ML20236G814

Proposed Tech Specs Exempting Certain Surveillance Requirements & Making Corrections Requested by NRR

ML20236G814
Person / Time
Site:	U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date:	10/21/1987
From:	INTERIOR, DEPT. OF, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
To:
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ML20236G813	List: ML20236G812 ML20236G814
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NUDOCS 8711030288
Download: ML20236G814 (15)

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_ _

' APPENDIX"A'-

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FDR'THE.

U.

S. GEOIOGICAL ' SURVEY TRIGA.REAC'IOR

' DATED -

October '1987 H

H The dimensions, measurements. ad other nunerical values given in these specifications'may differ fran measured values owing to normal: construction

-l ard manufacturing tolerances, or normal accuracy of instrumentation' t

A.

Definitions 1.

Shutdown

'Ihe reactor, with fixed experiments in place, shall be considered to be shutdown (not in operation) whenever all of the. following coMitions have been met a) the console key switch is in the "off" position aM the key is renoved fran the console ad und'er the control of a licensed operator (or stored in a-locked storage' area); b) sufficient control rods are inserted so.as-to assure the reactor is suberitical by a margin greater. than.0.7% delta k/k cold, without xenon;. c) no work is'in progress' involving fuel ham 11ng or refueling operations or maintenance of the ' control mechanisms.

2. - Steady State Mode (SS)

Steady state mode shall mean operation of the. reactor at power levels'-

not to exceed 1 megawatt utilizing the scrams -in Table I -ard the '

interlocks in Table II.

8711'030200 871021 PDR ADOCK 05000274

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3.

Pulse Rdo Pulse mode shall mean operation requiring the-use of the scrams in Table I ard the interlocks in Table II to assure that no more than one Itd is pematically withdrawn to produce power. pulses. :

4.

Square Wave tede (SW)

Square wave mxle shall mean operation requiring' use of the. scrans. in -

Table I ard the inerlocksiin Table II' to ' assure'that no more than' one rod is pnetsnatically withdrawn.andlthat the transient power level does not exceal 1.1 megawatt and the stea5y state power.does.not l.

exceed 1 megawatt.

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5.

Operable A system or otraponent shall be considered operable'.When it is capable; of performing its interded functions.

1 6.

Experiment Experiment shall mean:

(a) any apparatus,. device,'or' material installed in the core or experimental ~ facilities (except for urderwater lights, fuel element storage racks and.the like) which is -

not a normal part of these facilities or (b) any operation to measure reactor parameters or characteristics..

7.

Expertaental Facilitie' Experimental facilities shall mean the rotary: specimen rack, vertical-tubes,' pnetanatic transfer-systen, central thint>le, ' ard in-pool irradiation facilities.-

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8.. ? Reactor Safety Systens Reactor safety systems shall mean those 'systens, includihg;their; oj associated' input circuits, which are' designed to.' initiate.a reactorf

~ scram.

9.

Stardard 'Ihermocoup1e R2 ele Element -

Q A staniard thermocouple fuel element 'shall contain thennoccuples

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imbedded in the fuel halfway,to the vertical centerline atthe.

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j i midplane of.the fuel section and one inch above and below the-q midplane..

i B.

Reactor Building dj 1.

'Ihe reactor l shall be housed in a closed rocyn designed -to; restrict -

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J leakage. 'Ihe minimum free volume in the reactor rocan shall be,3.1 x :

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- 10 cubic centimeters.

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-l 2.

All air or other gas exhausted fran the reactor rocanEand Ifran associated experimental facilities during reactor operation shallibe released to the envirornnent at a minimtun of 21-ifeet' above grourd

- level.

-3.

'Ihe concentration of Argon-41 in the reactor building stack l effluent 6

air shall be limited to a maxinnsn'of 4.9.x 107.uCi/m1' averagei over 6 a year.

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%e stack effluent air 'shal1~ be analyzed quarterly _to _ determine-the.

