ML20209A762

Responds to NRC 870309 Ltr Discussing Violations Noted in Insp Rept 50-160/87-02.Corrective Actions:Failure to Secure Primary Coolant Sampling Line Caused by Operator Oversight. Procedure Addressed at Staff Meeting

ML20209A762
Person / Time
Site:	Neely Research Reactor
Issue date:	04/07/1987
From:	Karam R Neely Research Reactor, ATLANTA, GA
To:	Reyes L NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
References
NUDOCS 8704280275
Download: ML20209A762 (7)

Text

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l o.orsie inethute of Technology si-Neely Nuclear Research Center  :._

Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (404) 894 3600 -a facu e April 7, 1987 Mr. Luis A. Royen, Director Division of Reactor projects U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comminulon Region II 101 Marietta Street Atlanta, Goorgia 30303 Dear Mr. Royens

Subject:

Inspection Heport No. 50-160/87-02

! Thlu letter lu our reuponne to your lutter of March 9, 1987.

The inapuction on February 17-23, 1987 by Mr. Georgu D. Kuzo of NHC pointo to the following violationur A. Technical Speciticationo 6.4.b(6) and G.4.b(7) required l

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written proceduren to ou provided and utillaud for radiation and radioactive contamination control, and aurveillance and touting requiremontu.

I,1cunoco Instrument and surveillanco " Procedure 7200,"

Radlunuclido Analysis, 7/17/81, required the pr imary coolant nampling line to bu uccured (inolated) oxcept durinj monthly surve111ance oporations.

Liconnue Hoolth Phyaica "proceduro 9025", Liquid Wanto Tank Analyclo, 8/29/85, required the 1iconsuo to conduct iivo noparate one-minuto counta for liquid ucintillation tritium l analysis of each waste tank samplo collected.

Contrary to tho above, the liconnue toiled to adhuro to radiation and radioactivo contamination control and nurvuillance and touting proceduroc in that:

1. Licenaue puruonnel failed to occure the primary coolant i namplo line following nurveillancou conducted during January 1986 to February 1937.

2. Lieunuco porconnel performing liquid ucintillation tritium analyuus conducted single live-minuto counto for uach wasto tank 11guld camplo analyuic during January to February 1987.

This in a novority Luvol V violation (Supplement IV).

8704280275 870407 gDR ADOC% 05000160 PDR An Equal Educat on and Ernployment Opportunity Institution A Unit of the Universty System of Georgia r401

i Mr. Reyes Page 2  :

April 7, 1987 ,

i 87-02  !

8. Technical Specifications 6.4.b(6) and 6.4.b(7) required  !

written procedures to bu provided and utilized for I i radiation and radioactive contamination control, and surveillanco and testing requirements. ,'

l Technical specification 3.5.a(5) required that during release of liquid radioactivo otfluents, two indupondunt t sampleu of uach tank to be takon, one prior to rolcaso and ono during roloase; and an additional indopondent cample  !

chall be taken from the dischargo lino during rulcano. .

Contrary to the above, the liconaco did not have approved operational procedurou dota111ng carapling of thu liquid  !

wanto tanks.

With roupoct to violation A.1, we admit that our own Procedurc 7200 '

"Radionuclido Analyciu" was violated in that the primary coolant sampling linu was not "uocurod" by clouing ono valve. Thu reason 7 for tho violation to operator oversight. This locue was collectively addruanod at a staff mueting and the importance of ,

l following proceduron van otrossed to all personnel. No furthor i corrective action will be taken, llowever, the failure to follow  :

the procedure will be brought to the attention of tho safeguards l Committoo no that they may be cognizant of thiu fact and take utopu to addrena the problem during their audita of the NNRC oporation.

i The date of f ull complianco was February 23, 1987. I With ruspect to violation A.2, we alao admit that our own procuduro 9025 wan violated in that 5, one minuto, counto are not the same as  ;

one, 5 minuto, count. The reason for the noncomplianco la that tho  ;

Health Physicist in chargo of the analysia inturprotud the two j stupa to be the same or equivalent. This was also discuoued at a  ;

staff mooting. Personnel wore instructed to comply with all proceduron. As a further stop in thin direction, a proceduto for the purpone of changing procedures to being written. When this <

proceduru in approved by the Gafoguards committoo, a training nouston involving all poruonnel will bo hold. With regard to full compliance with procuduru 9025, it was achieved 4/4/07. '

't Wu admit that under Technical Specificationu 6.4.b(6) and G.4 b(7) ,

wo are required to havu approved procudures detailing the compling of liquid wanto. Prior to the rotorenced inupuction, auch procedurou did not exist. Thu roacon tu uimply ovoruight. An a '

ruault of thin overnight wu aru now looking at tho whole quantion of proceduro requirementu. Thlu study will take about 6 monthu to comploto. Moonwhile the procedure for liquid wanto campling han boon writton (copy ancioned) and approval in nlated for the next mooting of the untoguardo committoo. Currently thu procuduro is buing followud.

