* Physics D:pirtm:nt

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Orig. To . . . . . / .. . Action Campt...... April 4,1984

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission 100 Office of Inspection and Enforcement h 70'O Region III 799 Roosevelt Road Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Application for renewal for Special Material License Ref: License No. SNM-1039, Docket No. 70-1088 Dear Sir: This letter (submitted in quadruplicate) is an application for renewal of Special Nuclear Material License No. SNM-1039 Amendment No. 02 and 3. Except for the cnange of one user and more detailed description of testing procedures, the changes from the letter of December 14,1978 (see section 15 of SNM-1039) are minor updates or changes in numbering and arrangement to follow the Pu-Be check list. (1) Applicant: Marquette University (Physics Department) 540 N.15th Street Milwaukee, WI 53233

(2) Principal Officer of the University: Rev. John P. Raynor, President Principal Officer of the Physics Department: Dr. Thaddeus J. Burch, S.J., Professor Chairman, Physics Department Principal User of the Special Nuclear Material: Dr. Thaddeus J. Burch, S.J., Professor Associate Users: RECEIVED Dr. Paul Y. Feng, Professor MAY 0 21984 Dr. Thomas Ehlert, Associate Professor ryubM REGION III .

8503110169 850215 MAY 2 W REQ 3 LIC70 SNM-1039 PDR Cedrd %. 7ggg4 _ . _ _ _ .. __ _.

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, US Nuclear RIgulatory Commiskion - April 4, .1984 . - 2.

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.The University is a U.S.. institution conducted under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. All. of the officers of the University and the individuals named above are U.S. citizens.

(3) Location of Use: The special nuclear material.under this license application is housed in Room 005 of the William Wehr Physics Building, 540 North 15th Street and is used only in this room. It is used for educational purposed, specifically, for undergraduate and graduate teaching and research in nuclear physics and chemistry.

(4) Identification of Materials: Eighty (80) grams of plutonium-239 encapsulated by the Monsanto Research Corporation in the form of a plutonium-beryllium source with the following specifics: Source Number.MRC-N-SS-W PuBe A04. The rate of neutron emission of this source is 9.1 x 10 neutrons6 per second. The source is housed in a Visiflux Neutron Howitzer supplied.by Reactor Experiments, Inc. The unit consists of a water jacketed vertical cylinder (diameter = 26 in., height = 28 in.) in which the source is mounted. Samples to be irradiated are intro- duced into a horizontal channel built in the Neutron Howitzer. (5) Training and Qualification of Users: (a) Qualifications-and Experien:e' of the Principal User : The principal user of this PuBe neutron source~ is Thaddeus J. Burch, S.J., who did.his Ph.D. research in solid state physics at Fordham University (New York) under Dr. J. E. Budnick. He is experienced in using radioactive materjals and in radioactive safety through 15 years of experimentation using the Mossbauer effect and the supervision of nuclear physics experiments in undergraduate laboratories. In addition he was a research associate at

, Brookhaven National Laboratory for several years and attended health physics | briefings especially those necessary for admission to the High Flux Beam Reactor. c | Qualifications and Experience of the Associate Users: i j Associate user, Paul Y. Feng, did his Ph.D. research in nuclear and ; radiation chemistry under the late J. W. Kennedy at Washington University (St. ' Louis). He has been the principal investigator of several AEC research con- ' tracts at both the Illinois Institute of Technology and at Marquette, and served, i among others, as the acting Health Physicist of the Armour Research Foundation, a Technical Advisor on the U.S. Delegation to the 2nd UN Conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy and a consultant to the Radiation Sources Division of the

; U.S. . Army Natick Laboratories, i

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The associate user Thomas C. Ehlert, received his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin in .1963. He is.a physical chemist with many years of. experience with a variety of radioactive materials. He has done work on uranium.and thorium compounds, used radioactive isotopes of manganese and iodine and:is familiar with a wide variety of counting equipment. , Other faculty, university personnel or students using the neutron ' source are instructed by one of the authorized users. A student making : extensive use of it would be required to take one of the regular briefings . of the University Radioactive Safety Commission.

{ .( b) Experience with PuBe: All of the users and associate users have 5-10 years of experience using this PuBe source. (c) Training of Personnel / Students:

} The University personnel or students using the neutron source are ! instructed by one of the authorized users. A person expecting to use the source extensively or outside of directed laboratories would be required to take the briefing offered regularly by the University's Radioactive Safety Committee.

(6) Facilities -

} (a) The' source is located in a windowless basemente store room in the - |- William Wehr Physics Building. This room has cinder block walls and concrete | ceilings and floors. t ! (b) Access to the room where the scurce is. stored is limited to the i users and to those instructors and authorized by the users. The key to.this j- room is not available through the usual department key distribution procedures. ! (c) The source is in a commercially designed howitzer (see section 4). | In addition the howitzer is' surrounded on four sides by eight inches of ; concrete blocks. The howitzer is used with the shield in place. : ' i (d) The radiation (principally gamma rays) two feet from the howitzer j wall with the shield in place is about 0.2 mr/hr. I ) (7) Radiation Detection Instruments ! j (a) The primary test instrument:is a Technical Associates Model PVG/AB . with Probe PGS-3 -(which is available through the University Radiation Safety j Committee). It is calibrated semi-annually by Stan A. Huber Consultants Inc., ' New.Lennox, IL. The gamma counter regularly used around the source (Nuclear ! Chicago Mod. 151 A) is calibrated in terms of this counter.

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. US Nucicar Rrgulatory Commission - April 4,1984 | -^ | -4-~ '

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In addition there is a Neutron counter consisting of a two inch diameter lithium iodide europium activated scintillator mounted on a photomultiplier used with Ridl electronics and an alpha Radiation Protection Procedures (a)- Leak test. This test consists in checking both wipings of the howitzer case and the residue from evaporating about one liter of howitzer shield water for alpha and gamma decay. (b) The Marquette Radiation Safety Committee has no specific duties concerning this source. The Radiation Safety Officer would be called immediately in an emergency. (c) The source is never used outside of the howitzer. A log is kept to show the exposure of anyone working with the howitzer unshielded or anyone spending extended periods of time in this room. (d) Area surveys (1) These surveys are made quarterly at the time of a notification from the Radiation Safety Committee that wipe tests:of sources- should be made. (2) Besides the tests indicated under 8a the gamma radiation outside of the shield and outside of the room is checked. (e) Waste disposal (1) As a result of the very limited radioactivity of substances which can be produced using the neutron source, simple dilution or natural decay has always been adequate. For liquids discharged into the sewerage systems the concentrations must be lower than those specified in Appendix B, Table 1 of Section 20.303. (2) Since the principal use of the source is to produce metals with i short half lives there is little contamination of equipment. Any material actually contaminated could be disposed of through I the system for such disposal in other University labs which is monitored by the Radiation Safety Committee.

Control No. 76694

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, US Nucicar Regulatory Commissicn * * -- April : 4,1984 . - S- . I i . '

s (f) Access' Control. See Section 6b. '(gl The names on business and home phones ~ numbers of at least two of the users are posted ~on the source and 'the entrance to the room with instruction to notify in an emergency.

(h) Instructions for Use. See Section Sc. (.11 Triining Programs. See Section Sc.

' Sincerely yours, 'I h 3mtt e ih, t Thaddeus J. Burch, S.J. { Chairman j Physics Department i ! ! ,

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Control No. 7 6 6 9 4'

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