ML13231A192

Reed College Reactor Annual Report

ML13231A192
Person / Time
Site:	Reed College
Issue date:	08/07/2013
From:	Krahenbuhl M Reed College
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML13231A192 (25)

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REED COLLEGE REACTOR FACILITY 32013Southeast Woodstock Boulevard August 7, 2013 Portland, Oregon Document Control Desk 97202-8199 US Nuclear Regulatory Commission telephone Washington, DC 20555 503/777-7222 Docket 50-288 fax 503/777-7274 Enclosed is Reed College Reactor's Annual Report.

reactor@reed.edu Please feel free to contact me for additional information.

htrp://reactor.reed.edu Regards, Melinda P. Krahenbuhl Director, Reed College Reactor

REED RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT July 1,2012 -- June 30, 2013

REED RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT July 1,2012 -- June 30, 2013 3203 Southeast Woodstock Blvd.

Portland, Oregon 97202-8199 503-777-7222 Fax: 503-777-7274 http://reactor.reed.edu reactor@reed.edu Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 3

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ITABLE OF CONTENTS Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 1 People .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Reactor Staff ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Reactor Operations Com m ittee ............................................................................................. 4 Facilities ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Reactor Facility .................................................................................................................................. 5 Rotating Specim en Rack Facility ............................................................................................. 5 Pneumatic Transfer System ........................................ 5 In-Core Facilities ................................................................................................................................ S In-Pool Facilities ...................................................................... ......................................................... 6 Beam Facilities ................................................................................................................................... 6 Regulatory Events ...................................................................................................................... 7 Audits and Inspections ................................................................................................. ....... 8 U sers ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Reactor Operations Sem inar .................................................................................................. 9 Outside Users ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Colleges and U niversities ................................................................................................................ 10 High Schools and M iddle Schools ............................................................................................. 10 Special G roups .................................................................................................................................. 10 High School Student Project ................................................................................................. 11 Concordia University .................................................................................................................... 11 Scaler Kits .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Reed Classes ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Industrial and Com m ercial Applications ......................................................................... 12 Reactor Operations .......................................................................................................... 13 Operations ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Unplanned Reactor Shutdow ns ............................................................................................ 15 Reactor M aintenance ...................................................................................................... 16 Significant Maintenance .......................................................................................................... 16 10 CFR 50.59 Screenings .......................................................................................................... 16 Radiation Protection ....................................................................................................... 17 Personnel Dosim etry .................................................................................................................... 17 Gaseous Releases ............................................................................................................................ 18 Liquid W aste Releases .................................................................................................................. 18 Solid W aste D isposal ..................................................................................................................... 19 Environm ental Sam pling ....................................................................................................... 19 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 2

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Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 3

OVERVIEW This report covers the period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, and is intended to fulfill the reporting requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License No. R-112, Docket 50-288, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Oregon Department of Energy Rule No. 345-030-010.

We specifically wish to thank Portland General Electric and Concordia University for their financial aid.

Reed College operates a 250 kW TRIGAG Mark I reactor. The Reed College Research Reactor has been a resource for research and educational projects in the Portland area since 1968. The main uses of the Reed Research Reactor are instruction and research, especially in the field of trace-element analysis.

During the year there were 2578 visitors from schools, colleges, universities, and special groups. Specifically, there were 573 visitors were part of Reed College activities (prospective students, family of students, Reed classes, etc.). One hundred and thirty-nine members of emergency response organizations came for training. Finally, there were 31 entries by inspectors and regulators from state and federal agencies. Including tours and research conducted .at the facility, the Reed Research Reactor contributed to the educational programs of 13 colleges and universities.

During the year the reactor was taken critical 495 times on 162 days. The total energy produced was approximately 33.02 megawatt-hours.

The reactor staff consists of a Director, an Associate Director, and Reed College undergraduate students who are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as reactor operators or senior reactor operators. During the reporting period, 14 out of 15 Reactor Operator candidates passed their NRC exams and 6 out of 7 the Senior Reactor Operator candidates passed their NRC exams.

There were no radiation exposures to individuals in excess of the limit during the year.

There were no releases of liquid radioactive material from the facility and airborne releases were well within regulatory limits. There was one shipment of low-level radioactive waste from the facility.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducted an inspection Dec. 3-6, 2012.

Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 1

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IPEOPLE Reactor Staff During the period July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, the staff consisted of:

• ReactorDirector: Melinda Krahenbuhl (6/11 - present)

Associate Director: Reuven Lazarus (5/11 - 6/2013)

Radiation Safety Officer: Kathleen Fisher (1/03 - present)

Reactor Supervisor: Ian Flower (5/12 - 5/13)

Christina Barrett (5/13 - present)

Training Supervisor: Mike Vignal (5/12 - 5/13)

Molly Maguire (5/13 - present)

Assistant Training Supervisor: Molly Maguire (5/12 - 5/13)

Veronica Stewart (5/13 - present)

Requalification Supervisor: Kathryn Linthicum (5/12 - 7/13)

Erin Weisenhorn (incoming)

Senior Reactor Operators(SRO)

Hannah Allen Jake Luton Rachael Otto Christina Barrett Isaac Khader Erin Sheffels Daniel Dashevsky Melinda Krahenbuhl Elisabeth Thomas Wesley Erickson Benjamin Larsen Erik Thomas Ian Flower Reuven Lazarus Mike Vignal Evan Green Molly Maguire Christopher Vittal Luke Howard Huy Nguyen Patrick Wijngaard Austin Humphrey Neha Rao Andrew Warren Trevor Lohrey Michael Reichert Erin Weisenhorn Reactor Operators(RO)

Praker Bajpai Alexander Harris Evan Peairs Lily Ben-Avi Josh Hepworth Evan Pikulski Andrew Blount Kelsey Houston-Edwards Grace Poetzinger Madelyn Brandt Lydia Kerns Nicole Scherm Miguel Conner Simran Mahtani Nathan Showell Gray Davidson Jared Milfred Juliet Shafto Francis Dieterle. Charlie McIntyre Natalie Stone Elisabeth Grace Stephan Okar Riley Thornton Gianmarco Greci Ilana Novakoski Michaela Voorhees Jossef Osborn Reilly Villanueva Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 3

The list of operators includes everyone who held a license at any time during the reporting period. Reactor Operators who upgrade their licenses to Senior Reactor Operators during the reporting period are listed under Senior Reactor Operators. All of the licensed operators are Reed College undergraduate students with the exception of the Director and Associate Director.

For the 2012-2013 year there are 56 licensed operators at Reed College, 22 women and 34 men.

Reactor Operations Committee For the 2012 - 2013, the membership of the Reactor Operation committee is shown below.

Reactor OperationsCommittee Wayne Lei - Chair (Directorof Research and Development,PortlandGeneralElectric)

Norm Dyer (OAR Services)

Daniel Gerrity (Chemistry Faculty, Reed College).

Kathleen Fisher (Director,Reed Environmental Health and Safety)

Lucas Illing - Chair (Physics Faculty, Reed College)

Steve Reese (RadiationCenter Director,Oregon State University)

Pat McDougal (Dean of the Faculty, Reed College)

Melinda Krahenbuhl (Director,RRR) .

Reuven Lazarus (Associate Director,RRR)

Ian Flower (Reactor Supervisor, RRR) 4 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013

LFACILITIES Reactor Facility In addition to the reactor, Reed College has a radiochemistry lab. The equipment available at the reactor facility includes high purity germanium gamma spectrometers, alpha spectrometers, a whole body counter, gas flow proportional counters, ion chambers, beta counters, Geiger Muller tubes, neutron detectors, alpha detectors, and thermo luminescent dosimeter readers. These instruments are used for experiments and training in nuclear science and radiation detection. Two exit monitors are in the control room. A liquid scintillation detector serves the both the reactor and broad scope license users. The reactor facility has several systems for performing irradiations, described below.

Rotating Specimen Rack Facility The rotating specimen rack is located ih a well on top of the graphite reflector surrounding the core. The rack consists of a circular array of 40 tubular receptacles, each of which can -accommodate two irradiation tubes. Vials holding up -to 17 ml (four drams) are used in this system. Samples are loaded'in the specimen rack prior to the start-up of the reactor. The rack automatically rotates during irradiation to ensure each sample receives the same neutron flux. Typically, researchers use the rotating rack when long irradiation times (generally greater than five minutes) are required. The approximate thermal neutron flux in a rotating rack position at full power is 1.7 xl10" n/cm 2 s with a cadmium ratio of 6. The specimen rack can be used for gamma irradiations (approximately 8 Rad/min) when the reactor is shutdown.