-isotopic composition'of the radionuclides emitted. %e limit 'of B.3 '

above 'shall' apply cnly to. Argon-41;; l'imits ;cn. concentrations for -

other radionuclides 'shall be asEspecifielin 10 CPR Part 20.. %is :

requirement is not applicable.if'the reactor is de-fueled.

C.

Reactor Pool ' ani Bridge -

1.

%e reactor shall not be operated if the pool water' level is less

- than 16 feet above' the top grid plate. %e bulkipoolltanperature -

shall be nonitored while the reactor As ;in operationi and the -reactor.-

shall be shut down if the temperature exceeds _60' C.-l % e reactor-core' shall be coolai by, natural: convective water. flow.

2.

%e pool water shall be 'ssuplel.forl conductivity at least weekly, Conductivity averaged over a month shallLnot exceal 5 micronhos per.-

2 an. his item is not; applicable if the reactor is:de-fueled.

D.

Reactor Cbre 1.

%e core 'shall be an assetbly of TRIGA' Mark III ' stainless steel clai fuel-moderator elements arranged in a close-packai array except for a

(1) replacanent of single inSividual alements with incore: irradiation facilities ~ or control rods; (2) two. separated experiment positions lin the D through E rings, each ' occupying a maxinun of three(fuel' element -

positions. The reflector (exclu11ng ' experiments'ani experimental facilities)fshall be water or a ocnbination of graphite ard ' water. ;

2.

We excess reactivity above cold critical,[without xenon, shall not?

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o-exceed 9: delta k/k with experiments in place.

3.

Riel temperatures near the core midplane,in either the B or C ring of elements shall be continuously recorded during the: pulse node of operation using a stardard thermocouple fuel: element. 'Ihe reactor

. shall not be operated in a manner:Which would:cause the measured fuel temperature to exceed 800* C.

4.. Power levels during pulse node operation that.ecceed-2500 megawatts i

L shall.be' cause for the reactor to be shut down perding an.

investigation by the: reactor supervisor to determine the reason for.

the power pulse magnitude. His evaluat. ion ard conclusions as to the reason for the pulse magnitide shall be subnitted to the Reactor' 1

Operations 0:mnittee for review. Pulse node operationTwill.not be '

resumed until approval by the annittee.

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5.

If the reactor.is. operated in the pulse mode during intervals of lest, I

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than six nonths, the reactor shall be pulsed semiannually with a l

reactivity insertion of at least 1.5%. delta k/k to compare. fuel j

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i temperature measurements and peak power levels,with'thc>se.of. previous.

pulses of the same reactivity value. If the reactor. is not pulsed

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-during intervals of six months, then for. the first pulse after,the-time of'the last comparative pulse, the reactor shall be pulsed with

-i a reactivity insertion of at'least. l.5% delta k/k' to etmtpare. fuel-temperature measurements.ard peak power levels with those of previous q

.1 pulses of the same reactivity value.,

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6. ~ Each stardard fuel element shall.be checked for transverse' bord ardx longitudinal el'ongation after the ' first 100_ pulses of any magnittde'.

ard after every. 500 pulses or every 60 months,.Whichever ocznes first.. We limit of transverse berd'shall be 1/16-inch over the.;

total length of the clad portion of'the element (exc1tding: erd.

fittings). ~ The limit en longitudinal alotxjation ' hall be.1/10 I

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. inch. We reactor shall'~ rot be operatal in the pul'seimSde with '

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elements installed Which have been fourdlto exceed these-limits..

Any element Which exhibitsta clad break :as irdicat'ed by a' measurable' release of fission products. sha11L be' located: ard l removed 'fron' service.

before continuation of routine operations..

E.

Control ard Safety Systems 1.

We stardard contrcl rods shall have, scram capabil'ity ard; thel poison 1 section shall contain borated graphite, or bc us ard,its conpourds in '

solid form as a paison in.an altunintan or stainless steel claddirg.

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2.

