ML20235D872
| ML20235D872 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000580 |
| Issue date: | 09/28/1987 |
| From: | Erin Kennedy HOLY CROSS, COLLEGE OF THE, WORCESTER, MA |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20235D847 | List: |
| References | |
| 107873, NUDOCS 8902210076 | |
| Download: ML20235D872 (4) | |
Text
'
COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS
' WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01610 DEPARTMENT OF PHYStCS (617) 793 3381 lo 7 '97 g/-. -
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September 28,.1987 Daic Completcd___.,
h United States 1
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ca 7,
rk Avenue
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M. f f King of Prussia, PA 19406 L
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Dear Sir:
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N This is a request for the renewal of Special Nuclear Material License Number SNM-526, 1_.
The apo11 cation is made by the College of the Holy Cross which is incor-porated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as.the Trustees of the College of.the Ucly Cross in the City of Worcester, and the address of the principal offices is Worceste 01610, Massachusetts.
Its principal officers are the Rev.
John E. Brooks, S.J., President, and Rev. William J. O'Halloran, S.J., Vice President,-
American citizens residing at the above address.
Control and ownership of the College.
of the Holy Cross is exercised solely by the Trustees of the College of the Holy Cross.
2.
The Pu-Be. neutron source, covered by this license, has been used as stated in the original license dated August 18, 1961.
The source is used primarily for the activation of short half-life nuclides such as indium-116 and silver-108.
Each year approximately 100 students measure the decay of nuclides produced by the Pu-Be source in our general physics laboratory. The source is also used by students in our upper division nuclear physics laboratory to study the activation process and complex nuclear decay, and to measure thermal neutron cross-sections and the neutron flux in a paraffin filled howitzer. These experiments elicit considerable student interest and we consider them a valuable part of their physics laboratory experience.
,3_.
The Pu-Be source is a sealed source, manufactured by Monsanto Research Corporation, Mount Laboratory, Miamisburg, Ohio and is model number M-1049.
It contains 15.71 grams of Be and 29.97 grams of Pu.
The container material is tantalum and stainless steel with dimensions inside of 0.82" I.D. x 1.49" high, and outside of 1.02" 0.D. x 2.19" high. On April 25, 1961, the plutonium consisted 39 240 of 93.49% Pu
, 5.99% of Pu and 0.51% of Pu The total neutron emission 6
from the source, calibrated on January 16, 1962, was 3.56 x 10 neutrons /sec.
The sealed source is used and stored in a U.S. Nuclear Corporation NR-1 neutron howitzer.
The howitzer is an all welded and brazed 30" x 30" right cylinder filled with paraffin and contdining plastic source and foil irradiation port plugs.
-4.
The general supervision of the neutron source is the responsibility of Dr. Ecfward F. Kennedy, who teaches the undergraduate laboratory course [IOnuclear physics.
Dr. Kennedy obtained his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics at tfiE Uriiversity of s
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission. September 28, 1987 Notre Dame and was a Radiological Safety Technician at Argonne National Laboratory i
for two years prior to his graduate education. Other faculty members of the Physics Department who will utilize the neutron source in the general physics laboratory are Robert Garvey, Ph.D., Penn. State; Francis-Kaseta, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ram S. Rana, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; Randy Ross, Ph.D., Univer-sity of Colorado; Janine Shertzer, Ph.D., Brown University; and Frank Tangherlini, Ph.D., Stanford.
Robert Toolin, M.S., Brown University; our General Physics Laboratory Supervisor, will also activate foils with the Pu-Be source.
5.
Equipment and facilities available for insuring the safe storage and use of thii neutron source include the following items:
a.
A. U.S. Nuclear Corporation NR-1 neutron howitzer.
The howitzer is an all welded and brazed 30" x 30" right cylinder filled with paraffin and containing plastic source and foil irradiation port plugs.
