U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center Event Reports For 05/15/2006 - 05/16/2006 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** | General Information or Other | Event Number: 42568 | Rep Org: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Licensee: TRACER TECH SERVICES Region: 4 City: ODESSA State: TX County: License #: Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: ART TUCKER HQ OPS Officer: MARK ABRAMOVITZ | Notification Date: 05/11/2006 Notification Time: 10:42 [ET] Event Date: 05/11/2006 Event Time: 05:11 [CDT] Last Update Date: 05/11/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE | Person (Organization): DALE POWERS (R4) GREG MORELL (NMSS) | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - SOURCES FOUND AT ROADSIDE A work crew found an ammo-box on the side of a county road 1788 in the Midland - Odessa area. It contained what are believed to be two (2) sources used for process flow measurement. One source is a Ir-192 source and another as yet unidentified believed at this time to be a Scandium source. The state is following up and will provide additional information on the types and quantities of the sources and licensee data when they receive it. * * * UPDATE FROM STATE (A. TUCKER) TO M. RIPLEY 1824 EDT 05/11/06 * * * The ammo box was found on the side of the road between 6:00 and 6:30 am CDT by a driver for Baker Atlas. The box contained ten empty pigs and two sealed pigs with one labeled Ir-192 (88 mCi) and the other labeled Sc-46 (12 mCi). Initially reported radiation survey results were 5 mrem at 3 feet. The box has Yellow II labeling (radioisotopes) and the sources were thought to be used for tracer studies. The State contacted Protechnics (Core Laboratories) to inquire if they had lost the ammo box, but were subsequently notified that it was not theirs. Later, the licensee, Tracer Tech Services of Midland, TX, was identified as the owner and at 1:10 pm CDT the licensee was on the way to the Baker Atlas facility to pick up the box. The licensee stated that their driver was on his way to New Mexico, got there and then discovered his tailgate was down and the was sources were gone. Baker Atlas and the licensee were instructed by the State not to remove the ammo box until cleared by their inspector. The inspector reached the Baker Atlas facility around 3 pm CDT. Subsequent survey results by the State were 3 mrem/hr at 1 meter and 80 mrem/hr on top. There was no apparent spread of radioactive material. The State will continue to investigate the incident. Texas Incident # I-8335 Notified R4 DO (D. Powers) and NMSS EO (T. Essig) | General Information or Other | Event Number: 42570 | Rep Org: CALIFORNIA RADIATION CONTROL PRGM Licensee: CENTURY CITY DOCTORS HOSPITAL Region: 4 City: LOS ANGELES State: CA County: License #: 2361-19 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: KATHLEEN KAUFMAN HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN | Notification Date: 05/11/2006 Notification Time: 19:54 [ET] Event Date: 05/05/2006 Event Time: [PDT] Last Update Date: 05/11/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE | Person (Organization): DALE POWERS (R4) THOMAS ESSIG (NMSS) MATT HAHN (E-MAIL) (TAS) MEXICO CNSNS E-MAIL () | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT FROM CALIFORNIA - MISSING SOURCE The following is a summary of information provided by the State via facsimile: The RSO and medical physicist for Century City Doctors Hospital (CCDH) called to report a lost Sr-90 eye applicator, sn 1244, approx 28 mCi (was 63.3 mCi in 1972.) Century City Hospital closed in June 2005. It was reopened under a new entity as CCDH in November 2005. In December 2004 CCDH had sent its old Cs-137 brachytherapy sources to Barnwell. CCDH kept its dose calibrator sources & the Sr-90 eye applicator locked in their hot lab. CCDH is reopening its nuclear medicine department and asked the RSO to determine the status of the dose calibrator sources. When the RSO went to the hot lab on May 5, he noticed the Sr-90 source was missing. The old dose calibrator sources, which had decayed, were still there, and the RSO said it appeared no one had been in the hot lab- it was dusty and dirty. CCDH had a company, Dan York, perform wipe tests in March 2005. The hospital claims to have paperwork that indicates the Sr-90 source was wipe tested, but York says it wasn't. (The RSO will be reviewing that paperwork tomorrow.) Regardless, when York did the next wipe tests in Sept 2005, the eye applicator wasn't there at that time. So it's been missing since at least Sept 2005. The