ML22338A006

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Texas A&M University, Annual Report 2020
ML22338A006
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Site: 05000128
Issue date: 12/31/2020
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Texas A&M Univ
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Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Document Control Desk
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Texas A&M University System Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Annual Report 2020 Nuclear Science Center Reactor Facility Operating License R-83 Docket No. 050-00128

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3 2 REACTOR UTILIZATION FOR 2020 .................................................................................. 4 2.1 TAMU ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM........................................................................... 5 2.2 COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AND EXTERNAL RESEARCH ......................................................... 5 3 FACILITY AND PROCEDURE CHANGES.......................................................................... 5 3.1 FACILITY MODIFICATIONS ............................................................................................... 5 3.2 EXPERIMENT AUTHORIZATION AND MODIFICATION AUTHORIZATION .................................. 5 4 REACTOR MAINTENANCE AND SURVEILLANCE ........................................................... 6 4.1 SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ............................................................................................ 6 4.2 UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS .......................................................................................... 6 5 HEALTH PHYSICS SURVEILLANCE ................................................................................. 7 5.1 PERSONNEL MONITORING .............................................................................................. 7 5.2 FACILITY MONITORING ................................................................................................... 7 5.3 PARTICULATE EFFLUENT MONITORING ............................................................................ 9 5.4 GASEOUS EFFLUENT MONITORING ................................................................................10 5.5 LIQUID EFFLUENT MONITORING .....................................................................................11 6 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING ....................................................................................12 6.1 SITE BOUNDARY DOSE RATE.........................................................................................12 7 RADIOACTIVE WASTE SHIPMENTS ...............................................................................13 2020 Annual Report Pg 2 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 1 Introduction The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center (NSC) is a multi-disciplinary research and education center supporting basic and applied research in nuclear related fields of science and technology as well as providing educational opportunities for students in these fields as a service to the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) and the state of Texas. The NSC also provides services to commercial ventures requiring radiation or isotope production services.

The NSC reactor is a 1 MW TRIGA research reactor in a large (108,000-gal.) pool. The size of the NSC reactor pool provides great flexibility in the experiments that may be conducted near the reactor. The NSC reactor facility includes five neutron beam ports, a neutron/gamma irradiation cell, hot cells with manipulator arms, and other supporting facilities.

Laboratory facilities include counting laboratories with gas flow proportional detectors and high purity germanium detectors, a pneumatics sample transfer system, and a fast neutron irradiation system.

The NSC reactor design allows for easy loading/unloading of various types of samples. The NSC actively produces a variety of radioisotopes for academic and industry users. The NSC provides neutron activation analysis (NAA) services to many research and academic institutions in the United States. The Nuclear Engineering Department on campus is a major user of the NSC reactor. The NSC is also one of the major attractions on campus. For the calendar year 2020, the NSC hosted a limited number of visitors due to the Covid restrictions placed on TAMUS facilities.

This annual report has been prepared to satisfy the reporting requirements of Technical Specification 6.6.1 of the facility operating license R-83 and of the Department of Energy University Reactor Fuel Assistance Program subcontract No. C87-101594 (DE-AC07-76ER02426).

1.1 Nuclear Science Center Staff The staff at the Nuclear Science Center consists of three major groups: Reactor Operations, Radiation Safety, and Engineering. Personnel directly involved with the operation and maintenance of the reactor are NRC-licensed operators. The NSC is committed to its educational responsibilities and many members of the staff are part or full-time students at Texas A&M University. Appendix A shows the Nuclear Science Center Organization Chart.

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) of the Texas A&M University System operates the NSC. The Director of the NSC is responsible to the Director of the TEES for the administration and the proper and safe operation of the facility. The NSC Radiation Safety Officer is responsible to the Director of the NSC for matters relating to safety and for maintaining a proper radiation safety program. In addition to the internal structure, the Reactor Safety Board (RSB) advises the Director of the TEES and the Director of the NSC on issues or policy pertaining to reactor safety. Texas A&M Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) provides assistance when required for emergencies and for special operations as agreed. The Texas A&M University Police Department provides security support on a daily basis and is a key support group in the event of a security incident. The College Station Fire Department and Scott

& White Medical Center provide offsite emergency support when required as per agreement.

