ML082490168

Submittal of Annual Report Required by the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center Technical Specifications (Section 6.8.4)

ML082490168
Person / Time
Site:	Rhode Island Atomic Energy Commission
Issue date:	08/18/2008
From:	Bicehouse H State of RI, Atomic Energy Comm
To:	Hughes D Division of Policy and Rulemaking
References
Download: ML082490168 (7)

Text

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS RHODE ISLAND ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center 16 Reactor Road Narragansett, RI 02882-1165 August 18, 2008 Docket No. 50-193 Mr. Daniel Hughes, Project Manager Non-Power Reactors, Decommissioning and Environmental Project Directorate Division of Reactor Projects - III/IViV U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Washington, DC 20555

Dear Mr. Hughes:

This letter and enclosures constitute the annual report required by the RINSC Technical Specifications (Section 6.8.4). Enclosure I provides reactor-operating statistics. Enclosure 2 provides information pertaining to inadvertent reactor shutdowns or scrams. Enclosure 3 discusses maintenance operations performed during the reporting period. Enclosure 4 describes changes to the facility carried out under the conditions of Section 50.59 of Chapter 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Lastly, Enclosure 5 summarizes the radiological controls information. If there are any questions regarding this information, please call me at 401-789-9391.

Sincerely, H. J. Bicehouse Assistant Director for Radiation and Reactor Safety Enclosures (5) cc: Mr. Marcus Voth, USNRC Dr. Harry Knickle, Chairman NRSC Dr. Stephen Mecca, Chairman RIAEC Dr. Alfred L. Allen, RIAEC Dr. Peter Gromet, RIAEC Dr. Andrew Kadak, RIAEC Dr. Bahram Nassersharif, RIAEC A-o 2o~

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ENCLOSURE I Technical Specifications Section 6.8.4.a Month Year Reactor Energy Energy Critical Generated Generated (Hours) (MWhrs)

(MWdays)

July 2007 84.68 169.37 7.06 August 2007 60.17 119.93 5.00 September 2007 15.10 30.20 1.26 October 2007 9.45 18.90 0.79 November 2007 12.82 25.63 1.07 December 2007 15.92 31.83 1.33 January 2008 10.97 21.93 0.91 February 2008 15.22 30.43 1.27 March 2008 14.40 30.73 1.28 April 2008 23.52 45.69 1.90 May 2008 15.00 29.53 1.23 June 2008 9.28 18.57 0.77 2007-08 Totals 286.53 572.74 23.86 Total Energy Output Since Initial Criticality: 61,218.84 MWhrs or 2,550.78 MWdays.

ENCLOSURE 2 EMERGENCY SHUTDOWNS AND SCRAMS The following is a listing of the emergency shutdowns and inadvertent scrams that occurred during the 2007-2008 reporting period. This information is required by Technical Specification 6.8.4.b.

Date Run No. Logbook Page Description 7/6/07 8131 55 66 Scram while re-shimming blades 7/9/07 8132 55 67 Scram while re-shimming blades 7/10/07 8133 55 69 Various Blade#4 drops - Bad Switch 7/11/07 8134 55 70 Dropped Blade#1 7/12/07 8135 55 72 Dropped Blade#1 four times 7/12/07 8135 55 72 Dropped Blade#4 7/13/07 8136 55 73 Dropped Blade#1 twice 7/19/07 8140 55 77 Dropped Blade#1 7/23/07 8142 55 79 Dropped Blades 3&4 when switching reg blade to auto 8/8/07 8152 55 89 Dropped Blade#1 four times 8/28/07 8159 55 97 Dropped Blades twice, once when turning cooling system on 9/6/07 8164 55 102 Dropped Blade#3 10/16/07 8171 55 109 Dropped Blade#1 12/6/07 8185 55 123 Short period with Blades 1,3&2@ 21.50,#4@zero 12/11/07 8186 55 124 Blades 1,2,3 @21.00, Scram when starting Primary Pump #1 12/13/07 8187 55 125 2 Scrams Operator error, Power Level Switch @ 0.1 1/3/08 8190 55 128 Dropped mag power on Blades 1&2 while raising Blade #3 1/24/08 8195 55 133 Dropped Blade#3 2/7/08 8198 55 136 Dropped Blades 3&4while adjusting Blade #2 3/18/08 8206 55 144 Scram due to operator error and scram due to noise 4/22/08 8221 56 7 Scram wouldn't reset-relay problem 4/24/08 8223 56 9 Dropped Blades 1&2 while pulling Blade #4 -14.00 4/29/08 8224 56 10 Dropped Blade # 3 @startup 5/7/08 8227 56 12 Scram when raising Blade #4 5/13/08 8228 56 13 "lots of dropped rods" 6/17/08 8236 56 21 Communication problem @ startup - rebooted all 6/24/08 8238 56 23 WRM#1 jumped 125% when ranging up Most of the unplanned shutdowns occurred because a shim safety blade magnet failed to hold on to the associated blade. Factors that contribute to this problem include misalignment between the magnet and the armature, and vibration caused by coolant flow past the blades.

