Palo Verde provides the following response:
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station requests information on how other stations set up
their electronic alarming dosimeters alarm set points for dose, dose rate, and
clock alarms (allowed time to be logged onto the RWP). The specific areas of
interest are below.
1. Do you use standard dose and rate alarms or are each RWP/Task set points
evaluated individually? Palo Verde uses standard dose and rate alarms. Palo
Verde uses the clock alarm feature and sets all EADs to 12 hours except those
used by Security personnel, those are set to 13 hours.
* Give examples of the EAD set points for General or Standing RWPs for
RP, Chemistry, Maintenance, and Operations.
RWP: RADIATION PROTECTION TOURS, INSPECTIONS AND SURVEYS
Job Scope: Perform routine RP surveillance, tours, inspections and surveys.
Task: 1 HRA - RP TOURS, INSPECTIONS, AND SURVEYS, EAD Setpoints dose 25 mrem,
rate 500 mR/hr
Task: 2 LHRA - RP TOURS, INSPECTIONS, AND SURVEYS, EAD Setpoints dose 25 mrem,
rate 800 mR/hr
RWP: OPERATIONS ROUTINE SHIFT TASKS
Job Scope: Perform Routine Operations tasks including: Tours, Inspections,
Tagging, Valve Line-ups, flushing, and Venting and Draining.
Task: 1 RA OPS TASKS - includes contaminated system venting / draining /
flushing, No HRA ENTRY EAD Setpoints dose 10 mrem, rate 100 mR/hr
Task: 2 HRA OPS TASKS - includes contaminated system venting / draining /
flushing, HRA ENTRY EAD Setpoints dose 15 mrem, rate 200 mR/hr
Task: 3 LHRA OPS TASKS - includes contaminated system venting / draining /
flushing, to include: HRA / LHRA ENTRY EAD Setpoints dose 20 mrem, rate 300
mR/hr
RWP: CHEMISTRY & EFFLUENT SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS
Job Scope: Perform routine Chemistry and Effluent monitoring tasks,
surveillances, sampling, analyses and transport of sources and radioactive
samples between Units.
Task: 1 Routine Sampling & analysis, No HRA ENTRY EAD Setpoints dose 10 mrem,
rate 75 mR/hr
Task: 2 Routine sampling & Analysis, HRA ENTRY EAD Setpoints dose 10 mrem, rate
100 mR/hr
RWP: MINOR MAINTENANCE TO INCLUDE: SYSTEM BREACHES
Job Scope: Minor Maintenance and Surveillance activities, to include:
contaminated system breaches within RCAs and work on potentially contaminated
systems in all areas.
Task: 1 MINOR MAINTENANCE, SURVEILLANCE, SYSTEM BREACHES AND SUPPORT [NO HRA] ,
EAD Setpoints dose 15 mrem, rate 75 mR/hr
Task: 2 MINOR MAINTENANCE, SURVEILLANCE, SYSTEM BREACHES AND SUPPORT [HRA Entry
permitted], EAD Setpoints dose 50 mrem, rate 800 mR/hr
Task: 3 MINOR MAINTENANCE, SURVEILLANCE, SYSTEM BREACHES AND SUPPORT AS AUTH'D
BY RPL [LHRA Entry permitted], EAD Setpoints dose 5 mrem, rate 10 mR/hr
Task: 4 MINOR MAINT., SURVEILLANCE, SYSTEM BREACHES AND SUPPORT OUTSIDE NORMAL
RCAs [No HRA Entry], EAD Setpoints dose 15 mrem, rate 75 mR/hr
1. How many alarms for dose, rate and clock are received in a typical
non-outage year? What is a non-outage year? (three unit humor) With three units
and 18 month fuel cycles we have 2 outages every year. We experience about 3-4
valid dose alarms and about 5-6 valid rate alarms per unit per year. The
overwhelming majority of our electronic dosimeter alarms are non-radiation
induced; however, we emphasis to staff to treat all EAD alarms as valid until
proven otherwise.
* What is your response to an EAD alarm? For either a dose or rate alarm
the worker must stop immediately, contact RP, exit the RCA and an exposure
evaluation is performed.
* If you allow workers to work through anticipated dose rate alarms, how
is the alarm documented? If an anticipated rate alarm is going to be used it
must be briefed beforehand and authorization document in an appropriate RP
electronic log. Additional RP follow-up actions to electronic dosimeter alarms
also include: evaluation of Worker response to the alarm, efficacy of the
Radiological planning, determination if work scope changed during maintenance,
adequacy of pre-job and job coverage surveys, look to see if radiological
conditions changed, ensure that the worker was able to self-monitor exposure
and could hear alarms, determine if a dosimeter malfunction occurred, and
document all valid dose alarms and unanticipated dose rate alarms in a station
condition report.
Do you allow any work group(s) to remain logged on an RWP all shift or do you
require all workers to log off the RWP on each exit from the RCA? Yes,
Operations, Radiation Protection, Chemistry, Security, and Fire Protection
(including roving fire watch) personnel are allowed to retain their dosimetry
for the entire shift provided that they are logged in on an appropriate RWP
and, the potential exists to need immediate access to an RCA and, they do not
leave the permanent Radiological Restricted Area (Protected Area). Personnel
may retain their dosimetry for work in RCAs located outside of the permanent
Restricted Area such as the ISFSI provided that they are logged in on an
appropriate RWP, and, that their dosimetry is returned to the appropriate issue
point when the work is completed (or prior to leaving the site for the day).
**********************************************************************
Seth J. Kanter, CHP, RPT
Sr. Health Physicist
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
Mail Sta. 7397
5801 S. Wintersburg Rd.
Tonopah, AZ 85354
Phone (623) 393-3130
Fax (623) 393-2487
Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are my own
Liviu Librescu
**********************************************************************
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
RICKETTS, BOBBY R G
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 1:45 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Powernet: EAD Alarm Set Points and Actions
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station requests information on how other stations set up
their electronic alarming dosimeters alarm set points for dose, dose rate, and
clock alarms (allowed time to be logged onto the RWP). The specific areas of
interest are below.
1. Do you use standard dose and rate alarms or are each RWP/Task set points
evaluated individually?
* Give examples of the EAD set points for General or Standing RWPs for
RP, Chemistry, Maintenance, and Operations.
1. How many alarms for dose, rate and clock are received in a typical
non-outage year?
* What is your response to an EAD alarm?
* If you allow workers to work through anticipated dose rate alarms, how
is the alarm documented?
Do you allow any work group(s) to remain logged on an RWP all shift or do you
require all workers to log off the RWP on each exit from the RCA?
Bob Ricketts
GGNS / Entergy
HP Instructor
601-437-2702 ext
8-437-2702 int
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