ML25113A078

University of Texas Triga II Nuclear Research Reactor - Submittal of 2024 Annual Report

ML25113A078
Person / Time
Site:	University of Texas at Austin
Issue date:	04/23/2025
From:	Whaley P University of Texas at Austin
To:	Hudson J Document Control Desk, NRC/NRR/DANU, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML25113A078 (1)

Text

WALKER DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory Pickle Research Campus R-9000

• Aus1in, Texas 78758

• 5/2-232-5380

• FAX 5/2-

-17/-4589 nuc/ear.engr. utexas.edu

• 111charlton@austin.utexas.edu ATTN: Document Control Desk Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Justin Hudson Non-Power Production and Utilization Facility Licensing Branch (UNPL)

Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities (DANU)

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

SUBJECT:

Docket Number 50-602, License R-126, 2024 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TRIGA II NUCLEAR RESEARCH REACTOR Sir:

Attached is the 2024 Annual Report for The University of Texas TRIGA II Nuclear Reactor (previously communicated via email). If three are any questions, please feel free to contact P.

M. Whaley at 512-232-5373 or whaley@mail.utexas.com.

Sincerely, P. M. Whaley

2024 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TRIGA II NUCLEAR RESEARCH REACTOR (DOCKET 50-602)

INTRODUCTION The University of Texas System (UTS) was established by the Texas Constitution in 1876, with The University of Texas at Austin the flagship institution. The Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory was established at the J. J. Pickle Research Campus with a TRI GA II Nuclear Research Reactor, initially critical in 1992. The reactor is licensed to The University of Texas under USNRC License R-129, a class 104 research reactor. Other activities at the NETL using radioisotopes fall under a State of Texas broad scope license (L00485).

The NETL TRIGA II Reactor Technical Specifications (section 6.6.1) require an annual operating report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This Annual Report covers the period from January through December 2024. The report is organized to summarize the status of current organization during the reporting period (line management organization, oversight committees, and independent oversight activities) followed by the information as detailed in Technical Specifications.

ANNUAL REPORT Personnel status for the organization during the 2024 reporting year for management, oversight, and operating staff is provided. The Technical Specifications require "Routine annual reports covering the activities of the reactor facility during the previous calendar year" three months following the end of each prescribed year. The information required in the annual report is addressed as indicated in Table 1.

Table 1: Required Annual Report Information Information Addressed as A narrative summary of reactor operating experience including Narrative Summary a.

the energy produced by the reactor or the hours the reactor was critical, or both.

Energy produced: 22.75 MWD Tabulation of Unscheduled b.

The unscheduled shutdowns including, where applicable, Shutdowns corrective action taken to preclude recurrence.

Analysis and Corrective Action Statement of Surveillance Tabulation of major preventive and corrective maintenance Activities

c.

operations having safety significance.

Description of Significant Corrective Maintenance Description of Facility Tabulation of major changes m the reactor facility and Modifications procedures, and tabulation of new tests or experiments, or both, Description of Procedure d.

that are significantly different from those performed previously, Chan2:es including conclusions that no new or unanalyzed safety questions Description ofNew were identified.

Tests/Exoeri men ts 50.59 Summary A summary of the nature and amount of radioactive effluents released or discharged to the environs beyond the effective There were no liquid effluents in

e.

control of the owner-operator as determined at or before the point of such release or discharge. The summary shall include, to the 2024 extent practicable, an estimate of individual radionuclides in the

Table 1: Required Annual Report Information Information Addressed as effluent. If the estimated average release after dilution or diffusion is less than 25% of the concentration allowed or Argon-41 Effluent recommended, a statement to this effect is sufficient.

f.

A summarized result of environmental surveys performed Environmental Surveys outside the facilitv.

A summary of exposures received by facility personnel and g.

visitors where such exposures are greater than 25% of that Exposures allowed or recommended.

ORGANIZATION

SUMMARY

Line Management Figure 1 presents the four levels of management identified in Technical Specifications.

Radiation Sa..fety Conunittee Radiauon Safoy Officer Health Phvsicist President of th<

Univtrsitv of Texas at Au stin Executive \\*ice Pr~idcnt and Pro,*ost School of Engineering Dean D<partm<nt of :\\!,chanical Engin<tnng Chm Kuclear Engin,ering T,acltlng Laboratory Director Associate Director R<actor Supmisor Optiations Staff Reactor & c:mor Operators Rtactor Oversight Committee Figure 1: Line Management Organization Table 2: Level 1 The University of Texas at Austin Administration J. Hartzell, PhD, President Roger T. Bonnecaze, Dean, Cockrell School of Engineering