Pneumatic Transfer System The pneumatic transfer system ("rabbit") consists of an irradiation chamber in the outer F-ring of the core and its associated pump and piping. This allows samples to be transferred in and out of the reactor core very rapidly while the reactor is at power.

Routine use of the pneumatic transfer system involves placing samples into vials, which in turn are placed in special capsules known as "rabbits." The capsule is loaded into the system in the laboratory next to the reactor and is then transferred pneumatically into -the core-irradiation position. At the end of a predetermined time the sample is transferred back to the receiving terminal, where it is removed for measurement. The transfer time from the core to the terminal is about seven seconds, making this method of irradiating samples particularly useful for experiments involving radioisotopes with short half-lives.

The flux in the core terminal is approximately 5x10 1 2 n/cm2 s when the reactor is at full power.

In-Core Facilities The central thimble is a water-filled irradiation chamber about 3 cm in diameter. It provides the highest available neutron flux, about IxlO*3 n/cm 2s. Special sample holders are used in the central thimble to provide maximum flexibility in experiment design.

Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 -5

A fuel replacement source holder assembly can also be used as an irradiation facility. The chamber fits into a fuel-element position within the core itself. It holds only one specially positioned irradiation container 7.5 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter.

Foil-insertion holes, 0.8 cm in diameter, are drilled at various positions through the grid plates. These holes allow inserting special holders containing flux wires into the core, to obtain neutron flux maps of the core.

In-Pool Facilities Near core, in-pool irradiation facilities can be arranged for larger samples. Neutron fluxes will be lower than in the rotary specimen rack and will depend on the sample location.

An iridium gamma irradiator is also in the reactor pool for gamma only irradiations.

Beam Facilities The central thimble can be evacuated with gas, producing a vertical neutron beam. This beam can be used to generate directional neutron flux, or for limited irradiations above the tank. Prompt gamma analysis and neutron radiography can be done. The flux above the beam exit is approximately lxl06 n/cm's when the reactor is at full power.

6 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013

IREGULATORY EVENTS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducted inspections during December 3-6, 2012.

A.Notice of Violation was issued Jan. 2,2013. A reply was sent to the NRC on January 30,2013. Corrective actions have been implemented.

Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 7

AUDITS AND INSPECTIONS Two audits and one inspection were completed during this period. Norm Dyer completed an internal audit on Dec. 11, 2012. On July 30-31, 2012. Phillip Campbell conducted an audit of the Campus Radiation Safety program. Additionally, Ed Everett from ANI Nuclear Liability Insurance completed an inspection. Recommendations that are still being addressed are Emergency Plan revisions, Record Retention and Radioactive waste storage and documentation.

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.U SERS Reactor Operations Seminar The Reed Research Reactor conducts an annual seminar series. This non-credit course serves as an introduction to nuclear reactor theory, health physics, and.reactor:operation.

Some of the students continue with in-depth reactor operator training and subsequently apply for a Reactor Operator (RO) license. If successful, the individual. may be hired to operate the reactor. In addition, existing ROs may take the NRC Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) exam to upgrade their licenses.

During the reporting period, 14 out of 15 RO candidates and 5 out of 6 SRO candidates passed their NRC exams.

Figure 1 is a graph of the number of license application each year showing how many new RO and SRO licenses were awarded at Reed.

N M "r Ln ID N co M 0 - N M '. Lfn ID r- W 0 - N a, a, a, a, a, a, a, 0 0 0 0 0 0C0D 0 -~

a, a, a, 0a0000 M 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Figure 1 Reed Research Reactor License Exam Results Outside Users During the year there were 1871 visitors from schools, colleges, universities, and special groups. Additionally, there were 537 visitors as part of Reed College activities (prospective students, family of students, Reed classes, etc.). One hundred and thirty-Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 9

nine members of emergency response organizations came for training. Finally, there were 31 entries by inspectors and regulators from state and federal agencies.

The following institutions have participated in facility tours, experiments, and research projects in the reporting period.

Colleges and Universities University of Washington Clark College Columbia Gorge Community College Concordia University Oregon Health Science University Oregon Institute of Technology Oregon State University Pitzer College Pacific University Portland State University Portland Community College (Rock creek, Sylvania)

Warner Pacific College Mount Hood Community College High Schools and Middle Schools Catlin Gabel Christ the King Catholic School Cleveland High School Ekton Charte" School Gresham Barlow Academy:

Grout High School Marist High School Putnam High School Waldorf High School Sunnyside Environmental School Roosevelt High School Special Groups Thomas Deus Group Rainbo PTG Boy Scouts (597, 110) nConnect RSO class Saturday Academy ASE STEM Camp Latin Forum The Read Bleck Experience PNCC Science Outreach 10 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013

Figure 2 is a graph showing the history of visiting groups.

