ML20211B166

Oh State Univ Research Reactor Annual Rept for FY96/97

ML20211B166
Person / Time
Site:	Ohio State University
Issue date:	06/30/1997
From:	Cruz J OHIO STATE UNIV., COLUMBUS, OH
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
NUDOCS 9709250093
Download: ML20211B166 (7)

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Engineering Experiment Station 156 Hitchcock Hall 2070 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH 43210 1275 Phone 614-292 4903 FAX # 614-292-9615 UNIVERSfrY September 16,1997 Document Control Desk Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555

Dear Sir:

Please find enclosed the annual report for The Ohio State University Research Reactor, Docket No. 50150. This report is being submitted as required by our l

Technical Specifications, Section 6.6.1. If you have questions on the content of this l

report, please contact Mr. Richard Myser, Associate Director of the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.

Sincerely yours, j . .

Jose B. Cruz, Jr.

Dean JBC:krh c: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region 111 (w/ene.)

Theodore S. Michaels (w/ene.)

Don W. Miller (w/ enc.)

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College of Engineering

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT FOR FY 96/97 SEPTEMBER 11,1997

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I introduction As stated in The Ohio State University Research Reactor Technical Specifications, Section 6.6.1 Operating Reports, an annual report shall be made to the NRC by September 30 of each year. This report is to include the following seven sections.

1. A NTa'ive summary of operating experience (including experiments perfonned) and of changes in facility design, performance characteristics, and operating procedures related to reactor safety occurring during the reporting period.

2. A tabulation showing the energy generated by the reactor (in Kilowatt hours) and the number of hours the reactor was in use.

3. The results of safety-related maintenance and inspection. The reasons for corrective maintenance of safety-related items shall be included.

4. A table of unscheduled shutdowns and inadvertent scrams, including their reasons and the corrective actions taken.

5. A summary of changes to the facility or procedures, which affect reactor safety, and performance of tests or experiments carried out under the conditions of sections 50.59 of 10CRF50.

6. A sununary of the nature and amount of radioactive gaseous, liquids, and solid ellluents released or discharged to the environs beyond the effective control of the licensee as measured or calculated at or prior to the point of such release or discharge.

7. A summary of radiation exposures received by facility personnel and visitors, including the dates and times of significant exposures.

These seven sections are discussed below. Rese are all for the period July 1,19% through June 30,1997, except as noted for exposure records, l .A. Experiments Performed The staff of ne OSU Research Reactor are generally involved in four types of experiments at the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. Included are introductions to nuclear research, neutron activation analysis, material irradiations, and classes that measure various reactor parameters. Typically when we introduce students, faculty or other experimenters to nuclear research, we do the following:

a. Discuss nuclear reactions and radiological safety.

b. Operate the reactor at 10kW-100kW

c. Have the individuals observe control room operations.

d. Complete a tour and demonstrate irradiation techniques.

Neutron activation analysis experiments are routinely completed for students ranging from high school to graduate school. The facilities normally utilized are the " rabbit" (pneumatic tube) and the "CIF" (Central irradiation Facility). The majority of the NAA work is geological samples. Irradiations are typically no longer than six hours.

OSURR Annual Report Page1of5 9/97 l

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Material irradiations, other than for NAA, are in four basic areas: isotope production, detector, electronic component and fiber optic testing; boron neutron capture therapy (13NCT); and irradiation of biological samples. Isotope production is extremely limited. Detector and electronic component testing is done routi.,ely, his testing is usually completed in the thermal column, or one of the beam ports, while fission chamber testing is in the Central Irradiation Facility, ne reactor thermal column is also utilized for other 13NCT studies. Typically it is the location for cell samples to determine their boron content.

Various nuclear engineering or physics classes throughout Ohio utilize the reactor for the follewing basic experiments:

a. Approach to critical (using banked control rods rather than fuel loading).

b. Control rod calibration by rod drop, positive period, and suberitical rnultiplication.

c. Measurement of the Reactor Transfer function.

d. Void coefficient measurements.

c. Radiological surveys.

The reactor utilization for July 1,19% through June 30,1997 is summarized in the following reports.