2020 Annual Report Pg 3 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center There were two changes to the NSC staff in 2020. Jerry Newhouse, the Associate Director, and Cameron McDonald, the Reactor Supervisor, both left in October 2020 for other opportunities.

The positions remained unfilled for the remainder of the calendar year. Duties of the Reactor Supervisor were assumed by the Manager of Operations until the position could be filled.

2 Reactor Utilization for 2020 The NSC reactor has been in operation since 1961. The reactor is a 1 MW MTR-converted TRIGA reactor. Core IX is the current core configuration and has been in use since September 2006. The NSC reactor is pulse operational and was pulsed up to $1.68 for nuclear engineering laboratories, staff training, and public tours.

The NSC reactor operated for 696.4 hours4.62963e-5 days <br />0.00111 hours <br />6.613757e-6 weeks <br />1.522e-6 months <br /> in 2020 with a total integrated power of 22.49 MW-days. There were 285 Requests for Irradiation processed at the NSC during the reporting period. The NSC provided services to TAMU departments, other universities, research centers, secondary schools, and industry partners in and outside the state of Texas. The cumulative total energy output since initial criticality of the LEU fuel is 1027.7 MW-days. Table 2 shows the reactor utilization summary in 2020 and Figure 2 shows the annual reactor utilization in MW-hrs of operation.

Table 2: Reactor Utilization Summary in 2020 Days of Reactor Operation 144 Integrated Power (MW-days) 22.49 Number of Hours at Steady-State 696.36 Number of Pulses 10 Number of Reactor Irradiations (RFS) 285 Unscheduled Shutdowns 8 2020 Annual Report Pg 4 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center Figure 2. Annual Reactor Utilization in MW-hrs of Operation 2.1 TAMU Academic Support Program Texas A&M University provides funding for the reactor for such academic activities as nuclear engineering laboratories. The wide range of academic users from the university reflects in the NSCs reputation as a multi-disciplinary institution.

2.2 Commercial Activity and External Research The NSC provides services to a variety of users that provide their own funding. The majority of commercial activities focus on production of radioactive tracers for the petroleum and chemical industries. Outside research grants fund a significant amount of the NSC's research. The NSC has many years of experience producing radioisotopes and has developed several customer-specific methods for radioactive sample production and handling. The production of radioisotopes generally involves handling radioactive material with high activities. The NSC staff takes precautions to minimize the exposures during the transfer of radioactive materials to shipping shields.

3 Facility and Procedure Changes 3.1 Facility Modifications There were no new Facility Modifications performed in 2020.

3.2 Experiment Authorization and Modification Authorization There were no new Experiment Authorizations (EA) or Modification Authorizations (MA) in 2020.

2020 Annual Report Pg 5 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 4 Reactor Maintenance and Surveillance 4.1 Scheduled Maintenance NSC personnel performed regular maintenance on all channels as required by the Technical Specifications. Control rod worth and scram time measurements performed in June 2020 gave the following results. The total rod worth was $15.97. The most reactive control rod was Shim Safety #4 with a worth of $4.16. The shutdown margin was $4.253 and core excess was $5.62.

Scram times on all rods were less than 1.2 seconds. In addition, operators performed calorimetric calibration following each maintenance period, and fuel inspections with no abnormalities noted (as required by the Technical Specification).

4.2 Unscheduled Shutdowns There were eight unscheduled reactor shutdowns during 2020. The cause is detailed below in Table 4-2.

Table 4-2: Unscheduled Shutdowns 01/02/20 FAM Channel was not showing correct data, Operator shut down.

01/29/20 Spurious electronic signal caused experimental scram.

02/06/20 FAM Channel was not showing correct data, Operator shut down.