ENCLOSURE 3 The following is a listing of the major maintenance operations performed in the 2007-2008 reporting period, which includes impact upon the safe operation of the reactor and the reasons for corrective maintenance. This information is required by Technical Specification 6.8.4.c.

We competed the replacement of the four safety rod drives and installed a new stepper motor and controller, gear reducer and encoder on each safety shim blade to improve the reliability of the system as part of the upgrade of the rod control system discussed in Enclosure 4.

ENCLOSURE 4 FACILITY CHANGES - 10CFR50.59 REVIEW The following is a listing and description of 10CFR50.59 evaluations conducted during the 2007-2008 reporting period. This information is required by Technical Specification 6.8.4.d.

Reactor Rod Control Equipment Changes Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.59, we completed a series of modifications to the rod control system described in our previous annual report. A committee of Senior Reactor Operators was formed to evaluate each of the changes to the rod control system and prepare the 10 CFR 50.59 report. The Nuclear and Radiation Safety Committee reviewed and approved the changes. Those changes upgraded the rod control system to use Opto22 industrial automation hardware and software. The existing lead screw is still attached to the gear reducers through a modification to the existing bushing. Thus, the method of attachment has not changed. The Opto22 software operates the motor controllers. The encoder provides rod position on the computer display screen. The manual controls are still available, but control from the computer's touch screen is the normal mode of operation. The computer touch screen also controls the regulating rod. Although manual control of the Regulating Rod is still available, the automatic control mode for the Regulating Rod is only through the computer. In general, the computer controls are in parallel with the existing manual controls. None of the interlock and safety related features have been changed, but a computer control signal is taken from those features and used to control the software. The selector switch still prevents operation of more than one rod at a time and has an equivalent binary relay that also prevents operation of more than one rod at a time in the computer mode.

ENCLOSURE 5 RADIOLOGICAL CONTROLS

1. Environmental Surveys Outside the Facility - Technical Specification 6.8.4.e Quarterly OSL1 badges are deployed outside the reactor building in three separate locations. The general public does not frequent these locations and therefore occupancy factors may be used to approximate annual dose. The allowable external dose rates must be below 50 mrem per year. The quarterly doses in units of mrem are shown in the table below.

LOCATION 3 RD QTR 2007 4 TH QTR 2007 1sT QTR 2008 2 ND QTR 20082 Northeast Wall 26 20 77 18 Demineralizer 213 56 119 72 Door Heat Exchanger 72

<1 71 13 Door These areas are in locations where access is limited. Consequently, the general public will not frequent these areas, and appropriate occupancy factors can be used to approximate annual dose. Assuming that the maximum time that a member of the general public would be present in one of these locations is 15 minutes per day, an occupancy factor of 0.01 can be used to obtain the annual dose that would be received by a member of the general public, in any of these areas.

The dose rate in the Northeast Wall area is due to storage of RAM, and is present regardless of reactor operation. Applying the occupancy factor, the annual dose to an individual in this area would be 1.4 mrem over the course of last year. The annual dose rate at the Demineralizer and Heat Exchanger Doors is dependent on the operations schedule of the reactor. Ignoring the fact that the dose rate is not present 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> per day, and applying the occupancy factor of 0.01, the annual dose that would be received by an individual at the Demineralizer Door would be 4.6 mrem. Likewise the dose received at the Heat Exchanger Door would be 1.6 mrem. The variations from quarter to quarter and from previous reports were due in part to movements of items within the reactor building during the fiscal year.

2. Annual Exposures Exceeding 500 mrem - Technical Specification 6.8.4.f There were no personnel exposures greater than 500 mrem.

3. Radioactive Effluents - Technical Specification 6.8.4.g A.

Individual gaseous effluent concentrations for each reactor operation are recorded on the Monthly Information Sheets (Form NSC-78). The concentration of radioactive materials in the effluent released from the facility exhaust stacks shall not exceed 1 E+05 times concentrations specified in IOCFR20, Appendix B, Table II, when averaged over time periods permitted by IOCFR20.3 Gamma spectroscopy of stack gas samples has shown that the principal gaseous effluent is Argon-

41. The maximum concentration for this principal contaminant permitted under that Technical Specification is IE-8 times I E5 or IE-3 jtCi/cc. Concentrations released during the year were less than 5% of that limit.

The total Argon-41 release during the reporting period was 74.27 curies. The calculated effective dose equivalent for this release is 1.6 mrem/year (COMPLY Code).

1 Optically Stimulated Luminescence 2 Landauer reads the OSL dosimeters to I mrem.

3 Technical Specifications, Section 3.7.2.

ENCLOSURE 5 RADIOLOGICAL CONTROLS B. Liquid effluent concentrations released to the sewer are documented on the Sewer Disposal Record (Form NSC-52) and/or the Liquid Release Record (Form NSC-17).

One liquid release to the sewer occurred during the reporting period. On May 6, 2008, 450 gallons of water were released. The release contained 555.244 [tCi of tritium, 0.209 [tCi of antimony-124, 0.142 pCi of antimony-122 and 0.054 gCi of sodium-24. A sum of the fractions calculation showed the release to be 3.45% of permissible release concentrations.