ML25058A293
| ML25058A293 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dow Chemical Company |
| Issue date: | 02/25/2025 |
| From: | Yusuf S Dow Chemical Co |
| To: | Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| Download: ML25058A293 (1) | |
Text
February 25, 2025 Document Control Desk United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555
Dear Sir:
The Dow Chemical Company Midland, Michigan 48667 Enclosed is the annual report for The Dow TRIGA Research Nuclear Reactor, Docket No. 50-264. If you have any questions, please contact me at (989) 638 5579.
Siaka 0. Yusuf Facility Director Dow TRIGA Research Reactor Enclosure CC: Bradley Stamler; USNRC Tonya Stockman, 1897 Siaka Yusuf, 1602 Tom Kalantar, 1712 Kelly Wegener-Gave, 1803 Osvaldo Ordonez, 1602 Ryan Weiss, 1790
DOW TRIGA RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT - 2024 There was one US NRC inspection of the DTRR in 2024 and was a routinely scheduled inspection.
There were no violations found in the inspection. The annual peer review audit was conducted by Mr.
Randy Hyde of Plantation Production Inc., in November of2024 as usual. The audit examined all aspects of the Dow TRIGA nuclear reactor facility programs and there were no safety concerns or non-compliances with US NRC requirements found.
The regular in-house audits of the radiation protection program, safety and housekeeping were also performed by the Dow Chemical Company Radiation Safety Officer and there were no issues found.
There were no significant changes to the facility during 2024. There were however a few changes to the Reactor Operation Committee (ROC) membership due to retirements. A Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) left the program and was promptly communicated to the NRC via letters dated December 4th, 2024, and January 8111 of 2025. The letters were also used to request the termination of the staff's SRO license.
A.
Staff, Licenses, and Training The current reactor staff members are:
S. 0. Yusuf
- 0. Ordonez Facility Director and Reactor Supervisor Trainee Senior Reactor Operator There is currently one Senior Reactor Operator whose operator licenses is current and there is one Trainee SRO. Dr. Yusufrenewed his Senior Reactor Operator's license in 2024, and the Trainee should be ready by the third quarter of2025 to take his instant SRO exams.
The annual re-qualification program was carried out according to the NRC approved program, dated September 6, 2011. The one currently licensed operator is up to date in his quarterly re-qualification participations, including operating experience, participation in emergency preparedness drills, Reactor Operation Committee meetings, operating examinations, and the annual fuel inventory.
Operation of the reactor is an important part of the training program, thus, the reactor is operated on an as-needed basis which results in numerous operations. Each operation involves reactivity manipulations, use of the control console, placement and retrieval of samples and handling of radioactive materials. The reactor was operated for a total of 91 hours0.00105 days <br />0.0253 hours <br />1.50463e-4 weeks <br />3.46255e-5 months <br /> in 2024 by the Senior Reactor Operators.
DOW TRJGA RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT - 2024 Following the departure of two previous ROC members from Dow, the ROC membership has been reorganized multiple times. The ROC is currently composed of the following staff members:
T. G. Stockman ROC Chairwoman S. 0. Yusuf Facility Director and Reactor Supervisor K. A. Wegener-Gave Radiation Safety Officer T. H. Kalantar Senior R&D/TS&D Fellow in Dow Core R&D Dr. Stockman is the first level manager for the facility on behalf of Analytical Sciences and serves as the chairwoman for the ROC. Dr. Yusuf is the level 2 manager or Facility Director for the Facility. He also serves as the Reactor Supervisor for the facility. Ms. Wegener-Gave is the Dow Midland location Radiation Safety Officer as well as the TRIGA Radiation Safety Officer and reports through the Dow Environmental, Health and Safety department. Dr. T. H. Kalantar is a Senior R&D/TS&D Fellow in Dow Core R&D. Dr. Kalantar serves as the outside member, (neither a member of reactor operation nor a member of analytical sciences), of the ROC.
B.
Reactor Operating Experience The reactor was operated for 0.34 Megawatt-days in 2024 (a 48% decrease from last year) for a total of 91 hours0.00105 days <br />0.0253 hours <br />1.50463e-4 weeks <br />3.46255e-5 months <br /> (also a decrease compared to last year's total hours). The main purpose of reactor operations at the Dow facility is to perform neutron activation analysis. About 1,092 samples were irradiated in 2024, which is much lower than the previous year, 2023, but consistent with hours of operation and focus.
C.
Major Changes There were no changes made to the facility in 2024.
D.
Unscheduled Shutdowns There were 14 unscheduled shutdowns (scrams) during 2024. 8 of these scrams were due to a computer function, specifically, the DIS064 device which processes the signals into the DAC computer. The other 6 were high power scrams, even when operating at source level, due to low level electrical noise. It has since been identified and fixed.
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DOW TRJGA RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT - 2024 E.
Major Preventive and Corrective Maintenance of Safety Significance There was no maintenance which had safety significance performed during 2024. There were 5 preventive and corrective maintenance items during 2024. One of them was related to the replacement of water purification cartridge. Another one was related to the NPPl000, failing prestart and an adjustment to a potentiometer had to be made. Two were related to the DAC computer, not booting up. The failed CPU card of the computer has since been replaced like for like. One was related to a sticky switch on Shim 2 rod drive.
F.
Radioactive Effluents The only radioactive material normally released to the environment from the facility is argon-41.
This is produced from activation of the natural argon dissolved in the pool water and subsequently escapes from the pool into the reactor room and from there to the outside of the building. Ar-41 is also produced from the natural argon present in the air used to transport samples from a laboratory into a terminus in the core of the reactor.
Overall, any release, after dilution is estimated to be less than 25% of the allowed or recommended maximum concentration in 1 0CFR20.
G.
Radiation Exposures Radiation exposures received by facility personnel and visitors are monitored using film badges and thermo luminescent detectors. No persons have received exposures approaching 25% of those allowed or recommended in 10CFR20.
H.
Outside Sampling and Monitoring There were no incidences requiring outside sampling or monitoring during the year 2024.
S. 0. Yusuf Facility Director Dow TRlGA Research Reactor February 25, 2025
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