06/03/20 Shim safety 1 rod dropped while operating 06/16/20 Shim safety 4 rod dropped while operating 06/20/20 Shim safety 2 rod dropped while operating 09/11/20 Linear range display stopped operating 10/15/20 Lost facility power 10/20/20 FAM computer failed 4.3 Emergency Plan and Review The members of RSB reviewed the NSC Security and Emergency Plans.

4.4 Reactor Safety Board The Reactor Safety Board is responsible for providing an independent review and audit of the safety aspects of the NSC reactor. The Reactor Safety Board met as required in the year 2020.

4.5 Audits The Reactor Safety Board performed the required audits and inspections as per the Technical Specifications requirement. The results of the audit were shared with the RSB members.

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Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 4.6 NRC Inspection Results Facility inspections were performed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December 2020.

5 Health Physics Surveillance The purpose of Health Physics surveillance is to ensure safe use of radioactive materials in the Nuclear Science Centers research and service activities and to fulfill the regulatory requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and State agencies. The NSC maintains a Health Physics group as an integral part of the organization. It is responsible for radiological as well as chemical and physical safety concerns. The radiation safety team at the TAMU Environmental Health and Safety Department provides additional support to the NSC Health Physics group upon request.

5.1 Personnel Monitoring Personnel Monitoring was provided on a monthly basis to approximately 52 personnel. All measured doses to personnel were below the limits set forth in 10 CFR 20. The highest deep dose equivalent (DDE) recorded was 0.328R for the year. Airborne monitoring during sample handling continued to show no significant airborne activity, therefore, total effective dose equivalent will equal deep dose equivalent for 2020.

During 2020, no visitors, with the few exceptions of interested researchers, toured the Nuclear Science Center due to COVID restrictions. Minimal exposures were measured with pocket ion chambers worn by these visitors and the pocket ion chamber readings of their respective tour guides.

NSC employees who were likely to exceed 10% of their total annual dose wore whole body badges (Luxel dosimeter) and extremity badges (TLD dosimeters) that were provided by Landauer, a NVLAP accredited supplier. Landauer also provides the reports of the doses received. Employees who potentially handle more radioactive materials on a regular basis were provided two extremity badges and were exchanged on a monthly basis..

5.2 Facility Monitoring Surveys of the Nuclear Science Center facilities were performed to assess radiological hazards to NSC workers. Radiation levels and sources of radioactive contamination were routinely monitored. All areas accessible to the general public at the NSC were surveyed for radiation and contamination levels monthly by ion chamber readings and evaluation of smear samples.

Areas where contamination is expected are access/egress controlled and are evaluated on shorter intervals as needed. Building monitors and Area monitors are located strategically throughout the reactor facility, providing dose equivalent (mrem) on a monthly basis. Table 5-2 summarizes the annual accumulated dose equivalent (mrem) recorded on the area monitors for the year 2020.

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Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center Table 5-2: Total Dose Equivalent (mrem) Recorded on Area Monitors Accumulated Dose Monitor ID Location Equivalent (mrem)

BLDG MNTR 1 Upper Research Level Mezzanine 525 BLDG MNTR 2 Lower Research Level Mezzanine 1322a BLDG MNTR 3 Lower Research Level 20295a AREA Control Room 24 AREA Upper Research Level 277 AREA Room next to MHA 1194b a

Radioactive shipments were stored in the LRL area pending transport b

Radioactive materials were stored in the temporary locations in MHA.

2020 Annual Report Pg 8 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 5.3 Particulate Effluent Monitoring Radioactive particulates were monitored at the base of the central exhaust stack and summarized on a monthly basis. The annual average release concentration was 1.49x10-18

µCi/cc. The total radioactivity released for 2020 was 4.42x10-3 µCi. Table 5-3 summarizes monthly particulate effluent releases during 2020. The most common isotopes noted during particulate effluent releases were Sc-46, Sb-124, and Ir-192.