company who brokered the disposal of the Cs-137 sources, New World Technology, has been contacted, and they say they did not remove the eye applicator. The RSO will interview the physician who had used the applicator and everyone who had access to the hot lab. The hospital CEO will send a memo to hospital staff, asking if anyone has seen it. CA report number 051106 THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. | Power Reactor | Event Number: 42575 | Facility: SALEM Region: 1 State: NJ Unit: [1] [ ] [ ] RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP NRC Notified By: TOM BYYKKONON HQ OPS Officer: MARK ABRAMOVITZ | Notification Date: 05/15/2006 Notification Time: 01:37 [ET] Event Date: 05/14/2006 Event Time: 23:20 [EDT] Last Update Date: 05/15/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(2)(xi) - OFFSITE NOTIFICATION | Person (Organization): ANTHONY DIMITRIADIS (R1) RICK LAYMAN (EPA) STU BAILEY (DOE) AMANDA (USDA) KEN SWEETSER (FEMA) JANET DUZMAN (HHS) | Unit | SCRAM Code | RX CRIT | Initial PWR | Initial RX Mode | Current PWR | Current RX Mode | 1 | N | Y | 100 | Power Operation | 100 | Power Operation | Event Text SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE LEAK INTO THE DELAWARE RIVER "This 4-Hour notification is being made in accordance with 10CFR50.72 (B)(2)(xi). "A notification was made to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection of a discharge of approximately 1000 gallons of water containing 3000 parts per million Sodium Hypochlorite to the Delaware river, via a permitted outfall. The source of the water was a leak on the chlorination injection line in the Unit One Service Water Bay. The water was pumped to the river via the building sump pump. On discovery the leak was isolated and the building sumps turned off to prevent further discharge. Follow up investigation to determine the cause of the leak is in progress. "There was no equipment out of service that contributed to this event and there were no personnel injuries or radiological occurrences associated with this event." The leak occurred when changing the pump in service. The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector. | Power Reactor | Event Number: 42576 | Facility: OCONEE Region: 2 State: SC Unit: [ ] [ ] [3] RX Type: [1] B&W-L-LP,[2] B&W-L-LP,[3] B&W-L-LP NRC Notified By: RANDY TODD HQ OPS Officer: STEVE SANDIN | Notification Date: 05/15/2006 Notification Time: 13:48 [ET] Event Date: 05/15/2006 Event Time: 10:59 [EDT] Last Update Date: 05/15/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) - VALID SPECIF SYS ACTUATION | Person (Organization): JAMES MOORMAN (R2) | Unit | SCRAM Code | RX CRIT | Initial PWR | Initial RX Mode | Current PWR | Current RX Mode | 3 | N | N | 0 | Refueling | 0 | Refueling | Event Text MOMENTARY LOSS OF DHR DUE TO AUTOMATIC ACTUATION OF THE KEOWEE EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLY "Event: At 10:59 hours on 5-15-06, while in Mode 6 following completion of refueling activities, Oconee Unit 3 experienced a lockout of CT-3, the transformer for the Startup power source, which was in service at the time. This resulted in a momentary loss of AC power to the unit. Keowee Hydro Station, the Oconee emergency power source received an automatic emergency start signal, started, and closed in to supply power via the Underground Emergency Power path within approximately 40 seconds. "Initial Safety Significance: Initial conditions of significant systems: Normal power via backcharge of main transformer was not available. The Fuel Transfer Canal was full and valves open connecting it to the Spent Fuel Pool. Time to core boil was 58 minutes per procedure. The Equipment Hatch was open. The initial loss of power resulted in interruption of Decay Heat Removal (DHR) Cooling, Spent Fuel Pool Cooling, and other support systems. Power was automatically restored and the affected systems returned to service promptly. Therefore there was no safety significance to this event. Reactor Coolant System heated up from approximately 80F to approximately 89.5F during this event. "Corrective Action(s): As stated, Keowee started and supplied power automatically. The appropriate Abnormal Procedures were entered to restore power and restart these systems. DHR was restored at 11:13. Actions were initiated to achieve Containment Closure due to the loss of DHR. The Equipment Hatch was closed by 11:40. Backup power is available from Central Switchyard via CT-5. The cause of the initiating transformer lock out is under investigation." The licensee informed the NRC Resident Inspector. | |