ML15091A256

Us Dept of Defense, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Submission of 2014 Annual Operating Report

ML15091A256
Person / Time
Site:	Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Issue date:	02/25/2015
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: ML15091A256 (13)

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ARMED FORCES RADIOBIOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 890t WISCONSIN AVENUEBETHESDA, MARYLAND 20889-5603

'-March 25, 2015U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk11555 Rockville PikeRockville, MD 20852Sir or Madam:Enclosed is the 2014 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, please295-9245.

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Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute AFRRI TRIGA Reactor Facility01 January 2014 -31 December 2014To satisfy the requirements ofU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission License No. R-84 (Docket No. 50-170),Technical Specification 6.6.b.Prepared by:Ian A. GiffordReactor Operations Supervisor Submitted by:Stephen I. MillerReactor Facility DirectorArmed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute 8901 Wisconsin AvenueBethesda, MD 20889-5603 Telephone:

(301) 295-1290 Submission of 2014 Annual ReportI declare under penalty of perjury that thi report is true and (correct.Director 2014 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 2014 ANNUAL REPORTINTRODUCTION The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) reactor facility was available for irradiation services only a part of the year due to renovation work in Exposure Room #1 andseveral maintenance and calibration issues. The reactor was unavailable for operations from 20November until the end of the calendar year due to the pending repair of the control console.Pulsing operations remain unavailable awaiting installation of a new pulse ion chamber andcalibration of the pulsing circuits.

There were three reactor modifications during the year discussed in Section I. There were nounscheduled shutdowns during 2014.The 2014 annual reactor audit required by the reactor Technical Specifications wasconducted by Mr. Thomas Myers in December 2014. Mr. Myers is a member of the reactor staffat the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The auditor found reactoroperations,

training, maintenance activities, radiation protection, emergency

planning, andphysical security met the requirements set forth in the AFRRI licensing documents.

A comprehensive NRC inspection of procedures, experiments, health physics, designchanges, transportation, committees, audits, and reviews was conducted by Mr. Johnny Eads inFebruary 2014. No safety concerns or noncompliance with NRC requirements were identified.

The reactor program met the requirements of regulations, Technical Specifications, and facilityprocedures.

Reactor and Radiation Facilities Safety Subcommittee (RRFSS) membership changes duringthe year are discussed in the General Information section.

There were no reactor staff departures or additions 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 2014) are as follows:1. AFRRI Director

-L. Andrew Huff, Col, USAFRadiation Sciences Department (RSD) Head -Stephen Miller (SRO)Radiation Safety Officer -Brian Livingston 2 Reactor Facility Director and Facility Radiation Manager -Stephen Miller (SRO)3. Reactor operations personnel:

Reactor Operations Supervisor

-Ian Gifford (SRO)SRO Training Coordinator

-Ian Gifford (SRO)Maintenance Specialist

-Walter Tomlinson (SRO)Records Administration Specialist

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

Jason Jacot, SFC, USA (effective 06 August)5. Operator candidates:

Robert McMahon, MAJ, USADavid Manzanares, SSG, USA6. Additions to staff during 2014:None7. Departures during 2014:None8. There were a few changes to the RRFSS membership during 2014. Dr. Seymour Weiss wasreplaced by Mr. Vincent Adams as a Reactor Operations Specialist.

Following the retirement of Ms. Anna Teachout, Mr. Charles Woodruff and Mr. Brian Livingston were appointed tothe role of Radiation Safety Officer.

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 31December 2014.Regular members are:Radiation Safety Officer -Brian Livingston Reactor Facility Director and Facility Radiation Manager -Stephen MillerReactor Operations Specialist

-Harry SpenceReactor Operations Specialist

-Vincent AdamsHealth Physics Specialist

-Joe Pawlovich Chairman 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 2014:19 June 201409 December 2014 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 April 2014, the poison-followed transient control rod was replaced with an aluminum-followed transient control rod. As described in the AFRRI Technical Specifications Section5.2.3(b),

"the transient control rod shall have scram capability, and shall contain boratedgraphite, B4C powder, or boron and its compounds in solid form as a poison in aluminum orstainless-steel cladding.

This rod may incorporate an aluminum, poison, or air follower."

