ML20247Q780
| ML20247Q780 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000142 |
| Issue date: | 07/28/1989 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20247Q699 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8908070246 | |
| Download: ML20247Q780 (4) | |
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'* UNITED STATES
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$ NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION E ;j WASHINGTON, D C. 20555 A...../
JAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION DECOMMISSIONING PLAN - PHASE II
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I UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES DOCKET N0. 50-142
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By letter dated June 10, 1988, as supplemented on June 21, 1988, 1988, and March 31, 1989, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLADecemb requested authorization for Phase II decontamination, dismantlement, and disposition of component parts of the 100kW Argonaut Research Reactor locateo on the UCLA campus. Reactor operations werc terminated in January 1984 and all fuel was shipped off-site in September 1985. UCLA submitted an application to dismantle their facility and dispose of its component parts on July 26, 1984.
This action was noticed in the Ferferal Register on September 24, 1984. Following-hearings and stipulations by the parties invoTved, an Order was issued by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board dated November 8,1985. Facility License No. R-71 for the UCLA Argondut Research Reactor was terminated and UCLA was authorized to possess but not operate the facility. On October 29, 1985, UCLA submitted a Phase I decommissioning plan for the facility. An Order was issued on Jul/14,1986 authorizing Phase I decontamination, dismantling, and disposition of component parts. Phase I decommissioning involved removable components of the reactor. Phase I dismantlement and disposition of component parts has been completed except for the disposition of 5000 pounds of activated lead. Phase II decommissioning concerns the removal of the remaining biological ,
shield and equipment that was not part of Phase I. !
After completion of the dismantling and disposal, UCLA will submit a report on the radiation survey it has performed to confirm that radiation and surface contamination levels in the facility satisfy the values specified in the decommissioning plan and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's guida..ce.
Following an inspection by representatives of the Commission to verify the radiation and contamination levels in the facility, and following resolution of the disposition of the lead, consideration will be given to returning the facility to unrestricted use which would end regulation of the facility by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
2.0 FACILITY DESCRIPTION The UCLA reactor is located on the first floor of Boelter Hall, an eight story building, which is near the center of the campus.
The UCLA reactor was a standard Argonaut, heterogeneous, pool-type reactor, incorporating uranium-aluminide fuel elements with an enrichment of more than 90% U-235. The reactor core originally consisted of six canisters of fuel elements in a two slab array on both sides of a graphite island used as the principal moderator.
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o 3.0 EVALUATIQ The staff has reviewed UCLA's plan and associated tasks to dismantle the Argonaut Reactor Facility, dispose of its component parts and radioactive materials, and decontaminate the facility. The objective of Phase II is the dismantlement and removal of the concrete biological shield and complete decontamination of the reactor room, its appurtenances, and the remaining equipment. For Phase H, UCLA intends to complete decommissioning of the facility for " unrestricted" use by availing the service of an outside contractor. "SAFSTOR" is no longer under consideration. The selected decommissioning alternative is "DECON".
Towards this end, the review considered management responsibilities and commitment to follow the regulations, and relevant regulatory guides and standards; the health physics program' including procedures, equipment, instrumentation, survey techniques, training, personnel dosimetry, waste disposal, and final survey.
3.1 Health and Safety Management ,
The Radiation Protection Program for the Dismantling and Decommissioning Program is an extension of the existing Radiation Protection Program. The organization for the dismantling and decommissioning of the reactor facility is managed by a certified Health Physicist, with 37 years of experience in health physics and reactor experience, who will recommend and enforce radiological safety policy. He will be responsible for assigning health physics technicians to specific tasks, implementing the environmental survey program and maintaining radiation exposure records. He will also oversee subcontractor health physics operations associated with dismantling and decommissioning operations. The combined UCLA health physics staff, will consist of seven people among whom will be a certified health physicist and three senior health physics technicians.
It is UCLA's policy that all operations will be planned and executed to conform to Commission regulations and appropriate Regulatory Guides and to ;
maintain occupational exposure to as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) levels.
3.2 Sources Radioactive material from the reactor concrete biological shield will consist of less than 13 curies of primarily Co-60, H-3, C-14 and Eu-152.
It will be monitored, packaged and shipped, in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, to an approved storage facility or radioactive waste disposal site.
l 3.3 Radiation Protection Program The Radiction Protection Program which includes personnel dosimetry, instrumen-tation, and an industrial safety and hygiene program is acceptable and is in accordance with Regulatory Guide 8.8. The program was acceptable in Phase I and the staff finds that the proposed instrun,ents, calibrations and procedures l j
are adequate to characterize the status of the facility during Phase II.
a The collective dose equivalent to the licensee's staff and public for Phase II is estimated to be 2 person-rems.
3.4 Quality Assurance In order to meet the requirements of Regulatory Guide 1.33, " Quality Assurance ,
3 Program Requirements" (Decommissioning), the licensee has committed to having the capability to assure the accuracy of all measurements as part of his final report to the NRC. The licensee will strengthen its Phase I QA program during Phase II decommissioning on aspects of documentation and record-keeping which i deal with traceability, detail, thoroughness, and review. Specifically, the licensee intends to tcke the following steps:
- 1. Records of measurements and analyses of samples will be computerized to efficiently store, analyze, retrieve, and print results.
- 2. A daily log of events will be kept by the Reactor Health Physicist.
- 3. Forms,. such as the one for calibration of survey instruments, will be modified to stand alone as separate, complete documents.*
Considerable detail on source used and procedure of calibration will be provided on these forms. Calibration of such instruments will be governed by a revised internal operating procedure.
Documentation required from the Contractor will be detailed, complete, and easily audited.
- 4. To ensure compliance of all the aforementioned steps, records originating from the Contractor's work will first be reviewed by the Reactor Health Physicist and then checked by the Radiation Safety Officer or his designee. Records originating from the Reactor Health Physicist will also be reviewed for accuracy, detail, and completeness by the Radiation Safety Officer or his designee.
The staff concludes that the licensee's quality assurance program follows the guidelines of Regulatory Guide 1.33 and therefore is acceptable.
3.5 SAFSTOR There will be no further requirement for Safe Storage since all radioactivity will be removed from the UCLA facility and the facility released for unre-stricted use.
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4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
An Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact relating to the pror~ ;ed action was published in the Federal Register on July 27, 1989-(54 m 31266 . Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined th6t the issuance )of this Order will have no significant impact on the environment.
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5.0 CONCLUSION
Based on our review of the facility health physics organization, equipment, and procedures, the staff concludes that the licensee's health physics program follows the guidelines of Regulatory Guides 1.86 and 8.8 for l
providing adequate protection to assure a radiologically safe program for dismantling the UCLA facility, disposing of associated radioactive material, and decontamination for unrestricted use. The staff also concludes, that the dismantling and decontamination operations can be conducted without undue risk to the health and safety of the public or UCLA staff and without any significant impact on the environment. The staff, therefore, finds the licensee's plans to be acceptable.
Principal Contributor: John Minns Alexander Adams, Jr.
Dated: July 28, 1989 i
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