The control rtds shall be visually inspected 'at least'once every two.l 5

years.- If Jrdication of significant distortion or deterioration is.

i-fourd, the red (s) will be replaced.

1 3.

only one pulsing control rod may be umd.in the core.1%e poison s section.of this rod 'shall contain boratal graphite orl boron-'ard'its E compounds in a solid form 'as a poison in an aluminum or stainless steel clad.-- The pulse rtd shall be designed' to release'ard fall upon T

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initiation Lof a scram signal.. We maximun reactivity worth of the' rol fully inserted by the drive in' relation to fully withdrawn shall j

. be ' equal to or less.than 2.9% delta' k/k.

4.

.A pulse-may be initiated. only when the. reactor is ;at a power. less than 1 kw. - Pulsed reactivity insertions shall not eKcesi 2.1% delta k/k.

5.'

he minimum shutdown margin.(with fixed experiments in place);

. provided-by operable control rods (incluling the ' pulse red) ~in the, cold clean cordition, with the nost. reactive of the operable.cnntrol rods fully withirawn,' shall be 0.4% delta K/k..

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We maximum rate of, reactivity insertion associated with novanent of a standard roi shall be no greater than O'.2% delta.k/k/sec.

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7.

The type ard minimtrn nunber of safety systems lwhich shall be ~ operable

- s for reactor operation are shown in-Table I.

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We type and minimum runber of interlocks Which::shall' be operable for

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reactor operation are-shown in Table II.

i 9.

We reactor instrumentation channels ard - safety systems, for the interded nodes of operation 'as listel'in Table I 'shall be. verified to.

be operable at least once. each day the reactor:is operated tntless the I

operation exterds continuously beyord one day, in which case. the.

operability need only be verified prior to beginning the extenied..

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operation.

10. ' A licensed reactor operator shall' be present' during: maintenance.of the reactor control ard safety systens. -

11. - Ebliowing maintenance or modification of' the control. or safety

. systens, the associated systen shall be verifisi to be operable'-

before the reactor. is placed,in operation.

12. The corditions listed below shall be verified at leastionce 'seni-annually, with the exception that if the reactor is' operating.

continuously, ~ the corditions shall be. verified. after the1 first shutdown that occurs nore'than six nonths after the previous tests.

'Ihose itens marked with an

• are not applicable if'the : reactor-is de--.

fuelei.

a.

• All reactor interlocks.are operable; Cbntrol elenent drop times are less than one secord (two.

b.

secords for pulse red). 'If drop time 'is found-toI e greater than b

this, the tul shall rot be considered operable.

c.

power level safety circuits are operable. 'Ibe circuits will i

be testal by the introduction' of.an electrical signal into the :

circuit at a point between the detector-ani.the control (systen.

d.

Ventilation systen ' interlocks are operable.

'1he' linear power channel' irdicates the actual' power level as :

e.

determine 1 by a thermal power measurement.

13. On each day that pulse mode operation of the reactor is. planned, a :

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a-functional performance check of the transient (pulse)~. rod systen.

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Saniannually, at. intervals rot' to exceed eight nonths,'.the transient (pulse) red drive 'cylirder ard the associatal air supplyL. systen 'shall

i be inspected, cleaned ard lubricated as,necessary.

F.

Radiation Monitoring u'

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1.

We radiation levels within the reactor laboratory shall be monitored;

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j' by.at least one area radiation monitor during. reactor operation'or!

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when work is done on or arourd the reactor core or experimental-s facilities.

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j The monitor shall,have a readout and provide a signal which -actuates

=1 an atdible alann.. Durirg.short pericds of-l repair to this nonitor,-

reactor operations may continue tile a portable ganna-sensitive ion :

'j chanber is utilized as a tenporary substitute.

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A continuous air-monitor with readout ard atriible alarm shall be l

operable in'the reactor roczn when the reactor ~is' operating.-

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3.. We alarm set points for the above ra31ation monitoring instrumentation shall.be'.verifiel at 1 east once a week. ' Wis 2

1 instrumentation shall be calibratei' at least once a year.

