ML22118B146

GEH Annual Nuclear Test Reactor (Ntr) Operating Report No. 62 for the Year 2021 (Rev 1)

ML22118B146
Person / Time
Site:	Vallecitos Nuclear Center
Issue date:	04/28/2022
From:	Martinez C GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
M220070
Download: ML22118B146 (10)

Text









 GEHitachiNuclearEnergy



 CarlosMartinez

SiteManager,VallecitosNuclearCenter

M220070 6705VallecitosRo ad

Sunol,CA94586

USA

April 28, 2022 

T9254959173

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Carlos1.Martinez@ge.com

Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, D. C. 20555-001

Subject:

GEH Annual Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR) Operating Report for the Year 2021 (Rev 1)

Reference:

NRC License R-33, Docket 50-73 (NTR)

Enclosed is Rev 1 of the Annual Operating Report No. 62 for the GE Hitachi Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR) located at the Vallecitos Nuclear Center in Sunol, California. This revision corrects a typographical error in the time and date for Scram Report 21-02.

If there are any questions regarding this report or additional information required, please contact me at the number above.

Sincerely, Digitally signed by Carlos Martinez Reason: Approved Date: 2022-04-28 14:31-07:00

Carlos Martinez Site Manager Vallecitos Nuclear Center

Enclosure:

1) NTR Annual Operating Report Number 62 (Rev 1) for the year 2021

cc: D. Hardesty, NRC NRR CM 22-002



GEHitachi

NuclearEnergy



VallecitosNuclearCenter

6705VallecitosRd

Sunol,CA94586

USA 

 









NUCLEARTESTREACTOR

















ANNUALREPORTNO.62Rev.1

FORTHEYEAR2021











LICENSER33

DOCKET5073











APRIL28,2022







NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

  GEHitachiNuclearTestReactor

AnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

Thisreportsummarizestheoperations,changes,tests,experiments,andmajormaintenanceat

theGEHitachi(GEH)NuclearTestReactor(NTR),whichwereauthorizedpursuanttoLicenseR 33,Docket5073,and10CFR50,Section50.59,fortheperiodofJanuary1,2021through

December31,2021.



I.General

SpecificinformationabouttheoperationoftheNTRduringthereportingperiodispresentedas

follows:

1. In2021therewere201reactorstartupswiththereactoroperatingatorabovecritical

for618.62hours.Totalpowergenerationequaled603.85EFPH;equivalentto2.516

MWdays.Themajorityofthistimewasspentintheperformanceofapproved

experiments,eitherneutronradiographyorsmallsampleirradiations.

2. ThehighestradiationexposuretoanyworkeratNTRwas0.718Rem.

3. Therewerefiveunscheduledshutdownsofthereactorin2021andfiveunscheduled

shutdownspriortocriticality.SeesectionVfordetails.

4. One2020technicalspecificationviolationwascitedinNRCInspectionReport2021201

whentheoperatorrequalificationprogramactivitieswerenotcompletedbythe

requiredduedate.SeesectionVfordetails



II.Organization

Thedetailsofchangesinthestatusofpersonnelandoperatorlicenses,whichoccurredduring

thereportingperiod,aredescribedasfollows:

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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

A. Personnel

TheLevel1&2,Level3,andVNCsiteRegulatoryCompliancemanagerswere

unchangedin2021.

B. OperatorLicenses

TherewerenochangestothestatusofoperatorlicensesundertheVallecitosNuclear

TestReactor,FacilityLicenseNo.R33in2021.



III.FacilityChanges,Tests,Experiments,andProcedureChangesApprovedbytheFacility

Manager

Inaccordancewithwrittenprocedures,facilitymanagerapprovalisrequiredforchangestothe

facility,procedures,tests,andexperiments.Specificinformationaboutthereportingperiodis

presentedasfollows:

A. FacilityChanges

Thereweretwofacilitychangesimplementedin2021requiringFacilityManagerand

RegulatoryComplianceapproval.

