ML14093A931

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute - 2013 Annual Operating Report

ML14093A931
Person / Time
Site:	Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Issue date:	03/25/2014
From:	Miller S I US Dept of Defense, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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Download: ML14093A931 (14)

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ARMED FORCES RADIOBIOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 8901 WISCONSIN AVENUEBaTHESDA, MARYLAND 20889-5603 March 25, 2014U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control DeskWashington, DC 20555-0001 Sir:Enclosed is the 2013 Annual Operating Report required by the technical specifications for theArmed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute reactor (license R-84, docket 50-170).Should you need any further information, please contact me at (301) 295-9245.

Enclosure:

asSTEPHEN I. MILLERReactor Facility Directorcc:U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Al Adams, NRR/DPR/PRLB Mail Stop 12-D20Washington, DC 20555-0001 Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility1 January 2013 -31 December 2013To satisfy the requirements ofU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License No. R-84 (Docket No. 50-170),Technical Specification 6.6.b.Prepared byIan A. GiffordReactor Operations Supervisor Submitted byStephen I. MillerReactor Facility DirectorArmed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 8901 Wisconsin AvenueBethesda, MD 20889-5603 Telephone:

(301) 295-1290 Submission of 2013 Annual ReportI declare under penalty of perjury that this report is true and correct.Reactor Facility Director 2013 ANNUAL REPORTTABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction General Information Section IChanges in the Facility Design, Performance Characteristics, Administrative Procedures, Operational Procedures, and Results of Surveillance Tests and Inspections Section IIEnergy Generated by the Reactor Core and the Number of Pulses $2.00 or LargerSection IIIUnscheduled Shutdowns Section IVSafety-related Corrective Maintenance Section VFacility and Procedure Changes as Described in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR),New Experiments or Tests Performed During the YearSection VISummary of Radioactive Effluent ReleasedSection VIIEnvironmental Radiological SurveysSection VIIIExposures Greater Than 25% of 10 CFR 20 Limits 2013 ANNUAL REPORTINTRODUCTION The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) reactor facility was available for irradiation services only a part of the year due to several maintenance and calibration issues,as well as significant reduction in staff availability resulting from mandatory Department ofDefense furloughs and the government shutdown.

The reactor was unavailable for regularoperations from the beginning of the calendar year until 25 June 2013. While steady-state operations were restored at that time, pulsing operations remain unavailable awaiting installation of a new pulse ion chamber and calibration of the pulsing circuits.

There was one reactor modification during the year discussed in Section I., There were nounscheduled shutdowns during 2013.The 2013 annual reactor audit required by the reactor technical specifications was conducted by Mr. Jere Jenkins in December 2013. Mr. Jenkins is an executive committee member of theNational Organization of Test, Research, and Training Reactors (TRTR) and former ReactorFacility Director (RFD) at Purdue University.

During the audit he verbally indicated that he hadnot found any major discrepancies in reactor operations and those conclusions are reflected in hiswritten report.A comprehensive NRC inspection of organization and staffing, operations logs and records,requalification

training, surveillance and limiting conditions for operation, emergency

planning, maintenance logs and records, and fuel handling logs and records was conducted by Mr. OssyFont and Mr. Patrick Isaac in March 2013. No safety concerns or noncompliance with NRCrequirements were identified.

There was one RRFSS membership change during the year discussed in the GeneralInformation section.

There was one reactor staff departure during the year.The remainder of this report is written in the format designated in the Technical Specifications for the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility.

Items not specifically required arepresented in the General Information section.

The following sections correspond to the requireditems listed in Section 6.6.b. of the Technical Specifications.

GENERAL INFORMATION All personnel held the listed positions throughout the year unless otherwise specified.