40

• "Colleges and Universities 35 a-High -- Schools and Middle Schools 25 2 %i I -- - pei alG o p A

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1992"1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 201"1 2012 2013 Figure 2 Visiting Groups Many reactor radiation tours include hands-on use of facility equipment to conduct experiments in science, health physics, and nuclear physics. A typical lab involves determining the background of .a Geiger Muller scalar system and then determining the half-life of a sample of radioactive material. College classes are generally more closely tailored to the individual interests and needs of the Consortium faculty member involved. Experiments include more direct use of the reactor itself .by the students, more detailed analysis of materials, -and emphasize the incorporation of other classroom activities as much as possible.

Several special programs for gifted children use the reactor for projects. These are designed to enrich their educational program and prepare them for college. Some of the groups who use the reactor target minority and disadvantaged youth who are historically under-represented in science professions.

High School Student Proiect The Reed Research Reactor continues to be used in independent science projects initiated by students from several Oregon and Washington State high schools.

Concordia University The reactor -provides training and experiments involving radiation, radioactive material, and trace element analysis for Concordia University classes.

Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 11.

Scaler Kits Through the generosity of Portland General Electric, the reactor lends out kits containing a Geiger counter, a scaler, and some small exempt sources to local high schools.

Reed Classes

• Chemistry 101 students explored the properties of alpha, beta and gamma irradiation.

" Chemistry 311 Extent of Chemical Reaction using potassium as the tracer

• Three Reed students used the reactor as part of their senior thesis.

o Deep Blue." Examining CerenX-ov Radiation Through Non-tradiliona/

A/Hedza, Ian Flower o Thermal Mapping of the Reed Research Reactor Core, Michael Vignal o A Novel Synthetic Route to porous V2 0 5 , Ellen Murphy Industrial and Commercial Applications The Reed Research Reactor is available for industrial or commercial concerns when it does not conflict with our educational goals. As in the past, the primary operations involved neutron activation analysis of materials or environmental samples. The facility also provides radiation protection training to interested parties and schools in the.area.

12 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013

REACTOR OPERATIONS Operations During the year the reactor was taken critical 495 times on 162 days. The total energy produced was approximately 33 megawatt-hours. Operating history by month appears in table 1. A history of the datais shown in figure 3.

Table 1 Operating History 2011-2012 TIMES CRITICAL DAYS OPERATED MW-HOURS July 2012 14 10 0.97 August.2012 18 10 1.69 September 2012 48 12 2.44 October 2012 41 14 1.98 November 2012 37, 14 3.71 December .2012 66 11 2.08 January 2013 19 12 1.74 February 2013 111 23 6.97 March 2013 35 15 2.00 April 2013 57 22 5.04 May 2013 37 14 3.73 June.2013 12 5 0.67 Total 495 162 33.02 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 13

600 500 - Irradiations

--- MW-hrs 400 300 200 100 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 21009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Figure 3. Operations 14 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013

Unplanned Reactor Shutdowns There were 9 inadvertent reactor shutdowns (scrams) as shown in table 2. The number of unplanned reactor shutdowns is increasing as shown in figure 4.

Table 2 Unplanned Reactor Shutdowns DATE SCRAM TYPE CAUSE OF SCRAM

.8/23/2012 Grounded magnet

.9/13/2012 Linear Power Auto range not selected 9/22/2013 Linear Power Operator overshot target power 9/23/2013 Linear Power Operator overshot target power 11/13/2013 Linear.Power. Operator overshot target power 1/28/2013 Percent power Test signal inadvertently actuated during operations 2/7/2013 Linear Power... Operator overshot target power 2/23/2013 Linear Power Operator overshot target power 2/24/2013 Linear Power Auto range not selected 25 20 15 10 5

0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Figure 4 Unplanned Shutdowns Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 15

I

ýREACTOR MAINTENANCE Significant Maintenance Reactor staff performs routine equipment checks on a daily, weekly, bimonthly, semiannual (January and July) and annual (January) basis as required by facility procedures. Reed College maintenance personnel assist with routine preventative maintenance to auxiliary equipment.

