ML070290370

Us Geological Survey Triga Reactor Annual Report, January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2006

ML070290370
Person / Time
Site:	U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date:	01/19/2007
From:	Timothy Debey US Dept of Interior, Geological Survey (USGS)
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML070290370 (6)

Text

U USGS science for a changing world Department of the Interior

" US Geological Survey

• Box25046 MS-974 ;

" Denver CO; 80225 January 19, 2007 U.S. NuclearRegulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington DC 20555

Dear NRC staff:

The attached annual report of the U.S. Geological Survey TRIGA non-power reactor facility is submitted in accordance with license conditions.

The facility docket number is 50-274. - ,

Sincerely, Timothy M. DeBey Reactor Supervisor Enclosure Copy to:

Al Adams, MS 0-11 -D-1 9 7ý02_0

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TRIGA REACTOR ANNUAL REPORT JANUARY 1, 2006 - DECEMBER 31, 2006 NRC LICENSE NO. R-1 13--DOCKET NO. 50-274

1. Personnel Changes: One Senior Reactor Operator staff member retired on January 20, 2006 after about 37 years of service at the facility.

II. Operating Experience The Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR) was in normal operation for the year 2006. No major facility changes were made during the year.

A synopsis of irradiations performed during the year is given below, listed by the organization submitting the samples to the reactor staff:

Organization Number of Samples Geologic Discipline - INAA 944 Geologic Discipline - Geochronology 351 Non-USGS 941 Total 2236 A. Thermal power calibrations were performed in February and August, with minor adjustments made to the instrumentation.

B. During the report period, 160 daily checklists and 12 monthly checklists were completed in compliance with technical specifications requirements for surveillance of the reactor facility.

C. Tours were provided to individuals and groups during the year for a total visitor count of approximately 300.

I

111. Tabulation of Enerav Generated MWH operated Critical hours Pulses, Jan 26.428 30h 35m 0 Feb 30.494 44h 46m 2 Mar 30.337 32h 36m 1

-Apr 34.700 36h 21m 0 May 61.167 62h 02m 0 June 49.422 51h 51m 0 July 24.846 27h 19m 0 Aug 47.433 49 00m 0 Sept 53.766 55h 21m 0 Oct 29.950 31h 20m 0 Nov 39.082 40h 12m 0 Dec 21.794 26h 47m 0 Totals 449.419 488h 10m 3 IV. Unscheduled Shutdowns Number Date Cause 1009 2/1/06 NP1 000 hi power during square wave training 1010 2/8/06 DAC DIS064 timeout 1011 312/06 DAC DIS064 timeout 1012 3/30/06 NP1000 hi power during square wave training 1013 5/18/06 Network fault 1014 5/18/06 DAC DIS064 timeout 1015 5/30/06 DAC DIS064 timeout' 1016 5/30/06 DAC DIS064 timeout 1017 9127106 NPP low high voltage 1018 9/27/06 DAC DIS064 timeout 1019 9/28/06 NPP 1000 hi power while going to full power 1020 11/17/06 NPP1000 hi power; transient rod UP switch failed shut and caused continuous rod withdrawal 1021 12/8/06 DAC DIS064 timeout V. Sigqnificant Maintenance Operations

1. The two console cooling fans were replaced in April.

2. The secondary cooling pump shaft packing was replaced in April.

3. The magnet for the Shim 1 rod drive was replaced in July.

4. The ion exchange resin was replaced in July.

5. The transient rod UP switch was replaced in November.

2

VI. Summary of 10 CFR 50.59 changes No 50.59 changes were made during this year.

VII. Radioactivity Releases A. Listed below are the total amounts of radioactive gaseous effluent released to the environment beyond the effective control of the reactor facility.

Table 1. Gaseous Effluents Released to the Environment Month Argon-41 License Tritium (HTO) IOCFR20 Allowable Allowable (curies) (Ci) (R-1 13) .(mCi) * (mCi)

January 0.307 5.833 0.060 124 February 0.036 5.833 0.049 124 March 0.047 5.833 0.060 124 April 0.095 5.833 0.0 124 May 0.130 5.833 0.075 124 June 0.181 5.833 0.0 124

,July 0.155 5.833 0.098 124 August 0.091 5.833 0.0 124 September 0.165 5.833 0.0 124 October 0.351 5.833 0.074 124 November 0.293 5.833 0.0 124 December 0.195 5.833 0.079 124 Total 2.046 70.00 0.495 1488

% of Allowable 2.96% -0.03%

• Note: The tritium concentrations are estimates based on the amount of water lost by evaporation from the reactor multiplied by the concentration of tritium as HTO. Tritium sample analyses were performed by Severn Trent Laboratories.

