T.S3 LCO Flashcards
Steady-State Operation (3.1.1)
The reactor power level shall not exceed 1.0 MW during steady-state operation.
3.1.2 Pulse Mode Operation
The maximum reactivity inserted during pulse mode operation shall be such that the peak fuel temperature in any fuel rod in the core does not exceed 830 °C.
3.1.3 Shutdown Margin
Specifications: The reactor shall not be operated unless the shutdown margin provided by control rods is $0.25 or greater with:
(1) all experiments with positive reactivity in the most reactive state;
(2) the value of all experiments with negative reactivity not used in the shutdown margin determination;
(3) the highest worth scrammable control rod and the non-scrammable control rod fully withdrawn;
(4) the reactor in the reference core condition.
3.1.4 Maximum Excess Reactivity
Specifications: The maximum excess reactivity based on the reference core condition shall not exceed 5.6% Δk/k.
3.1.5 Core Configuration Limitation
Specifications:
(1) The 30/20 fueled region in a mixed core shall contain at least 51 30/20 fuel rods in a contiguous block of fuel in the central region of the reactor core. Water holes in the 30/20 region shall be limited to nonadjacent single fuel rod holes.
(2) Instrumented fuel elements shall be placed in the core grid positions specified in Section 2.2, Limiting Safety System Settings.
3.1.6 Fuel Parameters
Specifications: The reactor shall not be operated with damaged fuel rods, except for the purpose of identifying damaged fuel rods. A fuel rod shall be considered damaged if any of the following occur:
(1) the sagitta of transverse bend exceeds 0.125 in. over the length of the cladding;
(2) the length exceeds the original length by 0.125 in.;
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(3) a cladding defect exists as indicated by release of fission products;
(4) visual inspection reveals bulges, gross pitting, or corrosion.
- 2 Reactor Control and Safety System
3. 2.1 Control Rods
Specifications:
(1) The reactor shall not be operated unless the control rods are operable. Control rods shall not be considered operable if damage is apparent to the rod or rod drive assemblies, or the scram time exceeds 2 seconds.
(2) The scram time from the time that a scram signal is initiated to the time that the slowest scrammable control rod reaches its fully inserted position shall not exceed 2 seconds.
3.2.2. Reactor Measuring Channels
The reactor shall not be operated in the specified mode of operation unless the channels listed in Table 3.1 are operable.
3.2.3 Reactor Safety System
The reactor shall not be operated unless the safety channels described in Table 3.2 and interlocks described in Table 3.3 are operable.
3.2.4 Pool Level Alarm
The pool level sensor shall initiate an alarm signal if the reactor pool level falls 8 inches or more below the normal level. The pool alarm sensor shall initiate a signal at the reactor control console and at a monitored remote location.
3.3 Primary Coolant Conditions
Specifications:
(1) Conductivity of the primary coolant shall be no higher than 5 x 10-6 mhos/cm.
(2) The bulk primary coolant temperature shall not exceed 50 °C.
(3) The radionuclide content of the primary coolant shall not exceed 10 CFR 20 effluent release limits.
(4) The reactor shall not be operated with less than 16 feet of water above the top of the core.
3.4 Ventilation System
Specifications:
(1) The reactor shall not be operated unless the facility ventilation system is operable and operating, except for periods of time not to exceed 48 hours to permit repair or testing of the ventilation system. The ventilation system is operable when flow rates, dampers and fans are functioning normally. The normal, dilute and isolation modes shall be operable for the ventilation system to be considered operable.
(a) The exhaust flow rate of the ventilation system in the normal mode, from the reactor pool room, shall be not less than 4000 cfm.
(b) The exhaust flow rate of the ventilation system in the dilute mode, from the reactor pool room, shall be 300 cfm.
(2) The reactor pool room atmospheric pressure shall be maintained negative with respect to the areas outside the pool room when the ventilation system is in the normal or dilute mode.
(3) The ventilation system shall automatically switch to dilute mode upon a high activity alarm from the Continuous Air Monitor.
(4) The ventilation system shall be switched to the isolate mode upon initiation of a reactor scram.
