-excess both with and without experiments in the core? How can you assure that the Technical Specifications limit for K-excess will not be exceeded?

42. Please be prepared to discuss your proposed Technical Specifications in relation to American National Standard ANSI /ANS-15.1-1982, and their comparability to other TRIGA reactor Technical Specifications.

43. Please analyze and justify increasing your core K-excess to 3.00$.

, 44. Please discuss the environmental effects of Nitrogen-16 production at

- 300KW. What will be the estimated transport time of the Nitrogen-16 to the surface of the pool?

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