ML110680094

Transmittal of Annual Report for the Dow Triga Research Nuclear Reactor

ML110680094
Person / Time
Site:	Dow Chemical Company
Issue date:	03/07/2011
From:	Krahenbuhl M Dow Chemical Co
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML110680094 (4)

Text

-4ý The Dow Chemical Company Midland, Michigan 48667 March 7, 2011 Document Control Desk United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington D.C., 20555 Dear Sir; Enclosed is the annual report for The Dow TRIGA Research Nuclear Reactor, Docket No. 50-264. If you have any questions, please contact me at (989) 638-6932.

Melinda P. Krahenbuhl Facility Director Dow TRIGA Research Reactor Enclosure CC: Geoff Wertz; USNRC Dhingra, Sandeep, 1897 Krahenbuhl, Melinda, 1602 Siaka 0. Yusuf, 1602 Bryan Haskins, 1602 James R. Weldy, 1803 Jay. D. Romick, 1707 A.0, Michael E. Buchmann, 1702 Paul O'Connor, 1897

DOW TRIGA RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT - 2010 There was one US NRC inspection in 2010 and there were no violations found. The annual peer review audit was conducted by Kevin Herminghuysen of The Ohio State University in October of 2010. The audit looked at all aspects of the Dow TRIGA nuclear reactor facility programs and there were no safety concerns or noncompliance with US NRC requirements found.

The normal in-house audits of the radiation protection program, safety and housekeeping, and records were also performed and the recommendations acted upon.

There were no significant changes to the facility during 2010. There were no staff changes or retirements.

A. Staff, Licenses, and Training There were no changes to the operational staff in 2010.

M. P. Krahenbuhl Facility Director S. 0. Yusuf Reactor Supervisor B. D. Haskins Assistant Reactor Supervisor Licenses are current. Dr. Krahenbuhl got her Senior Reactor Operator's license in October 2008, Dr. Yusuf renewed his Senior Reactor Operator's license in 2006. Mr. Haskins received his Senior Reactor Operator's license in 2006.

The current two-year re-qualification program started in the 1st quarter of 2010. All operators are up-to-date in their quarterly re-qualification participations, including operating experience, participation in emergency preparedness drills, Reactor Operation Committee meetings, operating examinations, and the annual fuel inventory.

Operation of the reactor is an important part of the training program, thus, the reactor is operated on an as-needed basis which results in numerous operations. And each involving reactivity manipulations, use of the control console, placement and retrieval of samples and handling of radioactive materials. The reactor was operated for a total of 400 hours0.00463 days <br />0.111 hours <br />6.613757e-4 weeks <br />1.522e-4 months <br /> during 2010.

Furthermore, each licensee performed at least 1/3 of the daily checkout procedures, during the year and performed about four monthly checkout procedures.

DOW TRIGA RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT - 2010 The Reactor Operations Committee is currently composed of the following staff members:

S. Dhingra ROC Chairman M. P. Krahenbuhl Facility Director S. 0. Yusuf Reactor Supervisor J. R. Weldy Radiation Safety Officer J. D. Romick Principal Research Scientist M. E. Buchmann Associate R&D Director Dr. Dhingra is the first level manager for the facility on behalf of Analytical Sciences and also serves as the chairman for the ROC. Dr. Krahenbuhl and Dr. Yusuf are the reactor operation staff members of the ROC. Mr. Weldy is the Dow Midland location Radiation Safety Officer as well as the TRIGA Radiation Safety Officer and reports through the Dow Environmental, Health and Safety department. Dr. Romick reports through the Dow Coating Materials R&D and Mr. M. E.

Buchmann reports through the Portfolio Development of the core R&D. Mr. Jerry Cassiday, continues as the Health Physics Technician for the Midland Area and assists in support of the reactor facility.

B. Reactor Operating Experience The reactor was operated for 1.8 Megawatt-days during 2010 for a total of 400 hours0.00463 days <br />0.111 hours <br />6.613757e-4 weeks <br />1.522e-4 months <br />.

Operational experience is similar to 2008. The main purpose of operations at the Dow facility is to perform neutron activation analysis. About 9660 samples were irradiated in 2010.

C. Major Changes There were no major changes to the facility in 2010 and there were no changes to the facility procedures.

D. Unscheduled Shutdowns There were 19 unscheduled shutdowns (scrams) during 2010. Most of these were due to losses of computer function. The most common malfunction is still with the DIS064 device which processes the digital signals into the DAC computer. The vendor is working on a solution to this situation.

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DOW TRIGA RESEARCH REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT - 2010 E. Major Preventive and Corrective Maintenance of Safety Significance There was no maintenance which had safety significance performed during 2010. There were however, 8 preventive and corrective maintenance items. Five of them were replacements of water purification cartridges and four were on the NM1000 safety channel. One of them was a maintenance item on the SR I closed loop cooling system. Another item was related to the High Resolution Monitor, which was replaced. The 8h maintenance item was the replacement of the conductivity meter.

F. Radioactive Effluents The only radioactive material normally released to the environment from the facility is argon-41, which is produced from activation of the natural argon dissolved in the pool water and subsequently escapes from the pool into the reactor room and from there to the outside of the building, and from the natural argon present in the air used to transport samples from a laboratory into a terminus in the core of the reactor.

G. Radiation Exposures Radiation exposures received by facility personnel and visitors are monitored using film badges and thermoluminescent detectors. No persons have received exposures approaching 25% of those allowed or recommended in 10CFR20.

M. P. Krahenbuhl Facility Director Dow TRIGA Research Reactor March 7, 2011

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