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l Mr. noyon Page 3 l April 7, 1987 l 07-02 i

i Other concerno raised in your lettor of March 9, 1987 relato to tho i potuntial for releano of insoluble radioactivo particulatou.

l Additionally reloano of solublu material muut stay within

comp 11anco limits.

l In ordur to addrons your concernu wo hava modo como changen to tho l 11guld woutu disposal uyatum. Specifically wo added straincro to the output of the two uump pumps, 2500 microna, so that Ivavun and sand which como in with the rain water is scrooned out and provented from getting into the tanks. Additionally all throo tanko have boon cleaned; roniduo and Co-60 specu have boon removed. The sludge is being tr eated as radioactive wauto.

Another act of straincro (approximately 800 microna) have buun installed at the output of the suspect wasto tank (5000 gallons) and also at the output of the two low lovel wanto tanks (1500 gallon). All 11guld woute which in discharged f rom the suspect waste tank or from oither of thu two low levol tanks will paan through the 800 micron strainuru. In addition to the strainers wo havo installed two filtoru in norius, ono 125 microna and onu 5 microns. All liquid wanto will paon through those tilters beforo dischargo to the outside. Although wo plan to havu thoco filtero in place for all normal operations, wo may undur an abnormal downpour of rain remove the 5 micron filter from the lino in ordur to facilitate handling large quantitius of watur. Under no circumstancon however would wo dischargo 11guld waste to the onvironmont that in not within complianco 11mitu.

We will continue to analyzu three aampion of our liquid waste dischargo in accordanco with Technical specifications 3.5.a(5) . We are also ovaluating how boat to analygo the liquid wante for nolubles that paan through tho 0.4 micron filter that health physica unun to uoparato the particulatuu from thu dinnolved matter in the 500 mi sampluu takun from the tanka. Wu will in about 6 months (by Octobor 30, 1907) have devloed a muthod to analyzu thu

, gamma opoetrum of thu liquid that pauuun through the .4 micron l Illter. Additionally wu are initiating analyulu of idontical liquid wanto complos to bo indopondently performod by Dr. nornd Kahn, Director, Environmontal Honourco Cuntor, and us. We hope to ultimately ustablish the accuracy with which wo know thu low concentration of radioactive substancou in the liquid wanto, l

l Mr. Iteyes Pago 4 April 7, 1987 87-02 l

I hope that you will find our ruaponso satinfactory. If you have i

any questiona pleano lot mo know, l

sincoroly yours, h* 01 W m II . A . 1:a r am Director itAK jlr l

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Chapter I GEORGIA TECil RESEARCil REACTOR l 5

i Proceduru 3000 l

Auxiliary l Laat Hov. 00/00/00

_ Systems l Liquid Wasto l Laut Huv. App. 00/00/0J

_ _ l _ _

Disposal System l Pago l_ _o f 3 .__ _

1 _P_u r po s e To assure that any roluace of radioactivo offluonta to thu onviron-mont from the liquid wanto disposal syntom in witliin apucified limita. Wanto water may be collected in eithur the 5000 9allon I

Suspect Wauto tank or the two 1500 gallon Low-Lovel Wasto tanks.

1 11. P_ umping Low-Lovel Wanto Tanks

, a. Switch wanto colloction to Suppoct (the uwitch in located on the vuottbulo panol)

! Pumping Low Lovel Tank 11 2

b. Chuck that valvo 336A on the bottom of LL81 fu OPEN l

c. OPEN valvo 3028 (pump 82 auction valvu). All othur volvus on 4

I the auction manifold should bo elouod

d. OPEN valvo 305U (pump 12 dischargo valvo)

! u. Chuck that valvon 308 A and D and 307A and 13 (the inlot and j

outlet valvon to Illtur il (5 micron) and filter 32 (125 micron)) aro OPEN

f. Check that valvon 309A and D (Illtor bypass valvos) aru CLOSED

! 9 OPEN valvo 340A (crono connection from #2 dischange manifold to il pump diuchargo)

h. Chock that valvo 305A (pump 11 dischargo) to CLOSED

, 1. Chuck that valvo 3100 in CLOSED. OPEN valvo 310A i ). OPEN valvo 311A i

k. Start the pump l

1 Rocirculato LLil for savoral minutun. OPEN valve 306A and obtain a 500 m1 namplo.

Secure the pump l

m. Take the cample to llP for analysia. If analynin shown that  !

