ML19296B754

Annual Operating Rept for 1979

ML19296B754
Person / Time
Site:	05000262
Issue date:	01/01/1980
From:	Dixon D Brigham Young University, PROVO, UT
To:
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ML19296B747	List: ML19296B746 ML19296B754
References
NUDOCS 8002210457
Download: ML19296B754 (2)

Text

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Annual Operating Report for 1979 Brigham Young University L-77 Reactor Facility 1 Jan 1980 A. Narrative sumary of reactor operating experience.

The L-77 reactor was operated 16 times during the calendar year 1979, with a total energy production of 88.0 watt-hours.

The main use of the reactor continued to be in the teaching of a reactor physics laboratory class, Physics 557. Eleven separate reactor operations were made, including training in reactor operation as well as typical reactor physics experiments and applications.

One operation was performed to irradiate some gem stones to see if permanent color centers could be indiced. The remaining operations were for reactor maintenance or calibration purposes or for practice runs.

B. Unscheduled shutdowns.

There were three unscheduled scrams during the year, all in connection with switching ranges on the linear meter at very low power levels (far subcritical). In none of these scrams were there any safety problems.

C. Surveillance tests.

All of the safety circuits were tested and found fully operative. The control-rod-drop times were far under the 500-millisecond limit. The power calibration was consistent with those of previous years, with a value cal-culated to be 1.3 watts while the reactor was at a nominal 1.95 watts. The old calibration was retained. The control-rod worths calibrations were also virtually the same as they have been since startup in 1967.

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o D. Maintenance operations.

Both of the log micro-microammeters were maintained by our electronic shop during July while no reactor operations were being undertaken.

The vacuum above the reactor core had gradually degraded from 24.4 inches of Hg vacuum in 1967 to about 21 inches in July 1979. On 17 July 1979, this vacuum was brought back up to 24.7 inches of Hg vacuum using a low-capacity hand pump and storing the exhaust in a glass jar. The radiation level at the jar nevir exceeded 0.08 mr/hr at the surface and by 26 Dec 1979 had decreased to background levels.

All other maintenance was limited to routine procedures such as re-placement of bias cells and calibrations.

E. Facility and procedure changes.

None.

F. Radioactive materials released to the environment.

None.

G. Environmental survuys outside the facility.

None.

H. Significant radiation exposures.

None.

Y/ L '

D5ightR.Dixon Facility Chief