ML20244D214
| ML20244D214 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000112 |
| Issue date: | 06/05/1989 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20244D206 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8906160159 | |
| Download: ML20244D214 (4) | |
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UNITED STATES =
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION-j
.j 7n j. WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 A...../
SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION l
DISMANTLING OF FACILITY AND DISPOSITION OF COMPONENT PARTS RESEARCHREACTORFACILITY(AGN-211P)'
FACILITY LICENSE NO. R-53 i
DOCKET NO. 50-112
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By application dated October 25, 1988, as' supplemented,- the University of Oklahoma (licensee) submitted a plan that requested authorization to dismantle
.the 100 watt (thermal) AGN-211P reactor located at Norman, Oklahoma, to dispose -
of. its components parts and radioactive material, and decontaminate the facility.
The objective of this plan-is to terminate the license of_the University of Oklahoma Research Reactor (UORR) facility, and to return the facility to unre-stricted use. The UORR was shutdown in April 1986, and has not been operated since then. The reactor fuel for the UORR has been removed from the facility and shipped to Department of Energy facilities in accordance with DOE, NRC, and DOT requirements.
The staff review of the plan considered management responsibilities and commit-ments to follow applicable regulations, relevant regulatory guides and standards;.
the health physics program, including procedures, equipment, instrumentation, survey techniques, training and personnel dosimetry; waste disposal; and the final survey. The acceptance criteria used by the staff are stated in Regulatory Guide 8.8, "Information Relevant to Ensuring That Occupational Exposures at-Nuclear Power Stations Will Be As Low As Is Reasonably Achievable," (Revision 3, June 1978)' and 1.86, '? Termination of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Reactors." ,
Although the aforementioned areas of review were ongoing during operation of '
the UORR, they will be maintained and remain in'effect during its dismantlement.
2.0 ' FACILITY DESCRIPTION The UORR facility is located in-the Nuclear Engineering Laboratory Building (NELB) in the Northeast part of the campus. As part of University of Oklahoma Training and Operational Services, the facility was:used for the training of nuclear engineering graduate and undergraduate students.. The reactor was licensed to operate at a maximum power level of 100. watts. The inherent design features of the reactor and low power at which it was operated precluded the' buildup of significant amounts of fission and activation products. At the time of shipnent, the fuel had'an average container. surface dose of 4' mrem /hr'and a )
i minimum dose rate of 1.1 mrem /hr. The minimum dose rate'was indicative of the low neutron flux in the reactor during operation.
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2-4 3.0 DISCUSSION The UORR was'in operation from January 2C,1982 to April 1986. Since 1982, UORR was operated as a sub-entity of various departments and for the training of nuclear engineering graduate and undergraduate students. The reactor basically operated for one semester a year and generated less than 0.3 kw-hr energy. Basic reactor physics experiments were performed at a power level of less than one watt.
4.0 EVALUATION The licensee proposed to dismantle the facility in accordance with their dismantling plan. They intend to decontaminate the facility below the radiation and contamination levels of Regulatory Guide 1.86 and the staff positions,-as addressed in Section 1.6 of their safety evaluation, for unre-stricted access and use. In completing the approved process to place this reactor in its current SAFSTOR status, the reactor, all reactor components,-and all equipment which was in contact with radioactive materials were surveyed for contamination and did not exceed minimum detectable activity levels. All fixed radiation monitors and alarms will remain in operation until the reactor'and component parts have been removed from the facility.
4.1 Radiation Sources All fuel has been sent to a DOE-approved recipient and the console disabled.
No radioactive material from the dismantled reactor is present in quantities which exceeds regulatory limits. Other radioactive sources will be transferred to the University's Byproduct Material License No. 35-07466-05. A Cf-252 source is presently stored in a graphite pile in room 107A (Room 107A contained the reactor and control facility, as well as a sigma graphite pile and suberitical assembly). The startup source, Ra Be, will be stored onsite until DOE approval is obtained to ship it to a repository. It is the intention of the licensee to remove all radioactive fluids, radioactive waste, and other materials connected with the operation of the nuclear reactor and use the existing reactor area for radioactive source storage, instrumentation calibra-tions, and other activities associated with the University Broad Form License as controlled by tha RSO.