Table 3: Level 2 Mechanical Engineering and NETL Administration Dr. Donald Siegel, Chair, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering Dr. W. Charlton, Director P. M. Whaley, Associate Director Table 4: Level 3 ETL Reactor Supervisor Jim Terry: Reactor Manager Table 5: Level 4 ETL Reactor Operators/Senior Reactor Operators P. M. Whaley: Senior Operator Jim Terry: (Reactor Manager) Senior Operator Tracy Tipping (Health Physicist) - Reactor Operator Tristan Brannon (Reactor Technician) - Reactor Operator Rodrigo Viveros (Reactor Technician) - Reactor Operator Don Nolting (Research Scientist) - Reactor Operator Frankie Rollins (Undergraduate Student) - Reactor Operator Oversight Committees Table 6: 2023-2024 University Radiation Safety Committee Kevin N. Dalby, Ph.D., Chair, Professor, College of Pharmacy Dan Jaffe, Ph.D., Vice-Chair, Office of the Vice President for Research R. De Wayne Holcomb, ex-officio, Radiation Safety Officer, Environmental Health and Safety Karol Lang, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physics Rick Russel, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences Irezama (Nena) Anderson, Director, Environmental Health and Safety Christopher S. Sullivan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences J. Steven Swinnea, Ph.D., Texas Materials Institute X-Ray Facility Manager Tracy N. Tipping, NETL Health Physicist and Laboratory Manager Karen M. Vasquez, Ph.D., Professor, College of Pharmacy Table 7: 2023-2024 Reactor Oversight Committee Kevin Clarno (ME), Chair William S. Charlton, ex-officio (NETL)

Howard Liljestrand (CAFE)

Derek Haas (ME)

Don Siegel (ME)

John G. Ekerdt, ex-officio (ChE)

Jim Terry, ex-officio (NETL)

Tracy Tipping, ex-officio (NETL)

Mike Whaley, ex-officio (NETL)

DeWayne Holcomb (Radiation Safety Officer)

Lawrence R. Jacobi (External Representative)

Scott Pennington (External Representative)

Michael Vasquez (External Representative)

Independent Oversight Activities Table 8: Inspections and Reviews USNRC License(s) Inspection R-129 (Routine Inspection) 08-11 Jan 24 State of Texas License Inspection L00485 (89)

None in 2024 Reactor Oversight Committee Review Semi Annual Review 05 May 2024 Semi Annual Review 30 Nov 2024 Other UT Fire Marshal Fire Safety 26 Jun 2024 UT Fire Safety Systems 5 Nov 2024 FACILITY OPERATIONS

SUMMARY

REPORT Narrative Summary The UT-TRIGA reactor operated for 206 days in 2024, producing a total energy output of 545.9 MWh (22.75 MWd) There were routine maintenance outages in July and December. Figure 2 provides a comparison of energy generation for 2017 through 2024.

40 35 30 25 "O

S: 20

~

15 10 I s

0 2017 Figure 2, Summary of Operating Days Energy Generation I I 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Year I

2023 2024 There were 21 days of operation for training and education, including reactor-based training for NRC, preparation for NRC examination, and reactor-based laboratory classes. Experiments were not precluded by training or classes, and 206 days of experiment operations with 984 sample irradiations occurred during 2024 ( experiments included 18 for research, 23 for service work and 13 for internal experiments). Distribution among the NETL experimental facilities is provided in Figure 3.

Experiment Facility Utilization 6 ss, 313";

8.15',

0.9 o.;

tPNT ePNT RSR BPl BP2 BP3 BP4 BPS 3el

• CT

• 3Fl

• Tour, Tram, Lab

• Mamt Figure 3: Experiment Facility Utilization Other Significant Operations and Events NETL was built with two compressed air systems: lab air (which also supplies transient rod air) and an instrument air compressor for air operated valves, dampers, and HV AC temperature controllers. The original NETL building lab air compressor has failed. The University Facilities Department provided a temporary compressor to allow time to install a suitable compressor for the Transition Rod air requirements and is seeking a contract for removal of the original lab ar compressor removed. A new air compressor was installed to provide air to the transient rod, with lab air no longer supported. A cross connect valve was installed to provide the air for the pulse rod as a contingency for reactor air compressor failure.

In March 2024 NETL a series of low-level contamination events occurred at NETL. There was no indication of exceeding personnel exposure limits, no violation of the facility operating license or the approved Radiation Protection Program, and (based on administrative controls on materials used in experiments at NETL) there is no likelihood of any similar occurrence that could have created a scenario with potential for either personnel exposure approaching limit or a violation of Technical Specifications. Although the contamination levels did not rise to a level that required reporting, management as concerned about a developing trend and suggested the need to radiological control practice. Therefore, a root cause analysis was conducted and documented with Root Cause Analysis Worksheets modeled from the guidance in DOE-NE-STD-1004-92. In the course of this review a number of issues were identified with a number of corrective actions implemented that successfully addressed the issues.

Tabulation of Unscheduled Shutdowns TABLE 9: UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS 13 Jun 2024 NPP Operator SCRAM: Reached 104% power or 1040kW on channel when running at lMW 02 Aug 2024 NP Operator SCRAM: Went to lMW before stable. Power reached 104 % or 1040k W Analysis and Corrective Actions Operator Error Monitor Channel Monitor Channel There were two operator error reactor scrams in 2024. The source of each SCRAM was determined, and proper restart was conducted Statement of Surveillance Activities The facility typically conducts two major maintenance outages each year, one in mid-summer and the other in January (before the start of the spring semester) or December (before winter break). All surveillances and scheduled maintenance activities were completed during the reporting year at the required periodicity. All results met or exceeded the requirements of the Technical Specifications.

