Visual inspections of N Reactor horizontal control rod channels

Safety surveillance is performed in horizontal control rod (HCR) channels to locate conditions which could slow or block rod travel. The findings guide the application of preventive measures to assure eventual rod motion impairment will not occur. Borescopes and, more recently, miniaturized closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been used for these examinations. Inspections and measurement results are documented in annual surveillance reports, however reported CCTV observations have been limited to highlights. The objective of this report is to catalogue the CCTV recordings in a format suitable for analysis and interpretation and to ease the access to any desired location by noting tape counter readings corresponding with each tube block in view. Searching file tapes for conditions in a specific areas in the past required counting blocks as they passed the camera to determine the distance from a feature like the edge of the reflector or a steam vent gap. This report adds the observations from recent rod channel inspections (1987 and 1988) to a comprehensive survey of graphite conditions in the moderator and reflector regions of the N Reactor core. When completed, the stand-by status of graphite components will be available for use in restart or decommissioning deliberations