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Riel Storage l

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1 2.

Irradiated fuel elements and fueled devices shall be" storei in. an j

1 array which will permit sufficient' natural'convecticn cooling'.suhh

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i mat the fuel' element or fueled device temperature will.not,excoalL

. design' values.

H.

A3ministrative Requirements a

1.

We facility shall be un3er the direct contrul of the Reactor:

I Supervisor. He shall be respnsible to the. Reactor A3ministrator for.

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safe coeration ani maintenmee of the reactor ani~ lts, associated equipnent. He or his appointea shall review and approve.all-experiments arri experimental procedures prior;to their use in the1 reactor. He shall enforce rules for the protecticnof' personnel agaittst radiation.

2.

A Reactor Operations Ocmnittee shall review an1 approve safety stan3ards associated with the operation ani use of the ' facility. '.Its -

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jurisdiction shall incitrie all' ruclear. operations in the faciltity.'

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'The comnittee shell meet to monitor reactor operr. '.ons at least. semi-annutlly.

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The Reactor Operations 02nnittee shall be ocznposed of at least' four g

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-. o members',' appointed by the Director,gS.; Geological survey,7 ard Who shall be.krdd!.edgeableLin fields' reldting to nuclear. safety. %e i W

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Reactor l Supervisor ard a(qualified health physicist shall be' members:, f.,% l; l j,!

4 of the' Cmmittee.' l The Canmittee:shall'be. responsible: for determining ' q' 1

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whethhr a' gugw:d"dhange,N.testbor escperiment would; constittbe a;.g

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change,in technical specifications;or ant iewdsafety 2rd as' defined in 10 CER Part 50h jtei(bmmittes eball establish nitten NL 1 ;y j g

proca1' tares concerning,its" hetivities, ' qucMs,,. reviewfof experiments',

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Lard procedures, and oth'er, aspects

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Written' instructions' shall /beSin. ' ffeet hre i followed for: -

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Testing ard calibrationicf refjetor operahing instrumentatiert arxif a.

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control systems, control rp?7 drives, area; radiation no i

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v-air Imrticulate monitNs.,; _.

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b.. Reactor startup, routine operaticn ard reactor shutdown.

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Energency ard abnormal corditions,,incitding evacuation,(reentry and recovery.,

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Control rod removal ard replacanent.?

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Maintenance operations whidh may affect reactor. safety.

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4. - Any additions, modifications, or ' maintenance to the core ard'itsj-.-

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associated > support structure, the pool l structure, ard roil drive L ' h. ~

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. mechanians, or the reactor -sefetY system, TshallLbe"msde N; s.dIeaiteddn;

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- accordance with the' specifications. to Whidh thh ;systma orjaanponents g-z.

. were originally designed ard fabricated, or to specifications '

y; a@ roved by the Reactor. Operations tt'ee' as suitable -fid rot 2

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'involvin arrl'unreviewed. safety question. '1he reactor shall not be'<

s placal in operation ubtil the affectai system hah' been verified to be-7 li. 's oper' able.

I.

Experiments

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1. - Prict to performing any new reactor experiment,~. ths' popc-ei p

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. experiment shall.be' evalusted b/ a person or persons appointed by the.:

Reactor Administrator to-be responsible for reactor _ safety.L.' He shall',

i consider the experiment in terne of its effect on reactor operation 5.

and the. possibility.and consequences lof its failure, inclulinci, Where'

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significant, consideratim ofinanical reactions, physical integrity, DA,%

design life,: proper:coolir.4,,, interaction with core cmponents, ani reactivity effects.: LHe"shall" determine Whether,.in his ju5gement, the experiment by virtue'of its' nature or' design does not oanstitute-9

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a significant threat to the ~ integrity of the core or to the safety of.