4.2 Health and Safety Management The Radiation Protection Program for the Dismantling and Decommissioning Program is an extension of the existing Radiation Protection Program. The individual directly responsible for the implementation and safety of the UORR Decommissioning Plan is the Radiation Safety Officer (RS0). The RSO is a Certified Health Physicist with ten years experience in radiation safety. He will have the overall responsibility for execution of the decommissioning plan and clean up of the reactor site. The licensee stated that it is their policy -
that all operations be planned and executed to conform with NRC regulations and appropriate ably achievableRegulatory) GuidesThe (ALARA levels. andstaff to maintain finds the exposures at astolow above program be as is reason-acceptable.
4.3 Health Physics Prooram Objectives The goal of the health physics program is to assure that the criteria for release of the facility and equipment therein for unrestricted use are satis-fied and that this end product will be achieved with ALARA exposure to tne workers and the general public.
Health physics functions will be provided by the UORR staff. No contractor assistance is anticipated, as all waste that needs to be discarded can be performed as part of the University low level waste disposal program. The radiation protection program will be in accordance with 10 CFR Part 20.
Decommissioning practices will conform to Reguistory Guide 1.86.
The reactor facility and its environs will be monitored during the decommis-sioning operation in the same manner as that in effect during the normal operating period.. Additional monitoring will be performed and documented during the dismantling phase. The licensee intends to perform a closeout survey after all decommissioning activities are complete.
In order to meet the requirements of_ Regulatory Guide 1.33, " Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Decommissioning)," the licensee has committed to having the capability to assure the accuracy of all measurements as part of the final report to the NRC. Health physics personnel will be responsible for main-tenance of radioactive exposure records, implementation of the environmental survey program, ensuring compliance with work procedures, training, and specific work tasks. Additionally, the Radiation Safety Officer and the UORR Coordinator, continue to be responsible for area and airborne ra: bioactivity surveys; administering the respiratory protection program; assisting in decontamination of personnel, equipment and facilities; conducting radiation protection training; personnel dosinetry; and assuring that all personnel working in radiation areas properly utilize protective clothing. The staff finds the above to be acceptable.
4.4 Dose Evaluation The licensee has estimated that the collective dose equivalent expected for the entire decontamination / dismantling operation will be less than 1 person-rem.
This estimation is based on the expected low levels of radioactivity from all sources, the manner in which staff members perform their task, with the aim of maintaining personnel exposure to a minimum. These measures for assuring that the collective exposure will be ALARA are acceptable to the staff.
4.5 " Unrestricted Use" Release Criteria The surface contamination criteria used by the NRC staff in past decommissioning of non-power reactors for release of areas for unrestricted use or unrestricted access are found in Regulatory Guide 1.86, Table 1.- In addition, external i exposure rates must be less than 5 microR/hr above natural background at 1 meter from the measured surfaces. Alternately, for external exposure levels, if it i can be shown that the maximum radiation exposure to an individual would be less than the staff's recommended annual exposure limit of 10 mR/yr, because of potential occupancy in the vicinity of the radiation source, then levels greater than 5 microR/hr would be acceptable. The licensee has committed to these criteria and the staff finds this commitment acceptable for this specific site.
4 4.7 Radioactive Materials and Waste Management The reactor fuel has been shipped offsite for recovery; only minimal radioac-t we material in the form of activated metallic components and calibration sources remain. During the defueling process, all areas of the reactor vessel were surveyed by the licensee for contamination. No detectable contamination was found. The licensee expects no release of solid, liquid, or airborne contamination. All radioactive components have been removed. The reactor shield tank water was analyzed for contamination and drained. All swipes, gloves, filter papers, wiping papers, and rags were stored in a disposal barrel. All packaging and shipping of any low-level radioactive waste for transport and burial will adhere to 10 CFR Part 71,10 CFR Part 20, and 49 CFR, and the standards set forth by the UORR " Radioactive Shipment Checklist."
l The' staff finds the above licer:see practice for handling solid radioactive waste to be acceptable.
4.8 SAFSTOR There will be no further requirement for Safe Storage since all radioactivity will be removed from the UORR facility and the facility released for unre-stricted use.
5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
An Environment Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact relative to l the proposed action was published in the Federal Register on June 2, 1989 (54FR23722).
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.32, the Commission has determined that the issuance of this Order will have no significant impact on the environment.
6.0 CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing considerations, the staff concludes that the dismantling and decontamination operations can be conducted without undue risk to the health and safety of the public or workers, and without any significant impact on the public or the environment.
Principal Contributor: Theodore S. Michaels John L.'Minns Dated: June 5, 1989 1
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