Event Notification Report for August 4, 2003
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
Event Reports For
08/01/2003 - 08/04/2003
** EVENT NUMBERS **
39915 40031 40035 40043 40044 40045
!!!!!!!!! THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED !!!!!!!
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|Power Reactor |Event Number: 39915 |
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| FACILITY: MCGUIRE REGION: 2 |NOTIFICATION DATE: 06/10/2003|
| UNIT: [1] [2] [] STATE: NC |NOTIFICATION TIME: 17:50[EDT]|
| RXTYPE: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP |EVENT DATE: 06/10/2003|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME: 12:11[EDT]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: RANDY TRACEY |LAST UPDATE DATE: 08/01/2003|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY |MARK LESSER R2 |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|AUNA 50.72(b)(3)(ii)(B) UNANALYZED CONDITION | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR| INIT RX MODE |CURR PWR| CURR RX MODE |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|1 N Y 100 Power Operation |100 Power Operation |
|2 N Y 100 Power Operation |100 Power Operation |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| INADEQUATE I & C CABLE SEPARATION DISCOVERED DURING APPENDIX "R" REVIEW |
| |
| "McGuire has identified that Unit 1 and Unit 2 electrical cables associated |
| with redundant safe shutdown trains do not meet the separation criteria of |
| Appendix R. Specifically, cables for all four channels of a Unit's Reactor |
| Protection System (RPS) are routed together through the respective Unit's |
| ETA Switchgear Room. This room has no fire detection or suppression |
| capabilities in the area containing the cables. Consequently, in the event |
| of a postulated Appendix R fire in the ETA Switchgear Room, all four |
| channels of the respective Unit's RPS could be susceptible to fire damage. |
| Upon discovery of this condition, a fire watch was established in the Unit 1 |
| and Unit 2 ETA Switchgear Rooms. |
| |
| "McGuire has not yet determined whether this condition would result in the |
| loss of a safety function significantly degrading plant safety. However, |
| since this condition is similar to an example provided in NUREG 1022 Section |
| 3.2.4, McGuire is conservatively reporting this as an unanalyzed condition |
| significantly degrading plant safety." |
| |
| The licensee informed the NRC resident inspector. |
| |
| * * *Retraction on 08/01/03 at 1034 EDT by Tom Arlow taken by MacKinnon * * |
| * |
| |
| "Subsequent evaluation has concluded that the condition identified in the |
| event report 39915 does not significantly degrade plant safety since the |
| affected Unit would remain capable of proceeding to a safe shutdown |
| condition should the subject RPS trains experience fire damage. In |
| addition, probabilistic risk assessment of this condition determined it has |
| low safety significance. Therefore, McGuire is retracting Event Report |
| 39915." R2DO (Jim Moorman). |
| |
| The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this retraction by the licensee. |
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|General Information or Other |Event Number: 40031 |
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| REP ORG: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/29/2003|
|LICENSEE: H&G INSPECTION |NOTIFICATION TIME: 17:22[EDT]|
| CITY: HOUSTON REGION: 4 |EVENT DATE: 07/25/2003|
| COUNTY: STATE: TX |EVENT TIME: 10:45[CDT]|
|LICENSE#: L02181 AGREEMENT: Y |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/29/2003|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |CHUCK CAIN R4 |
| |DANIEL GILLEN NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: HELEN WATKINS | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: BILL GOTT | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NAGR AGREEMENT STATE | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| AGREEMENT STATE REPORT OF PERSONNEL OVEREXPOSURE |
| |
| "A [radiography] source was not retracted to the fully shielded position |
| resulting in a 17.978 R exposure to a radiographer and a 2.650 R exposure to |
| a trainee. A trainer was also at the job site, but was not exposed during |
| the event. The radiographers were up on top of a scaffolding platform |
