ML12170B018

Purdue University - Request for Additional Information Regarding the Purdue University Reactor License Renewal (TAC No. ME1594), Responses to RAIs (ML103400115 and ML103400250)

ML12170B018
Person / Time
Site:	Purdue University
Issue date:	06/15/2012
From:	Jenkins J H Purdue University
To:	Montgomery C K Document Control Desk, Division of Policy and Rulemaking
References
TAC ME1594
Download: ML12170B018 (4)

Text

PURDUEUNIVERSITYSCHOOL OF NUCLEAR ENGINEERING15 June 2012Document Control DeskUS Nuclear Regulatory CommissionOne White Flint North11555 Rockville PikeRockville, MD 20852Attn: Ms. Cindy Montgomery, Research & Test Reactors (NRR/DPR/PRLB), Mailstop 012 D20SUBJECT: PURDUE UNIVERSITY -REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDINGTHE PURDUE UNIVERSITY REACTOR LICENSE RENEWAL (TAC NO. ME 1594),RESPONSES TO RAIs (ML103400115 and ML103400250)Dear Ms. Montgomery:Enclosed please find the responses to the Request for Additional Information regarding the PurdueUniversity Reactor License Renewal dated 6 July 2011. Included with this submission are responses toquestions 46, 47, 52, 57, and 59. Should you have any questions or require further information, pleasedon't hesitate to call me at 765.496.3573, or e-mail at jere@purdue.edu.I hereby certify under penalty of perjury with my signature below that the information contained in thissubmission is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.Very res p~ully,bJ JenklinsDirector of Radiation LaboratoriesAttachments: As described.Cc: Duane Hardesty, USNRC Project ManagerLeah Jamieson; Purdue University College of EngineeringJim Schweitzer, Purdue University REMAhmed Hassanein, Purdue NESchool of Nuclear EngineeringA4 cNuclear Engineering Building m 400 Central Drive m West Lafayette, IN 47907-2017(765) 494-5739 m Fax: (765) 494-9570 a https://engineering.purdue.edu/NE PUR-1: Partial Response to RAls for license renewal (ML103400115 and ML103400250)REQUESTED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO RAIsREGARDING THE PURDUE UNIVERSITY REACTOR LICENSE RENEWAL (TAC NO. ME 1594)46. Section 1.4 of the SAR states the reactor is located in the Duncan Annex, but does notindicate if there are any shared facilities and equipment as described in NUREG-1537, Section1.4. Examples of shared facilities include water purification systems; electrical supplies;heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; any subcritical assemblies,irradiation facilities, or hot cell located within the restricted area to which this SAR applies.Please describe the shared facilities and equipment or provide an explanation describing yourreason(s) for not incorporating additional description of shared facilities into the SAR.Response:The reactor room is the defined facility restricted area. The HVAC system is, as described elsewhere inthe SAR, isolated from the rest of the building HVAC. The reactor pool make-up water is drawn from thebuilding water supply, but the water process system is a closed loop. The reactor room electrical supply ispart of that of the rest of the building, but the reactor room circuits are separately fused. There are noother items such as subcritical assemblies, irradiation facilities or hot cells, which is why they weren'tmentioned.47. Section 1.6 of the SAR states the reactor operates about 90 times per year on average. Pleasedescribe the typical reactor operations during these "90 times per year" (i.e., typicaloperating power level and schedule). Also, indicate if these operations, including the facility'srequested power uprate, are consistent with proposed operations described in the SAR andare consistent with the comparison to similar facilities as described in NUREG- 1537, Section1.5.Response:The majority of reactor operations are for training/education activities in association with nuclearengineering laboratory classes. For example, two experiments that are performed are an approach tocritical, and a control rod calibration. Most of the runs are very low power, where reactor power does notexceed 100 W. About 10-15% of the reactor operations are for irradiations or other research related work.With the uprate, the number of research related work will likely increase somewhat with the expandedcapabilities. All of this is similar to similar facilities, such as the Ohio State University Research Reactor(OSURR), with the main difference being OSURR has a much greater research share.52. SAR Section 5.5 describes