Thereplacement aluminum-followed transient control rod satisfies the requirements outlined in theTechnical Specifications.

The RRFSS was notified of the change during the June 2014 meeting.The design change did not require a change to the Technical Specifications nor did it meet any ofthe criteria 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 2014.C. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES There were no changes to the Administrative Procedures during 2014.D. OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES There were two changes to the Operational Procedures during 2014. The RRFSS wasnotified of the changes during the June 2014 meeting.Operational Procedure 8, Tab D "k-Excess" was modified on 30 January to clarifypermissible control rod positions used to achieve cold critical during excess reactivity measurements.

The purpose of excess reactivity measurements, as defined in Section 4.1 of theTechnical Specifications, is met with the modified procedure.

The procedural change did notrequire a change to the Technical Specifications nor did it meet any of the criteria described inSection 50.59(c)(2) of 10 CFR Part 50.Operational Procedure 8, Tab H "Weekly Operational Instrument Checklist" was modifiedon 24 February to add a check of container seals on a new storage cabinet.

The change does not impact reactor safety. The procedural change did not require a change to the Technical Specifications nor did it meet any of the criteria described in Section 50.59(c)(2) of 10 CFR Part50.E. RESULTS OF SURVEILLANCE TESTS AND INSPECTIONS Surveillance tests required by Technical Specifications were accomplished as normallyscheduled during 2014, with the exception of several pulse related calibration tasks normallycompleted during the annual reactor maintenance shutdown.

These tasks were postponed until anew pulse ion chamber is installed.

The replacement pulse ion chamber has arrived and isscheduled to be installed and tested in 2015. No pulse operations shall be conducted until allrequired calibrations have been performed The 2014 annual reactor audit required by the reactor Technical Specifications wasconducted by Mr. Thomas Myers in December 2014. Mr. Myers is a member of the reactor staffat the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The auditor found reactoroperations,

training, maintenance activities, radiation protection, emergency

planning, andphysical security met the requirements set forth in the AFRRI licensing documents.

A comprehensive NRC inspection of procedures, experiments, health physics, designchanges, transportation, committees, audits, and reviews was conducted by Mr. Johnny Eads inFebruary 2014. No safety concerns or noncompliance with NRC requirements were identified.

The reactor program met the requirements of regulations, Technical Specifications, and facilityprocedures.

SECTION IIEnergy Generated by the Reactor Core and the Number of Pulses $2.00 orLargerMonth Kilowatt HoursJAN 5.0FEB 0.0MAR 37.9APR 0.0MAY 0.0JUN 3418.9JUL 0.0AUG 6.6SEP 752.0OCT 119.6NOV 156.6DEC 0.0TOTAL 4496.6Total energy generated in 2014: 4,496.6 kWhTotal energy on fuel elements:

1,153,063.6 kWhTotal energy on FFCRs*: 420,265.9 kWhTotal pulses this year > $2.00: 0Total pulses on fuel elements

> $2.00: 4,219Total pulses on FFCRs* > $2.00: 107Total pulses this year: 0Total pulses on fuel elements:

12,171Total pulses on FFCRs*: 2,406*Fuel-followed control rods SECTION IIIUnscheduled Shutdowns There were no unscheduled shutdowns during 2014.SECTION IVSafety-Related Corrective Maintenance The following is a summary of malfunctions during the reporting period:20 November 2014 -While performing a Weekly Operational Startup Checklist, the reactoroperator was unable to observe the proper data display on the reactor control console.

Uponfurther examination, it was determined that communication between the control system computerand digital acquisition computer was interrupted.

The RFD was notified and all reactoroperations were suspended.

As of the end of the calendar year, repair of this system was stillongoing.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 2014.B. Gaseous Waste: There were no particulate discharges in 2014.The total activity of Argon-41 discharged in 2014 was 0.47 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 2014 0.009 CiApr -Jun 2014 0.008 CiJul -Sep 2014 0.364 CiOct -Dec 2014 0.091 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 2014, was 0.015mrem 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 0.015 mrem, or less than 1% of the 10 mrem constraint limit, for theentire 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 Limits.There were no doses to reactor staff personnel or reactor visitors greater than 25% of 10 CFR20 occupational and public radiation dose limits.