Table 5-3: Particulate Effluent Releases Particulate Total Additional Dilution Activity from Exhaust activity Quarter Month releases Concentration channel 1 Volume (cc) released

(µCi) (µCi/cc)

(uCI) (Ci)

January <BG 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG February 2.25E-03 9.32E+12 0.00E+00 1.21E-18 2.25E-09 I March 3.56E-03 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 1.79E-18 3.56E-09 Average: 5.81E-03 2.92E+13 0.00E+00 9.94E-19 5.81E-09 April <BG 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG May 7.08E-03 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 3.55E-18 7.08E-09 II June 1.71E-03 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 8.90E-19 1.71E-09 Average: 4.40E-03 9.74E+12 0.00E+00 2.26E-18 4.40E-09 July <BG 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 <BG <BG August 3.26E-03 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 1.64E-18 3.26E-09 III September <BG 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 <BG <BG Average: 3.26E-03 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 5.51E-19 3.26E-09 October 2.01E-03 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 1.01E-18 2.01E-09 November 1.75E-03 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 9.10E-19 1.75E-09 IV December 8.89E-03 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 4.46E-18 8.89E-09 Average: 4.22E-03 9.85E+12 0.00E+00 2.14E-18 4.22E-09 Summary YTD 4.42E-03 1.22E+13 0.00E+00 1.49E-18 4.42E-09 notes:

1. Activity released from the stack: Activity sampled from Ch 1 multiplied by volume of air going through the stack
2. Diluted Concentration equal to: Activity Released/exhaust volume
3. Exhaust Volume equal to: ( # days/month)*( 24hrs/day)*(60min/hr)*( 7875 cfm)/ 3.53E-5cc)
4. Additional Release equal to: (Individual releases calculated from facility air monitoring data)
5. Total Release equal to: (Activity Released+Additional Releases)*conversion factor 2020 Annual Report Pg 9 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 5.4 Gaseous Effluent Monitoring Argon-41 is the major gaseous effluent produced and released at the Nuclear Science Center.

This effluent is monitored at the central exhaust stack. Total Argon-41 released during 2020 was approximately 1.67x10-4 Ci with an annual average release concentration of 2.84x10-14 µCi/cc.

Table 5-4 summarizes monthly gaseous effluent (Ar-41) releases during 2020.

Table 5-4: Gaseous Effluent (Ar-41) Releases Argon-41 Activity from Exhaust Additional Dilution Total activity channel 3 Volume releases Concentration released Quarter Month (µCi) (cc) (mCi) (µCi/cc) (Ci)

January <BG 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG February <BG 9.32E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG I March <BG 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG Sum: 0.00E+00 2.92E+13 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 0.00E+00 April <BG 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG May 6.07E+01 9.96E+12 8.66E-13 2.46E-19 6.07E-05 II June <BG 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG Sum: 6.07E+01 2.92E+13 8.66E-13 1.04E-14 6.07E-05 July <BG 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG August 7.36E+01 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 3.70E-14 7.36E-05 III September <BG 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG Sum: 7.36E+01 2.96E+13 0.00E+00 1.25E-14 7.36E-05 October 1.52E+01 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 7.64E-15 1.52E-05 November 1.76E+01 9.64E+12 0.00E+00 9.15E-15 1.76E-05 IV December <BG 9.96E+12 0.00E+00 <BG <BG Sum: 3.28E+01 2.96E+13 0.00E+00 5.56E-15 3.28E-05 Summary YTD 1.67E+02 1.18E+14 8.66E-13 2.84E-14 1.67E-04 notes:

1. Activity released from the stack: (Activity sampled from Ch 3) x (volume of air going through the stack)
2. Diluted Concentration equal to: Activity Released/exhaust volume
3. Exhaust Volume equal to: ( # days/month)*( 24hrs/day)*(60min/hr)*( 7875 cfm)/ 3.53E-5cc)
4. Additional Release equal to: (Individual releases calculated from facility air monitoring data)
5. Total Release equal to: (Activity Released+Additional Releases)*conversion factor 2020 Annual Report Pg 10 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 5.5 Liquid Effluent Monitoring Radioactive Liquid effluents are maintained in collection tanks before release from the confines of the Nuclear Science Center. Sample activity concentrations and isotope identifications were determined before each release. The concentration values for each isotope were compared with the effluent concentrations in water (10 CFR 20) and were determined to be in compliance.

