HPT001.014G

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Page XXX of 33

NUCLEAR TRAINING

TRAINING MATERIALS COVERSHEET

RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION TECHNICIAN INITIAL TRAINING
PROGRAM
SYSTEMS TRAINING / HPT001
COURSE
/ COURSE NO.
pRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR RADIOLOGICAL HAZARDS / HPT001.014G
LESSON TITLE / LESSON PLAN NO.
INPO ACCREDITED / YES / X / NO
MULTIPLE SITES AFFECTED / YES / X / NO
PREPARED BY
C. Daphne Stephens / ______
Signature / Date
PROCESS REVIEW
Gale Blount / ______
Signature / Date
LEAD INSTRUCTOR/PROGRAM MGR. REVIEW
Roy Goodman / ______
Signature / Date
PLANT CONCURRENCE - BFN / ______
Signature / Date
PLANT CONCURRENCE - SQN / ______
Signature / Date
PLANT CONCURRENCE- WBN / ______
Signature / Date
Receipt Inspection and Distribution:
Training Materials Coordinator /Date
Standardized Training Material
Copies to:

TVA 40385 [NP 6-2001] Page 1 of 2

NUCLEAR TRAINING
REVISION/USAGE LOG
REVISION
NUMBER / DESCRIPTION
OF CHANGES / DATE / PAGES
AFFECTED / REVIEWED BY
0 / Initial Issue / All / C. Daphne Stephens

TVA 40385 [NP 6-2001] Page 2 of 2


I. PROGRAM: Radiological Protection Technician Initial Training

II. COURSE: Systems Training

III. LESSON TITLE: Pressurized Water Reactor Radiological Hazards

IV. LENGTH OF LESSON/COURSE: 2 hours

V. TRAINING OBJECTIVES:

A. Terminal Objective:

Upon completion of the Nuclear Plant Systems Orientation for pressurized Water Reactors course, the participants will demonstrate their knowledge of Sequoyah and Watts Bar systems, by scoring 80% on a written examination. The examination may be based on the enabling objectives in this lesson only, or it may be part of a comprehensive examination covering multiple lesson plans.

B. Enabling Objectives:

1. Explain radiological conditions that might be present in a high radiological hazard system.

2. List systems of high radiological hazard.

3. Explain radiological conditions that might be present in a medium radiological hazard system.

4. List systems of medium radiological hazard.

5. Explain radiological conditions that might be present in a low radiological hazard system.

6. List systems of low radiological hazard.

7. Identify sources of radiological hazards at pressurized water reactors.

8. Identify reactor accident categories and potential radiological consequences of each.


VI. TRAINING AIDS:

A. Whiteboard and markers

B. Computer, projector, screen, and associated software

VII. TRAINING MATERIALS:

A. Appendices

1. Terms and Definitions

2. Summary of Operating Experience, OE 10579

3. Summary of Licensee Event Report, LER 84-016-00

B. Handouts

1. Handout 1 - Sequoyah ALARA Planning Reports (SQN APR)

2. Handout 2 - Sequoyah Visual Survey Data System Maps

VIII. REFERENCES:

A. Bevalacqua, Joseph John, Wisconsin Electric Power Company, Contemporary Health Physics: Problems and Solutions. John Wiley & Sons. New York, 1995.

B. INPO ACAD 93-008, Guidelines for Training and Qualifications of Radiological Protection Technicians. August, 1993.

C. TVAN Standard Programs and Processes, SPP-5.1, Radiological Controls, Revision 5, October 21, 2003.

IX. INTRODUCTION:

The field of health physics is concerned with protecting the health and safety of the public, including plant workers, from a wide variety of radiation environments. These environments include external radiation sources as well as internal sources of radiation. The situation is often complicated by the occurrence of mixed radiation fields.

While nuclear power plants are designed to minimize radiation exposure and nuclear power plant have established procedures and controls to protect personnel from radiation, there are some risks involved. Health physics personnel must have an understanding of the risks associated with plant systems and components to minimize these risks.

This lesson will give a general overview of the radiological hazards, defined in Appendix 1, associated with various plant systems under normal conditions of operation. It is not possible to address the potential radiological hazards that could exist during emergency or accident conditions; therefore, this lesson will only provide a general overview of accident conditions.

In addition to the material covered in this lesson, students are encouraged to seek historical survey data available from the Visual Survey Data System and from ALARA planning reports to gain more knowledge about the radiological hazards at pressurized water reactors.