(5) The dilute mode air filter shall be changed whenever the pressure drop across the filter increases by 1 in. of water above the initial level.
- 5 Radiation Monitoring System and Effluents
3. 5.1 Radiation Monitoring Systems
Specifications: The reactor shall not be operated unless the radiation monitoring channels listed in Table 3.4 are operable. Each channel shall have a readout in the reactor control room and be capable of sounding an audible alarm that can be heard in the reactor control room.
3.5.2 Effluents
Specifications:
(1) The concentration of 41Ar in the effluent gas discharged from the facility into the unrestricted area, after environmental dilution shall not exceed 1 × 10-8 μCi/mL averaged over one year.
(2) An environmental radiation monitoring program shall be conducted to measure the integrated radiation exposure in and around the facility.
(3) The annual radiation exposure due to reactor operation, at the closest off-site point of extended occupancy, shall not, on an annual basis, exceed the average local off-site background radiation by more than 20%.
(4) The total annual discharge of 41Ar into the environment shall not exceed 20 Ci per year.
(5) The reactor shall be shut down if a fission product leak from a fuel rod or an airborne radioactive release from an irradiated sample is detected by the continuous air monitor, and the reactor shall remain shut down until the source of the leak is located and eliminated. However, the reactor may continue to be operated on a short-term basis as needed to assist with identification of the source of the leak provided that occupational values listed in Table 1 of 10 CFR 20 Appendix B are not exceeded and effluent concentrations listed in Table 2 of 10 CFR 20 are not exceeded.
6) The quantity of radioactivity in liquid effluents released to the sewer system shall not exceed the limits stipulated in 10 CFR 20 Appendix B, Table 3.
3.6 Limitations on Experiments
Specifications: The reactor shall not be operated unless the following conditions governing experiments exist:
(1) The reactivity worth of a moveable experiment shall be less than $1.00. Page 25 of 73
(2) The reactivity worth of a secured experiment shall not exceed $2.00.
(3) The sum of the absolute values of all individual experiments shall not exceed $5.00.
(4) Explosive materials, such as TNT, or its equivalent, shall be limited to 25 mg, for irradiation in the reactor or experimental facilities. Explosive materials in quantities less than 25 mg may be irradiated in the reactor or experimental facilities, provided prior testing of explosive material encapsulation is shown to ensure no reactor damage in the event of a detonation and that the pressure produced upon detonation of the explosive has been demonstrated to be less than half the design pressure of the container.
(5) Experimental materials, except fuel materials, which could off-gas, sublime, volatilize, or produce aerosols under:
(a) normal operating conditions of the experiment or reactor;
(b) credible accident conditions in the reactor;
(c) possible accident conditions in the experiment;
shall be limited in radioactivity so that if 100% of the gaseous radioactivity or radioactive aerosols produced escaped to the reactor room or the atmosphere of the unrestricted area outside the facility, the airborne concentration of radioactivity would not exceed the limits of 10 CFR 20, Appendix B, Table 1 or Table 2 averaged over one year. An atmospheric dilution factor of 3.4 × 10-3 for gaseous discharges from the facility shall be used in calculations of unrestricted area effluent discharges.
(6) Pursuant to specification (5) above, the following conditions shall be shown to exist:
(a) at least 90% of the particles will be retained if the effluent from an experiment is designed to exhaust through a filter installation designed for greater than 99% filtration efficiency for 0.3 micrometer particles;
(b) at least 90% of the vapors will be retained in the experiment or in the reactor pool for materials whose boiling point is above 60 °C and the materials are exposed to conditions in which the material can boil, and vapors formed by boiling this material can escape only through an undisturbed column of water above the core.
(7) Each fueled experiment shall be controlled so that the total radioactive inventory of iodine isotopes 131 through 135 in the experiment is less than 1.5 Ci.
(8) The experimental material and potentially damaged components shall be inspected to determine the consequences and need for corrective action if a capsule fails and releases material that could damage the reactor fuel or structure by corrosion or other means.
(9) Corrosive materials shall be doubly encapsulated. All liquid and gas samples shall be analyzed to determine whether they require double encapsulation.