There were 23 releases in 2020, totaling 3.00 x 105 gallons including dilution. The total radioactivity released was 2.15 mCi with an annual average concentration of 1.90 x 10-6 µCi/cc.

Summary of the release data are presented in the following Table 5-5. Radioactivity concentrations for each isotope found were below the Effluent Concentration limits specified in 10 CFR 20, Appendix B. The radionuclides identified in the waste stream were Na-22, Mn-54, Co-58, Co-60, Zn-65, and Sb-124.

Table 5-5: Liquid Effluent Releases Total Average Number of Volume Radioactivity Concentration Quarter Month Releases Released (cc) (Ci) (µCi/cc)

January 2 9.5E+07 1.37E-04 3.51E-06 February 0 ---- ---- ----

I March 1 5.4E+07 4.86E-05 9.01E-07 Total 3 1.5E+08 2.15E-04 4.41E-06 April 0 ---- ---- ----

May 1 5.01E+07 4.60E-05 9.19E-07 II June 3 1.48E+08 1.34E-04 2.71E-06 Total 4 2.0E+08 1.80E-04 3.63E-06 July 6 2.9E+08 6.90E-04 1.4E-05 August 2 1.1E+08 2.63E-04 5.01E-06 III September 4 2.1E+08 4.72E-04 9.2E-06 Total 12 6.0E+08 1.43E-03 2.86E-05 October 2 9.1E+07 2.1E-04 4.7E-06 November 1 4.9E+07 1.14E-04 2.34E-06 IV December 1 4.9E+07 3.5E-06 7.2E-08 Total 4 1.9E+08 3.28E-04 7.09E-06 Annual Total 23 1.14E+09 2.15E-03 1.90E-06 Summary 2020 Annual Report Pg 11 of 13

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center 6 Environmental Monitoring In conjunction with representatives from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) Radiation Control, a quarterly environmental survey is conducted to ensure compliance with federal regulations. This program consists of TLD monitors located at various locations on the NSC site and two background monitors; one located at 3.84 miles NW of facility and the other at 0.25 miles SE of facility.

6.1 Site Boundary Dose Rate The environmental survey program measures the integrated radiation exposures at the exclusion area boundaries. These measurements are made for periods of approximately 91 days using TLDs. Monthly measurements of direct gamma exposure rate in µR/h are also made at each of the TLD locations. The dosimeters were provided and processed by Texas Department of State Health Services, Environmental Monitoring, Division of Regulatory Services, Austin, Texas.

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Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Nuclear Science Center Table 6-1: Site Boundary TLD Data TLD Deep Quarterly Exposure rates Dose Dose=TLD Site # Location (mrem/91 days) (total) dose*(1/16) 300 ft. W of reactor building, near 2 0 0 1 6 7 0.44 fence corner 250 ft W-SW of reactor building, 3 2 0 2 3 6 0.38 on SW chain link fence 200 ft NW of reactor building, on 4 6 3 4 7 20 1.25 chain link fence 225 ft NE of reactor building, on 5 0 0 1 2 3 0.19 fence N of driveway 190 ft SE of reactor building, near 10 0 0 1 4 5 0.31 fence corner 300 ft NE of reactor building, near 11 0 0 3 3 6 0.38 fence corner

  • 14 3.84 miles NW of facility 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 375 ft NE of reactor building 0 0 1 4 5 0.31 19 320 ft NE of reactor building 0 0 0 0 0 0
  • 23 0.25 miles SE of facility 0 0 0 4 4 0.25 Fence line near N wall of BLDG 24 0 0 2 4 6 0.38 1307
  • Background TLD station 7 Radioactive Waste Shipments In 2020, TAMU-EHS conducted a radioactive waste shipment that contained multiple old, sealed sources from the NSC. All disposal was conducted on the TAMU broad-scope state license. NRC license R-83 conducted no radioactive waste shipments.

2020 Annual Report Pg 13 of 13

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