Event Notification Report for January 19, 2018

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
01/18/2018 - 01/19/2018

** EVENT NUMBERS **


53161 53163 53164 53174 53176 53177

To top of page
Agreement State Event Number: 53161
Rep Org: PA BUREAU OF RADIATION PROTECTION
Licensee: WEST PENN HOSPITAL
Region: 1
City: PITTSBURGH State: PA
County:
License #: PA-0121
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: JOHN CHIPPO
HQ OPS Officer: DONALD NORWOOD
Notification Date: 01/10/2018
Notification Time: 11:55 [ET]
Event Date: 01/09/2018
Event Time: [EST]
Last Update Date: 01/10/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
ANTHONY DIMITRIADIS (R1DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICA (EMAI)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - SOURCE CABLE DAMAGED IN HIGH DOSE RATE AFTERLOADER UNIT

The following information was received via E-mail:

"On January 9, 2018, the licensee informed the Department [Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection] of a problem with their Flexitron HDR [high dose rate] unit. It is reportable per 10 CFR 30.50(b )(2).

"After a service provider completed a source exchange on an Elekta Flexitron Model 136149A02 HDR remote afterloader unit containing 9.6 curies of iridium-192 on Friday morning, January 5, 2018, the unit was tested for operation three times and worked properly. At approximately 1400 EST on the January 5, 2018, a hospital physicist was starting his QA procedures on the unit. At that point, the source would not come out of the safe position and he received an error code. The physicist then contacted the service provider and he returned to the site. The service provider tried multiple tasks to get the source to engage, all were unsuccessful. He felt there was some form of obstruction or possibly a drive issue. He then scheduled to be onsite January 9, 2018 with a fellow engineer to further investigate the issue. They discovered the source cable was badly frayed and could not be safely removed and placed into the existing transport containers. Currently, the source and cable have been taped in place so they will not move and the device has been locked in its storage closet at the facility. The Department is in contact with the hospital Radiation Safety Officer and further information is not available at this time.

"The Department will perform a reactive inspection. More information will be provided as received."

PA Event Report ID No: PA180001

To top of page
Agreement State Event Number: 53163
Rep Org: IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Licensee: ARCONIC DAVENPORT WORKS
Region: 3
City: BETTENDORF State: IA
County:
License #: 0169-1-82-FG
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: RANDAL DAHLIN
HQ OPS Officer: DONALD NORWOOD
Notification Date: 01/10/2018
Notification Time: 15:19 [ET]
Event Date: 01/09/2018
Event Time: [CST]
Last Update Date: 01/10/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
MARK JEFFERS (R3DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICA (EMAI)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - FIXED NUCLEAR GAUGE SHUTTER FAILED TO CLOSE

The following information was received via E-mail:

"The licensee reported that a shutter on a fixed gauge (Isotope Measuring Systems, Inc. model 5221-02) containing five (5) five curies of Americium-241 sealed sources had one of the five shutters on the device fail to close during device calibration on January 9, 2018. This failure was reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) on January 10, 2018. The licensee has contacted the manufacturer and a service representative will arrive on site Thursday, January 11, 2018 to assess the cause of the shutter failure. IDPH will provide additional information to the NRC after receiving the manufacturer service representatives field report."

To top of page
Agreement State Event Number: 53164
Rep Org: TENNESSEE DIV OF RAD HEALTH
Licensee: ENERGY SOLUTIONS
Region: 1
City: OAK RIDGE State: TN
County:
License #: R-73016
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: ANDREW HOLCOMB
HQ OPS Officer: STEVEN VITTO
Notification Date: 01/11/2018
Notification Time: 12:05 [ET]
Event Date: 01/10/2018
Event Time: 11:15 [EST]
Last Update Date: 01/11/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICA (EMAI)
ANTHONY DIMITRIADIS (R1DO)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - FILTER REPLACEMENT

The following was provided from the State of Tennessee (TN) via email:

"The event occurred in the licensee's Metal Melt Facility (MMF). [The Radiation Safety Officer] RSO noted that a 4 inch by 4 inch section of a HEPA filter from the HEPA filter bank was missing. According to RSO, filter bank was pulling from area that has not been active since February 2017. Air effluent stack sampling and real time monitoring system did not indicate elevated radiation levels. The damaged filter was replaced. Licensee will forward investigation report to the TN Division of Radiological Health upon completion."