HPT001.014G

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Page XXX of 33

X. LESSON BODY: / INSTRUCTOR NOTES
A. High Radiological Hazard Systems
1. High radiological hazard systems are systems which have, either individually or in combination, any of the following:
a. high radiation
b. high contamination
c. hot particles
d. high levels of airborne radioactivity / Objective 1
2. High radiological hazard systems include:
a. reactor vessel and internals
b. fuel and fuel handling system
c. reactor coolant system
d. incore thermocouples
e. traveling incore probes
f. chemical and volume control system
g. rod control system / Objective 2
3. Reactor Vessel and Internals
a. The reactor vessel and internals present a
high radiological hazard primarily from high
radiation levels.
b. Dose rates from the reactor vessel or
internals could be several hundred rem/hr.
Water is used to provide shielding. / Appendix 2
c. High contamination levels and hot particles,
including fuel fleas, can be expected on tools
and other items that have contacted the
reactor vessel or internals.
d. Any items removed from the reactor vessel
or internals can create an airborne problem
if allowed to dry out. / Fuel fleas can read
several hundred rem/hr.
Items are generally sprayed down, wiped off, and wrapped.
4. Fuel and Fuel Handling System
a. The fuel presents a high radiological hazard
due to the extremely high dose rates associated with spent reactor fuel.
b. Radiation levels from spent fuel bundles may
read thousands of rem/hr.
c. Fuel handling tools and equipment have very
high contamination levels and have the
possibility of having hot particles.
d. Tools and fuel handling equipment may present a significant airborne radiological hazard if improperly controlled.
e. Fuel is handled underwater and with extended tools. / Appendix 3
High contamination on the tools may get dispersed in air.
5. Reactor Coolant System
a. The reactor coolant system contains components that have high radiation levels.
b. Unlike the reactor vessel and internals or the
fuel and fuel handling system where water
is provided for shielding and where
extended handling tools are used, reactor
coolant system component work usually
requires a “hands on” approach. / Tens of rem/hr
Appendix 4
c. All components of the reactor coolant
system can be expected to have high
contamination.
d. All components of the reactor coolant
system can have hot particles.
e. Leaks from the reactor coolant system or
maintenance activities on reactor coolant
system components can result in the spread
of contamination and the generation of
airborne radioactivity. / Have students identify
the major components.
Discuss FME controls.
Discuss use of HEPAs.
6. Incore Thermocouple Monitoring System
a. The thermocouples themselves could be a
high radiological hazard; however, they
stay in the reactor internals. / They are disconnected
each refueling outage,
but never removed.
7. Traveling Incore System
a. The incore probes are a high radiological
hazard due to extremely high radiation
levels.
b. Dose rates associated with the incore probes
can be thousands of rem/hour. / Appendix 5
c. Maintenance activities, such as guide tube
cleaning, can cause high contamination and
result in airborne radioactivity.
d. Any foreign objects or materials can be
highly activated and present a dose hazard. / Discuss foreign objects.
8. Chemical and Volume Control System
a. The chemical and volume control system
is, for the most part, a high radiological
hazard system.
b. There are some components of the CVCS
that present significantly high radiation
levels.
(1) The volume control tank is a locked
high radiation area when the plant is
operating.
(2) The filters and demin beds for the
CVCS may read several hundred
Rem/hr. / Appendix 6
Appendix 7
(3) The regenerative heat exchanger,
letdown heat exchanger, and excess
letdown heat exchanger are locked
high radiation areas.
c. Other CVCS components, such as charging
pumps and piping, seal water injection, and
letdown orifices have low to medium
radiation levels.
d. System breaches of the CVCS components
require air sampling and radiation surveys
for both beta and gamma.
9. Rod Control System
a. The rod control system itself is not a
radiological hazard system, but is considered
a high radiological hazard because of the
radiation dose rates from the reactor head.
b. The control rods stay in the fuel assembly
and are moved during refueling outages as
a part of the fuel assembly.
B. Medium Radiological Hazard Systems
1. Medium radiological hazard systems are systems
which have, or could potentially have, either
individually, or in combination any of the following:
a. radiation
b. contamination
c. hot particles
d. airborne radioactivity / Objective 3
2. Medium radiological hazard systems include:
a. Reactor Vessel Level Indication System
b. Nuclear Instrumentation System – Excore
c. Liquid Radwaste System
d. Residual Heat Removal System
e. Emergency Core Cooling System / Objective 4
3. Reactor Vessel Level Indication System (RVLIS)
a. The reactor vessel level indication system