B. No solid waste shipments, were made this calendar year.

VIII. Radiation Monitoring Our program to monitor and control radiation exposures included the four major elements below during the operating year.

1. Fifteen gamma-sensitive area monitors are located throughout the Nuclear Science Building. A remote readout'panel is locatedJin'the reaictor health physics office. High alarm set points range from 2 mR/hr to 50 mR/hr. High level alarms are very infrequent and due to sample movements.

3

2. One Continuous Air Monitor (CAM) samples the air in the reactor bay. An equilibrium concentration of about 1 x 10- gCi/ml present for two minutes will result

-in an increase of 400 cpm above background. There are two alarm setpoints. A low-level alarm is set at 3000 cpm and the high level alarm is set at 10000 cpm.

Reactor bay air is sampled during all reactor operations. The fixed particulate air filter is changed each week-and counted on a HPGE gamma spectrometer counting system. The charcoal filter, fitted behind the air filter, is also changed and counted weekly. In all instances, sample data were less than airborne concentration values in 10 CFR Part 20, Appendix B, Table 2 for all particulate radioisotopes produced by the reactor.

3. Contamination wipe surveys and radiation surveys with portable survey instruments are performed at least once a month. All portable instruments are calibrated with a 3-Curie (initial activity) Cs-1 37 source traceable to NBS, and wipes are counted on a Gamma Products G5000 low level counting system. Three areas were identified greater than 30 pCi/1 00 c2 beta contamination. One 71.3 pCi/1 00 cm2 was near the large cave in the reactor bay, 55.2 pCiil 00 cm 2 was near the walk thru on the east side of the reactor console, and 45.9 pCi/1 00 cm 2 was near the middle of building 10. One area that was identified greater then 15 pCi/1 00 cm 2 alpha was near the walk thru on the east side of the reactor console. All other areas were less than 30 pCi/1 00 cm 2 beta and 15 pCi/1 00 cm 2 alpha.

The roof area over the reactor tank is roped off and posted as a radiation area (averaging 2.5 mRPhr) during 1 MW operations.

4. LiF TLD dosimeters were used at four outdoor environmental stations.

Reactor facility visitors are issued self-reading dosimeters. Reactor staff personnel are issued beta, gamma, albedo neutron badges.

Table 2. Personnel Monitoring Results (1211105 - 11130106)

Deep Dose Shallow Dose Equivalent Equivalent Name Whole Body (Rem) Whole Body (Rem) Extremity (Rem)

DeBey, T 0.237 0.261 0.430 Lightner, G 0.117 0.165 0.211 Liles, D 0.122 0.134 0.295 Lietz, P 0.073 0.074 0.231 Perryman, R 0.040 0.054 0.128 Note: December's personnel dosimetry results are not available at this time.

Reactor visitors and occasional experimenters wore pocket dosimeters that resulted in no individual reading that was greater than one (1) mrem.

4

Tabl'e 3. Environmental Dose Results Location Dose Dose Dose Dose Total Jan-Mar Apr-June July-Sept. Oct.- Dec.

(RAD) (PAD) (RAD) (PAD) (IRAD)

Exhaust 0.014 0.017 0.017 0.030 0.078 Stack Cooling 0.004 0.005 0.000 0.001 0.010 Tower Fence West Vehicle 0.017 0.007 0.007 0.016 0.047 Gate West Room 0.019 0.016 0.030 0.061 0.126 151 Gate Southwest 0.006 0.005 0.000 0.003 0.014 Light Pole Control 0.039 0.031 0.039 0.038 0.147 (background)

Southeast 0.005 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.006 Light Pole I I I_ II Note: Above totals have the background subtracted (see control). Environmental TLDs were supplied and analyzed by Global Dosimetry Solutions.

X. Environmental Monitoring There have been no uncontrolled radioactivity releases from the reactor to the present date. Thus, the data on file from past years to the present are considered to be background information.

Environmental soil and water samples were taken and analyzed. No elevated readings or reactor-produced isotopes were identified (fallout Cs-137 was identified).

5