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. personnel. Ebliowing a favorab1'e tavaluation sni prior ~'to con 5uctinti s.n.- A an experiment, he shallialgn'anQenthorization form containing the -

1-basis for h favorable. evaluatidt,b a

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A favorable evaluation'of an experiment shall concluSe that failure -

of the experiment wil'1' not lemi sto a direct' failure of 'a. fuel: element 4

or of other aperiments.

.i L3. No new experiment shall btt performai until ' the proposed. experimental (

~ procedures for that experiment or type of experiment have been

.A reviewed an5 approval'.b' the Oper:stions Ctmmittee.

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We following;1 imitations on; r Oits shall(applyLto7all!

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b total,. absolute / re hI!ity, worth $f1in-obreier sy 4

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experimentrV(malfptetionUexperfmeat fl~ocding mor, voiding,] arriL M,

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reno,v,alio[. $nsertionIof expe.rimb.sk.

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Expe iments having reactivit rths greater than $1'.00 shall.bS1 k.

M securely IdcatAcr. fastened to' prevent inalvertenttmovement,,

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during reactor peration.

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3 5.f & p;eriments containing matarials corrusive'to reactorio mponent5,1-

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i ocupourds highly reactive with waterP potentially explosiv,@m,terials ; '

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i or liquid fissionable materials. sh@be ' Edble_ encapsulafyd. ' '

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Explosive insterials such'as (but notalimitsi to)[ gun powde'r,-

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dynamite, ' INT, nitro-glycerine $ or'PmN in quantities grater. than 25.

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, i milligrams shall not in irradiatal in.the irshetor or experimental p

facilities withI:t out-of-core tests Which shalllirriicate that withi L

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the containment providai no danage to the. reactor, oriits' components

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shall occur upon detonry1on of the explosivs. J Explosive material's in. T i

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T quantities less'than 25 miRigams;may be Arradiatal without out-ofy a

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core testri provided that thd pressure proluced;-in the expesimenO 1

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9 contair.er upon dpnation of the.exp1'osive'shall shbwn to be;1ess[

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Experiment materials,. except fuel materials, Which could off-gas, x

" ' sublime,ivolatilis or produce 1 aerosols"unier-(a); r6rmal operatingi O

I coniitions' of the experiment or reactor, (b) credibie accident i

w corditions:in the reactor or (c)Jpossib1e; accident coniitionsLin the q

I experiment shall bs limited in activity such that if:100%L of;the.'

? gaseous [ activity. or radioacti_ve' aerosols produed escap^ f.\\-ei: to the'-

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.. :j radioactivity averaged-over a;yearlwould:notiexcesi)the limits ofI C Li Appeniix B of 10 CFR Part'20..

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8.

In evaluating experiments, the following assumptions shall'be used:1 l

a.

If the effluent frczn an experiment-facility; exhausts:throutjh' a' l1 I

filter installation designed for greater. than 99% efficiency 'for-

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0.3 micron. particles,. the assumption shall, be used thattat least -

.a 10% of the aerosols produced ~ can escape.

b. - Ebr materials Whose boiling 7 point [is above 130 F.' ard where vapors formed by boiling this material. couldf escape 'only through 4

an uniisturbei colum.of1 water above the core',.the asstanption.

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shall be used that at least.10%' of these vapors' can' escape.

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Eadh fueled experiment shall be' controllei such that:the total j

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inventory of iodine. isotopes 131 through' 135 in the' experiment is no :

greater than 1.5 curies ard the'maximtsu strontita 90 ' inventory is _ no.

greater than 5 millicuries.

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10. ~ If a container fails ani releases' material which couldLdamage the" 7

reactor fuel or structure by corrosion or other, means,.. physical ti

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inspection shall be performed to determine the consequencesTand"need'

'i for corrective action.. % results of the inspection.ard any corrective action'taken shall be reviewed by.the Reactor Operations.-

Ommittee ard determined to be satisfactory before operatiori.of the; reactor is restned.

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