i the nample in within opecified limito, proccod to pump tho tank

{ n. CLOSE valvo 311A. OPEN valvo 353A (dischargo manifold) l

o. Inutall the removablo upool picco in the newur dischargo line at the diochargo manifold

p. OPEN valvco 354 and 355. Noto: The flow dischargo rate will i

j vary f rom 1000 to o gal /hr depending on the pronuuro drop acroon the flitorn. Olowdown thu Y otrainer an otton au to i noconuary

, 4 Starr Luc pump. Noto the timo and tank lovel at the utart of tho dischargo to the nower J

J l

l i . *  ;

i l GEORGIA TECH RESEARCil REACTOR l Chapter l l Proceduro 3000 5 l l Laut Ro*/. 00/00/00 Auxiliary l Liquid Waste l Laut Rev. App. 00/00/00 Syntomo _ , , l D!nposal System .l Pago 2 of 3.

r. At approximately the midpoint of the dischargo taku two 500 m1 namplan:

1. OPEN valvo 306A (at cross connocrion between 125 and b micron filters), to obtain the camples

2. Tako the samplos to llP for analysis (ahould bu analyzed quickly)

u. When the tank in empty or the dischargo in terminated:

1. Note the time and tank level

2. Secure the pump

3. CLOSE all precueding valven except the 4 filter valvon (307A and B, 308A and B)

4. Remove the spool piece from the dischargo lino and return it to the waste panel

5. Complete the noconsary paporwork pumping Low Lovel Tank 12 Repeat stops b. thru n. with the following exceptions:  !

1. Substituto valvo 336B for 336A in b.

2. Hoverno valven 310A and 310B in j.

!!!. Pumptny Sunpoet Wanto Tank

a. Switch wanto collection to Low-Lovel (the switch tu located on thu ventibulo panol)

b. Chock that valve 323 (bottom of Sunpoct tank) in OPEN

c. OPEN valvo 3030 (pump 42 nuction manifold)

d. OPEN valvo 3050 (pump dischargo)

c. Check that valvon 3J7A arid B, 308A and n (inlot and outlet to 125 and 5 r.11cron f il tern) aro OPEN  !

f. Chock that valvon 309A and n (filter bypann valven) are CLOSED '

y. OPEN valvo 340A (crono connection from 82 discharge manifold ,

to il pump dinchargo)  !

h. OPEN valvo 312A. CLOSE valva 3120 1

1. Start the pump  !

j. nocirculato for nuvural minuton. OPEN valvo 306A and obtain a 500 ml uamplo. Docuro the pump

k. Tako the namplo to Hp for analynin. If analyuin uhows that the samplo in within specified limita, proceed to pump the tank i

1. Ct,0SE valvo 312A. OPEN valvo 353A (dischargo manifold) ta . Innta11 the removable spool picco in the nower dischargo line at the dischargo manifold

n. OPEN valvon 354 and 355. t

o. CLOSE valvo 312h. Start the pump

p. Notu tho timo and tank levol. The Llow dinchargo rato will vary from 1000 to 0 gal /hr depending on the pronouro drop acrocu the filtern. Hlowdown the Y otrainer an otton au in noconnary 1

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1 I GEORGIA TECil RESEARCil REACTOR l l Chapter l l Procedure 3800 5 l l Last Rev. 00/00/00 Auxiliary l Liquid Waste l Last Rev. App. 00/00/00 l Systems _l Disposal System l Page 3 of 3 t

! q. At approximately the midpoint of the dischargo take two 500 m1 samples:

! 1. OPEN valvo 306A (at cross connection between 125 and 5 l micron filters), to obtain the samples

2. Take the samples to Hp for analysis (should be analyzed quickly)

r. When the tank is empty or the dischargo is terminated:

1. Note the time and tank Icvol

2. Secure the pump

3. Close all preceeding valves except the 4 filter valves (307A and B, 308A and B)

4. Remove the spool piece from the dischargo line and return it to tho waste panol S. Complete the nocessary paperwork IV. Ancillary Information

a. Roforenco Data 10 CFR part 20 Technical Specifications 3.5.a i

l be b________ -