1. Primarycoolantsystemconductivityprobeandreadoutwerereplacedasdescribedin

ChangeAuthorization(CA)317.Theoriginalprobecouldnotsafelyberemovedfrom

thesystemforcalibrationagainstaknownstandardasdocumentedinConditionReport

(CR)37268.Thenewsystemallowseasyremovalandplannedmaintenanceprocedure

StandardOperatingProcedure(SOP)12.46describesthecalibrationprocess.

2. PrimarycoolantpumpfailedandwasreplacedunderEngineeringRelease(ER)2119.

Thepumpinletvalve(TV103),samplesinkreturnvalve(V121),andthesectionof

aluminumpipebetweenthepumpandTV103werealsoreplaced.NTRCA322

documentsthisvalveandpipingchangeandtheassociated50.59evaluation.

B. Tests

Pursuantto10CFR50.59(a),nospecialtestswereperformedduring2021.

C. Experiments

Pursuantto10CFR50.59(a),twopreviouslyapprovedexperimenttypeswereperformedin

2021.

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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

1. Experimenttypesdescribedasneutronradiographyandslidesampleirradiations,were

properlyauthorizedutilizingexperimentauthorizationformsthroughout2021.

D. ProcedureChanges

Pursuantto10CFR50.59,theadministrativerevisionofallNTRStandardOperatingProcedures

thatwasbegunin2020anddocumentedinNTRCA318,wascompletedin2021.Additionally,

elevenproceduralchangeswereinitiatedduring2021toincorporateeditorialortypographical

corrections,technicaldata,andchangestorequirements,ortoprovidefortheadditionor

clarificationofinformationandreliabilityofperformance.ChangesweremadewithFacility

ManagerandRegulatoryCompliancereviewwhenrequired.Asummaryofthechangesis

presentedinthetablebelow.

Revision Procedure SummaryofChanges

1 SOP 2.7, Process Added description of recently installed conductivity Instrumentation probe and meter.

1 SOP 4.2, Safety Rod Added new section on adjusting the flexible coupling.

Repairs 2 SOP 6.4, Daily Added a check that the On-Duty Emergency Director Surveillance Check is on site prior to operating NTR.

Sheet 1 SOP 6.5, Monthly Changes reflect simplified conductivity meter checks.

Surveillance Check Sheet 1 SOP 8.2, Non-Reactor Updated references to SEP site emergency Emergencies procedures to recently approved SEC procedures.

1 SOP 8.4, Off-Normal Rewritten to clarify the definition of a seismic Alarm Response occurrence, reference the VNC earthquake procedure, and simplify emergency response for different modes of reactor operation.

1 SOP 8.5, Seismic Clarification of 1) actions to seismic events when the Activity reactor is operating, and 2) definition of Modified Mercalli IV. Intent of procedure is not affected by this change.

1 SOP 9.14, Reactor Added clarifications on 1) time interval between Operator Requalification annual operating tests, 2) preserving exam integrity Program when multiple operators are taking the same test, and

3) using a calendar-based reminder system to track annual requalification requirements.

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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

1 SOP 10.6, Cable-Held Authorized SROs to sign the VNC 706 form when Retractable Irradiation transferring irradiated samples on-site.

System 1 SOP 12.3, Safety Rod Added annual visual checks of the anvil roll pin and Drives flexible coupling.

1 SOP 12.31, Stack Gas Changed the stack gaseous activity alarm point to Monitor match the values in SOP 5.2 and SOP 8.4 Alarm #22.

IV.MajorPreventativeorCorrectiveMaintenance

Duringthisreportingperiod,allroutinepreventivemaintenanceandsurveillancecheckswere

completedasscheduledwiththeexceptionofthethirdquarter,semiannual,EmergencyDiesel

GeneratorLoadTest,PM00301SBN.Thesitegeneratorisbeingrepairedandarentalunithas

beenacquiredtofulfillthisemergencyfunction.

Thefollowingliststhenoteworthycorrectivemaintenanceactivitiesperformedin2021.

1. 1/8/21Replacedthestartupsourcedrivebelt

Duringmaintenance,thestartupsourcecouldnotbewithdrawnfromthereactorwithinthe

requiredtimeframe.ThedrivebeltwasreplacedandallretestsperSOP12.4completed

satisfactorily.



