No abstract available

No abstract available

No abstract available

No abstract available

[en] On October 10, 2007, operators of the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) observed the reactor pool level had decreased more than expected over the weekend. Upon further investigation, the staff confirmed that a small leak of 10 gallons had developed in the 52 year old unlined pool. The staff immediately informed the appropriate regulatory authorities and set about finding a solution. Over the next six weeks, the reactor staff worked with University personnel, contractors and regulators to fix the leak and return the facility to normal operation. The Penn State reactor was the first university research reactor licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission. The facility has had several minor pool leaks since its construction in 1955, with the latest occurring in 1976. Each time, the leak was located and repaired with concrete and an epoxy coating. The 2007 leak repair was more extensive involving three-step process that required hydro-lazing the pool wall, removing old sealant, and covering the areas with an epoxy concrete. After these processes the entire pool wall surface was sealed with a polyurea coating. The response from the State of Pennsylvania and US-NRC regulatory authorities was much more involved than earlier leak events. Although public risk was never an issue, the US-NRC immediately dispatched inspectors to the facility so that senior officials could be knowledgeable and responsive to the public's information needs. Additionally, the University set up a team to provide the public and news organizations with ongoing status of the investigation and repair activities. This team allowed the reactor staff to remain focused on the technical aspects of the repair and interface with the regulators. The PSBR pool leak detection and repair will be discussed. Also, PSBR administration and staff, other PSBR functions, coordination with US-NRC and the state of Pennsylvania officials will be presented and experiences gained from this event will be shared with the other university reactor community. (author)