OSURR Annual Report Page 2 of 5 9/97

Utilitation Report for the Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Lab July 1 - December 31,1996

1. Reactor Utilization User Activity llor s Miam University lifproduction 6 Miami University Na 24 production _1 NE 744 Labs 48 OSU NE Tritium production 5 Wittenberg University NAA _ 2.5 Dow Chemical - NAA of Clin pLstics 8 StytoChem NAA of Brin styrofoam 4 Cleveland Clinic Re production 12 fil-Z Technology Materialirradiation 60 Reuter-Stokes fission chamber testing - 36 >

Misc. Tours and demonstrations 19 Snead Irradiation of carbon compounds 7 NRL Reactor maintenance items 13 Total 221.5 January 1 June 30,1997 i

User Activity llours Reuter-Stokes Fission chamber testing 32 fli Z Technology MaterialIrradiation _ 118 StyroChem NAA of plastic for Br 7 Dow Chemical NAA of plastic for Cl 3 Cleveland Clinic Re and Dy production 13 NRL OSURR core modification 9 NE 742 Fission chamberlabs 4 NRL Neutron radiography 31 NRL Cellirradiation evaluation 2-Air Force Institute Lab classes 10 U. of Cincinnati Lab classes 4 Xavier University Lab classes 4 Youngstown State U. Lab classes 2 U. of Memphis NAA of soils 17 Miami University lifproduction 6 NE 744 Labs 4 Tours 15 Ridgeview Middle School Wash. Courthouse llS Westerville South lis Ben Logan IIS Capital University Wright State U.

OSU Geology OSU Nuclear Medicine OSU ARMS Total 281 OSURR Annual Report Page 3 of 5 9/97 4-w

l .H. .Ghanges in Facility Design Dere were no facility design changes that required a change to the Technical Specifications.10CFR50.59 changes are described in section 5. A.

1.C. Charges in Per formance Characteristics There have been no changes in performance characteristics related to reactor safety in the last year.

1.D. Changes in Operating Procedures There were no changes in operating procedures related to reccior safety in the last year ( 10 CFR50.59 changes are described in section 5 B.).

2.A. Kilow att llours of Operation - 102,950

2. H. Ilours of Utilization - 502.5 3, Safety Related Maintenance None.

4. Unscheduled Shutdowns From July 1,19% to June 30,1997 there were seven unplanned shutdowns. These nte summarized below.

Reason Corrective Action 1.oss of building power (1) None Loss of magnet current (5) Replaced magnet Magnet current amplifier failure (1) Replaced magnet current amp module '

5. Changes in Facility Procedures and Performance of Tests or F.xperiments in Accordance with 10CFR50.59 A. During the period July 1,19% to June 30,1997, we OSURR Modification Request was completed by the reactor staff ar.d reviewed by the Reactor Operations Committee. It is listed below.

l .- Addition of reactor pool autofill and overfill protection.

B. The following is a list of procedure changes made under 10CFR50.59 from July 1,19% to June 30, 1997 in accordance with Administrative Procedure AP-05, entitled Format for Writing, Revising, and Approving Procedures.

Procedure Procedure Revision Number Title Date AP-09 RO/SRO Requalification 9/25/96 OM-06 Pu-Be Source Removal 10/1/96 OM 08 Reactor Logbook Records 8/27/96 OM-12 Preparation of Mixed Radionuclide Standard 10/1/96 IM-01 Scram Checks 9/12/96 IM-02 Adjusting Meter Zeros 9/12/96 EP-01 Emergency Procedures 10/1/96 EP 02 llandling Precautions for Non-Radioactive Materials 10!!/96 OSURR Annual Report Page 4 of 5 9/97 J

j 6. . Radiesteth e Efiluents A. Gaseous Ellluent - ne only effluent we measure is the release of Ar 41. For the period July 1 Dec.

31,1996, Ar-41 releases measured 1.5% of the Annual Average Concentration Limit. From Jan.1 -

June 30,1997, releases measured 2.8% of the annual aserage concentradon limit.

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In accordance with the requirements of 10CFR20.1101(d), the COMPLY code was run using the total Ar-41 release for the period Julyl,1996 June 30,1997 of 323 mCl. Using level 2 in the code, the etTective dose equivalent rate at the facility fence was computed to be 0.2 mrem /yr. His is well below the 10 mrem /yr constraint specified in the regulation,

11. Liquid Releases -llot sink releases are recorded and reponed through the OSU OfTice of Radiation Safety. Releases from the reactor pool to the sanitary sewer were not made.

C. No releases of solid radioactive material were made to the uncontrolled environment.

7. Radiation Exposures Since the finn that maintains records for ne Ohio State University keeps a year to date record, it is easier to report this by the nearest completed calendar year. Therefore film badge exposures in this report are for the period January 1,19% to December 31,1996, Four individuals were monitored as radiation workers for the entire year or a major part ofit. "These are tabulated below. They are consistent with the ALARA policy for The Ohio State University and represent a fraction of allowed limits. All doses are in millirem.

Individual Whole Body Right Left Deep Shallow Finger Finger 1 90 90 470 250 2 100 300 1300 660 3 310 620 800 620 4 200 200 430 320 e

OSURR Annual Report Page 5 of 5 9/97

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