| radiographing a 100 foot high vessel. The first exposure ran for 2 minutes |
| and the film was too light for use. The second exposure ran for 5 minutes |
| and the radiographer cranked the source back, but not all the way. The |
| source remained 6-8 inches outside the shielded position. The radiographers |
| were up on the scaffolding in an 8 foot space for about 15 minutes with the |
| source exposed. When the radiographers came to make a third exposure, they |
| noticed the source was out. It took about 1 to 11/2 cranks to retract it. |
| The crank cables were about 35 feet long and guide tubes were used. |
| |
| "The radiographer's ratemeter did not work and the trainee did not hear his |
| above the excessive noise and the earplugs. Both pocket dosimeters were off |
| scale. The dosimeters were sent for emergency processing on Friday, July |
| 25, 2003, to determine if an overexposure had occurred. The exposure |
| results were received by the Licensee on Monday, July 28, 2003. The |
| Licensee then reported the exposure to the Agency. An Agency inspector made |
| a site visit to the Licensee's facility to investigate the event on July 29, |
| 2003." |
| |
| Equipment: SPEC 300 exposure device ser. #: 009 |
| Source: 99 Curie cobalt-60, SPEC Model G70, ser. #: C60-02 |
| |
| This occurred at the Amoco Refinery in Texas City, TX. |
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|General Information or Other |Event Number: 40035 |
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| REP ORG: MA RADIATION CONTROL PROGRAM |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/30/2003|
|LICENSEE: WHEELABRATOR |NOTIFICATION TIME: 12:56[EDT]|
| CITY: DORCHESTER REGION: 1 |EVENT DATE: 07/30/2003|
| COUNTY: STATE: MA |EVENT TIME: [EDT]|
|LICENSE#: AGREEMENT: Y |LAST UPDATE DATE: 07/30/2003|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |JAMES NOGGLE R1 |
| |TOM ESSIG NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: MARIO IANNACCONE | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: BILL GOTT | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NAGR AGREEMENT STATE | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
EVENT TEXT
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| AGREEMENT STATE REPORT ON DAMAGED GENERALLY LICENSED LEVEL GAUGE |
| |
| "On 7/28/03 Wheelabrator became aware that a TN [Texas Nuclear] Level Gauge, |
| Cs-137 100 mCi [milli Curie] [Model Number: 5197] SN # B728 (SS&D No. |
| TX634D119B) had gone missing. Plant was in shutdown and work was being |
| performed on the associated hopper. The gauge was removed not following |
| standard procedure. A search of the premises was conducted with negative |
| results. A consultant was hired, and located the gauge in a scrap metal |
| pile on the morning of 7/30/03. The shielding was partially melted away, it |
| was surmised that the gauge may have passed through the boiler. The |
| consultant performed radiation surveys and placed the gauge in a metal |
| container in the storage area. The manufacturer was contacted, arrangements |
| will be made to return the gauge. |
| |
| "Cause description: Gauge removed from frame to accommodate work taking |
| place on hopper (steel replacement). |
| |
| "Precipitating factor: Not secured in storage area; typically used a secure |
| holding area prior to shipping/installation." |
| |
| State Event Number: MA 03-0023 |
| |
| Wheelabrator is located at 100 Salem Turnpike, Saugus, MA. |
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+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Power Reactor |Event Number: 40043 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FACILITY: BYRON REGION: 3 |NOTIFICATION DATE: 08/01/2003|
| UNIT: [1] [2] [] STATE: IL |NOTIFICATION TIME: 15:35[EDT]|
| RXTYPE: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP |EVENT DATE: 08/01/2003|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME: 11:07[CDT]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: CHRIS COTE |LAST UPDATE DATE: 08/01/2003|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: HOWIE CROUCH +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY |BRUCE BURGESS R3 |
|10 CFR SECTION: |JOE STAMBAUGH DOE |
|APRE 50.72(b)(2)(xi) OFFSITE NOTIFICATION |PO SLACH EPA |
| |RICHARD DAVIDSON HHS |
| |MIKE EACHES FEMA |