2. 2/8/21ReplacedSR#4magnetS3withmagnetS13

AbrokenleadwirewasdiscoveredonmagnetS3duringtheinvestigationintoScram2102.

Themagnetwasreplaced.SeesectionVItemA.2belowfordetails.



3. 3/2/21Regluedstop(rubber)ontotheanvilofSafetyRod(SR)#4

Duringmaintenance,SR#4failedtomeettherequiredinflightscramtime.Thestop

(rubber)ontheanvilwasfoundtobedetached.ThepartwasreattachedperER2110and

retestedsatisfactorily.



4. 4/27/21thru6/15/21Onmultipleoccasions,SR#4exhibitedanabnormallyhigh

resistancetooutwardmovement

Adeliberateandcontrolledapproachwasusedtoaddressthisrecurringbutnonrepeatable

issueresultinginthefollowingactions:1)replacedtheanvilrollpinandoring,2)replaced

thedashpotbearing,3)replacedinnerbearingsurface(bushing),and4)disassembledand

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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

cleanedtheentiresafetyrodassembly.IssuedocumentedandaddressedbyCR36854and

ERs2113,2115,and2117.



5. Spurioushighstackparticulatealarms1/11/21thruearlyJune2021

Receivedfrequenthighstackparticulateactivityalarmsthatweredeterminedtobe

spuriousbetweenJanuaryandJune2021.EffortsdocumentedinCR36408totroubleshoot

andcorrectthiscondition.





V.UnscheduledShutdowns

Duringthereportingperiod,therewerefiveunscheduledreactorshutdownsafterreaching

criticalityandfiveunscheduledshutdownspriortoreachingcriticality.

A. UnscheduledShutdowns

1. ScramReport2101

Anunscheduledshutdownoccurredat11:45AMon2/3/2021withthereactoroperatingat

100%power.AReactorSafetySystemscramwasautomaticallyinserted.Therewereno

indicationsofthecauseofthescram.Avisualinspectionandoperationaltestsofallfour

safetyrodswerecompletedwithnoabnormalitiesobserved.ActionsdocumentedunderCR

36141.



2. ScramReport2102

Anunscheduledshutdownoccurredat11:08AMon2/5/2021withthereactoroperatingat

100%power.AReactorSafetySystemscramwasautomaticallyinsertedandtherewereno

indicationsofthecauseofthescram.ER2106wasgeneratedtoguidetroubleshootingon

all4safetyrods.Subsequently,issuesfoundandcorrectedincluded1)abareleadwireon

SR#2magnet,2)abrokenleadwireuponinspectingSR#4magnetrequiringreplacement,

and3)matingsurfacesbetweenthemagnetsandanvilsforsafetyrods2,3and4were

adjustedforamoreoptimalalignment.ThescramreportandCR36196documented

correctiveactions.



3. ScramReport2103

Anunscheduledshutdownoccurredat10:24AMon5/21/2021duringareactorstartup.A

ReactorSafetySystemscramwasautomaticallyinsertedastheoperatorstartedtomove

controlrodsoutwardafterestablishingcriticalrodheightwhilein1outof2safetysystem

coincidencelogic.Whileswitchingrangesononeofthetwoonlinepowerpicoammeter

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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

instruments,anoisespikeoccurredresultingintheautomaticscram.Thescramreport

andCR37060documentedcorrectiveactions.



4. ScramReport2104

Anunscheduledshutdownoccurredat9:16AMon7/23/2021justafterreaching100%

power.Theoperatorbecamedistractedwhilerestoringtheplanttonormalsafetysystem

coincidencelogicafterperformingatestunderER2109duringthestartup.AReactor

SafetySystemscramwasautomaticallyinsertedbasedonthehighpowersignalfromone

powerpicoammeterinstrument.ThescramreportandCR37413documentedcorrective

actions.