Key AFRRI personnel (as of 31 December 2013) are as follows:1. AFRRI Director

-L. Andrew Huff, Col, USAF (as of 09 March)Radiation Sciences Department (RSD) Head -Stephen I. Miller (SRO)Radiation Safety Officer -Anna M. J. Teachout2 Reactor Facility Director and Facility Radiation Manager -Stephen I. Miller (SRO)3. Reactor operations personnel:

Reactor Operations Supervisor

-Ian A. Gifford (SRO)SRO Training Coordinator

-Ian A. Gifford (SRO)Maintenance Specialist

-Walter D. Tomlinson (SRO)Records Administration Specialist

-Ian A. Gifford (SRO)4. Other Senior Reactor Operators:

None5. Operator candidates:

Ralph Man'o, CDR, USNJason Jacot, SFC, USARobert McMahon, MAJ, USA (as of 09 January)David Manzanares, SSG, USA (as of 11 February)

6. Newly licensed operators:

None7. Additions to staff during 2013:Robert McMahon, MAJ, USA (as of 09 January)David Manzanares, SSG, USA (as of 11 February)

8. Departures during 2013:Harry Spence (SRO) (as of 28 June)9. There was one change to the Reactor and Radiation Facilities Safety Subcommittee (RRFSS)during 2013. Mr. Harry Spence was appointed as a regular member as of 01 July. Dr. Ian Gifford replaced Mr. Spence as RRFSS recorder.

In accordance with the requirements set forth in Section 6.2.1.1.

of the Technical Specifications for the AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility, the RRFSS consisted of the following members as of 31 December 2013.Regular members are:Radiation Safety Officer -Anna TeachoutReactor Facility Director and Facility Radiation Manager -Stephen MillerReactor Operations Specialist

-Seymour WeissHealth Physics Specialist

-Joe Pawlovich Reactor Operations Specialist

-Harry SpenceChairman and Director's Representative

-CAPT David Lesser, USNSpecial nonvoting member -David Lake, Montgomery County Government (Department ofEnvironmental Protection)

Recorder

-Ian GiffordTwo meetings were held in 2013:06 June05 December SECTION IChanges in the Facility Design, Performance Characteristics, Administrative Procedures, Operational Procedures, Results of Surveillance Tests andInspections A summary of changes to the facility design, performance characteristics, administrative procedures, and operational procedures as well as the results of surveillance testing are providedin this section.A. DESIGN CHANGESIn May 2013, the secondary coolant pump was replaced.

The replacement pump meets orexceeds all characteristics of the previous pump and was tested following installation to ensureproper function.

The RRFSS was notified of the change during the June 2013 meeting.

Thedesign change did not require a change to the Technical Specifications nor did it meet any of thecriteria described in Section 50.59(c)(2) of 10 CFR Part 50.B. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS There were no changes to the performance characteristics of the core during 2013.C. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES There were no changes to the Administrative Procedures during 2013.D. OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES There were no changes to the Operational Procedures during 2013.E. RESULTS OF SURVEILLANCE TESTS AND INSPECTIONS All maintenance and surveillance tasks during 2013 were accomplished as normallyscheduled during the year, except several TS-required pulse-related calibration tasks normallycompleted during the annual reactor maintenance shutdown.

These tasks cannot be completed until a new pulse ion chamber is purchased and installed.

The replacement pulse ion chamberhas arrived and will be installed and tested in 2014. No pulse operations shall be conducted untilall required calibrations have been performed.

Malfunctions are detailed in Section IV, Safety-Related Corrective Maintenance.

The 2013 annual reactor audit required by the reactor technical specifications was conducted by Mr. Jere Jenkins in December 2013. Mr. Jenkins is an executive committee member of theNational Organization of Test, Research, and Training Reactors (TRTR) and former Reactor Facility Director (RFD) at Purdue University.

During the audit he verbally indicated that he hadnot found any major discrepancies in reactor operations and those conclusions are reflected in hiswritten report.A comprehensive NRC inspection of organization and staffing, operations logs and records,requalification

training, surveillance and limiting conditions for operation, emergency

planning, maintenance logs and records, and fuel handling logs and records was conducted by Mr. OssyFont and Mr. Patrick Isaac in March 2013. No safety concerns or noncompliance with NRCrequirements were identified.