| | |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR| INIT RX MODE |CURR PWR| CURR RX MODE |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|1 N Y 100 Power Operation |100 Power Operation |
|2 N Y 100 Power Operation |100 Power Operation |
| | |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
EVENT TEXT
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| OFFSITE NOTIFICATION DUE TO MINOR OIL SPILL |
| |
| The following information was received by the licensee via facsimile: |
| |
| "During the restoration of the 0A River Screen House air compressor, |
| lubricating oil leaked internal to the compressor and was blown down to a |
| drain trench which discharged to the Rock River. A film or sheen of |
| approximately 2 square feet was observed on the Rock River water surface. |
| An estimated three cups of lubricating oil was discharged [through] the |
| drain trench to the Rock River. Based on this information, a notification |
| to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) was performed within 15 |
| minutes, and notification to the National Response Center within 1 hour was |
| performed. Actions taken to stop the discharge include isolation of the air |
| compressor blowdown flowpath and placement of oil absorbent rags at the |
| discharge location to the Rock River. The discharge of oil has been |
| terminated." |
| |
| The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector. |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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|General Information or Other |Event Number: 40044 |
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| REP ORG: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH |NOTIFICATION DATE: 08/01/2003|
|LICENSEE: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH |NOTIFICATION TIME: 15:46[EDT]|
| CITY: BALTIMORE REGION: 1 |EVENT DATE: 06/27/2003|
| COUNTY: STATE: MD |EVENT TIME: [EDT]|
|LICENSE#: 19-00296-10 AGREEMENT: Y |LAST UPDATE DATE: 08/01/2003|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |JAMES NOGGLE R1 |
| |DANIEL GILLEN NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: ROBERT ZOON | |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: HOWIE CROUCH | |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|BLO2 20.2201(a)(1)(ii) LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| LOST VIAL OF PHOSPHORUS-32 |
| |
| The following information was obtained from the licensee via facsimile: |
| |
| "This is a potential 30 day report of loss of licensed material in |
| accordance with 10CFR20.2201(a)(ii). I use the qualifier 'potential' |
| because the regulation as written is confusing as to what the activity of |
| the missing material must be to qualify as a reportable at the time of the |
| report. The lost material was a vial of Perkin-Elmer Easytides P-32 |
| [Phosphorus-32]-DCTP, 250 microCurie (9.25 Mbq) on the day of loss. Today, |
| the activity would be approximately 50 microCurie, which would not be |
| reportable under the regulation. However, due to the confusion created by |
| the wording of the regulation, I am conservatively reporting the event. |
| |
| "On July 7, 2003 the NIH Radiation Safety Branch was called by a purchasing |
| agent at the Gerontology Research Center (GRC), Baltimore, MD to inquire as |
| to the status of an item of radioactive material ordered in June. The GRC |
| is a research facility of the National Institute on Aging, part of the NIH. |
| Our database indicated that the item in question had been received and |
| processed in at Building 21 on the Bethesda, MD main campus on June 27, 2003 |
| and subsequently delivered to the GRC facility the afternoon of that same |
| day. |
| |
| "Following the inquiry, a search for the material was conducted by the |
| Authorized User and also, on July 8, 2003, by the Health Physicist assigned |
| to the GRC, accompanied by one of the contract delivery technicians. This |
| search was exhaustive, covering every corridor in the complex as well as |
| each lab where five other items were delivered on June 27, 2003. The item |
| was not discovered in inventory within any laboratory, nor in any corridor. |
| |
| "At this time, our conclusion is that the item was inadvertently misplaced |
| during the delivery run of the six items that day, probably in a corridor. |
| The container for the item was a cardboard box labeled Radioactive |
