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NRC NEWS
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III
801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 |
| CONTACT: |
Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov |
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Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov |
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-96-53 September 12, 1996
CONTACT: Jan Strasma 630/829-9663
Angela Dauginas 630/829-9662
E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
NRC STAFF TO CONDUCT SPECIAL TEAM INSPECTION
OF SEPT. 6 SHUTDOWN AT CLINTON POWER STATION
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting a special
team inspection at the Clinton Power Station to review the
circumstances surrounding a reactor shutdown on September 6
because of a leaking pump in the reactor cooling system.
The plant, which is located near Clinton, Illinois, is
operated by Illinois Power Company.
An additional NRC team inspection will begin shortly to
review control room activities at the plant.
In the September 6 shutdown, the cooling water leakage was
through the seals on a recirculation pump. The leaking water
was collected in a drain system in the reactor containment, and
there was no release of radioactivity to the environment.
The recirculation pump -- one of two such pumps --
increases the flow of water through the reactor and increases
the reactor's thermal efficiency.
The current NRC inspection is focusing on the decisions
and actions of reactor operators as they monitored the
increasing leakage through the pump seal and attempted to
control it. Some of the steps taken by the operators may not
have been covered by existing plant procedures.
NRC license requirements provide that the plant be shut
down if the leakage exceeds 5 gallons per minute and cannot be
reduced within 4 hours. The reactor operators attempted to
reduce the leakage by closing various valves. The leakage
remained above the limit, and the plant was subsequently shut
down.
The four-person special inspection team is expected to
complete its onsite review Friday. It will issue a written
report in several weeks. The report will be publicly
available.
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