Description of Significant Corrective Maintenance 15 Feb 2024: Particulate Continuous Air Monitor (PartCAM) vacuum pump failed. The vacuum pump was replaced with an equivalent model 15 May 2024: The purification system prefilter (particulate) was replaced with a larger filter housing and corresponding filter that provides matching flow and porosity specifications with a larger volume of particulate collection..

16 May 2024: A low CMOS battery was discovered in the console computer motherboard and replaced, returning the system to normal operation.

14 Aug 2024: A Magnet Voltage Action Pack faulted, causing Mag Voltage Alarm. The action pack was replaced with an equivalent model followed by calibration.

28 Oct 2024: The Control Room Air Panel time delay relay for bay isolation was observed constantly resetting. The relay was relaced to return the system to normal operation.

Description of Procedure Changes There were no procedure changes submitted or approved in 2024 New Tests or Experiments 20 Aug 2024: An experiment authorization was approved allowing the use of the newly developed fast fission neutron system (3FL). The 3FL facility allows pneumatic transfer of a

sample into a facility placed in the 3 element, or 7 element positions and back out onto a detector. The system is designed for research of fast neutrons effect on materials.

50.59 Summary On 5 Apr 2024 a 50.59 process was begun to allow modification replacing the purification loop filter with a larger unit and reconfigure filter isolation for maintenance. The 50.59 process screened out the change and was presented to the Reactor Oversight Committee (ROC) on 30 October 2024 at the routine semiannual meeting.

On 24 May 2024 a 50.59 process was begun to allow modification to replace a failed air compressor that supplies air to the pulse rod, service connections, and compressed air to NETL laboratories with a dedicated air compressor that supplies air to the pulse rod system. The compressor will not provide compressed air to laboratories and service connections in the staging area. This 50.59 process screened out the change and was presented to the ROC on 30 October 2024 at the routine semiannual meeting.

The 50.59 process was initiated to support a modification of the central thimble to allow samples to be inserted and removed hydraulically. The proposed modification replaces the lower section of the central thimble, replacing penetrations directly below the upper grid plate with penetrations the below the lower grid plate. The 50.59 process determination that this does not require NRC approval for implementation was presented to the ROC on 28 May 2024.

RADIOLOGICAL

SUMMARY

REPORT Argon-41 Effluent The principal radioactive effluent for the UT reactor is argon-41. There were 5.2 Ci of argon-41 discharged to the atmosphere due to normal reactor operations in 2024. This is approximately 5% of the effluent value permitted by Technical Specifications. A CAP88 calculation identifies the maximally exposed individual located 300 meters north of NETL (the parking lot of the business across Braker Lane) and gives an annual dose to that individual of 7.24 x 10-3 mrem due to this argon-41 effluent.

Environmental Surveys There was no transfer of solid radioactive waste from the facility in 2024.

There was no liquid radioactive waste transferred from the facility in 2024.

There was one liquid radioactive waste disposal via sanitary sewer in 2024. The waste consisted of contaminated water from cleaning RSR rabbits.

There was no liquid effluent from the facility in 2024.

In 2024, for exterior locations indicated as positions 1 through 6 on the exterior dosimeter map below, "minimal" doses(< 1 mrem) were reported for positions 1, 3, 4, and 6. For position 2, reported dose was 5 mrem and for position 5, reported dose was 14 mrem.

This is well below the 100 mrem annual limit for dose to the general public.

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tl~T:. 3@CV\\.C door NF'Tt. roof :, ack tnd1C~~nts l ocat. 1on or do*.1~t.cy wJ.thin Lh Lu! ld.lr.q NETL Environmental Monitor Locations (External Dosimeter Map)

In addition to the NETL monitors, the Texas Department of State Health Services monitors exterior locations near NETL indicated as positions 1 through 5 on the TDSHS TLD map. As yet, TDSHS has only reported results for the first three calendar quarters of 2024. For this period, -1 mrem dose was reported for position 1, 8 mrem dose was reported for position 2, -28 mrem dose was reported for position 3, 14 mrem dose was reported for position 4, and 7 mrem dose was reported for position 5. These doses are well below the 100 mrem annual limit for dose to the general public.

Exposures NETl TlO locations

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'TIP loc Measured visitor doses were less than the regulatory limit of 100 mrem per year for the general public.

The highest measured visitor dose was 74.4 mrem whole body. That measured dose is an outlier and is likely due to radiofrequency interference on the dosimeter and not an actual ionizing radiation dose. The next highest measured dose was 4 mrem whole body. For the 683 visitors in 2024, cumulative dose measured was 111.5 mrem.

Individually measured personnel annual occupational doses were less than 17% of the NETL local limit of 1000 mrem whole body. Thus, individual annual occupational doses were less than 4% of the regulatory limit of 5000 mrem whole body.

The highest measured annual occupational doses to an individual were 168 mrem whole body and 193 9 mrem extremity.

An NRC Form 5 (Occupational Dose Record for a Monitoring Period) must be provided to personnel who receive an annual dose more than 100 mrem. Twenty-six NRC Form 5s were required to be issued for doses in 2024.