Tennessee Event Report Number: TN-18-007

To top of page
Non-Power Reactor Event Number: 53174
Facility: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECH
RX Type: 6000 KW TANK RESEARCH HW
Comments:
Region: 0
City: CAMBRIDGE State: MA
County: MIDDLESEX
License #: R-37
Agreement: Y
Docket: 05000020
NRC Notified By: JOHN FOSTER
HQ OPS Officer: DONALD NORWOOD
Notification Date: 01/18/2018
Notification Time: 10:03 [ET]
Event Date: 01/17/2018
Event Time: 12:28 [EST]
Last Update Date: 01/18/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
NON-POWER REACTOR EVENT
Person (Organization):
PATRICK BOYLE (PM-M)
ELIZABETH REED (NPR)

Event Text

NON-POWER REACTOR MANUALLY SCRAMMED

"Technical Specification 3.2.3 item 1 requires that a minimum of two level channels be operable and set to scram the reactor at less than 7.4MW. A reactor startup was in progress to 1MW for training with one of three level channels out-of-commission. The reactor reached 1MW at 1219 EST on 1/17/18. The shift supervisor was completing the checklist that requires observing level channels to verify they are responding. The shift supervisor noticed that only one channel was responding and scrammed the reactor at 1228 EST. Preliminary investigation found a faulty connection point at the detector signal cable. Corrective actions and retesting is ongoing."

To top of page
Power Reactor Event Number: 53176
Facility: SUMMER
Region: 2 State: SC
Unit: [1] [ ] [ ]
RX Type: [1] W-3-LP,[2] W-AP1000,[3] W-AP1000
NRC Notified By: MICHAEL MOORE
HQ OPS Officer: HOWIE CROUCH
Notification Date: 01/18/2018
Notification Time: 17:03 [ET]
Event Date: 01/18/2018
Event Time: 12:02 [EST]
Last Update Date: 01/18/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) - VALID SPECIF SYS ACTUATION
Person (Organization):
GERALD MCCOY (R2DO)

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

EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATOR ACTUATION DUE TO LOSS OF ONE OF TWO OFFSITE POWER SUPPLIES

"This event is being reported in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) as an event that resulted in a valid actuation of the Emergency Diesel Generator.

"On January 18, 2018 at 1202 EST, V.C. Summer Nuclear Station (VCSNS) lost one of its two redundant offsite power supplies. The loss of the 115kV power supply created an undervoltage condition on the normal incoming Engineered Safety Features power supply to safety related bus 1DA. The 'A' Emergency Diesel Generator started and loads sequenced as designed. The 'A' Residual Heat Removal pump started but did not inject any water into the Reactor Coolant System. The 'A' Emergency Feedwater Pump started and ran for approximately 2 minutes. Other plant equipment and systems also responded as expected.

"The loss of the 115kV power supply occurred due to an issue with a component in a switchyard, external to VCSNS. The cause of the event is still under investigation.

"All loads have been transferred back to the offsite 115kV power supply at 1318 EST. The diesel generator was secured at 1321 EST, reset and is ready to auto-start.

"The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified."

To top of page
Part 21 Event Number: 53177
Rep Org: VELAN INC.
Licensee: VELAN INC.
Region:
City: Montreal State:
County: Quebec, Canada
License #:
Agreement: N
Docket:
NRC Notified By: VICTOR APOSTOLESCU
HQ OPS Officer: HOWIE CROUCH
Notification Date: 01/18/2018
Notification Time: 16:06 [ET]
Event Date: 11/01/2017
Event Time: [EST]
Last Update Date: 01/18/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
21.21(d)(3)(i) - DEFECTS AND NONCOMPLIANCE
Person (Organization):
GLENN DENTEL (R1DO)
GERALD MCCOY (R2DO)
DAVID HILLS (R3DO)
DAVID PROULX (R4DO)
PART 21/50.55 REACTO (EMAI)

Event Text

PART 21 NOTIFICATION - CHECK VALVE DISC THICKNESS COULD CAUSE VALVE TO STICK OPEN

The following is a summary of the information received from Velan Inc. via facsimile:

Affected item: Velan Inc. Disc (part number 8205-012) in 4NPS Class 150 through 900 Swing Check Valve

Callaway Nuclear Plant discovered that a Velan check valve installed in 1999 was stuck open. Velan investigated and determined that in 1979, a design change increased the thickness of the disc to allow the check valve to be used in higher pressure applications than the original design. In 1985, the valve body cavity was enlarged which would preclude the disc from sticking. Therefore, the only affected valves are the valves manufactured between 1979 and 1985.

Velan's records only go back to 1982 for purchase orders of this valve. Their records indicate 157 discs of this part number were shipped to U.S. utilities.

The following actions are being taken with respect to the disc:
- Cancel disc part number 8502-012
- Create a new disc part number to fit the body geometry of 1985 and before
-Create another disc part number to fit the current body geometry.

All affected utilities will be notified within a week, for information and to determine a course of action. As a minimum, Velan will recall all discs of the aforementioned part number in inventory at these utilities.

For any additional information on this matter please contact Victor Apostolescu at 514-748-7748 x 2134 or at victor.apostolescu@velan.com.

This disc has been purchased by nuclear plants in all four USNRC regions.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 25, 2021