5. ScramReport2105

Theoperatorperformedanunscheduledshutdownat10:09AMon10/15/2021.Shortly

afterreaching100%power,theoperatorobservedunexpected,fluctuatinginstrument

indicationsforreactorcoolantflow,reactorpower,andstackgaseousandparticulate

activities.Aprecautionarymanualshutdownwasperformed.ThescramreportandCR

38121documentedcorrectiveactions.



6. PriortoCriticality

On5occasionsduring2021,issueswithsafetyrodsoccurreduponinitialmovement

precludingareactorstartup.Threehadtodowithresistancetomovementofsafetyrod#4

(seeSectionIVItem4above)andtheothertwoinvolved1)theflexiblecoupling

disengagingonSR#4,and2)asafetyrodmagnetwirenutcominglooseonSR#2.All

occurrenceswereinvestigated,repairedandtheaffectedcomponentsretested

satisfactorily.TheFacilityManagerauthorizedreactorrestarts.

B. 2020TechnicalSpecificationViolationCited

NRCInspectionReport2021201citedaseverityLevelIVviolationpursuantto10CFR

55.59(a)(2)foralapsein2020oflicensedoperatorqualificationsresultingfromfailuretopass

anannualoperatingtestwithinthetimeconstraintsoftheapprovedrequalificationprogramas

per10CFR55.59(c).ThiswasreportedasEventNotification55113onFebruary24,2021and

furtherdescribedinthewrittenfollowupreportcontainedinGEHletterM210030dated

March10,2021.ThiseventisalsodescribedinNTRAnnualReportNo.61fortheYear2020.



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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

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VI.RadiationLevelsandSampleResultsatOnSiteandOffSiteMonitoringStations

Thedatabelowarefromsampleanddosimeterresultsaccumulatedduringthe2021reporting

period.ExceptfortheNTRstackdata,thedatabelowcoverstheentireVNCsiteandinclude

theeffectsofoperationsotherthantheNTR.

A. NTRStack

Totalairbornereleases(stackemissions)for2021areasfollows:

AlphaParticulate:1.11E08Ci(predominantlyradonthoriumdaughterproducts)

BetaGammaParticulate:4.93E07Ci

Iodine131:1.15E05Ci

NobleGases:1.30E+02Ci

NoblegasactivitiesrecordedfromtheNTRstackintegratebothbackgroundreadingsandthe

actualreleases.Backgroundreadingsmayaccountforasmuchas50%oftheindicatedrelease.

B. GammaRadiation

Theyearlydoseresultsfortheyear2021asdeterminedfromevaluationofsiteperimeter

environmentalmonitoringdosimetersshowednodeparturefromnormalstablebackgrounds.

C. Vegetation

Noalpha,beta,orgammaactivityattributabletoactivitiesattheNTRfacilitywasfoundonorin

vegetationinthevicinityofthesite.

D. Water

Therewasnoreleaseofradioactivityinwaterortogroundwatergreaterthanthelimits

specifiedin10CFR20,AppendixB,Table2,andColumn2.

E. OffSite

Theresultsofsamplescollectedfromoffsitelocationsindicatenormalbackgroundforthe

regionalarea.



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NTRAnnualReportNo.62Rev.1

April28,2022

VII.RadiationExposure

In2021,thehighestannualexposuretoanyfulltimeradiationworkerwhileworkingatNTRwas

0.718Remandthelowestexposureforthiscategoryofworkerwas0.019Rem.Theaverage

radiationexposureforthetenworkersinvolvedwas0.401Remperperson.

The2021totalradiationexposureforallworkerswhileperformingworkatNTRwas4.010Rem.



VIII.Conclusion

GEHitachiconcludesthattheNTRisstaffedandorganizedforefficientoperations.Extensive

useofourCorrectiveActionProgramwillcontinuecontributingtomakingusamoresafeand

compliantoperation.



GEHitachiNuclearEnergyAmericasLLC

VallecitosOperations



Digitally signed by Thomas McConnell Thomas DN: cn=Thomas McConnell, o=GE

 Hitachi, ou=NTR, email=thomas.mcconnell@ge.com, c=US

McConnell Date: 2022.04.28 10:31:10 -07'00'



ThomasJ.McConnell,Manager

NuclearTestReactor



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