IR 05000057/1997201

Insp Rept 50-057/97-201 on 970707-10.No Violations Noted. Major Areas Inspected:Operations,Rp & Chemistry Controls, Security & Safeguards Activities

ML20149J271
Person / Time
Site:	University of Buffalo
Issue date:	07/24/1997
From:	NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:
Shared Package
ML20149J255	List: IR 05000057/1997201 ML20149J252
References
50-057-97-201, 50-57-97-201, NUDOCS 9707280140
Download: ML20149J271 (9)

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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Docket No: 50-57 Report No:- 97201 License No: R-77 l

Licensee: State University of New York at Buffalo j Facility: Buffalo Materials Research Center Location: Rotary Road. South Campus Buffalo, New York

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Dates:' July 7-10, 1997

. Inspector: Thomas F. Dragoun, Project Scientist Approved by: Marvin M. Mendonca, Acting Director Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Possession-Only License and revised Technical Specifications replacing the operating. license were received by the licensee just prior to this inspection. The lessened requirements had not been fully implemented. An improved intrusion alarm system was placed in operation. . The physical status of the facility was unchanged since the last inspectio Summary of Plant Status The reactor remained shut down with fuel stored in the reactor tan Laboratory facilities were occasionally used, The containment building was unoccupied. -University management reorganized after staff departure ' er PDR ADOCK 05000057 G PM .s

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i 01. Conduct of Operations I l- 01.1 Oraanization and Operations and Maintenance Activities

' a. Inspection Scone (Inspection Procedure 39745)

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The inspector. reviewed:.

e staff retention, e administrative controls, and

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e equipment maintenanc !

. Observations and Findinoi

.; .The staff member who maintained the mechanical equipment l retired. Arrangements have been made with' campus services  !

e personnel to perform this work. Records of maintenance were  ;

satisfactory and indicated acceptable attention to equipment l

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i Reactor staff was scheduled to relocate to other areas on campus

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but remain available to support the reactor program. This was to occur as soon as the Possession-Only License requirements l O were implemented. Staffing levels were currently adequat )

Interviews with selected personnel indicated that new work  !

assignments were acceptable and unlikely to cause staff j departures. Management efforts to retain staff were effective.

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The.0perations Manager issues weekly, monthly, and quarterly schedules of required equipment surveillances. Completed schedules are reviewed for adequacy by the Operations Manager 1 and Director. -Revised schedules to conform with amended TS were

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in draft.

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Staffing, administrative controls, and maintenance activities were acceptable.

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02 Operational Status of Facilities and Equipment-

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02.1 Surveillance Inspection Scope (Inspection Procedure 61745)

The inspector reviewed:

e surveillance procedures, e schedules, and

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e surveillance data.

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3 Observations and Findinas 4 Surveillances were completed at the required intervals and all results and procedures were acceptabl The final quarterly surveillance schedule under the operating

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license TS section 4.0 was completed in June 199 The transition to the POL schedule specified in new TS section was to begin in Jul Conclusions Surveillances were acceptably campleted.

l 05 Operator Training and Qualification

- Inspection Scope (injoection Procedure 41745)

. The inspector reviewed:

e active license status, e training records, and e examination result Qbservations and Findinas The licensed staff consisted of three SR0s who renewed their licenses prior to the reactor shutdown in 1994. These licenses (6 year term) will not_ expire until 1999 or 200 Requalification lectures, handout material, records, and written examinations were well organized, challenging, and focused on safety significant issue Conclusions

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The operator requalification program was conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements.

, 07 Quality Assurance in Operations 07.1 Review and Audit and Desian Chance Functions Inspection ScoDe (InsDection Procedure 40745)

The inspector reviewed:

• Reactor Decommissioning Safety Committee membership and minutes of nmetings, e 50.59 reviews, and e Operating Committee activities.

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4 l l Observations and Findinas i i

' Since the last inspection, the Assistant Vice President for  !

Planning and Design (R. Blickhahn) left and this position was

eliminated from the management chain for.the reacto Reactor responsibility was transferred to the new position of Acting

. Director of Environmental Health and Safety Services. The previous Manager, Environmental Health and Safety (L. Henry)

occupies this new position, which was incorporated-into the revised T The Associate Vice President for Facilities also left and was

. temporarily _ replaced during a candidate search. The incambent

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(M. Dupre) named the Assistant Vice President for Campus

Services (R.- McGill) to chair the Reactor Decomissioning Safety  !

Comittee in accordance with TS 11.5.1(2). The RDSC met twice in 1996 and once in 1997. Minutes of the meetings indicated that comittee membership satisfied TS requirements and business was conducted in accordance with the charter.

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The annual audit conducted by a Radiation Safety Officer from another research reactor did not report any findings.