| Material-Excepted Package-Limited Quantity of Material, UN2910. The box was |
| likely mistaken as empty and disposed of to the refuse dumpster servicing |
| the GRC facility on June 27, 2003. |
| |
| "The low volume comprising the Easytides product is doubly-contained within |
| a very durable Plexiglas vial, which also serves to shield the beta |
| emissions from the P-32. Therefore we believe it is very unlikely that |
| anyone would have been exposed to the P-32 as a result of the disposition of |
| the vial into municipal refuse. |
| |
| "Corrective measures have been implemented with the delivery contractor to |
| prevent the likelihood of another such loss in the future." |
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|Power Reactor |Event Number: 40045 |
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| FACILITY: INDIAN POINT REGION: 1 |NOTIFICATION DATE: 08/03/2003|
| UNIT: [2] [] [] STATE: NY |NOTIFICATION TIME: 11:10[EDT]|
| RXTYPE: [2] W-4-LP,[3] W-4-LP |EVENT DATE: 08/03/2003|
+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME: 04:30[EDT]|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: A. BARTLIK |LAST UPDATE DATE: 08/03/2003|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: JOHN MacKINNON +-----------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------+PERSON ORGANIZATION |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY |JAMES NOGGLE R1 |
|10 CFR SECTION: |WILLIAM BECKNER NRR |
|ARPS 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) RPS ACTUATION - CRITICA|RICHARD WESSMAN IRO |
|AESF 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) VALID SPECIF SYS ACTUAT|ROY ZIMMERMAN NSIR |
| |CARL PAPERIELLO EDO |
| |BILL BORCHARDT NRR |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR| INIT RX MODE |CURR PWR| CURR RX MODE |
+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+
|2 A/R Y 100 Power Operation |0 Hot Standby |
| | |
| | |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
EVENT TEXT
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| TURBINE TRIP/REACTOR TRIP |
| |
| The following information was received from the licensee via facsimile: |
| |
| "At 04:30 [EDT], Indian Point 2 lost all load due to an Offsite electrical |
| disturbance. The loss of load caused the Turbine-Generator speed to |
| increase above 1800 RPM resulting in a "TURBINE CONTROL OIL AUTO TRIP" which |
| in turn caused a REACTOR TRIP. |
| |
| "The over frequency condition prevented the FAST TRANSFER of Bus 1, 2, 3 and |
| 4 to the Station Auxiliary Transformer, resulting in a loss of all Reactor |
| Coolant Pumps and power to Safeguards Bus 2A and 3A. |
| |
| "All Emergency Diesel Generators auto-started as required. Power remained |
| available to Safeguards Buses 5A and 6A from the Station Auxiliary |
| Transformer and the EDGs did not assume load. |
| |
| "Auxiliary Feedwater (AFW) Pumps 22 and 23 automatically started on low |
| steam generator level condition. AFW pump 21 did not start due to loss of |
| power to bus 3A. |
| |
| "Power was restored to bus 2A and 3A by manual closure of the output |
| breakers of EDG 22 at approximately 4:40. |
| Initial core cooling was provided by natural circulation cooling. |
| |
| "The Condenser remained available as a heat sink and the Steam Generator |
| Atmospheric Relief Valves and Safety Valves remained closed. |
| |
| "A Pressurizer Power Operated Relief Valve (PORV) actuated, resulting in |
| discharge to the Pressurizer Relief Tank (PRT), which remained intact. The |
| Pressurizer Code Safety Valves remained closed. |
| |
| "Forced RCS circulation was re-established at 05:30. At present 3 RCPs |
| [Reactor Coolant Pumps] have been restored to service, with actions in |
| progress to restore the fourth RCP. |
| |
| "Currently, plant conditions [are] Hot Zero Power with preparations for unit |
| recovery in progress." |
| |
| The electrical disturbance in the switchyard was due to electrical storms in |
| the area. All rods inserted into the core during the trip. The site's |
| other nuclear unit was not affected. All electrical feeders required by |
| Technical Specifications are in service at this time. |
| |
| Notified Region 1 PAO (Neil Sheehan) & Headquarters PAO (Beth Hayden). & EDO |
| Office (Ho Nieh). |
| |
| The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector. |
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