piping contains reactor coolant.
b. The system is a medium radiological hazard
system because of high contamination
levels.
c. Radiation levels associated with the reactor
vessel level indication system are low due to
the small diameter piping; however, due to
the location of RVLIS components in close
proximity to high radiation fields, work on
this system can result in personnel exposure. / Example: RVLIS
work in upper
containment puts the
workers near Rx head.
4. Nuclear Instrumentation System – Excore
a. The excore detectors are considered a
medium radiological hazard system because
they are located in the bottom of the reactor
cavity.
b. If the gaskets that seal the covers over the
excore detectors have leaked, there will be
high contamination levels.
c. Radiation levels from the detectors are
lower than background dose rates in the
area.
5. Liquid Radwaste System
a. The liquid radiation system is a medium
radiological hazard system; however the
individual components in the system may
range from very low levels to very high
levels.
b. The reactor coolant drain tank and the
tritiated drain collector tank are generally
locked high radiation areas.
c. Components such as the hold up tanks and
the floor drain collector tank are usually
radiation or high radiation areas.
d. The monitor tank and the cask decon
collector tank are very low levels and are
usually well below the limits for a radiation
area.
e. Contamination levels associated with the
liquid radwaste system, like the tanks, vary
from very low levels to high levels.
f. Any breach of the liquid radwaste system
should include beta and gamma radiation
surveys, contamination surveys, and air
sampling.
g. Dose rates and contamination levels from
the portable Rad DI system can be high
around the filter vessels and the pressure
vessels which contain the ion exchange
media can be high.
h. Hot particles may be present in the liquid
radwaste system.
i. Floor drain covers might be contamination
areas and if the covers are removed, expect
contamination inside the drain.
6. Residual Heat Removal System
a. The residual heat removal system is a
system that presents medium radiological
risks.
b. The residual heat removal system is not often
used; however, during times of system
operation high dose rates and localized hot
spots may be present.
c. The RHR system takes a suction from the
reactor coolant system, so any system
breach can result in high contamination
levels and hot particles may be found.
d. During times of plant operation, when the
RHR system is not in service the dose rates
typically create a radiation area around the
major system components.
e. When the RHR system is in service, expect
high radiation around the major system
components and piping.
f. Any breach of the RHR system may cause
airborne radioactivity.
7. Emergency Core Cooling System
a. The emergency core cooling system is a
medium radiological hazard system.
b. Components that make up the emergency
core cooling system may be extremely low
radiological hazard, such as the refueling
water storage tank, but may present a
medium radiological hazard due to the
component location, such as cold leg
accumulators which are located inside
containment.
c. The emergency core cooling system also
utilizes components from other systems,
such as RHR system pumps and CVCS
system pumps.
d. If accident conditions existed that required
use of the emergency core cooling system,
radiological hazards associated with the
system could be extremely high, depending
on the accident severity.
C. Low Radiological Hazard Systems
1. Low radiological hazard systems have little potential
for radiological hazards, or else, the radiological
hazards present are low level.
2. Low radiological hazard systems have:
a. low radiation levels
b. low level contamination
c. little possibility for airborne radioactivity / Objective 5
3. Low radiological hazard systems include:
a. ice condenser system
b. containment combustible gas control
c. containment purge system
d. ventilation and gas treatment
e. radiation monitor system
f. gaseous radwaste system
g. containment spray system
h. component cooling system / Objective 6
4. Ice Condenser System
a. There are no radiological hazards from the
ice condenser system itself; however, the ice
condenser is located inside containment.
b. There are low levels of radiation in the lower
plenum of the ice condenser when the plant
is shut down and high radiation in the lower
plenum when the plant is operating. / Upper plenum of the
ice condenser has only
low radiation levels,
even at 100% power.
c. There are low levels of contamination in the
ice condenser that has been tracked in from
other areas of containment.
d. The airborne radioactivity in the ice
condenser will be same as containment. / May also find hot
particles
5. Containment Combustible Gas Control
a. The containment combustible gas control
system itself does not cause any radiological
hazards.
b. Components of the system are located inside
containment; therefore, there may be
contamination in the area, radiation, and the