10 CFR 50.59 Screenings 12-04 Replace the secondary cooling tower The secondary cooling tower was replaced as a turn-key installation. Some superfluous piping was removed. Drawings in the Facility reference manual and Training Manuel were replaced.

12-05 Replaced the electromagnet on the safety control rod The electromagnet on the safety control rod was replaced with an electromagnet from a spare control rod drive.

12-06 Replaced the air pump for the APM and GSM 12-07 Mount the thermocouple apparatus. Special Experiment #4 Two thermocouple mounts were designed to fit over adjacent fuel element pins. The design did not impede water flow through the core. The experiment was approved by the Reactor Operations Committee.

12-08 Add Check valve to the primary clean-up line (not implemented yet) 13-01 Replaced the Reg Rod Switch The Reg rod up button was replaced with-a similar button.

13-02 Single fuel element replacement During fuel inspection, a single fuel element had a suspect spot. The element was replaced with an element with a similar operational history.

13-03 Revised calculation for Rod worth measurements.

The mathematical modeling for the rod worth measurements were updated.

16 Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013

RADIATION PROTECTION Personnel Dosimetry Dosimeters are changed on a calendar quarter schedule. Individuals were issued beta-gamma sensitive ring badges and whole-body badges. The Director and Associate Director were issued beta-gamma-neutron sensitive dosimetry.

During the year the largest whole body dose reported for this year was 2 mrem deep dose equivalent. The largest extremity dose reported was 30 mrem shallow dose equivalent.

However, all individuals with used dosimetry for that quarter were assigned 30 mrem shallow dose due to loss of the control badge.

Fixed Area Dosimetry .

Radiation levels are continually monitored to provide an indication of the average radiation levels in the reactor bay and dose outside the facility. All dosimeters monitor beta and gamma radiation. Three locations also measure neutron dose.

The deep dose equivalent, radiation measured by fixed dosimeters during the period July 1,2011 to June 30, 2012 are shown in table 5. M indicated less than 1 mrem during the quarter.

Table 5 Area Radiation Dosimeters (doses are in mr'em per calendar quarter)

LOCATION HEIGHT RADIATION JUL 1- OCT 1 - JAN I - APR I - TOTAL (M) DETECTED, SEP 30 DEC 31 MAR 31 JUN 30 Reactor East Wall 1.5 4 7 15 16 37 Reactor North Wall J.1.6 [3, 11 14 10 8 80 Reactor West Wall 1.0 [3, ,, n 37 42 24. 25 116 Reactor South Wall 1.6 13, y, n 5 6 7 6 33 Reactor North Wall 2.3 13, y 4 8 7 3 42 3'Y 0 4 3 2 21 Control Room 1.5 Outside North 2.8 : 3, y 3 6 3 2 33 Outside Roof 0.4 '3,,n M M M M M Outside East 1.5 M M M M M Outside South 0.4 Y M M M M M Counting Room 1.5 M M M M M Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 17

Gaseous Releases The 6

only routine release of gaseous radioactivity is from 41Ar (1.83-hour half-life) and S N (7.13-second half-life). These come from activation of pool water and air in the pool water and in the irradiation facilities. For the reporting period, the average gaseous activity at the site boundary was 3.41 x 101'0 Ci/Iml, which would deliver a dose to a member of the public of approximately 1.70 mrem, well below regulatory guidelines and constraints. Figure 5 shows the gaseous releases for each year.

1 .E-06 I .E-07 1.E-08 1.E-09 1.E-10 1.E-11 1.E-12 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Figure 5 Gaseous Releases Activity (yCi/ml) at Site Boundary Liauidi Waste Releases No liquid radioactive waste was released from the Reed Research Reactor during this report period.

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Solid Waste Disposal There .was one shipments of low-level radioactive waste from the facility during this reporting period.

Table 6 Solid Waste Disposal Date Drum Activity Radionuclide 7/25/2012*1.7m Q 12.2 57 MBq (0.061. mCi) Co60, Mn54, Sc46, Zn6 Environmental Sampline Soil samples taken from the area surrounding the facility showed no activity above background. Water from the facility's secondary cooling- system and the nearby canyon were sampled for activation products and tritium, but showed no activity above normal background.

Reed Research Reactor Annual Report 2012-2013 19