SECTION IIEnergy Generated by the Reactor Core and the Number of Pulses $2.00 orLargerMonth Kilowatt HoursJAN 0.0FEB 0.0MAR 797.7APR 37.1MAY 4932.0JUN 2057.9JUL 497.6AUG 296.4SEP 258.0OCT 70.0NOV 325.6DEC 155.0TOTAL 9427.3Total energy generated in 2013: 9,427.3 kWhTotal energy on fuel elements:

1,148,567.0 kWhTotal energy on FFCRs*: 415,769.3 kWhTotal pulses this year > $2.00: 0Total pulses on fuel elements

> $2.00: 4,219Total pulses on FFCRs* > $2.00: 107Total pulses this year: 1Total pulses on fuel elements:

12,171Total pulses on FFCRs*: 2,406*Fuel-followed control rods SECTION IIIUnscheduled Shutdowns There were no unscheduled shutdowns during 2013.SECTION IVSafety-Related Corrective Maintenance Following are excerpts from the malfunction logbook during the reporting period. Thereason for the corrective actions taken, as in all cases, was to return the equipment to its properoperational status.17 December 2012 -While performing the Daily Operational Startup Checklist, the reactoroperator was unable to obtain standard control rod magnet power or transient rod compressed airto raise control rods. The RFD was notified and all operations were suspended pendingtroubleshooting and repairs.

The reactor was not at power at the time and all control rodsremained fully inserted.

The reactor remained non-operational for the rest of 2012. On 10January 2013, the NPP power supply and K2 relay were replaced.

A test of functionality wasperformed and normal operations resumed.12 December 2013 -While performing the Weekly Operational Instrument Checklist, the reactorstaff member was unable to turn on the gas stack monitor air pump upon completion of thechannel test. After further examination, it was determined that the fuse had blown. Replacement with a new fuse corrected the issue and the pump was turned on. In order to avoid futurereliability issues, a new motor was procured and installed.

SECTION VFacility and Procedure Changes as Described in the Final Safety AnalysisReport (FSAR), New Experiments or Tests Performed During the YearA. FACILITY CHANGES AS DESCRIBED IN THE FSARThere were no facility changes as described in the FSAR during the year.B. PROCEDURE CHANGES AS DESCRIBED IN THE FSARThere were no changes to procedures as described in the FSAR during the year.C. NEW EXPERIMENTS OR TESTSNo new experiments or tests were performed during the reporting period that were notencompassed by the FSAR.

SECTION VISummary of Radioactive Effluent ReleasedA. Liquid Waste: The reactor produced no liquid waste during 2013.B. Gaseous Waste: There were no particulate discharges in 2013.The total activity of Argon-41 discharged in 2013 was 4.55 curies. Theestimated effluent concentration from the release of Argon-41 represents less than 1% of the constraint limit for unrestricted areas (10 CFR20.1101 (d) and Table 2, Appendix B, 10 CFR 20).Quarterly:

Jan -Mar 2013 0.46 CiApr -Jun 2013 3.33 CiJul -Sep 2013 0.54 CiOct -Dec 2013 0.22 CiC. Solid Waste: All solid radioactive waste material was transferred to the AFRRIbyproduct license; none was disposed of under the R-84 reactor license.SECTION VIIEnvironmental Radiological SurveysAll environmental sampling of soil and vegetation yielded radionuclide levels within thebackground range. The radionuclides that were detected were those expected from naturalbackground and from long-term fallout from nuclear weapons testing.The calculated annual dose, due to Argon-41 release to the environment for 2013, was 0.1mrem at the location of maximum public exposure.

The maximum exposure is calculated at alocation 91 meters from the release point as described in the FSAR. Exposure to the generalpopulation at the boundary of the Naval Support Activity Bethesda is significantly less due to thediffusion of Argon-41 in the atmosphere.

The constraint limit for exposure to the publicestablished under 10 CFR 20.1101 (d) is 10 mrem per year. The exposure dose was calculated using COMPLY code, level 2, which is the most conservative level of COMPLY. Emissions dueto reactor operations were 0.1 mrem, or 1% of the 10 mrem constraint limit, for the entire year.The reactor in-plant

surveys, specified in Health Physics Procedure (HPP) 3-2, all resulted inreadings that were less than the action levels specified in HPP 0-2.

SECTION VIIIExposures Greater than 25% of 10 CFR 20 LimitsThere were no doses to reactor staff personnel or reactor visitors greater than 25% of 10 CFR20 occupational and public radiation dose limits.