. The Operating Comittee met frequently to resolve questions from i the NRC regarding the POL license request and to plan the

< transition of the reactor. Discussions and decisions were

clearly documented in minutes of meetin No changes were made to the facility and no reviews conducted per 10 CFR 50.59. There was no written policy for conduct of these reviews. However, the licensee stated that a policy would be developed using guidance from NRC prior to anticipated changes such as dry storage of fue Conclusions

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Review and oversight required by TS 11.0 were acceptable.

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08 Miscellaneous Operations Issues 08.1 Reactor Fuel Movement Scope (Inspection Procedure 60745)

The inspector reviewed:

e fuel handling procedures, e fuel inventory, and e fuel storage configuratio ., _ _ _ _ _ . _ . _ . , _ _ _.- . . _ _ . _ . _ _ . . - . . . .

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l 5 Observations and Findinas The fuel must be reconfigured to conform to the revised T Revised fuel handling procedures had been acceptably drafte A physical inventory of fuel elements was conducted by the inspector that confirmed that no additional fuel has been added to the reactor tank since June 33, 1994. The baseline inventory and fuel assembly' identification numbers were obtained from -

Table 1 of TS amendment 2 The Operations Manager developed a fuel shuffling plan to place fuel elements in alternate rows as required by TS 10.3.1- Grid .

filler plugs were fabricated to cover openings as specified in the T Conclusions Preparations to move fuel were acceptabl R1 Radiological Protection and Chemistry Controls Rl.1 Radiation Protection Scope (Inspection Procedure 83743)

The inspector reviewed:

o radiological signs and postings, e routine radiation survey results, e instrument maintenance and calioration, e personnel and environa: ental exposures, and e organization, Observations and Findinas The last inspection noted a significant_ amount of stored-material in the containment building waiting to be surveye The . licensee stated that delays in releasing material were due

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to uncertainty regarding the current release criteria and acceptable survey techniques. A v' tractor was hired to provide recommendation .TS 3.4 requires the alarm setpoints for the effluent monitors be specified by the Operating Committee. The inspector's review of selected setpoints determined that exposures to the public at the alarm point were well below criteria specified in 10 CFR 20 Appendix B.

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Monthly routine radiation surveys were thorough and well documented. Dosimetry records indicated that personnel and ,

public doses were below NRC limits. There were no gaseous  !

releases and water discharges were below release criteri Remaining reactor HP staff will be relocated to the campus HP office, Conclusions The facility radiation protection program has been maintained in I accordance with regulatory requirements and licensee commitment S1 Conduct of Security and Safeguards Activities Scope (Inspection Procedure 8143 The inspector reviewed:  ;

e performance criteria for the intrusion alarm system, e hardware installation, e testing and maintenance, and e provisions for alarm response, Observations and Findinos Performance criteria for the replacement intrusion alarm system l were determined by the SUNY public safety staff experts, 4 Hardware was selected to ensure compatibility with the existing l campus system. The system was installed and tested 1 professionall j i

A tour by the inspector confirmed that the zones of protection j included all areas of the containment building, the attached j offices, and laboratory spaces. The hot cell was individually j alarmed in anticipation of future fuel storage. The system l incorporated expansion capability for additional zones. The l system appears highly reliable in regards to detector redundancy and multiple communication with the central alarm consol )

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l Response procedures did not require change as a result of intrusion alarm system change Installation and testing was nearly complete. A decision j regarding the extent of routine testing had not been made. The licensee was aware of the requirement to notify the NRC of i

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security plan changes within 2 months of the change per 10 CFR 50.54(p).

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I Conclusions The.' applicable provisions of 10 CFR 73 were implemente '

X1 Exit Meeting Srmmiary (Inspection Procedure 30703)

The inspector presented the inspection results to members of licensee management at the conclusion of the inspection on July 10, 1997. The licensee acknowledged the findings presented.

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PARTIAL LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED Licensee M. Adams,-Operations Manager M. Herbst, Health Physics Supervisor L. Henry, Acting Director of Environmental Health and Safety Services M. Pierro, Radiation Safety Officer D. Vasbinder, BMRC Acting Director / Analytical Services Manager INSPECTION PROCEDURES USED IP 30703: ENTRANCE AND EXIT INTERVIEWS IP 39745: CLASS I NON-POWER REACTORS ORGANIZATION AND OPERATI0f!S AND MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES IP 40745: CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR REVIEW AND AUDIT AND DESIGN CHANGE FUNCTIONS IP 41745: CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR OPERATOR LICENSES, REQUALIFICATION, AND MEDICAL ACTIVITIES L IP 60745: CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR FUEL MOVEMENT IP 61745: CLASS I NON-POWER REACTOR SURVEILLANCE IP 81431: FIXED SITE PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL OF LOW STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE

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IP 83743: CLASS I NON-POWER REACTORS RADIATION PROTECTION ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED Opened None Closed None

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LIST OF ACRONYMS USED CFR Code of Federal Regulations-NRC Nuclear Regulatory Comission POL Possession Only License RDSC ' Reactor Decomissioning Safety Comittee SR0 Senior Reactor Operator TS Technical Specifications-l

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