Event Notification Report for February 20, 2013

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - IRRADIATOR SOURCE RETRACTION MALFUNCTION

The following report was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Radiation Branch, via e-mail:

"The licensee RSO reported that, during securing the source rack [on a pool irradiator], a tote on the conveyor became lodged against the rack mechanism causing it to halt before being completely secured. The maintenance manager and an operation technician were able to dislodge the tote without receiving any additional exposure. They manually moved the conveyor belt dislodging the tote and allowing the rack to continue to its secure position in the irradiator pool. The licensee will submit a complete report within 30 days.

"[The Texas Radiation Branch classifies this report as a] 30.50(b)(2) event type involving equipment failure or disability to function as designed when equipment is required to be available and operable and no redundant equipment is available and operable, includes source disconnection and failure to retract source."

Texas Report I-9044

DEGRADED CONDITION - CONTAINMENT PENETRATION FAILS LOCAL LEAK RATE TESTING

"On February 20, 2013, at 0538 EST, local leak rate testing (LLRT) of the 'A' feedwater check valves 2B21-F010A and 2B21-F077A revealed that neither valve would pressurize. Based on this information this line would not remain water filled post-LOCA and would result in the 'as found' minimum pathway leakage exceeding the limiting condition of operation (LCO) for Technical Specification 3.6.1.1. The cause for the LLRT failures will be determined and required corrective maintenance will be performed and valves successfully tested during the current refueling outage."

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

* * * RETRACTION FROM KEN HUNTER TO VINCE KLCO ON 2/22/13 AT 1611 EST* * *

"Subsequent investigation into the reported LLRT failure revealed that the initial LLRT performed on feedwater check valve 2B21-F010A was not considered an acceptable test, since that LLRT was not representative of the 'as found' condition of this check valve. The test volume for this valve had been slowly filled such that the check valve did not have the normal expected differential pressure across the valve disc to achieve normal check valve seating. After draining the test volume and refilling it by allowing the test volume to gravity fill from the reactor pressure vessel, the expected differential pressure across the valve disc occurred and seated the disc in such a way that it was more representative of the 'as found' condition for the check valve. An LLRT was then performed with a leakage of 50 accm [actual cubic centimeters per minute] against an acceptance criterion of 194 accm. No maintenance or operation of the check valve had occurred between the initial invalid test and the subsequent test performed with the disc in its 'as found' condition. An engineering evaluation was performed that documented the acceptability of using this means for establishing the test volume for feedwater check valves 2B21-F010A and 2B21-F010B for the 'A' and 'B' loops of feedwater, respectively. This engineering evaluation concluded that establishment of the required test volume in the manner described for primary containment penetration 9A satisfies the Hatch LLRT program requirements and that the leakage acceptance criterion for feedwater check valve 2B21-F010A in its 'as found' state was satisfied. The 2B21-F077A valve will be retested at a later date.

"Based on this information, the LLRT of this check valve in its 'as found' state was successful which actually resulted in successful minimum pathway leak rate test results for primary containment penetration 9A. These conclusive test results clearly indicated that the initial test results were incorrect and the 'as found' condition of this penetration isolation capability did not represent a significant degradation of a principal safety barrier as described in 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(ii)(A). For these reasons Notification # 48772 is being retracted."

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

Notified the R2DO (McCoy).

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - FETAL EXPOSURE TO IODINE-131

The following information was obtained from the State of California via email:

"A female patient was treated with 176.9 mCi of Iodine 131 on 2/20/13. A serum pregnancy test conducted on 2/18/13 came back negative. On 4/22/13, Radiological Associates received a phone call from the patient's endocrinologist informing them that the patient was pregnant. An ultrasound evaluation of the patient performed on 3/18/13 determined that the fetus would have been approximately two weeks old at the time of the Iodine 131 dose administration. The dose to the fetus was determined to be 47 rad, which may meet the requirement for an abnormal occurrence."

"The [California Radiologic Health Branch] will be reviewing this event."

California Event: 5010-050313