ML20205J081
| ML20205J081 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000131 |
| Issue date: | 03/31/1999 |
| From: | Phillips J DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER, OMAHA |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM) |
| References | |
| 636-151, NUDOCS 9904090162 | |
| Download: ML20205J081 (3) | |
Text
7_
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS l Medical Center 1
4101 Woolworth Avenue
, , Omaha NE 68105 I
l March 31,1999 in n.piy nere, rm l ,
636/151
! U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comraission l ATTN: Document Control Desk l Washington, D.C. 20555 SUBJ: 10 CFR 60.59 Annual Report REF: License R-57 Docket #50-131 The following report is submitted for the period January 1,1998 to December 31,1998 l in accordance with Paragraph 50.59, Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations.
1 (a) The Radiation Protection Program (RPP) has been changed to reflect comments and questions from the NRC with respect to the facility's license renewal.
l Specifically these items are as follows: l L . The chairman of the Reactor Safeguards Committee (RSC) has issued
, delegation of responsibility to the facility's RPP to the Reactor f
Manager.
e The section on " Limits for Removable and Fixed Contamination" has been changed.
. A non-descriptive sentence has been deleted.
l . The section on " Elements of the ALARA Review and Report" has been amended to address intamal radiation control.
(b) The quarterly fuel element inspections indicate nothing out of the ordinary. All elements appear to be in good condition. Annual inspection of the facility control l rods found the rods to be in good condition. The reactor was power calibrated in !
l accordance with the SOP. Both neutron detectors were within two percent of the l thermally calibrated value. They were adjusted to match the calibrated value.
The control rods were calibrated using the integral method. The total excess reactivity was determined to be $0.94, which is in compliance with TS 3.2(2).
l The shut down margin was $2.46 meeting the requirement stated in TS 3.2(1).
l Time of Flight measurements show full rod insertion times no greater than 0.5 seconds for any of the three control rods. This is less than the limitation y established in TS 3.3.1.
l-
/.
y O.
4090162 990331 R ADOCK 05000131)
i I
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission l
Page 2.
- 2. Tabulation showing the energy generated by the reactor:
Month Total KW-Hr January 28.5 l February 41.7 {
March 59.4 April 0 May 0 g
June 73.8 '
July 0 August 0 September 147.3 October 0 November 12.9 December 67.8 Total 1998 431.4
- 3. During 1998 there were 6 unscheduled shutdowns:
- Five scrams were due to noise spikes causing period trips at low power levels. l
. One scram occurred when the Medical Center temporarily lost power.
- 4. Corrective safety related maintenance performed this reporting period was minimal. The circulation pump ceased to work and could not be fixed. It was replaced with the same type pump.
5 (a) There were no changes to the facility during 1998 as it is described in the SAR. J' (b) The Committee reviewed a revised copy of the Radiation Protection Program (RPP). Uoon review the program was approved. It was also determined that the program does not constitute an unreviewed safety question as defined in 10CFR50.
Changes were made to the Security Plan that was reviewed by the RSC, which felt that it met 10CFR50.54 requirements. The changes provided better security and additional VA control of access to the facility.
(c) There were no new or untried experiments or tests performed during the )
reporting period that are not described in the Safety Analysis Report.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comm!ssion Page 3.
- 6. As mentioned above the facility Radiation Protecaon Program (RPPj was rewritten to make it more clear and concise. The Reactor Safeguards Committee determined that the changes made in the RPP do not constitute an unreviewed safety question as specified in 10 CFR50.59.
A change to the Emergency plan to allow an " annual to not exceed 15 months" duration rather than a " yearly" duration for Omaha Firefighter training. This was also approved and determined by the RSC not to decrease the effectiveness of the plan.
- 7. Summary of radioactive effluents released or discharged beyond the effective control of the license:
(a) Liquid - none (b) Airborne - < imCi (c) Solid - none
- 8. During 1998 there were no outside environmental radiological surveys performed.
Currently the reactor facility is without a Scientic Director. The permanent funding for this position is currently being sought from VA Central Office. This fiscal year the reactor obtained annual funding of approximately $185,000. This budget is permanent and up for renewal each year.
An additional employee has been hired in order to train for a SRO license.
The Reactor Facility continues to be utilized for medical research with emphasis on the current health needs of the veteran. The facility also continues to be used by the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station as a part of their operator-training program.
4 JOHN J. PHILtJPS Director Cc: Alexander Adams, Jr.
_