ML15092A962

Texas A&M University Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics Reactor Suspension of Experiments Under Technical Specification 3.5.3, Xenon and Iodine Monitoring and 3.6.4, Xenon Irradiation for Iodine Production

ML15092A962
Person / Time
Site:	05000128
Issue date:	04/15/2015
From:	Mirela Gavrilas Division of Policy and Rulemaking
To:	Mcdeavitt S Texas A&M Univ
Hardesty D
References
TAC ME1584
Download: ML15092A962 (4)

Text

April 15, 2015 Sean McDevitt, Ph.D.

Director, Nuclear Science Center Texas A&M University 1095 Nuclear Science Rd.

3575 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3575

SUBJECT:

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY TRAINING, RESEARCH, ISOTOPES, GENERAL ATOMICS REACTOR SUSPENSION OF EXPERIMENTS UNDER TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 3.5.3, "XENON AND IODINE MONITORING AND 3.6.4, "XENON IRRADIATION FOR IODINE PRODUCTION" (TAC NO. ME1584)

Dear Dr. McDevitt:

As part of the license renewal process for Texas A&M University (TAMU) regarding the Nuclear Science Center Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor, the U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff reviewed your response to a Request for Additional Information dated March 2, 2015 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML15065A068). In this letter you identified a concern with the radiological consequences of a potential accidental release to workers within the confinement building. Specifically, a failure of an experiment would, in 5 minutes, expose a person in the confinement building to a whole body dose of over 924 roentgen equivalent man.

Pursuant to a telephone conversation on March 12, 2015, between yourself, Sean McDevitt, Director, Nuclear Science Center, and Kevin Hsueh, Branch Chief; Alexander Adams, Jr.,

Branch Chief; and Duane Hardesty, Project Manager representing the NRC, it is our understanding as documented in your letter on March 2, 2015, that you have issued an administrative control suspending Xenon/Iodine experiments and that you request removal of the Technical Specifications that allow such experiments as a part of license renewal.

Please notify me immediately if your understanding differs from what is set forth above or if for any reason you intend to change, deviate from or not complete any of the actions set forth above, and advise me of the changes or deviations.

Be advised this letter does not preclude issuance of an order formalizing the above commitments or requiring other actions on the part of the licensee; nor does it preclude the NRC from taking enforcement action for violations of NRC requirements that may have prompted the issuance of this letter.

S. McDevitt In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 2.390, "Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding," a copy of this letter, and your response, if you choose to provide one, will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room and in ADAMS, accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To the extent possible, your response should not include any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be made available to the public without redaction. If personal privacy or proprietary information is necessary to provide an acceptable response, then please provide a bracketed copy of your response that identifies the information that should be protected and a redacted copy of your response that deletes such information. If you request withholding of such material, you must specifically identify the portions of your response that you seek to have withheld and provide in detail the bases for your claim of withholding (e.g., explain why the disclosure of information will create an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy or provide the information required by 10 CFR 2.390(b) to support a request for withholding confidential commercial or financial information).

If you have any questions, please contact Duane A. Hardesty by phone at 301-415-3724 or by e-mail at Duane.Hardesty@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mirela Gavrilas, Deputy Director Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-128 License No. R-83 cc: See next page

Texas A&M University Docket No. 50-128 cc:

Mayor, City of College Station P.O. Box Drawer 9960 College Station, TX 77840-3575 Governors Budget and Planning Office P.O. Box 13561 Austin, TX 78711 Jerry Newhouse TRIGA Reactor Supervisor Texas A&M University 1095 Nuclear Science Rd.

3575 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3575 Radiation Program Officer Bureau of Radiation Control Dept. Of State Health Services Division for Regulatory Services 1100 West 49th Street, MC 2828 Austin, TX 78756-3189 Technical Advisor Office of Permitting, Remediation & Registration Texas Commission on Environmental Quality P.O. Box 13087, MS 122 Austin, TX 78711-3087 Test, Research, and Training Reactor Newsletter University of Florida 202 Nuclear Sciences Center

ML15092A962; *concurred via e-mail NRR-106 OFFICE NRR/DPR/PRLB/PM NRR/DPR/LA* NRR/DPR/PRLB/BC NRR/DPR/DD NAME DHardesty DHarrison AAdams MGavrilas DATE 04/06/2015 04/03/2015 04/14/2015 04/15/2015