ML20211Q970
| ML20211Q970 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000128 |
| Issue date: | 07/22/1986 |
| From: | Martin R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Richardson H TEXAS A&M UNIV., COLLEGE STATION, TX |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20211Q976 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-86-105, NUDOCS 8607280072 | |
| Download: ML20211Q970 (3) | |
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Docket No. 50-128 License No. R-83 EA 86-105 Texas A&M University ATTN: Dr. Herbert H. Richardson, Director Texas Engineering Experiment Station College Station, Texas 77843 Gentlemen:
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SUBJECT:
' NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND PROPOSED IMPOSITION OF CIVIL PENALTY (NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-128/86-01)
I This refers to the inspection conducted on May 5, 1986, at Texas A&M University (TRIGA), College Station, Texas. The inspection was initiated in response to a reactivity excursion event which occurred on May 1, 1986, and was reported to the NRC on May 2, 1986, by your staff. A Confirmation of Action Letter was i
transmitted to you on May 7.-1986, by Region IV regarding your immediate corrective actions and an enforcement conference was conducted on May 21, 1986, in the NRC Region IV office to discuss the event.
4 As discussed in the enclosed Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty (NOV), on May 2, 1986, the licensee reported to NRC Region IV that on May 1, 1986, an apparent violation of technical specifications occurred when l
a boron lined rotisseria unit being used to conduct an experiment was removed from reactor position B-5 while the reactor was operating at 50% power causing a power spike that resulted in a 115 percent over-power trip. The experiment was supposed to be in the reactor only while the reactor was shut down. The a
l reactivity of the experimental device was not previously measured in this core location since it should not have been in the core during operations. The removal of the experiment at 9:39 a.m. on May 1, 1986, resulted in the addition of approximately $1.08 reactivity to the core and a reactor scram from both i
safety channels of the power amplifier which were set at 115% power. Following a review of the reactor scram by the duty Senior Reactor Operator, the reactor was restarted at 9:42 a.m.
The failure to adhere to procedures and inattention to license requirements resulted in the violation of Technical Specifications regarding the maximum reactivity worth of installed non-secured experiments, i
and the requirement for determining or estimating experiment reactivity worth l
before reactor operation.
Additionally, on March 10, 1986, a 3 second period reactor scram occurred while the reactor was operating at less than 1% power because of the removal of the same boron rotisserie unit from the identical reactor core location. Even though reporting to the NRC was required by your technical specifications, you
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did not notify the NRC of this event. The corrective actions prescribed by CERTIFIED MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED 1
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-Q Texas A&M University management as a result of the March 10, 1986, event, if followed, could have prevented.the second event on May 1, 1986.
To emphasize the importance of adhering to technical specification and procedural requirements and the need to carefully review reactor conditions and make required reports to the NRC, I have been authorized, after consultation with the Director, Office of Inspection and Enforcement, to issue the enclosed Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of One Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($1,250) for the violations described in the enclosed Notice.- In accordance with the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions," 10 CFR Part 2. Appendix C (1986) (Enforcement Policy),
the violations described in the enclosed Notice have been categorized as a Severity Level III problem. The base value of a civil penalty for a Severity Level III problem is $2,500. The escalation and mitigation factors in the Enforcement Policy were considered. The NRC Enforcement Policy allows for the reduction of a civil penalty under certain circumstances. In this case, the
, base civil penalty.is reduced to 50 percent because of your good prior performance in the area of concern and your extensive corrective actions for the May 1, 1986, event. No additional mitigation was deemed appropriate because you should have taken these corrective actions in response to the first event.
You are required to respond to this letter and should follow the instructions specified in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. In your response, you should document the specific actions taken and any additional actions you plan to prevent recurrence. After reviewing your response to this Notice, including your proposed corrective actions, the NRC will determine whether further NRC enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with NRC regulatory requirements.
In accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," Part 2, Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.
The responses directed by this letter and the enclosed Notice are 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, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY ROBERT D. MARTN Robert D. Martin Regional Administrator
Enclosure:
Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty ec: Texas Radiation Control Program Director i
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