It can safely be used for Pu-Be neutron sources up to 108 n/sec. With the two curie Pu-Be neutron source in the howitzer and all ports closed the fast 510 n/cm2 sec and the slow neutron flux neutron flux was measured to g/sec at any position at the surface of the
/
e was measured to be s 30 n/cm howi tze r.
With the foil irradiation port plug removed for changing foils the neutron flux measurements at the mouth of the port were as follows:
2 2
18 fast neutrons /cm /sec; 400 slow neutrons /cm /sec.
(The period of exposure to the hands during a foil change is only a few seconds.) All foil irradiation ports and the source port are kept locked except when in use.
b.
Long tongs for handling the source.
c.
Thin window gas flow alpha counter for swipe tests of the surface of the neutron source container (0.9 mg/cm2 gold-coated mylar window).
241 A 16.4 + 2.0% a particle /sec standard (N.B.S.) Am source is used
~
to dete mine the efficiency of the counter at the timo of each swipe test.
d.
A Nuclear Chicago 2112 DN-3 enriched BF3 proportional counter for fast and slow neutron flux measurements, routine surveys, and monitoring (for fast neutrons of a Ra-Be source spectrum the detector produces about one count /sec for a neutron flux of 10 n/cm2 sec; the detectg/sec.
/
r produces about one count /sec for a thermal neutron flux of 30 n/cm There are three ranges of count rate indication: 0-150, 0-1500, and 0-15,000 counts / min); Bendix 9-200 m rem boron-lined pocket dosimeter, neutron sensitive film badges for all students and faculty in the Nuclear Labo rato ry.
6.
Dr. Edward F. Kennedy has the responsibility for the radiation safety
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assocTated with the Pu-Be source (see Section 4).
The personnel monitoring equipment is specified in Section 5.
Film badges are evaluated by a commercial firm about every six months.
1
'l O
O Nuclear Regulatory Commission September 28, 1987
)
Control and protection procedures are as follows:
a.
Irradiation of foils in the howitzer will be performed under staff supervision.
b.
When and if the neutron source is used for experiments which require the source to be removed from the howitzer, personnel i
will be furnished with fast neutron dosimeters, and the area surrounding the experimental set-up will be monitored with a neutron flux ratemeter under staff supervision to provide delineation of safe operating conditions.
c.
When not in use the source is kept in the locked howitzer in a restricted room, d.
Leak testing of the source will be performed at least every six months, employing a standard wipe test.
The test will be capable of detecting 0.005 microcurie of removable con-tamination of the test sample.
Records of the tests will be kept in units of microcuries and maintained for inspection by the commission.
e.
Permanent records are kept of film badge evaluations and radiation surveys.
f.
Radiation caution signs are posted on the doors of the restricted rooms and on the howitzer itself. A notice to telephone Dr. Kennedy in an emergency and his telephone number are written on the signs.
Sincerely, fIM }. l(
0 Edward F. Kennedy Professor of Physics (617) 793-3382 EFK/pm
V U D70-00580
- 4...
- RENEWAL BETWEEN:
C. James Holloway, Chief License Fee Management Branch 1LjD Office of Resource Management John E. Glenn, Chief
/ O/E7 Nuclear Materials Safety,& Safeguards Section B Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards LICENSE FEE TRANSMITTAL REGIONh
'A.
1.
APPLICATION ATTACHED Applicant / Licensee:
College of the Holy Cross Application Dated:
September 28, 1987 Control No.:
107873 NM 526 License No.:
2.
FEE ATTACHED Amount:
Check No.:
3.
COMMENTS Signed bp lll Date B.
LICENSE FEE MANAGEMENT BRANCH
(,a SYl U **k 1.
Fee Category and Amount:
-Nbd8 I / 0. l l (4 >
2.
Correct Fee Paid. Application may be processed for:
c.-
Amendment, Renewal
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License Signed Sht E U/
s lD)))f] b Date REGION I FORM 213 (MARCH 1987)
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