automatic pool water level control. Please describe how youwould determine if the amount of make-up water to the reactor pool was excessive andindicative of a pool leak.Response:The automatic pool water level control is only activated when needed to replace evaporated coolantinventory, and the automation is solely to prevent overfill of the pool. Operations staff activate the system,and track the amount of water used each time in a log book. Data exists for facility water usage back toPage 1 of 315 June 2012 PUR-1: Partial Response to RAIs for license renewal (ML103400115 and ML103400250)about 1974. In looking at the last 15 years, the average weekly water usage has been 36.8+/-12 gallons.The data are presented in Figure 1. Weekly usage that exceeds the average value plus three standarddeviations could indicate a leak.PUR-1 Weekly Make-up Water Usage100908070o 605040o30201005/01 11/01 5/02 11/02 5/03 11/03 5/04 11/04 5/05 11/05 5/06 11/06 5/07 11/07 5/08 11/08 5/09 11/09 5/10 11/10 5/11 11/11 5/12DateSeriesl -20 per. Mov. Avg. (Seriesl)Figure 1: Weekly make-up water usage for PUR-1.57. NUREG 1537, Part 1, Section 4.3, Reactor Tank or Pool states the applicant should present allinformation about the pool necessary to ensure its integrity and should assess the possibilityof uncontrolled leakage of contaminated primary water.a. Section 5 of the SAR does not describe reactor pool level monitoring. Please discuss howreactor pool level is monitored, and if a leak develops in the reactor pool cooling systemduring off-hours, how it would be mitigated when approximately up to four feet of poolwater could leak out?b. Please discuss the typical radioactivity content of the pool, required responses fromoperator and/or university personnel, if a leakage is detected; Please discuss potentialrelease pathways of reactor pool water leakage to the environment and the radiologicalimpact of a release.c. Please provide an estimate of the minimum detectable amount of leakage and an estimateof how long such a leak could exist before detection; any trends associated with therequired make up water, and the physical means with which PUR-1 can detect smallreleases from the pool directly to the environment.Page 2 of 315 June 2012 PUR-1: Partial Response to RAIs for license renewal (ML103400115 and ML103400250)Response: 1 r,Pool level is monitored by comparison of the pool level to a ruler at the top of the pool, and is observed atleast once a week by reactor staff members. Make-up water usage is tracked in a log book on theconsole. In looking at the last 15 years, the average weekly water usage has been 36.8+/-12 gallons. Thedata are presented in Figure 1. Weekly usage that exceeds the average value plus three standarddeviations could indicate a leak.Over the 50 year operations history of PUR-1, there has been no detectable contamination in the primarywater as a result of operations. And based on the construction of the pool, with its stainless steel tankliner with no penetrations below floor level, leakage of water to the environment is extremely unlikely (asnoted in the 1988 SER for the PUR-1 license, see NUREG-1 283). Observation of water level, andcomparison to historical records should be adequate considering the risks involved.59. NUREG-1537, Section 8 discusses the need for emergency electrical power systems toprotect the public from radioactive releases. Please describe how the radiation protectionsystem, including alarms, interlocks, and powered radiation monitors, functions withoutemergency power or if these systems do require power, describe how the facility and/oremergency responder personnel would monitor the radiation environment in the reactorbuilding and in the rest of the Electrical Engineering Building if power were not available.Response:Loss of power to the instrumentation and control systems of PUR-1 will result in a SCRAM since theshim-safety control rods are suspended by electro-magnets, thereby shutting down the reactor. Loss ofpower will also result in isolation of the reactor room, since the dampers will close. Battery poweredsurvey meters and ionization chambers are available in the reactor room to ensure operations staff isaware of any possible radiation exposure hazards following a power outage. Emergency responderpersonnel at Purdue University also have battery operated survey meters and ionization chambers ontheir vehicles, should they be required.Page 3 of 3 15 June 2012Page 3 of 315 June 2012